From Devonthink to Evernote

[GRx 0]

I've decided to dive into Evernote from Devonthink and I have several large databases in the latter. Is there an easy wa to import them? I'd appreciate detailed instructions.

 

Thanks, GRx 

[charboyd 272]

From the Devonian Times, I've found instructions on how to export: 

To export documents as standard files, select them in your DEVONthink database and select File > Export > As Files and Folders. DEVONthink recreates the group structure in your database as closely as possible, additional metadata is added in the form of harmless ‘DEVONthink_storage’ files (simple text files).

Alternatively, DEVONthink can export your documents in a number of formats that require conversion, e.g. as pure text, rich text, or OPML. Multiple selected email messages can also be exported in the standard Unix mailbox format. You can find all export options in the File > Export sub-menu.

(http://blog.devontechnologies.com/2009/03/tuesday-tip-export-your-data-transparently/)

 

Once you have exported your data to the desktop, you can easily import to Evernote: 

 

1. Download Evernote onto your computer, create an Evernote account, and log into Evernote
2. Open and expand your .zip files into folders on your computer. Usually you can simply double-click or right-click on a .zip file to create a folder full of your notes.
3. The import step is a little different with each note note-taking service and computer. This is a general overview.
   1. Windows: Open Evernote for Windows desktop and select Tools > Import Folders then browse to the folder you created by extracting your .zip file. You may find the folder in Local Disk > Users > your username > Desktop or Downloads. Select the notebook and then select OK and the files inside that folder will import into Evernote.
   2. Mac: In your Mac finder, browse to and open the folder you created by extracting your .zip file. You should see your notes inside that folder. Open Evernote for Mac. Select all the notes inside your folder and drag them into a folder or your Note List.
   3. Additionally, you can drag a file right into an Evernote folder or your Evernote Note List to add that file as an Evernote note. 
4. The files you just imported will appear as individual notes inside an Evernote notebook.
5. Right-click or control-click on any notebook and select Rename to change the notebook title.

It's possible that photos and documents will not be attached after the import. You can easily drag and drop the attachments right into Evernote notes

 

This is a great article to review when importing from other apps into Evernote: https://evernote.com/contact/support/kb/#!/article/25071271

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

In my experience, it is easy to move stuff in and out of DEVONthink and Evernote. I don't think you'll need .zip folders for your stuff (I'm not at my Mac now, so I can't check, but this option may not be there)-- you can export it however you want onto your local drive (usually rich text). The problem is going to be with any organizational structures you have using tags, notebooks / folders, flagged (DT), or labeled (DT) items. These don't travel between the two apps. It's for this reason (portability) that I generally avoid heavy use of tags or notebooks.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=2033

I would strongly recommend that you put everything into LOCAL notebooks first. These are not synced with Evernote's servers. Move things into regular Evernote notebooks as they are ready. Otherwise, you are likely to blow out your monthly upload allowance, especially if you have lots of attachments.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

By the way, there are scripts for this kind of thing, but unless you have especially large databases, it probably isn't worth the effort.

http://veritrope.com/code/devonthink-to-evernote-export/

The script is old and may not work now. If you have problems, I am sure someone on the DEVONthink forums can help.

[tyanc 0]

I just used this script and it still works as described. Thank you for this time saver!!

[odysseus 10]

Now DEVONThink to Go support "Open …", but the notes are sent across as files. How can they be transferred as just text?