Sonny Software

Hi,

If BookEnds would stop tagging the references or at least incorporate tagging of the files with Apple tags, that info could be shared and in sync with other major apps used in academic workflows: Finder, DevonThink, HoudahSpot, FoxTrot... when a file is tagged in DevonThink, it appears tagged in
Finder; or viceversa.
Once there are tags in the system, it doesn't make much sense to classify files within closed walls. I think having such info available across knowleadge apps is an important feature, and hence my request.

Regards,

Tag what? References (which I don't understand, since they are not standalone files, but entries in a database)? Or PDFs? If PDFs, explain exactly what you would like Bookends to do. Of course you can tag the PDFs yourself right now.

Jon
Sonny Software

Thanks for your reply, Jon.

I mean tagging files, not references, and with Apple's tagging system, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202754.

Since I include a number of new pdfs from internet directly into BookEnds, it would be very convenient to be able to tag those files in this app, instead of having to reveal them one by one in the Finder.

The apps I have mentioned above all have the option to reveal files in Finder, but just to tag them it is unnecessary to go through such time consuming task, as all of them have integrated such feature. Since I prefer to have my classification in sync and available from all apps in my academic workflow, I would welcome it in the reference manager. Even if it is just in BookEnds' inspector.

Of course it would also be convenient to view those tags in BookEnds, as the mentioned apps offer, but this is a less of a need in my case.

Actually, I did play with tags when I wrote the pdf annotation view. That would be the place to put it, I think. I'll add this to the list of things to consider for the future.

Jon
Sonny Software

I don't know about other users, but I am so interested in this feature that the unresponsiveness of Third Street software about system-wide tags (5 years, as it goes back to OpenMeta tags) has decided me to go through the hassle of finding another reference manager. I am already close enough to not knowing which files I have processed and which not, thanks to Atlas.ti, but this app's working is unavoidable, as it has to duplicate and mask files under unintelligible file names.

Thank you.

I, too, would very much like to be able to tag attachments, and to have a dedicated field for tags.
Even better: the ability to batch tag (and batch edit tags) would be powerful.

You're tagging files, not references. So if implemented there would be no reference field for tags.

Jon
Sonny Software

Yes, I understand that this would tag files. I was suggesting that, if possible, there would be a field that displays the tags assigned to attachments linked to that reference.

I doubt it. I was thinking that if this is done, the tag would appear in the bar above the pdf in the annotation view (to the left of the text search box).

Jon
Sonny Software

Another vote for this possible feature – would be really useful, if done.

+1

Wouldn't it make sense to have a one-way sync from reference:keywords to pdf:metadata-tags? Or at least the UI should allow a copy and paste between these fields if you think these should be separate concepts?

Anyway a +1 to however metadata tagging gets implemented, this would be super useful...

Tags will be implemented in the next update. But no automatic population by keywords, which doesn't strike me as a good idea. Copy/paste will of course be an option.

Jon
Sonny Software

Awesome. But couldn't we have the option of auto populating the tags from keywords? I get it might sound strange or confusing for some, but for me it would be very nice to be able to search for tags without having to fire bookends (and potentially to do so in the future on icloud, as I keep my attachment folder in the icloud folder). Not to mention that working with several macs with only one BE copy would also be easier.

There's nothing stopping you from using keywords as tags. There's even a popup menu that lets you add predefined tags to your pdf (so adding keywords, or any other text, is easy). There is no automatic assignment of keywords to tags, however. Once the tag-capable version of Bookends has been out for a while we can see what additional options people might want.

Jon
Sonny Software