Can't rename just-imported local notebook - Notebook settings is grayed out

[Radiophile 16]

I exported a local notebook from my old PC, then imported it to my new Mac. Running EN 6.0.5 and Yosemite.

 

1. I'd like to rename the imported notebook to remove 'import' from the name. I'd also like to move it inside another notebook, replicating its location on my old PC. I don't seem to be able to do this, because if I right click on the notebook the Notebook Settings choice is dimmed and unavailable.

 

2. I'm also disappointed that the Updated date for all the imported notes has been changed to today. This really contaminates my sort-by-date-updated sorted view, and will be a hardship for some time (until I've updated most of the notes I'm actually working on so they can appear again at the top of the note list).

 

Any ideas (especially on #1)?

 

-John

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

You might try signing out of EN Mac, restart your Mac, and open/signin to EN Mac.

 

On #2, IF the created date was preserved in the ENEX import, then you might find useful an AppleScript I wrote to set the Updated Date to the Created Date.  Let me know if you are interested.

[Radiophile 16]

Thanks. Your suggestion for #1 didn't help. But I am very much interested in your Applescript. Setting Updated=Created on these notes would be a fine fix.

 

I've had an idea on #1. My windows PC is still running version 4 of the Windows EN client, which is from 2013. (I hated the UI changes in v5 when it was released, so I refused to update. UI changes that, BTW, seem close to what I'm seeing in the Mac client, but I was planning to force myself to get used to them on my new Mac.) Anyway, I wonder if something about notebook container code or structure has changed since 2013, and my Windows v4 local notebooks don't work properly with today's EN Mac client. If so, perhaps I can fix it by upgrading the Windows machine to the latest Windows client, which would presumably update my notebooks to current standards. Then I could try the export-import again.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

AppleScript:  See Set EN Modification Date to Creation Date

 

Since your PC is still running, one option is to temporarily (on your PC) move the Local NB to Sync'd NB.

Then once syn'd down on your Mac, you could move them to Local NB on your Mac.

 

Of  course, there are two downsides to this:

1. Goes against your monthly upload allowance
   
2. Temporarily exposes info in those NBs to the online world -- but would require a hack of Evernote for anyone to see
   

Good luck.

 

[Radiophile 16]

Thanks for the script. I'll have to educate myself on AppleScript before proceeding. I hope it won't be too difficult.

 

I like your latest suggestion, but I don't want to do it right now because of that temporarily exposing info to the online world thing you mention. I lose confidence in the security of Evernote systems with every passing software bug.

 

I've decided to give Evernote "support" a chance to help me with this problem, even though my past support experiences were not good. Maybe they can redeem themselves this time. I plan to report back here on how it goes.

[Radiophile 16]

Ahem. Okay.

 

Just now I created a new regular (synchronized) notebook and then wanted to move it into an existing stack. I couldn't, so I Googled. Come to find, one can't move a notebook in the sidebar. One must click Notebooks in the sidebar to reveal the special notebooks list in the workspace to its right. From there, one can do all manner of operations on notebooks, like renaming and moving them around.

 

Some seconds later it occurred to me to try renaming and moving my stubborn local notebooks from this new-to-me Notebooks view. It worked without a hitch. So I am feeling a little bit dumb. But only a little bit, because (1) in my ca. 2013 Windows client, one did all these things with notebooks from the sidebar only, and (2) one can still rename non-local notebooks from the sidebar in the Mac client. So I was set up to get it wrong in the first place.

 

Now I gotta go and cancel my Evernote support ticket.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

@Radiophile:  Don't feel dumb.  Evernote has made some changes to the UI that are counter-intuitive, and have made things harder to use.  The new Notebooks view and Tags view are prime examples.  And, IMO, the EN Mac UI is worse than the EN Win UI.

 

Although Evernote claims to support 250 Notebooks, and 100K tags (can you imagine??), the UI they have provided really only works if you have less than 25-30 or either.  It certainly becomes a big challenge if you have >> 100.

 

IAC, I am very glad you resolved your problem.