Prefs->Import->New Notes setting keeps changing

DTPro 1.3b3

Don’t know if this is a bug (or a problem between the chair & keyboard) but when I set the "Preferences->Import->New Notes: setting to a particular group (in may case .INBOX), it keeps resetting to “In top or current group”).

I don’t know that this is related but one thing I do that might be “non-standard”. At the end of the day, I run the “Backup Archive” script & make a .zip file of my database. I take that zipped copy on a 4GB thumbdrive and put it on my macbook at home. I unzip the file and then overwrite the DTP database on my MacBook with the one I just unzipped. Works well and the .zip archive is 4 times smaller than just zipping up my Devonthink database using “create archive” within finder.

So I wonder, is that setting for import stored in the database (which might explain my issue–it’s getting set different ways by different machines) or is it stored in a plist file?

One other thing, whenever I unzip the backup archive and put it on a new machine, I also lose the 3-pane view as my default. Invariably it opens the “newly unzipped” database in “as vertical split” view.

I’ll try a response.

If you are moving the database around onto different machines, the Preferences settings should be identical on each.

And I suspect you would see better consistency of open windows and their view mode if you ‘standardized’ on the windows that were "last open on quit’.

Sounds like a workable solution for your movement among computers. I would recommend that each time you run Backup Archive you first save the compressed and dated archive file to your computer’s drive, then copy it to the thumbdrive.

Two reasons: (a) Your hard drive is probably more reliable, so you’ve got a sound recent archive should your transport media go south. (b) Your little transport drive is more likely to get lost or stolen, so it’s best to have a second copy of the archive.

Of course, the computer you were last using will be current. But I would still like the added protection of that current external backup on the computer.

I haven’t had to resort to a backup in over two years. But I like to stay a bit paranoid, as my data is worth a lot more than the computers that host it.

The script to export a backup archive does not yet add the database specific settings file to the archive. I will post an enhanced script next week.

Great, Christian. Although I use Backup Archive frequently and highly recommend it, I haven’t had to resort to an archive backup. So I wasn’t aware that the database-specific settings were not carried over in the archive. :slight_smile:

Yes, I did check the completeness of the backed up database before I started using Backup Archive routinely, but I hadn’t noticed that views might change.

Now the problem noted in the first post of this thread will be solved.

Just replace ~/Library/Application Support/DEVONthink Pro/Export/Prepare Backup.scpt with this script:


-- Prepare Backup.
-- Created by Christian Grunenberg on Fri Jul 22 2005.
-- Copyright (c) 2005-2007. All rights reserved.

tell application "DEVONthink Pro"
	activate
	try
		if not (exists current database) then error "No database is open."
		set this_database to the current database
		
		set this_path to path of this_database
		set {od, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {AppleScript's text item delimiters, "/"}
		set this_filename to text item -1 of this_path
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to od
		
		set tmp_directory to "/tmp/DEVONthink Pro/" & this_filename
		set this_date to do shell script "date +%y-%m-%d"
		
		set theFile to choose file name default name (this_filename & " " & this_date & ".zip")
		set this_archive to POSIX path of theFile
		if this_archive does not end with ".zip" then set this_archive to this_archive & ".zip"
		
		show progress indicator "Preparing Backup" steps 5
		
		with timeout of 600 seconds
			step progress indicator "Verifying..."
			if (verify database this_database) is not 0 then error "Database is damaged."
			
			step progress indicator "Optimizing..."
			if not (optimize database this_database) then error "Optimization of database failed."
			
			step progress indicator "Copying..."
			if not (backup database this_database to tmp_directory with including files) then error "Backup failed."
			
			try
				set theSettingsSrc to (path of this_database) & "/Settings.plist"
				set theSettingsDst to tmp_directory & "/Settings.plist"
				do shell script "cp " & quoted form of theSettingsSrc & " " & quoted form of theSettingsDst
			end try
			
			step progress indicator "Zipping..."
			do shell script "/usr/bin/ditto -c -k -rsrc --keepParent " & (quoted form of tmp_directory) & " " & (quoted form of this_archive)
			step progress indicator "Cleaning Up..."
			try
				do shell script "rm -fR " & (quoted form of tmp_directory)
			end try
		end timeout
		
		hide progress indicator
	on error error_message number error_number
		hide progress indicator
		if the error_number is not -128 then
			try
				display alert "DEVONthink Pro" message error_message as warning
			on error number error_number
				if error_number is -1708 then display dialog error_message buttons {"OK"} default button 1
			end try
		end if
	end try
end tell