Problems importing .jpg images into Evernote

[MartinPaulRice 5]

I just started using EN with a subscription. I want to import about 500 files, txt, .jpg, .pdf, etc. None of them is very large. They're all in a folder on my (Mac) desktop. When I connect the folder that the files are in to import them, only about 250 get imported. The .jpg files did not get imported.

I did find a workaround. I put the .jpgs in a separate folder and connected that folder. At first, that didn't work either, i.e.,they didn't import. But then, I tried again and told it to include subfolders even though there aren't any subfolders. And then it did, indeed, import all the .jpg images. But for each image, there was also an empty .txt file. I have no idea where that came from.

Additionally, each .jpg image was titled "unknown" even though each .jpg file does have a title.
Is this an import bug in EN or am I doing something wrong? Thanks for the help.

[Dave-in-Decatur 3,954]

I don't use import folders a great deal, so I can't comment on this specific issue. Until someone shows up who can, here's the Help & Learning article: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209004967. You can look over that, esp. the "Things to keep in mind" section at the end, and see if anything sounds like it could be the problem.

[PinkElephant 8,095]

If I understand correctly what you tried to do, it was the wrong procedure.

Create an EMPTY folder and link it in EN settings to a notebook as Import Folder. THEN start to drop files into that folder.

To make importing smooth, I would do it a few files at a time. If it recognizes a jpg title as note title: No idea. 

Personally I prefer a different approach: I open a note, name it and then use the „attachment” option behind the blue + to import the files. I have more than one picture in a note most of the Time.

Usually I use a table to hold the pictures. This allows a better control of the size the picture is displayed. The width is set by the column width of the table. There is no loss in quality - the original picture is preserved.

[MartinPaulRice 5]

Thanks for the link, Dave-in-Decatur. I'm afraid, however, that there was nothing there that I wasn't doing the way the video described. I've sent a ticket to EN support and am waiting to hear back from them. I appreciate your attempt to help. Thanks.

[MartinPaulRice 5]

17 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

If I understand correctly what you tried to do, it was the wrong procedure.

Create an EMPTY folder and link it in EN settings to a notebook as Import Folder. THEN start to drop files into that folder.

To make importing smooth, I would do it a few files at a time. If it recognizes a jpg title as note title: No idea. 

Personally I prefer a different approach: I open a note, name it and then use the „attachment” option behind the blue + to import the files. I have more than one picture in a note most of the Time.

Usually I use a table to hold the pictures. This allows a better control of the size the picture is displayed. The width is set by the column width of the table. There is no loss in quality - the original picture is preserved.

Thanks for the correction and suggestion for solving the problem. Unfortunately, it only works partly. When I drag the files into the empty folder that I had linked, they do, indeed, immediately upload into EN. Unfortunately, however, all the files are named either TXT or Unknown even though they all have titles. Additionally, several of the imports only have part of the file imported, usually just a graphic that was in the file but not the accompanying text that was with it. And, several of the TXT files imported are empty. Maybe when I hear back from Evernote support they'll have a solution. I very much appreciate your helping.

[eric99 980]

3 hours ago, MartinPaulRice said:

Thanks for the correction and suggestion for solving the problem. Unfortunately, it only works partly. When I drag the files into the empty folder that I had linked, they do, indeed, immediately upload into EN. Unfortunately, however, all the files are named either TXT or Unknown even though they all have titles. Additionally, several of the imports only have part of the file imported, usually just a graphic that was in the file but not the accompanying text that was with it. And, several of the TXT files imported are empty. Maybe when I hear back from Evernote support they'll have a solution. I very much appreciate your helping.

It still works on the windows client v10.46.7  : the filename is retained and is copied in the note title as well, completely as expected. Seems to be mac specific

[bmcl26 488]

3 hours ago, MartinPaulRice said:

I just started using EN with a subscription. I want to import about 500 files, txt, .jpg, .pdf, etc. None of them is very large. They're all in a folder on my (Mac) desktop. When I connect the folder that the files are in to import them, only about 250 get imported. The .jpg files did not get imported.

I did find a workaround. I put the .jpgs in a separate folder and connected that folder. At first, that didn't work either, i.e.,they didn't import. But then, I tried again and told it to include subfolders even though there aren't any subfolders. And then it did, indeed, import all the .jpg images. But for each image, there was also an empty .txt file. I have no idea where that came from.

Additionally, each .jpg image was titled "unknown" even though each .jpg file does have a title.
Is this an import bug in EN or am I doing something wrong? Thanks for the help.

I have no problem, I add a JPG to the Import Folder and it appears in my inbox in seconds with the file name (minus.jpg) as subject.

 

Windows 11, EN 10.46.7-win-ddl-public (3701)
 

[Boot17 1,448]

1 hour ago, MartinPaulRice said:

Additionally, several of the imports only have part of the file imported, usually just a graphic that was in the file but not the accompanying text that was with it.

"part of the file imported" -- that file that is being talked about -- Is this a file that contains both graphic and text? What kind of file is that? (PDF?) And it imports just half of the pdf?

[MartinPaulRice 5]

47 minutes ago, bmcl26 said:

I have no problem, I add a JPG to the Import Folder and it appears in my inbox in seconds with the file name (minus.jpg) as subject.

 

Windows 11, EN 10.46.7-win-ddl-public (3701)
 

Interesting. I wonder whether it is a glitch on the Mac? Thanks for the response.

[Kimberly Purcell 341]

1 hour ago, MartinPaulRice said:

Interesting. I wonder whether it is a glitch on the Mac? Thanks for the response.

Mine is working fine on a Mac. Photo imports to EN and maintains the image title as the new note title. I'd contact support. 

[MartinPaulRice 5]

17 minutes ago, AmethystProductivity said:

Mine is working fine on a Mac. Photo imports to EN and maintains the image title as the new note title. I'd contact support. 

Thanks for the information about your experience on a Mac. I have contacted support and am waiting for an answer.

[PinkElephant 8,095]

6 hours ago, MartinPaulRice said:

… They're all in a folder on my (Mac) desktop. When I connect the folder that the files are in to import them, only about 250 get imported. The .jpg files did not get imported.
I did find a workaround. I put the .jpgs in a separate folder and connected that folder. At first, that didn't work either, i.e.,they didn't import. But then, I tried again and told it to include subfolders even though there aren't any subfolders. …

As I already posted, this is the wrong way to use import folders. Simply wrong.

Correct is this: First make a new, empty folder. Then define it as import folder. And then, only then start to drop content into it. 

Import folders is not designed as a sort of batch input process. Creating an import link for an existing, filled folder is exactly that, a batch input. It may process 500 files at once, or it won’t. It will import sequentially, one file after the other, and create one new note for each file, one after the other. And the newly created notes need to sync, from the client to the server, one after the other.

If in this process of importing hundreds of files something falls out of step, the whole process will be a mess. So create the folders as told, and then start feeding it, in reasonable quantities. 

I use it the way it is defined, and I have no issues (beside that from time to time, it will disconnect itself, after a client update).

[gazumped 11,661]

18 hours ago, MartinPaulRice said:

just a graphic that was in the file but not the accompanying text that was with it.

Hi.  What sort of file was this?  I assume it wasn't a jpg file including an image with a caption... ?

[MartinPaulRice 5]

7 hours ago, gazumped said:

Hi.  What sort of file was this?  I assume it wasn't a jpg file including an image with a caption... ?

They're all .jpg files. Not sure what you mean by a caption. The files, however, are all named.

[gazumped 11,661]

Your comment mentions a graphic and some "accompanying text" - JPG files are purely image files so you get a single picture and the file name.  No additional content at all.  There's no option to include more text separate from the image,  so I was wondering why you'd mention it separately....

[MartinPaulRice 5]

I'm sorry for the confusion. The files are pure image files and the file name. What I was saying is that when they were imported, in addition to the .jpg image being imported and looking write, an empty txt file was also imported. I have absolutely no idea where that came from. In addition the title, which should have been the file name was not the file name but "Unknown." At this point it no longer makes any difference. I decided to switch from Evernote to DEVONThink (only available on the Mac). All 500 files imported perfectly in about a minute or two.

[PinkElephant 8,095]

If handled correctly the Import Folder would have done the job as well … but sure one can ignore the user manual and then claim it wouldn’t work.

Have fun with DevonThink. As mentioned Apple ecosystem only, and a system made for self hosting. Everything runs on the Mac, no server side processes.  So quite different to EN, which is running all clients from the master copy in the cloud.

My impression on trying was it has a much longer learning curve and takes permanently more time for housekeeping. On the other hand it supports deeper tools (for example for search) and supports Apple script. I wouldn’t call either one better - they are simply not made for the same use cases or user groups.

[MartinPaulRice 5]

1 minute ago, PinkElephant said:

If handled correctly the Import Folder would have done the job as well … but sure one can ignore the user manual and then claim it wouldn’t work.

Have fun with DevonThink. As mentioned Apple ecosystem only, and a system made for self hosting. Everything runs on the Mac, no server side processes.  So quite different to EN, which is running all clients from the master copy in the cloud.

My impression on trying was it has a much longer learning curve and takes permanently more time for housekeeping. On the other hand it supports deeper tools (for example for search) and supports Apple script. I wouldn’t call either one better - they are simply not made for the same use cases or user groups.

I don't know whether I neglected to answer or whether you didn't see my answer, PinkElephant, but I did do exactly as you instructed, that is, I created an empty folder on my desktop, then I linked to that folder in EN and then dragged in just a couple of files at a time. They all loaded into EN, and still, when the file was an ordinary .jpg file it loaded fine and looked fine within EN, but, the filename in EN was Unknown and an empty TXT file also loaded into EN. 

I appreciate your trying to help me.

[PinkElephant 8,095]

Tried again to import picture files through an Import Folder on the Mac. It worked perfectly, the file name was taken as note title, no ghost files (txt or else) were created inside of the notes. Usually I would say "ask support".

[MartinPaulRice 5]

9 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

Tried again to import picture files through an Import Folder on the Mac. It worked perfectly, the file name was taken as note title, no ghost files (txt or else) were created inside of the notes. Usually I would say "ask support".

I do have a ticket in with support. They're working on it.