A couple of other options…
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The problem with Ulysses is that for the full Ulysses experience you have to use their own XL Markdown format (which lets you add attachments, embed images, tags etc).
Apparently, it can now use that proprietary format on external folders, which is an improvement (it used to be only on files within their database), but if you set the external folder to their format it won’t read (or even show) ordinary markdown files. If you set it to read ordinary markdown, then you lose the capability images inline etc.
This makes integrating with DT3 harder than it should be: normally you’d just index the external folder and you get all the benefits of the AI, and you can still do that if you only use Markdown (and lose the inline images, attachments, tags).
But the files created with XL Markdown are not editable in DT3 (you see the Quick View only and the image is a placeholder) and don’t appear to have their contents indexed.
So you either get the full benefit of Ulysses, or the full benefit of DT, you can’t have both as far as I can tell.
(But I’ve only tested it quickly – if anyone knows a way round this, I’d be grateful!)
I cut my teeth in MacDown but have long since used DTPO, now DT3 to write Markdown for 95% of all my Markdown needs (including long form documents).
That is indeed an issue and one reason we use MultiMarkdown, instead of supporting multiple flavors or trying to invent our own.
The philosophical view. If you haven’t already done so, bend once again towards the aesthetic. Work within a pleasing workspace that (maybe) almost satisfies the ideal technical solution. If extra steps become deal-breakers you’ll be forced into a compromise of some sort. But when using, for example, an ugly editor, you’ll have skin in the game and at least be cool as to why you’re there. However, be prepared to be restless and forever walk these boards, just as I suspect you are doing now.
Funnily enough i was drawn towards the attractive TextSoap8 full editor that would pick up these errors.
Also consider The Archive, a stellar app made by the guys who run Zettelkasten.de, a website full of good ideas about note-taking.
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I think both of them have been already mentioned, but for me typora and sublime are the ones. Lately, I’ve been using more sublime because I’m more in the side of code and so, but I really think that typora is a really really good option.
This looks pretty setled already, but my 2 cents for any other late stumblers. Alfons Schmid’s Notebooks App is criminally underrated, and plays really nicely with DEVONthink. It uses the native file system, so you can index your notes in both directions. Version 2 was released recently with full support for MMD, wikilinks and so on.
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This looks pretty setled already,
What is settled? 
Well, nothing of course, and to prove it here is another app that looks very interesting indeed. Notenik
Thanks for the tip on Notenik, @jbp I’ll give it a try.
Have you, or anyone else, tried Noteswriter Pro ?
On first look this seems like a fantastic app. Packed with features and finally!!! a note taking app that lets you have the textbook on top (in landscape mode) and write notes underneath.
That way you get the full length for writing and you don’t have to zoom in and out of the textbook like you have to when divided vertically. I don’t know of any other app that does that. Anyone seen this feature elsewhere on iOS?
One tip for folks using this workflow that doesn’t require any automation: create a shortcut key for creating a Markdown file, and use double-click to open the files in your desired editor. Makes editing MD files externally a breeze:
- set your desired app as the default for .md files in Finder (I use iA Writer)
- select the option in DT preferences > General > "Double-click opens documents externally"
- in macOS System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts create a shortcut key in DEVONthink for creating a new Markdown document (I use command-option-N)
I use this all the time. I end up editing my files 50/50 in iA Writer when I’m working more longform, for markdown highlighting (==highlight==) or want a cleaner view. Much of the time DT is a nice way to work with Markdown, though I tend to tweak the Plain Text and Full Screen font sizes in DT Preferences > Editing.
@trevormeier agree with you. Though would have preferred to use markdown within DEVONthink but aesthetically pleasing iA Writer setup wins. Would be nice if iA Writer also support critic markdown as well then it would great to have both platforms support the same markdown highlights syntax. I like highlighting selected text instead of having to re-read entire notes each time revisiting them.
1Writer is scriptable. A little JavaScript for highlighting is no problem.
The downsides are: In 1Writer the highlighting will not be visible as highlighting, neither inline nor in rendered view. If that matters to you. And its icon will take the space of another extra key as it is not built-in like emphasize and bold.
And here is the code. It’s a universal wrapping code—just replace the open and close variables with whatever you need—and works quite good.
The only use case it fails I found so far is closing a footnote that contains parentheses in square brackets because a footnote gets closed with a single square bracket too.
// CriticMarkup Highlighting Key
var open = "{==";
var close = "==}";
var range = editor.getSelectedRange();
var priorText = editor.getSelectedText();
var allText = editor.getTextInRange(0, range[1])
if (range[1] > range[0]) {
var newText = (open + priorText + close);
}
else {
var lastOpen = allText.lastIndexOf(open);
var lastClose = allText.lastIndexOf(close);
if (lastOpen == -1 || lastClose > lastOpen) {
var newText = open;
}
else {
var newText = close;
}
}
editor.replaceSelection(newText)@suavito, thanks for 1Writer and I do like it. However I work on both Mac and iPad thus prefer an application that’s on both platforms. Preview and highlighting ability on top of ease of use & aesthetically pleasing are very important, and so far iA Writer comes up on top from what I have tried so far.
I’m working on both Mac and iPad too so I totally understand you want to use an app that’s running on both systems.
But the great thing about 1Writer is that it can be set to automatically save its notes on iCloud drive (or Dropbox). ICloud drive, not just iCloud, which means the notes are accessible for other apps, including Mac apps, of course.
So on the Mac end of things one just needs another Markdown editor that handles its notes the same way. Right now I’m testing The Archive and so far I am very pleased. One of my prime demands to a note taking app is that I can instantly write in them and in that respect both apps do deliver perfectly.
So it is possible that both apps save their notes in the same iCloud drive folder and have access to them. For the time being I chose not to and keep their notes separated and have DEVONthink index each folder to drag their content into a database.
Not exactly as good as the same app on both platforms, but not bad at all. And significantly better than Drafts which actually runs on both platforms but has its data locked in.
Since you are using The Archive, I’m wondering if you include any links to DEVONthink files. If so, does that work well for you or do you find any workflow hangs?
Right at the moment I’m using The Archive just as a note taking app. Like 1Writer on the iPad for me it’s strictly an app to add data to DEVONthink, and DEVONthink does the rest or I do it in DT.
And it is just a test—I have always been taking RTF notes and currently I’m giving Markdown another shot. In that set up The Archive replaces Curiota. While I love the hassle-free writing and editing of (simple) RTF notes they hit a brick wall when it comes to footnotes. Plus, plain text is easy to manipulate automatically with Apple Script. Very much unlike RTF.
When I delve deeper into Markdown I will probably do the same with The Archive. Until then I have no insights to share into a tighter integration of The Archive and DEVONthink, sorry.
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Thanks for the fast answer, @suavito.
I’m thinking about trying The Archive myself for my written notes (an adaptation of Zetttelkasten) and index those files in DT3. However, I have lots of files/folder in DT3 with more static data that I need to connect to my written notes.
Probably I’ll give it a shot and see how this possible workflow works.