I have my PDFs in DTP. When I run a Spotlight search and find a PDF, if I press enter, it opens in Spotlight. I want it to open directly into my PDF reader of choice. (And likewise for other formats such as DOCX).
I would also like it that double-clicking a file inside of DTP will open straight into the default opening software rather than DTP Preview.
Someone must have asked this before, but I couldn’t find the thread.
Thank you
When I run a Spotlight search and find a PDF, if I press enter, it opens in Spotlight. I want it to open directly into my PDF reader of choice. (And likewise for other formats such as DOCX).
I think you mean “opens in DEVONthink”.
This isn’t possible as it’s not how the Spotlight data works with DEVONthink. What Spotlight finds is not the file. It is a pointer to a file in DEVONthink, therefore it will open the file in DEVONthink.
Regarding the second question, enable DEVONthink’s Preferences > General > Interface > Double-click opens document externally.
When I open a PDF record through Spotlight, and that record contains a source URL, I will be redirected to the source URL instead of openning in DEVONthink. If the PDF record doesn’t have a source URL, Spotlight will open the PDF in DEVONthink. Is it possible to have all PDF records indexed in Spotlight open in DEVONthink rather than direct me to the source URL if it has one?
Is this an indexed or imported file?
I have an imported PDF with a URL applied. Searching for that PDF in Spotlight opens the PDF in DEVONthink. It’s not opening the URL.
They’re all imported files, but sorry, I forgot that I was using Alfred to search for these PDFs rather than Spotlight. Spotlight indeed opens them in DEVONthink even with URLs applied. (This may be out of topic already, but would you know how to sort the issue in Alfred? Alfred uses Spotlight’s database, so I assume they should work similarly.) In any case, thanks for the help. Spotlight indeed works as intended.
No problem. But no, I don’t use Alfred. (I’m a diehard Quicksilver user 
)
In Alfred Preferences → General → Default Results you need to add ~/Library/Metadata/com.devon-technologies.think3 to the Search Scope.
Stephen
Thanks, Stephen. I have set this in Alfred already, and I’m still having the issue. If the PDF in DEVONthink has no source URL applied, Alfred will show the path to the metadata folder below the file name in the results list, and Alfred will open DEVONthink. However, if the PDF has a source URL, Alfred will show the source URL rather than the path to the metadata folder, and Alfred will open my web browser instead. My workaround so far has been to delete the URL field of the PDF in DEVONthink, but ideally, I would like to keep that metadata information there.
[Update] Another workaround is to use the command open or spacebar or '. Alfred will open the PDF in DEVONthink whether or not it has a source URL applied.