Been using Ulysses for notes and writing for a while, but I have a few issues:
It does not have a web clipper. I could save web articles as PDF and add that to Ulysses, or simply keep the PDF in Finder, but a web clipper would be so much better.
Also, exporting from Ulysses as pdf makes added images REALLY big. If I for example try to export a note I have with 36 words and an image that ends up on two pages. One for the small paragraph of text and one for the image. The “Color code” style does make the image small as I would like, but that style splits words in strange places instead of moving them to the next line. I tried copying the image part from “Color Code” to “Troy”, but that did not work.
Been looking at DevonThink Pro Office for web clipping and storing pdfs, but after using the trial it seems to be way too expensive for the value I would get from it.
How do you guys store web clippings? Maybe I should try Bear again.
Scrivener does this - you can import images, PDF documents, movies, sound files, web pages and even scripts in the Final Draft format. It can be useful. But you pay for it in complexity. Ulysses handles writing tasks explicitly, and supports images, with the intent of it being part of a compiled or outputted piece. It’s not really designed to be a keep-all as you describe. Bear or Scrivener, both cross-platform, might be better for your personal needs. (I’ve tried both, and I own Scrivener, but I keep going back to Ulysses.)
Generally speaking I find that, for me, having a Shoebox-style app works better - having one app for massaging and organizing and managing my writing and another for planning/organization. I think I get better utility from having a separate app that specializes in storing multiple formats and has web clipping down pat: Devonthink, Evernote, OneNote, EagleFiler, Keep It, Yojimbo.
It sounds like you need a notes/clippings app more than a writing app?
I’d agree. I also recommend considering whether a document is part of a project or longer-term reference material - and avoid storing the latter in a project.
Notebooks might work for you. It can store both text and PDF files. The bookmarklet has web can do Web clipping, and the price is lower than Devonthink. The UI is not as sleek as Bear or Ulysses though.
I have looked at Scrivener, but don’t think it’s for me. I really love writing in Ulysses, but as you mention, bowline, it may not be a keep-all. If I were to use an app such as Devonthink for storing multiple formats, how would that work with Ulysses or Bear? Should I export my notes/writing as pdf to Devonthink and also keep a copy in Ulysses or Bear? Or do peple just write everything in Devonthink?
I’d recommend you get the 150 hour free demo of DevonThink and see if it works for you. I have trialed it several times before and have never found it to add much value, & find the interface ugly and not intuitive.
For starters, Ulysses attachments can be keywords, goals, notes as well as images and PDF files. They belong to a sheet, but not to the text on that sheet, i.e. they will not be included when you export. You can access attachments via the paperclip icon on the editor toolbar.