Upgrade to version 3 - best practices

Hello - happy DTPO 2.11.3 user just downloaded V3. Wondering if there is an upgrade guide or summary of best practices to ensure a safe & clean install? eg. i noticed there are folders in the Library / Application Support folder - do i delete these? Anything else?

In most cases i use Appzapper and proceed. But with 12,000+ documents, all carefully tagged and organized… don’t dare make a mistake!

Many thanks!

We do not advocate uninstaller utilities as they can cause unexpected issues.

Regarding uninstalling DEVONthink 2:

  1. Select Tools > Hide Sorter , if the Sorter is visible.
  2. Quit DEVONthink Pro (Office) 2.

At a minimum, you can delete the DEVONthink Pro (Office) application from the /Applications folder.

To do a deeper clean when moving from DEVONthink Pro (Office) 2 to DEVONthink 3…
Note: While it is not a prerequisite, we strongly recommend making sure your proper primary backups are current before starting this process.

Trash the following files and folders, noting the tilde (~) signifies the User Library:

  • DEVONthink Pro (Office) application
  • ~/Library/Application Support/DEVONthink Pro 2
    Note:
    • If you have put databases (.dtBase2 files), other than the Inbox.dtBase2 file, in this folder, you should move them to the Databases folder in your Home directory.
    • If you have created custom templates or scripts, you can move Templates.noindex and Scripts to your Desktop before deleting this directory. You could then later add those resources to the appropriate folders in the DEVONthink 3 Application Support folder.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.devon-technologies.thinkpro2.*
  • All DEVONthink Pro Office-specific scripts in ~/ Library/Scripts/
  • All DEVONthink Pro Office-specific workflows in ~/Library/Workflows/
  • All DEVONthink Pro Office-specific scripts in ~/ Library/PDF Services/
  • DEVONthink related Bookmarklets from your web browser
  • The Inbox in the sidebar of your Finder windows
  • Delete the DEVONthink Sorter from System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items, if present.

Then reboot the machine.

Also, DEVONthink’s database file format remains the same between version 2 and 3. This means you can easily open your existing databases in DEVONthink 3, with no “conversion” or “migration” needed. However, DEVONthink 3 will not open automatically the databases that were previously open in version 2. To quickly find and open them, do this…

  1. Make sure the DEVONthink 2 application isn’t running, or better yet removed from the machine (see above).
  2. In the Finder, do a Spotlight search for kind:database dtBase2 . This will show existing databases on your machine.
  3. Select Show all in Finder and make sure This Mac is set in the window that opens.
  4. Now, just double-click the databases you want to open!

Install a breeze - THANK YOU!!!

But i do have one question - i prefer to default the zoom setting to “actual size” and the PDF display to “single page, book mode”. However, in DT3, the default is “zoom-to-width” and PDF display to “single page, continuous mode” - meaning i have to reset the view option for each document i open (very annoying!). I recall having this issue in DTPO2 but can’t recall how i resolved. Can you please point me in right direction?

p

In Preferences > Media choose “Single Page” and disable the option “Automatically resize”.

You’re welcome. :slight_smile:

Thank you!! Everything working as expected :slight_smile:

Glad to hear it. Cheers!