search for single repository

Posted by jerryk
Nov 8, 2008 at 06:55 PM

Let me then push the linking idea more aggressively. We can try to “link” items in separate repositories into some db program such as UR, WR, 1N, PB (Personal Brain). But has anyone done it successfully with simply the OS folder?

The Planner Beta (http://kftf.ischool.washington.edu/index.htm) is one gesture at this. Generally folks need to do the following:
* store files, emails, web pages, snippets
* organize the data by folders and/or tags (preferably in some outline/mmap like fashion)
* recall by navigating through the hierarchy or through search

An OS stores files just fine. One can also drag *.msg into a file folder. XYplorer has a nice feature where it will rename outlook emails upon drop to include sender, date, etc. Web pages are a pain, which is why so many of us use WR or surfulater or something else. MHTs or PDFs might be a solution (why should this be such rocket science?) Snippets of text are also a pain (although txt files are a possibility); this is also why so many of us use UR or Zoot.

WDS could index all of this.

The real weakness is in the outlining/organizing. Most file browsers are terrible. What I’d like is a view that allows one to see subfolders and their contents indented. Dopus has a view like this, I think, but I find that program difficult to use. Also, if we could somehow have an outline order (based on some *.xml file in the folder directory) so that we can move items up and down and indent, that would be great. And the xml file could also be used as a tagging system for files.

In any event, by now you get the gist. Does anyone use a file browser in this way? Which one?

Many thanks.