Some suggestions from a newbie user

[geekgrrl]

I’ve just started to use DT, and like it very much. However, I have a few queries. I’ve read the manual and can’t find the answers there, but forgive me if I’ve missed something obvious!

1. Finder seems to launch whenever a file is imported (through the menu, or by drag and drop, or even through the scripts). Unfortunately, I use Path Finder ( cocoatech.com/pathfinder3/ ). It’s a really neat replacement for the Finder, and I don’t really want to give it up. Because Path Finder completely replaces the Finder for me, I quit the Finder, and this then leads to irritating delays when I import something. Is there any way to tell DT that I‘m using Path Finder?
2. Is there a way to use the advanced options of pdftotext? I had the CLI tool anyway and found that the ‘-layout’ option is very good for maintaining the structure of the document. The ‘-nopgbrk’ option is also useful to avoid awkward gaps. Perhaps there could be a checkbox in the preferences to use these options if they are available. Of course, I could convert texts from the command line, and then import them, but this wouldn’t be as neat.
3. The word count facility is great. But would it be possible to also show the count of the selected text as well? This is very handy if there is a separate limit on particular parts of your document (e.g. the summary must be less than 500 words).

[milhouse]

Hi and welcome

There is a “hack” to basically send calls to the Finder on to PF on cocoatech’s website. It’s normally buried in an old FAQ but here’s the text from that piece:

Method #1:
[i]Why doesn’t clicking on a folder in the Dock show up in Path Finder?

The Dock sends an AppleEvent to the Finder.  The solution is to make OS X think Path Finder is the Finder
    1. Right click on Path Finder and select ‘Show Package Contents’.
    2. Go into the ‘Contents’ folder and edit the PkgInfo document.
    3. Edit the PkgInfo file with a text editor and change it to “APPLMACS”    (without the quotes)
    4. Save.
    5. Quit Path Finder and relaunch.
    6. Quit the Finder (see command in Path Finder menu).
    If you change your mind later, repeat the above procedure but be sure to    change the PkgInfo file back to the original value of “APPLPFdR” (without    the quotes).

WARNING: Power users only.  Doing this will send events to Path Finder rather than the Finder.  It could cause side effects.  If you notice that one of your applications is no longer working, reverse this procedure.  [/i]                  

Method #2:
[i]                  
Can Path Finder completely replace my Finder?

(Advanced Users Only)
Warning: Due to current limitations in the current version of Mac OS X, this procedure is for advanced users only. Do not try this if you are not 100% comfortable with Mac OS X and are able to restore things should something goes wrong. As Mac OS X is improved upon in the future, we will make this procedure more automated and accessible to everyone. In the meantime, use with caution.

All you need to do to get Path Finder to run as your Finder is to:
Launch Apple’s Terminal.app, usually located in /Applications/Utilities
Copy and paste the following command:
 defaults write com.apple.loginwindow Finder “/Path/To/Path Finder.app”
(Don’t forget to change /Path/To to the actual location of Path Finder, make sure there’s a space between Path and Finder, and yes, you need the quotes. This all goes on one line, too.)
Quit the Terminal.app, and logout.

When you log in, Path Finder should automatically launch as your filebrowser. Hallelujah!

(Courtesy of Neil Lee.)
   

To reverse this procedure, copy and paste the following command:defaults delete com.apple.loginwindow Finder[/i]    

I’ve done both and Method #1 is definitely safer and simpler.

I’ve found PF to be a bit pokey and lacking in some basic features as well as been a bit bloated for my everyday use. Not sure if the scripts will function with PF as it’s AppleScript support is lacking, AFAIK.

YMMV
and
good luck                

[Bill_DeVille]

Because Path Finder completely replaces the Finder for me, I quit the Finder, and this then leads to irritating delays when I import something. Is there any way to tell DT that I‘m using Path Finder?

I used Path Finder for more than a year with the Finder running concurrently, as each did things I wanted. For the past 5 months I haven’t used Path Finder, as it took up more memory than I liked, and with the assistance of plug-ins etc. the Finder works fine for me now.

Probably the easiest and safest workaround to your problem is just to leave the Finder running in parallel with Path Finder.

As to word count for selections, I’ve got a "Statistics" service under the Services menu that will do just that.

Hope you enjoy DEVONthink. It’s my bread and butter application for information storage and knowledge mining.

[geekgrrl]

milhouse: Thanks a lot for the work-around. I’ll give No.1 a try and see if that solves it. I’ve tinkered with the scripts to see if I could get them using PF, but so far without success, so you may be right about the lack of Applescript support.

Bill: I like PF a lot (particularly the shelf), and don’t find it to be too slow or memory-hungry. That said, Panther is around the corner, so I’ll see if the new Finder solves some of the shortcomings of the old one. Your statistics service sounds ideal - can you tell me where you got it from, or is it a homebrew?  :)

I must say that I’m really impressed with DT (and DA, which I’m trying out as well), and I think it’s probably a dead cert that I’ll register it. Just wanted to spend a little time with it first to be sure - I have a bad habit of finding a new and cool piece of software and registering it before I’ve really tested it out to see if I like it (or even need it).  ;) But I don’t think I’ve come across anything with the slickness and adaptability of DT. I use NoteBook too, and my plan is to use NoteBook for rather temporary notes and scribbles, then transfer information I want to keep to DT.

Thanks for the help

[cgrunenberg]

3. The word count facility is great. But would it be possible to also show the count of the selected text as well? This is very handy if there is a separate limit on particular parts of your document (e.g. the summary must be less than 500 words).

This will probably be added to the next release or v1.8 (I’ve been missing this too sometimes

[geekgrrl]

cgrunenberg: Woo-hoo! That’s good news.

And I’ve just taken the plunge and registered DT: it didn’t take long to become indispensible  :) I kept thinking to myself, “I’ll just drag that into DT until I decide what to do with it”.