(Archived) REQUEST: Watch folder

[kitus 8]

Hi,

is the Evernote team using any sort of "user voice" service for collecting feature requests from customers?

I would like to make sure folder watch/auto-import folders is on their list.

thanks

[jefito 5,589]

Yeah, I get that a lot. Thinking of writing a book: Gems of Chairman Jeff.

[thermalspindle 0]

Until it's implemented, you can always try my blog post on how to do it using AppleScript - Evernote Watched Folders on OS X.

[deverill 54]

Hi Kitus,

I am not sure if you can have entries into different folders go into different notebooks in Evernote. That would be dependent on the AppleScript and interface into Evernote. I'm not familiar with that part of it - I just scraped the script from a website Perhaps someone else here could say something about that, it seems reasonable that it can do that. Hazel is a tool that can do a lot of things but in this situation it is only able to do what Evernote has exposed to the AppleScript interface.

[kitus 8]

I know the OP's intent is to get the feature built in to Evernote, but for any of you out there using the impressive app Hazel, I found this post about a Evernote and Hazel combination that will just let you drop something into a folder, it gets Evernoted and then deleted.

Of course you can modify the behavior as you like. For example, you can have it Evernote any PDF that's downloaded to the Documents folder - I use this for bank statements on my home computer... just download the statement and it gets put into Evernote and deleted. Hazel also cleans out your trash or I could have it empty the trash immediately if I wanted.

Hazel is very powerful so you can do it for, say, anything in your documents folder that's older than 3 months and a certain file type.

Anyway, I didn't intend this to become a Hazel commercial as I have no affiliation with Noodlesoft other than as a satisfied customer, but it's another option until they do implement it as a built-in Evernote feature.

Thanks a lot for your insights. I've already made a note about this cool App. It looks interesting though, as you anticipated, it is not exactly what I'm looking for I guess... watched folders in the windows version simply checks several folders and import newer files into specific folders in Evernote. I use several local folders in Evernote, and I just don't want some files to be uploaded online to Evernote (which is what my default notebook does).

Am I missing something here? Does Hazel do what I'm asking for?

thanks anyway for pointing this out to us. Cool stuff

[kitus 8]

Are you a programmer? I'm not, so I have no idea.

well, not professionally to tell you the truth, but I've programed for years.

Thanks for quoting "diu". I totally understand his point. There is something though that should be taken into account. Watched folders is an existing feature in the Windows version since years. It is not a feature request, I'm just requesting Evernote for Mac OSx to be on par with its Windows sibling.

[jefito 5,589]

I know the OP's intent is to get the feature built in to Evernote, but for any of you out there using the impressive app Hazel, I found this post about a Evernote and Hazel combination that will just let you drop something into a folder, it gets Evernoted and then deleted.

It's really about getting the functionality in place. Evernote exists as part of its OS, and exposes an API, so it can be part of a collection of tools to get things done. If Hazel works well with it, that's all the better for both products.

[deverill 54]

I know the OP's intent is to get the feature built in to Evernote, but for any of you out there using the impressive app Hazel, I found this post about a Evernote and Hazel combination that will just let you drop something into a folder, it gets Evernoted and then deleted.

Of course you can modify the behavior as you like. For example, you can have it Evernote any PDF that's downloaded to the Documents folder - I use this for bank statements on my home computer... just download the statement and it gets put into Evernote and deleted. Hazel also cleans out your trash or I could have it empty the trash immediately if I wanted.

Hazel is very powerful so you can do it for, say, anything in your documents folder that's older than 3 months and a certain file type.

Anyway, I didn't intend this to become a Hazel commercial as I have no affiliation with Noodlesoft other than as a satisfied customer, but it's another option until they do implement it as a built-in Evernote feature.

[peterfmartin 221]

Developing watched folders ain't rocked science, is it?

Are you a programmer? I'm not, so I have no idea.

Also, Evernote's priorities are influenced by dozens of inputs. Even if import/watch folders aren't rocket science, I imagine Evernote's working on a lot of other things, and they may decide to devote resources to this at some point in the future—or they may not, depending on what else is important to them. Here's a post by Evernote employee dlu that mostly helpfully explains why a number of things requested here don't get implemented quickly or ever:

So a couple of things. One, I feel like any new feature we do is more likely to get negative feedback on the forums. The people who love it are likely to go on using it without really posting, while the people who's workflow got changed have the forums as a place to vent. A lot of times I feel like standard response on the forums is, "change it back to how it used to be" or "give us an option to change it back to how it used to be." Which is a legitimate opinion, but something we expect to always have.

Two, sort of the corollary, we're never going to make everyone happy. If you go back to the note info panel redesign, we spent a lot of time getting feedback and making changes. We ended up with the dates visible at first and then fading in the rich text toolbar when you're editing the note body which added a lot to the development time. We basically finished most of the work, then had to tear out and add in a new chunk that had to go through design, coding and QA. Happy to do it that time, but I can't imagine that doing that over and over again is worth it.

Three, we have some other factors to consider. Like our CEO's opinion There's also some bigger picture problems we're trying to solve or avoid. Or problems for non-forum posting novice users. Which bring me to...

Four, There's a balance we need to strike, between new users and returning users, between novice users and power users and all sorts of other things. I've seem bad things happen if you lean too far in any one direction. But the forums pretty much only represent power users. So anytime we do some balancing for novice users, we'll see lots of forum activity. So I'm trying to make a judgement call not just on how much the forums like it, but if I'm striking a good balance overall.

Five, sometimes we just disagree. Forum feedback is great, but sometimes we disagree with pieces or even large chunks of it. If we're lucky, we have usability tests or some other data that can help us lean one way or another. But sometimes we need to make a judgement call without too much help. We take a step back and reevaluate, but if at the end of the day we're unconvinced by a forum thread, we gotta do what we think is best. Even if it involves being unpopular in the forums. I don't particularly like it, nor does it happen too often, but sometimes it does.

I'm not saying we always make the right choice, but I'm hoping that helps explain a little without rambling too much or being too repetitive

[kitus 8]

Maybe it "should" already be a part of standard Evernote by some standard, but why don't you want to try out scripts? Is that relationship really causal, as you said?

For years I've been quite a linux guy myself, so I'm not afraid of scripts but I just don't feel it should be this way given that the windows version features folder watch since early versions... I'm not after a simple Evernote Dropbox, but something like what is to be found in the windows version, which is folder watch profiles. I have sensitive information which I don't want to upload to Evernote (I keep many local notebooks), and usually the scripts I've found pretty much rely on putting things up on Evernote instead of importing them into your local App. Developing watched folders ain't rocked science, is it?

[peterfmartin 221]

Don't want to fumble around with scripts for I think this feature should be already a part of standard Evernote.

Maybe it "should" already be a part of standard Evernote by some standard, but why don't you want to try out scripts? Is that relationship really causal, as you said?

[Metrodon 2,184]

Nothing in the latest beta...

[kitus 8]

Snagged for internal discussion. Thank you for your suggestion!

...and? did that internal discussion help our request get any kind of priority? I sooo much miss this feature... I can't quite comprehend how come the Mac version lacks watched folders... Don't want to fumble around with scripts for I think this feature should be already a part of standard Evernote.

Thanks

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Ok, you guys are creeping me out, now.

You have to be careful though, you don't want people accidentally liking their own posts - that would be embarrassing.

I dunno. Maybe some people wouldn't be embarrassed. (shrug)

[Metrodon 2,184]

Actually I screen cap all your posts and then print them out and paste them onto my wall - it's a stalking thing....

[jefito 5,589]

Too true. But it's OK to Evernote our own little gems, isn't it?

[Metrodon 2,184]

You have to be careful though, you don't want people accidentally liking their own posts - that would be embarrassing.

[jefito 5,589]

Actually I use Evernote to track feature requests, so when I have a discussion about a specific feature request I can immediately jump back to the where I originally found it in the forum.

Whoa, who knew?

Seriously, you need an 'Evernoted' button for forum posts that, at a minimum, sends the link to your Evernote. Maybe right next the the "Like This" button.

[gbarry 2,658]

No, feature requests can be added here (as you have done by creating this topic) or via the support page.

this surprises me, I doubt they can keep prespective of user request that way...

Actually I use Evernote to track feature requests, so when I have a discussion about a specific feature request I can immediately jump back to the where I originally found it in the forum.

[Metrodon 2,184]

No, feature requests can be added here (as you have done by creating this topic) or via the support page.

this surprises me, I doubt they can keep prespective of user request that way...

Why?

[kitus 8]

No, feature requests can be added here (as you have done by creating this topic) or via the support page.

this surprises me, I doubt they can keep prespective of user request that way...

[kitus 8]

Although it's not built into Evernote, similar Applescript functions already exist:

http://veritrope.com...desktop-folder/

Yeah but it is not even 10% as powerful as the one that is to be found in the windows version

[jwarlander 3]

I'd certainly like to see this as well

As a long-time Evernote user, but new to the Mac, I was thoroughly surprised that there wasn't any built-in functionality for setting this up. Sure, I'm a sysadmin / coder / tech junkie, and I can work something out with a bit of googling and Applescript etc -- but I shouldn't have to!

Just do it, you awesome Evernote people - I know you can!

..And yeah, I also know you have about a bazillion other fantastic feature releases in your schedule, but hey -- I enjoy getting to play the customer for once and only worry about *my* concerns! So there!

[gbarry 2,658]

Snagged for internal discussion. Thank you for your suggestion!

[LBK 2]

Although it's not built into Evernote, similar Applescript functions already exist:

http://veritrope.com/tech/evernote-desktop-folder/

[Metrodon 2,184]

No, feature requests can be added here (as you have done by creating this topic) or via the support page.