Import Folder Shenanigans

[wussery 4]

I have selected a folder to be watched by Evernote and it immediately imported the files in the folder that I designated. However, I have noticed that Evernote is periodically re-importing the same files a day or two later which makes me go through my Evernote file to confirm these are duplicates. I then have to delete these files. Do I need to remove previously imported files from the Import folder after they have been imported into Evernote?

[gazumped 11,664]

Hi.  Check the Import Folder settings again.  You have the option to leave files in the folder once imported,  or to delete them after import.  It's sensible to remove the files to avoid confusion - the original becomes part of the database and any changes to the file in the folder won't be repeated in the attachment - although as you're finding,  changes to that file will cause it to be re-imported...

[DTLow 5,736]

1 hour ago, wussery said:

However, I have noticed that Evernote is periodically re-importing the same files a day or two later

Can you tell us more about the Import Folder and how files are updated
We have seen this duplicate problem reported before and it seems this was not a standard folder and files were being updated by external processes

[wussery 4]

1 hour ago, DTLow said:

Can you tell us more about the Import Folder and how files are updated
We have seen this duplicate problem reported before and it seems this was not a standard folder and files were being updated by external processes

This is a folder where I copy my expenses into. I normally PDF the receipt and save it to my expense folder. I then change the tags on the file after it has been copied into Evernote. The way I know that a new version of the file has been copied into my Evernote database is that the new file will not have any tags on it. My folder structure is C:\Users\Myname\Documents\Expenses\2021\

[DTLow 5,736]

1 hour ago, wussery said:

This is a folder where I copy my expenses into.

Is this folder used by any other process that might  impact "files a day or two later"   
For example, one user had Google Sync running

[wussery 4]

54 minutes ago, DTLow said:

Is this folder used by any other process that might  impact "files a day or two later"   
For example, one user had Google Sync running

No this folder is not part of any sync process that I have running. The only thing I do on a daily basis is to do a differential backup of my SSD. I do a complete backup every two weeks.

[PinkElephant 8,103]

Probably the hint from @gazumped tells what happens: The import folder is revisited (for example when new content is added), and everything is imported again.

Maybe you give the "delete source file" a try, and see whether it solves the problem.

[wussery 4]

23 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

Probably the hint from @gazumped tells what happens: The import folder is revisited (for example when new content is added), and everything is imported again.

Maybe you give the "delete source file" a try, and see whether it solves the problem.

I will look into this option, but I want to keep a copy of the receipt somewhere else. So I will use my sync software to create another folder that copies the files from my expenses folder with a one way sync. It will be interesting to see whether the file is deleted before the sync can happen. I'll figure something out. Thanks for the suggestion.

[wussery 4]

1 minute ago, wussery said:

I will look into this option, but I want to keep a copy of the receipt somewhere else. So I will use my sync software to create another folder that copies the files from my expenses folder with a one way sync. It will be interesting to see whether the file is deleted before the sync can happen. I'll figure something out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Just after posting I realized that all I need to do is copy the file to a Temp Folder that Evernote will monitor. After the file is copied from the Temp folder into Evernote it will be deleted. The original file stays in my Expenses folder.

[PinkElephant 8,103]

I regard this as a workaround, not a solution. Import folders are listed in the "soon to come" section of the release notes of the v10 clients, so probably there will be a new solution to this task. No support or fixes for the old clients, so there we have to live with what we have.

[CalS 5,280]

22 hours ago, wussery said:

Just after posting I realized that all I need to do is copy the file to a Temp Folder that Evernote will monitor. After the file is copied from the Temp folder into Evernote it will be deleted. The original file stays in my Expenses folder.

Every time you start EN fresh it will access your import folders and bring in whatever is there.  If you want the file in two locations what you are doing is the solution. 

FYI, it's not that hard to export a group of PDFs from notes using the Save Attachments option.  Then you have one version of the truth.  FWIW.

[motz 20]

I just experienced the same bug. Spontaneously Evernote reimported everything from all my import folders. Have not changed anything and it has been working fine for years with the current setup. Very odd. I guess it will encourage people to move to v10 🙂

[PinkElephant 8,103]

Just to explain this thread: When we exchanged ideas in March, import folders were yet to release.

They are now available for v10, not only for Windows but for Macs as well. From my experience they work in general fine, importing within seconds what was placed in them. I have a folder on my Macs desktop - a very convenient way to drop everything into EN without even opening it.

I have a pending issue with support:When I scanned a longer document, and had it OCRed by the scanner software, the import folder function created a sequence of incomplete, corrupted pdf files in new notes. Only when the scanning stopped, a final copy was imported, that one was fine. I think the OCR (that is done by another software than the scanning) confused the import function.

Since in the end a valid note and pdf was created, I regard this as a minor problem.

Conclusion: Import folders are a very productive feature - and for Mac users it is an improvement unknown from legacy (yes, there were other functions …).