Getting Started with DEVONthink Pro Office 1.3.3 — One of the most
feature rich, and agile database grounded PIM I’ve yet worked with
Reviewed by Harry {doc} Babad ©
2007
DEVONtechnologies, LLC
http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/index.html |
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$150 USD, with a 25% educational discount available. $146.56 CND, £ 73.48 UK, 106 €. [Cost based on conversions factors only.] Copes of
the related DEVONthink personal and Pro are less costly.
Requirements: Mac
OS X 10.3.9 or higher, Universal binary; 133 MB Hard Drive Space not
including the sizes of the generated database files.
Strengths: A
powerful, flexible organizing tool. Excellent tutorials via DEVONthink Demo
Movies, a detailed and well-illustrated user manual, and reasonably
illustrative examples database files.
Weaknesses: I
really did not have time to truly become an expert at this powerful, but easy
to use product.
For a demo of this and related products: http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/index.html A 150-hour test drive version is available for download.
Copyright Notice:Product and company names and logos in this review may be registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
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The software was tested on a 1 GHz dual processor PowerPC G4
Macintosh with 2 GB DDR SDRAM running under OS X 10.4.10.
Introduction
I have been along term user of several DEVON Technologies
products including DEVONnote and DEVONagent. I am, as many of you know, both an
information junkie, and a lover of things database.
I am presently using DEVONnote as my major tidbit
organizer, things ranging from the serial numbers of all my software to
information and links to all the media sites that interest me… with about 1000
items and growing my this PIM database. I also keep FileMaker Pro 6 or 8
databases in which I collect a variety of addresses (professional contacts,
supplier, and of course friend and family. I also have databases in which I
catalog various media collections including books, CDs & Vinyl, and DVDs.
You knew books were media didn’t you?
So why on earth do I need another organizational tool? Well
the developer’s description hooked me. “In today's world, everything is
digital. From shopping receipts to important research papers, your life often
fills your hard drive in the form of emails, PDFs, Word documents, multimedia
files and more.
Questions eventually pop up, like where do you store all of
this stuff? How do you organize these very different file types, and even
better, how do you find the exact file you're looking for the second you need
it? It's almost as if you need a second brain just to keep your digital life
straight.”
I thought I had the tools to do precisely what the developer
claimed, but I thought I’d better check things out to make absolutely sure.
My appetite was further whetted when I read, “DEVONthink Pro
Office [DTPO] is the solution to the digital age conundrum. It is your second
brain, the one and only database for all your digital files, be they PDFs,
emails, Word docs or even multimedia files. Boasting a refined artificial
intelligence, DEVONthink is exceedingly flexible and adapts to your personal
needs. And if the files are not digital yet, digitize them with DEVONthink Pro
Office.”
Gee Whiz, what can DEVONthink do for me that I can’t handle
with a combination of Acrobat Pro 7 and my set of scanners. [A Fugitsu ScanSnap
M500 and my venerable HP ScanJet 8250, both with document feeders.]
But perhaps my greatest concern, no concern is too strong a
word, was how well the product would play with my DEVONnote’s files. Let’s see
what I found.
Getting Started and Using the Software
Installation was pure Macintosh and simple, a drop and drag
to my applications folder and then entering my serial number. I was ready to
input into a newly created database.
As an aside, DEVONthink more, usefully,
stores your databases in your document folder, or wherever else you want them
to be. This is unlike DEVONnote that stores that information in your Library
> Applications Support> DEVONnote folder.
Unlike
Microsoft Word 2004, Mindjet’s MindManager or
Acrobat Professional Pro 8, I could not just jump in and create a database on
the fly. Well I could, but I decided to be more organized, just this once. By
its nature developing a data-based information collection about any complex
project is just a bit more difficult… at least form me, then just pounding out
an article in a new word processor or dinking with a downloaded PDF recipe file
or creating a form in AA8. I also, jumped right in when crating my DEVONnote
database; after all it was just a collectio9nb of semi-organized tidbits. DTPO
is the sort of product that’s easy to chippie with, but to make my results
valuable, I needed to spend some time defining the key organizational elements
of my project. These are for a book, the initial chapter list, for an article
the key focal points.
This is in keeping with the developer’s guidance “To make
the best use of DEVONthink Pro’s built in artificial intelligence, take some
time to set up a good groups structure. The more focused each group is, i.e. the
greater the difference in it’s contents are from the contents of other groups,
the easier it is for DEVONthink Pro to find an appropriate group for a newly
added document. Try to not mix groups and documents in a group (does not apply
to link documents.)” That being said, being
a compulsive and active user of DEVONnote, getting started was easy.
I spent a fair amount of time (not in front of my Macintosh)
thinking about how to work with, if not formally test this feature-rich
product. My main concern was how to learn to use the programs features which
where an order of magnitude richer that DEVONnote. For a feature comparison
between the various versions of DEVONthink and DEVONnote check out [http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/comparison.html]
The developer notes, “To make the best use of DEVONthink
Pro’s built in artificial intelligence, take some time to set up a good
groups structure. The more focused each group is, i.e. the greater the
difference in it’s contents are from the contents of other groups, the easier
it is for DEVONthink Pro to find an appropriate group for a newly added
document. Try to not mix groups and documents in a group (does not apply to
linked documents.)” |
For better or for worse, unlike the publisher’s DEVONnote
which I use as a grab bag for bits and pieces, in which I instantly created and
over the months evolved categories (groups) for organizing dumped snippets, the
DTPO information organizer was going to take some greater thought. No it’s not
the software it’s defining the organizing structure for my projects.
I actually, a
good guess, approached learning more about DTPO somewhat backward. I started
with a downloaded example of a research project, and then migrated to the
manual. Now the example wasn’t what I, as a fallen academic and scientist
expected, but what the heck, it pointed me in the right direction. Why, because
the developed illustrated the collected (sample) results of several research
efforts, rather than one project.
Why did the sample help kick-start my efforts? — When
I booted the program for the first time, its resemblance to DEVONnote when the
DTPO program. This resemblance was followed by a feeling of déjà vu when I
opened up the research example. I immediately recognized two things:
First, the overall data structure, nested groups (folders)
and documents were similar. (E.g., text of all varieties including RTF/RTFD
files, text clippings, URLs, and images)
Second, The tool bar on DTPO was significantly more complex
than DEVONnote, as befitted its richer features.
|
Comparison
DEVONthink and DEVONnote Toolbars |
Of course the various versions (personal, professional and
office) of DEVONthink ranged in supported document import capabilities, with
DTPO being the most capable. Check out the
DEVONtechnologies website for brief descriptions of these examples. http://www.devon-technologies.com/support/academy/dt_examples.html]
READER ALERT:
Just because I’m familiar with DEVONnote and found growing
into DTPO easy should not dissuade you for trying this great program in one
of its variation. I started gaining from the organizational useful featured
of DEVONnote when I first opened it up so many months ago. I saw nothing when
diving into DEVONthink, that would have gotten in my way had I started there.
The major learning curve for both pieces of software was in organizing my
thoughts to best frame information, whether on a grab bag basis or for a
specific project. |
Okay, What Projects Am I Going To Use DTPO To
Organize—Today and Next Month
Yesterday and Today
Consolidating all the information, used
and unused for my macC article onRenewable Energy - Hype, Myth and Hope. The article is done,
but I amassed 10-25 times more information then I could use. That information
is too valuable to leave lying round in scattered folders on my hard drive.
I've started integrating that information in my DTPO database, but that job is
not complete. But then databases are living things, so that' lack of completion
is okay. Some of this material I gathered, much of it unused, will be useful
for the new book I'm planning.
I’m starting to collect and then use
DTPO to organize information for a textbook on Energy, Transportation, and Global Warming that is just a gleam in my eye. I have a start on this
one, having worked out a rough chapter structure and am, as time permits, tying
resources to each chapter group
.
Tomorrow
I just started collecting background
information, doing some preliminary note taking, and consolidating references
for an article on the History of the Limerick.
An article or series of articles on
cyber locks for macC. I got acquainted with the state of the art uses for such
devices at a meeting I attended last February - the itch to write about the
subject keeps getting worse but I've not gotten a mental handle around the
topic.
Test Focus —
Let’s get real, in the few weeks I’ve been working with the product, I’ve
neither had the time to become truly expert, or to build robust and complete
databases to support all but my renewable energy article.
Test Goal —
Learn to be comfortable enough with DTPO to make it easy to construct and
easy to expand databases from the MB’s of material I’ve so far gathered on
the more complex projects I am undertaking. Therefore the title of this
review as Getting Started,
defacto as introductory. |
Because, just because, I did a quick scan of the manual, and
then dove right in to building Renewable Energy -
Hype, Myth and Hope. Database.
The organizational features I used for this effort were the
article’s section headings. I eliminated the article introduction, as a group,
because I felt was not needed as a distinct database grouping. I also renamed
the conclusion, for database purposes, to Renewables Action Needed I because from a future use purposes, it was clearer
than conclusions. What I actually did, after setting up a hierarchical group
(folder) structure was simple.
- I took all of the
important technical information, both narratives and tables, from the
article and turned the various paragraphs into RTF notes.
- I collected all of
the images associated with each article section and added them to the
graphics folder. Then,
- I collected all of
the URLs I used a reference material sources and added the to the Links
folder
- I
then browsed though my energy related hard drive folders and added a few
more items to my grouping.
- Is
this complete information set? No!
- Is
it a useful and working example of the use of DTPO? Absolutely!
The work I’ve reported and the other information gathering
in DTPO have given me a sense of comfort, and therefore confidence in my
ability to use this versatile product. Enough said, let me generalize about my
initial activities to learn to use this product:
I focused, in a somewhat undisciplined manner on the energy
related databases. These two items had references and notes in common, because
I started collecting stuff about the subjects. The information files, were
completed for the Renewable Energy article (this issue of macC) and had spent
many months starting to compile references and notes for my book.
What I Did —
Although I skimmed the detailed downloadable manual that is available as both a
screen (421 pgs) and print (210 pgs) version, I found it more detailed that I
needed to get started using the product.
I further check the developers website for examples of
database on which I could base my efforts. I concluded that from the list of
templates (Table below) that the Research Archive database would serve me best. I did consider, after a quick check,
using Paperless Office, since the two databases have useful elements in common.
These are simple way to organize bunches of stuff for future use.
For those of you who like to
read about feature sets, I’ve NOT added these to this article. You can read
about them on the developer’s website at: [http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/uniquefeatures.html]
Needless to say, as I worked with
the product, its rich features were available as needed. I was particularly
please with the broaden set of data types (formats) that could be imported into
a database and with many of the linking features. I’m still learning how to
make best use of those for cross-referencing purposes.
Review Limitations
Deaf and Mostly Medialess — I neither enriched my database collections with sound and
movie files stored on my hard drive. Since I neither work with sound and movie
files, I was limited to both collecting and at times enriching my database
notes with simple images. But from my perspective I didn’t miss a
thing being both sight (film) and soundless. My hard drive is grateful that I did shall not bloat it beyond recognition with
music and large video files embedded in DTPO. Neither do I need to copy the contents
of a database to an iPod! R upload it to a website.
Printing My Database — I also made no attempt to export the finished product (database) as a
website or to an Apple Pages document to print. The later is an alternative the
developer mentions on the web site. I own, but don’t use Apple’s pages, but
have yet found no need to print the entire contents of a database.
Full featured Intelligent Search Capabilities — I did not, with the simple samples I
created, test out DEVONthink Pro family’s built in AI based the search
capabilities. DTPO can quickly search, according to the developer, and find
relationships based off the things you put into it. I more completely test that
feature and share my findings in my upcoming 3Rs article on getting my new book
organized.
Discomforts
and Unanswered Questions — Although
it was a photo finish with our publication date, I got response from Eric
Boehnisch, when he returned from vacation, of DEVONtechnologies to my key
questions/discomforts.
Compatibility with My Present Document Storage Modes — My main concern about the product is not
directly related to the software itself, but rather on how I collect and
manage, at least at present, data.
Background — At present, based on many years of use, I
collect references as consecutively number-short tilted documents in folders on
an external drive. My original collection was paper-based, but each of the ca.
1500 documents was indexed as part of my references database. I’ve would
welcome a way, as I can in Apple's Finder to continued to use this practice, for
electronic documents but have learned from my past experience and have created
a new and more flexible FMP data base, based on how librarians actually do such
things. In addition, I am scanning the documents I want to keep, to PDF files,
with my Fujitsu M550-PPM high-speed document scanner. Surprise: The software
can link to my ScanSnap scanner so scanned data can be ported directly into my
database.
My Concern — will
incorporating the needed documents into DTPO dramatically increase the amount
of duplicated space for materials on my hard drive, the one I work on; not the
stored reference volume? I don’t yet have an answer to that question, but have
a call in the developer. The DTPO manual states that a link is possible,
but I’ve not figure out how to do this. Simply using an alias as a placeholder for a document doesn’t work. DTPO,
simply imports the document, be it a PDF or a text file. [Solution: Simply
drag it in holding down Command
and Option. Or, use File > Index… approach. Doc Sez, The Command and
Option drag approach works.]
View Options and Display Issues —
I’m a stubborn old coot and want always to view the contents of
the groups I created in list format. Alas there’s no present way to choose that
as a preference in DPTO, the software default to icon view. Yuck! [Solution:
Hmm, it should when you de-check 'Open groups in new window' in Preferences
> General you should see the contents of a double-clicked group in the last
view format you had selected. Doc Sez, it worked, good deal, list are the way
to go.]
I would welcome a way, as I can do in Apples Finder [View >
Show View Options >Large Icons] to enlarge the icon (folder) size that is a
bit smaller than I’d like to view. — Eric has added this to the list
for Version 2, some time in 2008.
Lack of Strong Contextual Menus — I love contextual menus. Not only do I use
the one that are part of my workhorse programs, but also I have installed
shareware/freeware CMs to further ease my computing. That’s why I was
disappointed that DEVON think Pro does not have (use) have contextual menus. I
read in a MacUser review note [Kosovar1] that instead the DEVONthink software
family relies scripts available from the scripts menu or the commands in the
Services menu? I overlooked the lack of strong CM support in DEVONnote When I discovered
that the more feature rich DTPO program had not made more extensive use of this
type-saving feature, I was disappointed. Am I missing something? Is my not
finding extensive action specific CMs due to an incomplete exploration all of
DTPO’s features? [Explanation: Eric provided me a detailed response
which I will publish in next months doc’s hints and tips column.]
Lack of Spotlight Integration — Some folks [Lev at MacUpdate]
are all uptight that DEVONthink doesn't
support spotlight searches. As far as Spotlight is concerned, all that stuff
you have in DT just doesn't exist. Neither does my other favorite database
program FileMaker Pro 6.x. I could care less; I loath spotlight and would
remove it from my computer if I could do so without damaging my OS.
My Path Forward with DTPO
I plan future a DTPO related follow up article, as a 3Rs
column, on its usefulness, for organizing materials I collect for my planned
book Energy, Transportation, and Global Warming.
Why? — Two reasons:
I’ve not yet scratched all the rich
features provided by its developers.
I have, for a textbook on Nuclear
Energy that is undergoing peer review
collected, for the book, somewhere between 500 and 1000 MB of information. It
is stored in a collection of 10 chapter-specific and a bakers-half dozen
related unused stuff folders. Some of that material will be useful in my new
book.
BDTPO — Why the
spread in references resource sizes? I put less important references, links,
search results (DEVONthink), and unused graphics into separate folders than
material I actually used or specifically reference in the draft book. It will
be a while, working a bit at a time to get all of these bits and pieces input
into my new DEVONthink databases.
PS: PDPTO is means
pre-DPTO, but you knew that. |
I’m hoping I can successfully use DEVONthink Pro Office to
organize the reference material I already have on that project as a crossover
to the new book. Then I can work out what additional information I need,
collect it, and perhaps shorten the writing period.
Conclusion
Despite the other PIM and database tools I own, I began to
use DEVONthink in some of the ways intended by its developer. “Use it as your
document repository, your filing cabinet, your email archive, or your project
organizer. You can even collect and organize data from the web for your own
use.”
It indeed enable me to both file documents according to
where I plan to use them and with finding similar items that I’d precious
scattered about my hard drive. I also believe that it can help me make
connections between documents (reference materials) that I might have missed on
my own. It can, according to its developer, even master huge data collections
with a few simple clicks, saving you time and aggravation. I plan on testing
that premise when organizing my new book.
Using the
software was easy, having previously mastered both DEVONnote and had created a
bakers dozen databases and other “snippet and more detailed document”
information storage vessels.
I agree with the publisher that “DEVONthink is not only a
simple database, it's a flexible work environment, too, with powerful
management features suited to any professional project. It provides you with
all the tools you need to effectively work with your documents. Use the
integrated RTF editor to write new documents, or open the document in a
third-party application. You’re sure to enjoy the application’s flexibility and
customization options.”
I’m not sure which version of DEVONthink (personal,
professional or Office) would best suit your needs but wish I had started with
this product, rather than my well loved DEVONnote.
Recommendation
Buy whichever version of the product best appears to meet
your needs. DEVONtechnologies has a flexible upgrade program that allows to
more to the more feature rich products with minimal fuss. The addendum to this
review shows the differences, with respected to data types handled, by the
various versions to DEVONtechnologies database products.
PS
I’m sure I can find a way to concert my DEVONnote to
DEVONthink, and will welcome the extra features and flexibility. A direct drop
and drag of my DEVONnote database to the DEVONthink icon did not work —
the file formats are apparently different.
Yep, I can do it now! Although I could only move one group (folder) at a time, I was able to transfer
all of my files to from DEVONnote to DEVONthink. That makes one less
application on my hard drive,
Addendum (A partial
features list)
