Writing and note-taking seems to involve three concurrent needs.
I need to write, either in a DT document or in a word processor. I need to find stuff, and I need to see and review references for what I’m writing about.
So, my current preference is to turn off “double-click opens group in a new window”. That way I can double click on a tag or group and focus on just that group.
One window, full height on the right half of the screen, is my editing window. It’s either a DT window or a word processor. If it’s a DT window, the inspectors and the sidebar are off to save screen space.
To the left, two half-height Devonthink windows. Unless I’m referencing things in more than one DT database, both have the sidebar off.
The lower left DT window has “see also and classify” open. That’s my window for finding stuff. The vertical preview is focused at the database level so I can surf around. As I find things that relate to what I’m writing, I tag them with a tag to create a group of references.
The top left is my reference window. I double click and focus it on the tag I’m building for the current subject I’m writing about.
Go->Workspaces->Add keeps the setup ready to go.
To the right, I write. Lower left, I find stuff, tag them, and also create any new reference notes I think of. Upper left, a focused view of references to keep my writing on track.
Spiffy, don’t you think? There are other applications that get a lot of attention for note-taking and organization, and I do think DT could offer more appeal.
On the other hand, DT is very reliable and I keep realizing that DT always has hidden advantages. And so, here I am, still happy with DT. I might even write a novel with it. Someday.
