Newb with devonthink here. In trying to setup my tags, is there a way to have one set of tags across multiple databases? Default behavior appears to be tags sets linked to each database as well as linked to global inbox.
Also, I see that finder adds the tags that I add to devonthink which is great. I’ve also found that if I want Finder to “delete” tags I’ve deleted I need to go to database properties and uncheck then recheck the “create spotlight index.” Finder does not seem to display colors of tags when changed in Devonthink. Should they automatically change to the same color, or is this something that would need to be done manually.
Finally, is there a way to only have one of my databases set to automatically change #tag in the files to a “tag” in devonthink? I only would like this option for my database with obsidian which is a indexed folder. Or would this be something that maybe a smart rule might help with?
Thanks for helping a beginner.
1 Like
Welcome 
For question 1, have you read the tagging section in the manual? It’s a really good manual, probably better than you are used to with some apps, and it will explain how the function works better than we can here.
There are experienced automation folks in the forum so I’ll leave them to help with question 3.
2 Likes
I have read the manual and still a bit confused. Some of it may be the fact that some of my database are import and some are in devonthink.
I still do not see reference to global (aka 1 tag for all databases) vs tag for each database.
I am just starting out in devonthink so if each database has separate tags I may opt toward 1 large database and shallow sync on mobile.
Ok. Databases are self-contained units, so you cannot (as far as I’m aware) have a “universal” set of tags that applies to all of them - tags (and groups) are unique to the database you create them in. You will see in the sidebar the tags you have created are listed by database.
If you want your files stored together with universal tags, you may be better off with one database depending on your needs. I have 3 databases, but there is no overlap between them. One is my email archive (rarely open), one is my book collection (also rarely open), and then one is my “real” database, used daily and with everything together, sorted with groups and tags. I’m sure a point will come when it’s too large, but not yet!
Ok. Thank you. That’s makes sense. I think I may need to rethink my plans for databases. I had initially done smaller databases, but since DTTG allows shallow sync within a single database this may make more sense to unify the workflow tag wise.
Are you using CloudKit for your sync? The shallow sync is fine. DTTG still indexes your files, so you can run search and then download the file if you need it. It takes a couple of seconds to open a file on wi-fi and 4G, but I don’t personally find it to be bothersome. I have my devices (iPad and iPhone) set to only keep 100 items downloaded, which means that files I’ve not opened for a while are automatically removed. You can set this number higher if you want - it’s in the settings section of the device app.
What this means for daily use is that files you’re working with regularly are already downloaded and good to go.
I started with CloudKit at first to demo, but moved over to WebDAV so I can run it from my synology NAS. Am having pretty good luck with the shallow sync, and my workflow is heavily iOS/iPadOS. Am thinking maybe one database is the way to go until I run into slowdown issues.
@MsLogica is correct. Each database is a separate entity, therefore each has its own set of tags.
I’ve also found that if I want Finder to “delete” tags I’ve deleted I need to go to database properties and uncheck then recheck the “create spotlight index.”
That will remove all the DEVONthink-applied tags on indexed items from the Finder, not just deleting one here or there.
Finder does not seem to display colors of tags when changed in Devonthink. Should they automatically change to the same color, or is this something that would need to be done manually.
What colors of tags are you referring to?
Finally, is there a way to only have one of my databases set to automatically change #tag in the files to a “tag” in devonthink?
Preferences > Files > Import > Tags > Convert hashtags to tags.