In my main database a couple of groups are inboxes for material I ingest via ScanSnap. I use these to cull through documents for assignment to their proper group(s), etc. One of the inboxes is for documents related to my business.
Now, I also have a database for the business, with its documents. I would like to have the “business inbox” group in each database synchronized. This way I could do all my scanning inside one database, dump the business work into the business inbox, then open the business database and handle the sorting-out work from there.
So far, the workaround seems to be to export documents from the inbox in one data base, put them physically into an import folder on disk, then import them back into the business data base.
In the Finder I’ve created folders to receive exports destined for specific databases. From my main database, I select and export material to the ‘receiving’ folder for each database.
Then I switch databases and import all of the contents of the folder intended for the open database.
Note: When one uses File > Export > Files & Folders an additional file is saved along with the files for the selected documents. That file holds the metadata associated with the files, such as URLs. That file should also be selected when one chooses File > Import > Files & Folders from the receiving database. The metadata associated with each document will be recreated in the new environment.
Note: As that special DEVONthink_ storage file will be overwritten if a second export is made to a folder, the metadata associated with any files already in the folder would be lost. Make it a practice to export to a folder, then import the contents to the receiving database, then empty the Finder folder.
After importing the contents of each folder, go back to the Finder and empty those folders, so they will be ready for use next time.
This is really a simple procedure that takes much less time to do than to describe.
