I have been using DEVONthink for about a week and I want to run this by the experts. What prompted me to buy this app was the end of support for the Paperless app and the DT sale price. I want to create a separate thread since the other threads I read didn’t address my implementation. I welcome all feedback and I am not averse to changing my implementation if there is a better one to be had.
Here is my replacement for Paperless:
- Ran Paperless and exported the list of receipt column data as a TSV file.
- Used DT to create a Receipts database in a specific location on my MBP (under Documents folder).
- Copied all the PDF receipt files into the folder associated with the DT Receipts database. Note: I changed the directory structure slightly to use fewer folders and renamed the PDF files to something more meaningful.
- I indexed this directory structure so that I could access it within the context of my DT database. Also, I did NOT want these receipt files placed into the database. I want to keep my Finder access since I will be manually putting future receipt files into this structure.
- I created a Template for all the data columns. Note: I was disappointed at the lack of documentation on Template creation.
- I created an empty Sheet file (Kind: TSV Document) using my new Template.
- I opened the Sheet file with Excel and populated it by importing the TSV file exported from Paperless.
- I saved the file and all my receipt records miraculously appeared in DT.
- I made some modifications to the columns. For example, I created a numerical count column and manually numbered each line starting with the oldest item (item 1). I use this field to reverse sort the receipt records so it shows the newest one first.
- I wanted to link each line with its PDF receipt file so I created a new column called “Receipt” and defined it as an “Item Link” field. I was able to use this field to point to a particular file in the PDF directory structure I had previously indexed.
- Unfortunately, I could not do anything with this new field, i.e., I could not open the PDF file by right clicking. (It would have been nice to see an “Open” context menu item.)
- I decided to change the field type from “Item Link” to “URL” and DT automatically replaced each item link entry with its equivalent URL. Nice!
- Now, I could single click on an entry in the Receipt column to select it then I can right click and use the “Open Link” context menu item. DT opens the PDF receipt file in a local viewer. From there I can use PDF Expert to further open/edit the file.
I am attaching a screenshot of the final result. I have not finished manually linking each record to its PDF file.
I ran into some issues importing from Excel which I feel are bugs:
- “Amount” values $1,000+ were munged and did not import correctly. I had to manually correct these. Any amount under $1000 imported OK. Note: could be that it chokes on the comma, e.g., “$1,234.99” fails.
- I could not enter the € or £ currency symbols in the Amount field even though I defined it as currency. It would only accept the $ sign.
- Most of the “Date” fields imported well but a few did not and required manual correction. For example, in Excel, a date was displayed as “11/23/24”. This was imported as “Nov 23, 24”. I had to manually add “20” to make it show “2024”. Only a few entries were like this, thankfully.
Other things:
- I should not have to define my Receipt field as one type and then change it to another just to set it then use it.
- If I click on a field, the line becomes highlighted and I can enter a value for that field. If I press , the field below the current field is opened and I can change it next. However, the line highlight does not follow where the open field is. The line highlight should always follow any field being edited.
- There must be some way where I can go directly to any field on a line and right click and get that field’s context menu. Right now, the context menu for the entire file opens. It should not take a two-step process, i.e., select the field then right click.
- Using Excel is better than using Apple’s Numbers app. If I make a change in Excel and save it, the change instantly shows up in DT. In Numbers, it asks me to specify a filename and place to save the updated file.
- It would be nice to see a tooltip when I hover over a particular field in my file. Some fields are truncated and it I would like to view the entire contents.
Questions:
- Does anyone know how to display the full contents of a single highlighted line in a separate side pane? Editing there would be nice too.
- Is there a way to quickly select and make my file read-only to prevent accidental changes and read-write when I want to add a new receipt?
That is all I have. I welcome all comments. Thanks!