Why are the files stored in the files folder?
I am asking because i have duplicated of my files and i dont quite understand why its copying all my files?
And is there a way to prevent this?
Import mode for capturing data to the database copies files, e.g. PDFs from the Finder into the Files folder inside the database package.
That makes the database self-contained. I can move it to another computer without worrying about also copying associated files. I have sometimes distributed a database of resource materials for graduate training in developing countries, and the advantage is that the material is all there, inside the database.
If I’m concerned about duplicates, I delete the duplicates that remain in the Finder. For most of my databases, their content doesn’t correspond at all to the external file content of the computer on which I’m using that database.
I don’t worry about database stability or data loss. I haven’t had to resort to a backup for almost three years, although I do use and recommend Scripts > Export > Backup Archive whenever significant changes to a database have been made. My computers have an almost completely “stock” (unmodified by hacks such as haxies or sometimes error-prone third-party input managers) operating system and I perform routine preventive maintenance on the OS and the disk directory. I do backups because my hard drive might fail, or my laptop might be stolen.
If you don’t wish to copy files into your database (although I find that advantageous), you could use the Index capture mode. There are discussions about the differences in capture modes in user documentation and in online Help.
I understand the argument for keeping copying everything to the DT database, but I don’t see that the copying of files is necessary. The same effect could be achieved by using symbolic links and folder actions. Instead of copying files, DT could create a symbolic link to the file. Hard links could be used for files located on the same volume as the DT database, and this would eliminate any further need for management. For files NOT on the same volume, soft links would have to be used, but the problem would be that these can become stale (i.e., reference a file that no longer exists or that has been moved). In this case, folder actions could be used to keep track of the referenced item as it is moved or deleted. Of course, this would make file management harder for DT, but it would eliminate the problem of duplicated files and wasted space. I do ALL my work on a laptop, and space is at a premium. Frankly, this is what keeps me from using DT, and being all that enthusiastic.
Roger Alexander.
But I don’t have duplicate files, although I favor Import captures because I want self-contained, portable databases.
When I’ve captured a file from the Finder, I no longer need the Finder copy.
I’m managing more than 150,000 documents among a number of topically designed DT Pro Office databases. I’ve actually got a lot more files than that, most on my Power Mac G5 dual core with two 500 GB drives. I’ve never put all my files into databases, but only those that I’m likely to be interested in working with repeatedly.
Most of the time I’m working on a MacBook Pro with 2 GB RAM and a 100 GB HD. My main working database resides there most of the time, although I’ll send Backup Archive copies over to the Power Mac. I couldn’t put all my databases on the MacBook Pro drive if I wanted to.
I’ve often worked with projects such as international science exchanges and development of teaching resources. For those, self-contained databases are ideal, as they are transportable in ways that no linked file database could match.
My main database contains tens of thousands of references. Because it is topically designed, the AI features such as See Also and See Selected Text become very useful for research. So it becomes a productive working environment. I’ve never liked Spotlight under Tiger; it’s a poor working environment, very slow and awkward compared to the searching and analysis tools in my DT databases.
The next generation of DT applications will take advantage of Leopard and provide an even better working environment.
I’m not one of the developers. I became associated with DEVONtechnologies because I’m a heavy user of document databases, and that continues and remains my perspective.