German handbook writer Michael Malzahn has put together a brand new workbook for DEVONthink in German language. DEVONthink — Das Arbeitsbuch introduces the reader to our information management software step-by-step from the installation to the deepest corners of the program. Many screenshots, tables, and a keyboard shortcut list make the 248-page ebook a must-have for German-language DEVONthink users. (more)

If you are using Getting Things Done (GTD) you know the concept of a “tickler file”: folders for all twelve months with sub-folders for each day of the month (also known as “43 folders”). You place documents into the sub-folder of the day on which you will need the document. If you want to postpone the task you move the document forward to another day. (more)

In a recent article on TidBITS Tonya Engst talks about how she manages school papers digitally:

The ScanSnap is addictive, and I’ve hardly begun to learn how to use it. Here’s how cool it is: My son comes home from the first day of school with a fistful of forms and handouts. I open the scanner, stick them in, choose an option from the ScanSnap icon in the Dock, and push the big blue button on the scanner. Within moments (or minutes if I chose to run OCR) the entire pile is onscreen, even the double-sided forms and the pages that emerge from the backpack slightly crumpled. (more)

By default everything you drag onto DEVONthink’s or DEVONnote’s Dock icon or add e.g. through its services is added to the inbox. This is convenient if you don’t want to interrupt your workflow just a file a note, capture some text, or file a document. (more)

What method to use for capturing thoughts is a highly subjective subject: some write outlines, some just a simple text, and some prefer mind maps. DEVONthink supports text and very simple outlines (e.g. using rich text lists), but not (yet) mind maps. Some options are: … (more)

Using Keyboard Maestro you can automate emptying DEVONthink’s trash including dismissing the confirmation dialog. For this create a new Keyboard Maestro macro with the following steps:

If you like the idea of automating things, you should have a look at Keyboard Maestro. (more)

After ironing out the compatibility issues with OS X 10.7 Lion we have now finally added the new window full screen mode, Quick Look support for attachments to rich text documents, and much more. Definitely a recommended update, and it’s free.

Very often documents are connected to actions, e.g. “contact these guys”, “pay this bill”, or “discuss this with the team”. You can create a 43 folder setup in DEVONthink (see the “Getting Things Done” concept) to remind yourself of them or manually add tasks to your preferred calendar or task manager, e.g. iCal, OmniFocus, or Things. (more)

DEVONthink and DEVONnote already come with a number of plain and smart templates for everyday use. You can find them in the Data > New from Template menu. But you can easily also add your own documents to this menu. (more)

The View menu in DEVONthink and DEVONnote lets you do more than just switch between the various views. Check View > Widescreen to adjust the split and three-panes layouts for wide screens; uncheck this option for a layout fitted to smaller screens. (more)