Best method to automate

[mavryk 1]

While not exactly the same application I think what I'm looking for would best be understood if I said I wanted to use Evernote to create a new note for each contact in a list. The list, which can be in whatever text editor is easiest, call it Microsoft Word, would contain something like the following:

 

Bob NoName

Account executive

 

This guy is really cool and helpful.

Phone number: 555-1212

Address: 1234 Peanut Lane

 

email: bnoname@somemail.com

 

 

Sarah NoName

Accountant

 

Smelled aweful.

Phone number: 555-1213

Address: 1234 Walnut Drive

 

email:

 

Whatever automation I would use would identify Bob and Sarah as separate records, use Bob and Sarah as a header for the note and put the notes into the same notebook. It would be fancy if i could even specify somewhere tags that can be applied by record but that's not terribly imporatant.

 

I'm familiar with Visual Basic programming and (shudder) FoxPro. My problem is just not knowing where to start. If there is any documentation, technical or otherwise, or another link or some big neon sign saying "look at me, dummy" that I'm missing please feel free to redirect me.

 

Thanks,

Randy

[Sentinel 195]

Welcome to the Forum Randy!

 

When it comes to automated processes, I check Veritrope.  They make scripts and automated processes for a variety of workflows.

 

If you do not find a script already created for your specific need, you can contact the developer, Justin Lancey, and he may be able to create one for you.

 

The nice thing is, the scripts he has posted on his site are FREE, with a request of a small donation, but that is not necessary.  I hope this can help you in some way.

[SebR 146]

Hi,

 

Here his the doc for devs http://dev.evernote.com/

 

Maybe you should make a note the way you'd like to appear, then export it in .enex (this is the xml-based EN format) and take a look at it.

Then, if you know how to manipulate strings and arrays you could be able to make a script to build an enex file (I think you should before insert a separator after the email line... some kind of .csv file)

 

You can also import notes from a .txt file, the first line of the .txt will be the note title... it could be worth exploring.

[jefito 5,589]

@Sentinel: the Veritrope scripts are all for OS/X AppleScript, as far as I know; this topic is tagged as Windows. For Mac users, that's a great resource, though.

 

For Windows users, the ENScript command-line utility can often be put to use to script Evernote solutions. The description is here: http://dev.evernote.com/doc/articles/enscript.php#enscript. You'd need to use some other method to do your list processing; PowerShell or any of the usual Windows scripting languages (look for "Windows Script Host" for links)

[gazumped 11,665]

I tend to keep stuff simple - if you can format this like a mail merge problem,  use Word and Excel to create a set of documents from your database.  Save the documents as separate text files and use an Import Folder to suck all those files into Evernote.

[mavryk 1]

"Import folder" was the keyword I needed to find several threads on this topic. Thank you very much.

 

Addtionally, I have discovered (as per comments above and experience) that only txt documents can be imported. While this accomplishes the bulk of my task now I'm becoming spoiled and would like to retain formatting. Because this is a (shhhh) non-work purpose being done on a work machine I would like to not install the ENScript exe. Perhaps now the answer is "stop being spoiled", which I accept. =)

[jefito 5,589]

ENScript.exe is installed when you install the Windows client. If you want to retain formatting, you'd need to turn your notes into Evernote (.enex) format, as SebR says. ENScript can handle those as well.

[Sentinel 195]

@mavryk & @jefito

My bad!  I saw a "Windows" link on his site, but never went to it before.  It deals with Windows run on a Mac.

So glad you smart guys stepped in to help mavryk.

[flatlanderdox 7]

Hi,

 

Here his the doc for devs http://dev.evernote.com/

 

Maybe you should make a note the way you'd like to appear, then export it in .enex (this is the xml-based EN format) and take a look at it.

Then, if you know how to manipulate strings and arrays you could be able to make a script to build an enex file (I think you should before insert a separator after the email line... some kind of .csv file)

 

You can also import notes from a .txt file, the first line of the .txt will be the note title... it could be worth exploring.

 

 

I'd love to learn more about this. How do you export to .enex?  Is that something I could do from Word?

[gazumped 11,665]

Enex files are what happens when you export notes or notebooks from Evernote.  http://www.openthefile.net/extension/enex

[flatlanderdox 7]

Enex files are what happens when you export notes or notebooks from Evernote.  http://www.openthefile.net/extension/enex

 

Right. Just wondering if there was a way to export or convert word Documents into enex. Copy and paste from one to the other isn't always very clean.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Right. Just wondering if there was a way to export or convert word Documents into enex. Copy and paste from one to the other isn't always very clean.

 

AFAIK, MS Word does NOT support export to ENEX, and I don't know of any 3rd party tools that would do that.

But then you might try a Google on "convert .doc (or .docx) to enex"

 

Have you tried exporting Word to HTML, and then importing into Evernote?