The more I use DT the more impressed I am and the more helpful the app is becoming. It does nearly everything I need for research, archiving, annotating, etc.
IF I could find a good solution to a particular issue, I’d use DT for all of my work notes (I’m currently using Apple Notes).
What is keeping me back is the ridiculous text input window in DTTG. It has limited formatting compared to the desktop, e.g., can’t add tables or add attachments, etc., and the text window is ridiculously small.
This is important to me because I prefer to use my 12.9 iPad for taking notes in meetings. Below is a screenshot of the DTTG text window.
You could point another app at the DEVONthink folder. iA Writer could do this, for instance. Then creating new notes in iA Writer would put them in DEVONthink, too.
This is what I’m currently doing. In my “ideal” world, I could be able to compose and keep all of my notes in DT along with my research articles. Unfortunately, the state of DTTG is such that it is not a viable input method for meeting notes, given the needs I outlined above.
I like iA Writer a lot but it is clunky when dealing with tables and attachments, e.g., PDFs. DT would be perfect. This would not be an issue if I did not use the iPad for meeting notes. I suppose I could just use my shiny new M1 MPB. If I take this route, my 12.9 iPad would only be used for annotating PDFs, reading, and typing in Ulysses. I suppose I could make that transition.
Maybe you should add the import from the clipboard to that Shortcut, so you can also add attachments like Word or PDF and/or (maybe a second import-question?) a link.
Use the app that suits your input formats best and point its files to Devonthink, or put them in an “import” folder so DT ingests them. If all wishes came through there would only be one super app to rule them all.
There are many good note-taking apps out there that use DT acceptable file formats so combine the strengths of each to get what you want.
DEVONthink editor is probably app’s worse feature. PITA to take quick notes on rich text or markdown. Hopefully one day soon they massively improve the editor. It really sucks.
Unfortunately, it’s now in Evernote and I think most have given up on them ever developing robust sharing and export options.
It’s definitely functional as a content generator, though, with share → more options → DT → Webarchive. Evernote breaks the Webarchive pretty content grab, so you have to save it with the Evernote HTML chrome around the content.
My hope is that one day we’ll have a robust .singlefile format clearinghouse iOS app that takes content from anywhere and sends it anywhere with an easy-to-use trimming tool to remove nonessentials, that is aware of gotchas and limitations in the most popular 50 or so information management apps. One day.
I still have an active DTTG sub which I reinstalled recently after discussion on here. I was genuinely surprised how terrible the creation window/process was. Definitely an area that needs work.
As others have said, using something Drafts is likely the best workaround.
Couldn’t you take your meeting notes etc in Notes.app on the iPad and then when finished creating them, export the note to DevonThink?
That’s how I do it, particularly for board and committee meeting notes, as a workaround for the same perceived limitations in the DT or DTTG editor that you reference.
.
If I take this route, my 12.9 iPad would only be used for annotating PDFs, reading, and typing in Ulysses. I suppose I could make that transition.
