Importing but leaving file in original location

I had the idea in my head that it was possible to import items into a library but leave the original file locations unchanged, effectively linking to the files.

I don’t want to do this globally but have one library were it would be useful in order to link to some files stored elsewhere on the hard drive.

Is this possible?

That is not currently possible, but it’s a feature I’m considering for a future version.

DevonThink does this and I think it gets a little confusing. Next thing you know you delete the item off your hard drive or move it and poof its gone from your database. Then you are scratching your head wondering if Devon is losing data or maybe you only linked to the file. You can’t really remember after a few years what you have in there.

I use this feature of DEVONthink a lot. In DT, it’s called Index vs. Import which puts a copy of the file in your library. The advantage of the Index approach is that it allows you to do things like index backups to DVD. So, when you back something up and get it off your hard drive, you index it and it makes it easy to find later. I’d certainly appreciate this feature in EagleFiler.

It also comes in handy for having a different view of data on your drive such as academic papers you might have stored in an alternative system.

There’s a lot I like about DevonThink from the times I’ve had play with it. The searching is second to none.

On the other hand, I rely on Eaglefiler’s ubiquitous capture i.e. the same hotkey works pretty much everywhere. As a I recall DT uses a variety of scripts applied to various applications, some more successful than others.

Michael, I know this is an inappropriate question, but I’m at something of a crossroads with my workflow and need to make a choice about how to handle the large collection of PDFs currently managed by Sente. I’d love to be able to leave them under Sente’s management AND have access to EF’s search capabilities. I guess I’ve been secretly hoping that one bright morning you’d announce that EF now does this.

(You know, you only encourage us with your deft programming skills, commitment to making fine software, and remarkable responsiveness to your users ! :wink:

I’m just wondering whether you’re still considering this, and if so, on the Goughey (pronounced ‘Goofey’) Consideration Scale of 1 to 8.325, how you’d rate your consideration. :wink:

I’m not familiar with that scale :-), but I’m definitely planning to add this to EagleFiler (barring any unforeseen engineering snags).