When I rename a file in Devonthink Pro, for example: picture50.jpg to picture72.jpg, it is renamed correctly in Devonthink Pro and shows the new name, picture72.jpg. Perfect
When I take now the “Export Function”, this file is saved on the desktop correctly with the new name (picture72.jpg)
But when I drag and drop the renamed file from DT Pro to my desktop, the file on the Desktop shows the old name (picture50.jpg) and NOT the new Name (picture72.jpg)!
What can I do? I want to use Drag and Drop, but of course I want the new name of a renamed file on my desktop.
I don’t do all that much dragging and dropping, and I usually care more about the names of the documents in my database than about Finder names.
What happens is that, whether you are using File > Export > Files & Folders, or dragging and dropping, you a making a new copy of the image file to your desktop.
What happens when you drag & drop an image file from DT Pro to the Desktop is that this operation uses the file name that’s in the Path field of the DT Pro Info panel for that file. That doesn’t change when you change the image name in DT Pro. If it did, one couldn’t use external links to files, as their paths would break on renaming.
So there are two ways to export an image file with the same name as it has in your DT Pro database:
[1] Export using DT Pro’s Files & Folders mode;
[2] Drag & drop from DT Pro to the Finder. Then change the name of the file to the name it has in DT Pro. Easiest way: Copy the name while in DT Pro, then paste that name in the Finder.
Note that this is only a problem for documents that show a Path in the Info panel. You can freely rename text files, for example, and a text file dragged to the Finder will have the same name as you gave it in DT Pro.
If you have imported a lot of image files into DT Pro (copied, e.g., to the database Files folder), you could export the entire database contents to a target folder in the Finder, create a new DT Pro database and then import the material to that database. But the next time you import a new image to that database, your problem begins again.
It’s possible (although I don’t guarantee it) that the behavior will change when version 2.0 is released.
Thank u for the answer bill. Hm, that is bad. Because I am a journalist and have to give my documents to many other people. So I would save time, just to drag and drop renamed files.
What I do not understand is, why I need a “Path”. I copy all documents directly in the Database, so a path is not really necessary. If I would use the import option “import in Files” oder “link the docus”, ok. Path is important.
But if I import it directly into database… Path is not necessary, I think.
Ok, nevertheless now I know there is no solution, so I hope any time there will be a possibility to rename files in Devonthink Pro with Drag and Drop option to desktop including the renamed DT Pro Filename
Best regards from Austria
P.S.: Ähmmm… IDEA: Bill, isn´t there a very quick and 1-Klick-Solution with an Apple Script (Automator) workflow, like this:
After files in DT Pro are renamed: 1. Mark these Files in DT Pro 2. Export the marked Files to Desktop 3.Delete the Original Files in DT-Pro 4.Import the Files back to DT-Pro!
You know what I mean?
I think, DT Team would write such a script or Automator Action within some minutes and it would be a great help!!!
There’s already a DT Pro script that will rename external files and folders to correspond to the document and group names in your DT Pro database. It’s in DT Pro’s menu bar at Scripts > Path & URL > Rename Files & Folders.
I would suggest that you backup your drive first, in case you don’t like the results. As I recall, this will effect all externally linked folders and files.
I haven’t used this script, as I often use fairly long descriptive names in my DT Pro database, and the length of some of them might cause problems with some of my colleagues who still use old versions or Windows, or still use the Classic Mac OS.
Christian has previously noted in this forum that when version 2.0 is released and first launched, it will convert the current contents of your database in such a way that your problem with file names will disappear (for documents contained in the database body or the Files folder). But even then, you may need to shorten filenames of some of your exported files to avoid truncation problems with sending them as attachments in mail programs.
I clicked on this Script… and now everything is ok. I rename a “jpg” file in DT Pro, Drag and Drop to the Desktop and the renamed File is on the Desktop. Perfect.
No matter what this script has done. And even I do not want to know what it has done
Most important thing is, that i can now drag and drop the renamed files! I hope this stays also in the future, but we will see. BTW, I have a Mac-PB! No Windows…
Is this still possible? I renamed a number of files in DT and need to share them with others, so I’m trying to find a way to have the files renamed to the name they’ve been given in DT.
How are you renaming the files? If you change the name in DEVONthink, the filename should change as well (as of DTPO 2.8.9 on OS X 10.11.3. Can’t test my 10.9.x machine as it’s tied up in testing ATM)
