Suggestion on linking / referring to docs across databases

DEVONthink
1

Looking for suggestions to help my project work-flow.
How can I “connect” info across databases?

Simple example is that I have one database with “Base” material which I create, and a second “Project database” for ongoing work. Many times I want to use a document from the “Base material” database in a project located in a “Project database”.

Assuming no changes to the document, how could I have some type of entry in the Project database that connects to the document in the “Base material” database? Do I need to create a text file that includes a DTP link to the document in the “Base material” database?

I appreciate any and all suggestions for how others accomplish something like this.

thanx

2

Personally, I have a single database with two tags; Type-Base & Type-Project
edit: And tag:Archive for closed projects (I also prefix names with an x)

3

Thanks for the suggestion DTLow - I have considered that.
Typically I have five or six current client projects and scores of closed client projects. I’m trying to have the closed projects archived in yet another DB so they don’t clutter up my navigation, searches, etc.

4

You could create a custom metadata field and put an Item Link for the other document in that field

Or you could put the link and an associated comment as an Annotation in the Reminders/Annotations inspector

Or you could use the Finder Comment field for this purpose to include a comment and Item Link

5

  • Is the document in the Base materials a static document, meant only as a reference?

  • Would you be making notes about the document that only pertain to the project you’re working on?

6

Generally, the docs in the Base materials are static but sometimes I may revise them independently or as a result of project work. For now, working with static docs will be a big help.

Blockquote * Would you be making notes about the document that only pertain to the project you’re working on?

I’m not.
I want to be able to quickly see all materials I am using and / providing on a project. In my mind, it would be like having replicants from another DB in the project DB. (but I know DT doesn’t do that). The only way I found is to create 1 RTF doc in the Project DB that contains DT links of the docs from the Base DB. That kind of gets the job done but then I need to open the RTF to see the list of docs and then find the way to the doc in the Base DB …

DT is so rich, I assume there is an approach to accomplish this but I haven’t found it yet.

7

Personally, I would just duplicate the files into the project database.

  • If they’re static files, there would be no need to worry about updates to the files.

  • If they need some changes pertaining to the project, it isolates them from the originals in the base materials.

  • And also, the project database will be a self-contained entity at that point, not requiring any dependencies from an external source.

8

As another suggestion, I guess you could also copy the item links and paste them into the project database as bookmarks. This might come pretty close to having replicants, if that’s what you’re looking for.

9

It’s possible to point to the same file across different databases if the file is indexed.

It won’t have the same UUID in each database, but changes to the file’s content of one record will change all other records’ content that point to the same file across databases.

But if they’re static files making them indexed just to have their content available in another database is probably not what you’re looking for.

1 Like
10

Thanks all for the suggestions. My take away - as I suspected DT dos not do what I was trying to accomplish, and probably with good reason. The option that gets me closest is just having copies of Base files in the Project DB.

Appreciate the help :slight_smile:

11

You’re welcome.
And given your description, I personally believe this is the optimal solution. 32 years in graphic arts & printing taught me to create discrete structures that encapsulated an entire project, regardless if there was duplicate information. I could hand off any folder, CD, or hard drive knowing everything needed to reproduce that product was there.

:slight_smile:

1 Like
12

I’m worried. Assuming you went to school before that, and adding the apparent lifetime you have worked for DT that’s scribbles 16 + 32 + lifetime = ancient! I hope you’re not considering bunking off on retirement any time soon? :flushed:

13

Haha!
I started in graphic arts professionally at 15 (yes, 15) and have no formal schooling in it. I’m a quick study and mostly self-taught. Also, I’ve been with DEVONtech 9 years this July but my time here overlapped with my previous job by several years. :slight_smile:

14

@BLUEFROG Are you self-taught as a developer/tech support also?

15

Indeed, I am. I had one semester of art school and got kicked out of a 2 year graphic arts program after 1 year (partly because I had learned the two years worth of knowledge in the first semester, got a job running a printing press, and ended up teaching the other kids :stuck_out_tongue: ). The tech stuff I taught myself to become more efficient in printing companies and service bureaus I worked at. (I was sometimes running three or four Macs simultaneously, i.e., multiple print jobs - usually catalogs - at once :smiley: )