(Archived) Not sure how to go about turning rough Evernotes into clean documents (Pages, Word)

[AddictedToCaffeine 0]

So I have been taking lecture notes with Evernote and have been finding it pretty useful (although there is no quick way to add images using the iPad!). For one of my topics, a lot of the information we are presented will be much more useful as Pages documents (that's the Mac version of Word), where I can wrap text around lots of figures and have it read more like a page from a textbook, but just for my reference.

 

What I was thinking was take all the notes in Evernote, images included, and then later write it all in Pages, and add the Pages documents to a new stack. My concern is just that Evernote will not be able to scan the text in the Pages document or the images in it, or even be able to display the documents.

 

I could save them all as PDFs, but then I would need a system to save all the Pages documents to my Mac and if I ever needed to edit the document, I would have to first delete the PDF (and any highlighting or notes I have made on it), edit the original Pages document on my Mac, then save it as PDF, then upload it and manually reenter the original date I uploaded it as well as the tags. This is annoying because in a way I may as well not use Evernote at all. Evernote would be fine by itself, except adding a figure (an image) to a note just plonks it across the whole page, so a note that has 30+ figures in it would become very hard to read. What I would like to be able to do is have thumbnails of most of the images that expand when I click on it.

 

Or a way to view and edit Pages (or even Word if it's the only option) documents in Evernote itself, while on the Mac.

 

I'm a premium member btw, if it helps to answer this question with regards to features that are locked out of free users.

 

Thanks for your time reading this. I've been looking for the best way to take typed notes (for written notes of equations, I still need to scan them and add then to Evernote), and I think I'm ready to settle for Evernote, but I just don't understand how Evernote works with adding documents that let you wrap text around figures (like in Word/Pages)!

[Bardolobo 14]

Hi Addicted.

As far as I know, Evernote only OCR PDF files, not Word or Pages ones (please, someone corrects me if I'm wrong) and neither can you have thumbnails.

But I think you have an easy way: put your Pages documents into Evernote notes. Then, if you need to edit one document, just double click on it from Evernote. Pages will open the file, and when you're finished and close it, you'll have all the changes saved in the file you had in Evernote.

So, you make all the changes in Pages, but the document that is edited is the one you have in Evernote, so it's as if you make the changes into Evernote itself.

Hope this helps.

[AddictedToCaffeine 0]

Oohhhh, so Evernote works a but like Dropbox? That is very cool, I did not realise this. If only evernote could automatically create a copy of the documents into PDFs, for the purpose of making them readable and searchable. But I will just have to do it myself and employ version numbers on the top (so I can tell if I forgot to update the PDF). I think it's finally starting to fit together in my mind, about how I will be using Evernote over the next few years. Thanks for the info.

 

EDIT: The more that I think about this, the more I realise that I'll be transitioning away from Goodreader for documents that come up a lot (like once per week), and just leaving Goodreader for topic handbooks, text books and other documents that I need throughout the semester. As long as I convert the powerpoint slides to PDF, and everything to PDF really, then I'll be able to use Evernote instead. But then again, it would be nice to even have all those documents searchable in Evernote as well as in Goodreader (so I can mark them up in Goodreader). It's scary learning new things and giving up old systems 

[Bardolobo 14]

Glad I could help you.

I also used Evernote and Goodreader: first one to get all my files and notes together in one place, search them quickly and having them accessible from all my devices, and second one to documents I'm using (work in progress) and need highlights and sidenotes.

But take care: Evernote works "as Dropbox" just in desktop version. In iOS, if you open a text document from EN to Pages, you get a copy of your document, and after making all the changes, you have to send it back to EN.

Hey Apple, when a documents gallery in iOS just as we have an Images gallery?

[AddictedToCaffeine 0]

That is exactly what I am thinking of doing, keeping two copies of everything, one in Goodreader (via dropbox) with traditional file structure, and another in Evernote (with brief typed notes and documents all converted to attached via PDF to the note). I assume that you can at least search and read PDF documents inside the Evernote app? It doesn't really help with annotation though. I suppose I could just replace the PDF inside of a note with an annotated version. Or just do all my annotating in the Mac with Preview. Hmm. But I also want to keep them in Evernote indefinitely, and only use Goodreader for topics I'm actually doing (and for holding my textbook collection, which will also be on Evernote in order to be searchable).

 

This would all be easier if Evernote just bought Goodreader.

[Bardolobo 14]

Yes, you could search and read PDF files into Evernote notes. And even search text into this files (although can't remember if this for premium users or for everybody).

For what I have talked to others, many people are beginning to use EN and Goodeader in the way we talking about. Maybe your idea EN buying Goodreader in order to get more integration between them is a good one (although is easy for us to think things like that, given isn't our money )

[AddictedToCaffeine 0]

Maybe your idea EN buying Goodreader in order to get more integration between them is a good one (although is easy for us to think things like that, given isn't our money )

 

I agree, but Mr Evernote if you are reading this, don't change the standalone Goodreader app, make a second Goodreader4Evernote app, or integrate it into to the Evernote app. People would scream bloody murder if the direction of the standalone app was changed, and erased everyones notes with some Evernote login page!

[rolfessenden 4]

If I understand correctly, I have the same issue, and here is how I handle the problem.

 

First take notes on the ipad using Pages. Then email the notes to Evernote.

 

When I get to my Mac, open the Evernote note, open the pages doc, and export it to PDF. Then put the pdf into the same Evernote as the Pages note.

 

Now you have the original, and you have the pdf, which has the same content, and is searchable in Evernote.

 

If you need to make a change, make it in the original, re-export it to a new PDF, and then put the new pdf into the same Evernote note. You can toss the original pdf or keep, depending on if you want to track changes.

 

If you want to mark up the pdf, you can do that on your Mac, or you can send the pdf to goodreader, and when done, send it back to Evernote.

 

Good luck.

Rol