I think the most important thing you can learn about DEVONthink is on display in this exchange. If you want to use it, do not criticize it. Do not ask for help. Do not suggest that it’s anything less than intuitive and perfect. If you have any of that feedback, this is not the app for you.
But you do not need to learn all that if you do not want or need those features.
You can learn how to create groups and tags and add files in 5 minutes.
Then you can add new features only if/when you need them.
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No one has criticized DEVONthink in this thread. Someone stated they were overwhelmed and I asked about what specifically. He received several helpful responses, including suggestions of Joe Kissell’s book and the @MacSparky’s series, and I have listed some of the many resources we have made available.
And @rkaplan’s comments echo what we have told people for years.
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There were useful resources that were shared – thanks @cornchip and @DEVONtech_Jim. And if I have time, I’ll take a look.
But that’s the point I’m trying to make. At this stage, potential users have been scared away… or frustrated. They aren’t going to go look at a 345 page manual or dig through support forums. They’ll just open the app, then close it. How do I know this? Because I did just that with version 2, then 3, and now 4.
I understand what you are saying, but that’s like telling someone who only has experience driving a Toyota Corolla to sit in the cockpit of a plane and say, “You need to look at this instrument panel at all times, but don’t worry about all those controls. You only need to use them if you need those features.” It’s still in my line of sight, distracting from my workflow. Other people disagree. That’s fine. Maybe make it an option to remove some of the cruft?
Look, I don’t want anyone to take it that I’m criticising DEVONthink. The replies in here suggest that people here get a lot out of it. But the design makes in inaccessible to some folks, even if they would find some of the features useful.
That’s all I’m trying to say. Make it easier for those people - better onboarding or an easy option to hide some of the complexity. Or even DEVONthink 4 Lite or Essentials, a separate app so that users get compelling features in an easy to use app without compromising the experience for power users.
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You’re welcome and no offense detected. I would love to know what your actual use case would be.
Bummer, thought that might be the case. One of my databases is choc full of personal and special category data, I can’t let an AI access it. I’ll raise a feature request.
Will DTTG 4 offer a bigger text input screen? The current text editing screen is too small and not adjustable:
Why is that an issue? Just don’t run any AI queries on that database.
On the other hand, DT4 does include support for both cloud-based and local language models. You can use Ollama for example and your AI queries remain on your computer and never go anywhere else. The local models are not very performant but they work for basic queries.
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I thought when you said “it runs on all databases” that you meant it ran on all at once. But if you’re saying it runs on any database, selectively, then that’s ideal. My misunderstanding.
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I don’t think Devontech wants specifics discussed unless it is a public beta like they just announced with Mac DT4. Of course maybe Jim wants to drop some hints. Or you can ask Devontech for an invite to the Testflight.
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Hey Jim. I was asking about any TestFlight for DEVONthink to Go ‘4’ on the iPad. Sorry for the confusion.
I had a similar “deer in the headlights” feeling when I first started using Shortcuts and Keyboard Maestro, but MacSparky’s video courses made me really comfortable with those two pieces of software, so I’ll second @cornchip’s recommendation of MacSparky’s Field Guide for DEVONthink. Although I started using DEVONthink and felt reasonably comfortable with it before I engaged with MacSparky course, the video series definitely helped me develop my understanding of how to use this software more effectively.
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No worries!
You’d have to hop over to our forums and ask there.
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Thanks for the detailed response! I look forward to the new features once DT 4 is out of Beta. Thanks again!
This is intriguing. I’m certainly going to see if this works for me once DT 4 is released.
You can hide the toolbar via the View menu, which will remove the icons from the top of the screen. You can then right-click on a file and see a list of options, which you can then examine one by one to get a better understanding of what Devonthink is capable of.
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Perhaps you already figured this out, but after hitting the next button (blue arrow in upper right) and creating the document, you’ll have the full screen to use for editing it further, and more comfortably. I think of that window in your screenshot as a tool simply to create the new document, but which should be used only minimally for actual document editing.
I agree that it’s a bit of a strange design decision, and I think I’ve been similarly confused by it. Perhaps they had some good reason to build it this way (probably because there are so many other types of documents it lets you create too). I doubt they have plans to change it, but of course cannot say for sure.
Hope this helps and let me know if any questions.
I can’t comment too much on internal development but there are many changes in DEVONthink To Go 4.
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Well, now, once again 
, I feel like a Goober. I did not realize that I needed to create the document first before it would go to full screen. I thought I was restricted to that small screen on the iPad. This is great!
Thanks! I can’t wait for DT 4 and DTTG 4 are released-an instant upgrade for me.
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I just upgraded, but from the website it looks like 4.0 release is out, based on the descriptions are for 4 and 3 cannot be purchased.
There is a statement that the one year of updates starts when 4.0 is released out of beta. Yet the purchase said that the one year starts today. Confusing?