Just another +1 on DT’s support & forums being absolutely fantastic. The forum is run by the DT people, and actual people that work on code frequently show up to help with super-specific questions.
Whether you need DT is a whole different question. But if you’re interested, “lack of ability to get help” shouldn’t be a reason to avoid it. 
Look - it’s not that we can’t find out how to do X in DevonThink - it’s that we don’t know why we need to do X yet, because we don’t know DevonThink 
Now that is a way of looking at this I had not thought of - nicely put!
The Field Guides do a great job of showing you what you can do with the software, which even if it does not apply to you can give you great ideas for your own uses - and the knowledge of how to implement that idea.
The DEVONThink learning curve really isn’t as steep and frightening as it may appear to be when considering the versatility of the app.
I know I shall always be learning new things that I can do with DEVONThink but that’s one of the really good things about it. You don’t need to know much at all to use it as a repository for things you’d otherwise store in folders in Finder. Then, slowly, you appreciate those things can be automatically filed by DEVONThink smart rules, then you discover what DEVONTink links can do, you discover that markdown notes can be really useful…and before long you’ve found a use for custom metadata and even plucked up sufficient courage to post your first stab at AppleScript on the DEVONTech forums. 
DEVONThink really is fun to learn—it’s just so versatile and useful—and the community and support are huge bonuses.
Stephen
Agreed. Joe Kissell’s book was a catalyst for me to use Devonthink daily after it sat in my apps folder as an experiment for some years.
Looking forward to MacSparky’s field guide.
Excited about @macsparky’s field guide! I just purchased Devonthink, and am looking forward to going deep with it!
Yep, instabuy for me too. I did paw through the Take Control ebook, but for the last few years, I haven’t been able to read like I did when I was younger. Videos are better for my old brain!
Importing is putting the files inside the DEVONthink database (in native format, not converted by the way). Indexed is just a reference/pointer to the file held outside the DEVONthink database, so as indexed can be found by DEVONthink’s searching capabilities. Read more in the outstanding DEVONthink Handbook and in Help.
The great thing about DEVONthink as you are not limited to use their built in editing tools. Need more PDF editing capability, then “open with…” a higher power tool. i use Preview and sometimes PDFPen. Adobe acrobat for the fancy stuff.
And supreme automation.
Yes, I’m really pleased to hear about the Devonthink field guide. Will look forward getting started ! Thanks David.
find it a bit intimidating. There’sa lot going on there and I’m not finding it very intuitive.
I’ve read Taking Control that was helpful but I find learning software from a book difficult. I couldn’t connect with Dini’s writing style.
I do connect with David’s style though and am looking forward to his latest release.
no problem. maybe it is a product that does not fix any problem you have? for me it is valuable. but i can understand not for everyone.
I think that it certainly does! I just need how to properly use it
my experience is that a good way to achieve that is to just use it. do not seek perfection at start. grow with it. nothing much is not unchangeable after you learn more or identify new needs. i have been using for >15 years i think and i am still learning with amazement.
Can I put out a huge shout out to Elaine Giles’s guide to Devonthink. Not looking to undercut @MacSparky’s forthcoming field guide at all, but Elaine’s Youtube tutorials might serve to whet the appetite and she gives a really good overview of the software. You can find them on her Youtube channel.
I was hoping this was coming! It was a thinly veiled secret or I have ESP.
I can tell you that 97 of 99 videos are shot and 60 videos are now complete and uploaded. We’re racing to get close captioning, transcripts, and combined versions on those. I still think we’re on track for August. Just a lot of work at the end.
