New database

DEVONthink Tips
1

I have 2 main databases, Home and Work…

They are both getting a bit big…and slow… (10g each)

So I thought I would rename them Home_Archive, and Work _Archive, and start with a fresh home and work database.

However I really like my folder (group structure), and I want to preserve this.

Anyway of doing this so I have an empty fresh database with preserved folder structure.

2

I highly suggest you don’t rename the database. (Though you can, it can cause confusion.)
• Changing the name in DEVONthink doesn’t change the name of the .dtBase2 file on your system.
• When you close the database, the original name will appear in the Recent Databases list.
• Renaming the .dtBase2 file in the Finder will show the updated name in the Recent Databases (though the original will be defunct in this list). However, the name in Database Properties is still what appears in the Open Databases list and may not coincide.

You can easily create a new database and drag and drop between them (though this will take the contents as well).

3

Is there any good reason for renaming a database?

4

Renaming is possible - but I’ll vote with Jim that the most desirable thing is to avoid it.

However, if avoidance is not possible:

I’ve renamed databases successfully. It’s not time-consuming, but there is a definite sequence to the changes that will enable the renaming:

  1. Optionally - if the database has been synced to DTTG, open DTTG, sync one time to flush anything from your iOS device to the desktop, then remove the database from DTTG
  2. Open File > Database Properties > [name of the database] and change the “Name” field to the new name
  3. Control-click on the database name in Favorites (it will be the old name at this point) and from the contextual menu chose “Remove from Favorites”
  4. Click File > Open Recent and choose “Clear Menu”
  5. Control-click on the database name in “Open Databases” and choose “Show in Finder” – don’t do anything in the Finder window that opens. Return to DEVONthink.
  6. Once again, control-click on the database name in “Open Databases” and choose “Close Database”
  7. Go to the Finder window that opened in Step 5
  8. Rename the .dtBase2 file to the same name you entered in Step 2
  9. Double-click the renamed database to open it in DEVONthink
  10. Optionally - control-click the database and add it to Favorites
  11. Optionally - open DTTG and add the database to the synced databases

Follow the sequence as written, and you should be OK. If you have any scripts that invoke the database by its old name (unlikely for most people) you will need to fix the script(s)

5

Thanks for the detailed db renaming procedure, korm.

Realized my “good reason for doing it?” question seems a bit silly. It can be just like other renaming, when you come up with some better name than the original.

I’m still trying to think of a case when/why you’d only want to change the db filename or its Name under Database Properties, but not both.

6

Say you do work for some obscure governmental agency that has a file naming policy. So the policy makes it that you have a database file named xy89z_quv909w.dtBase2. Inside the DEVOnthink client you might however use a database property name of Obscure Agency - SOPs. :wink:

7

Oooo. :slight_smile:

Using db property names to sanitize goofy filenames makes sense.