Just discovered a rather nice little app in one of my trawls through the Apple Mac Store.

It's called Pigeonhole, and it serves a rather simple function, but does it rather well.

It allows you to import lots of different kinds of (text-based) files (including e.g. Word, Pages etc.), then copy bits of them to categories in a series of snippets. So on the left you have the source text, in the middle you have the categories, with a big + button next to each category for adding snippets, and on the right you have the list of snippets you've added to a particular category (you select a category in order to view the snippets in that category).

The left-hand window can be switched to a web browser that allows you to view a web page instead of a disk file. You can then select snippets from the web page to put into categories, just as you can with source files. The unique selling point is the way the app automatically keeps a record of the source of each snippet (source file or web URL), complete with the date and time the snippet was created (nicely done, in pale grey immediately under the newly clipped snippet).

There's only one weakness at present: the developer clearly intends you to export your snippets to RTF(D) once you've compiled them, so there's no way of searching through the actual snippets. You can search source files (on the left); you can search categories (in the middle) - indeed, the category search will find text in your snippets. But once you've zeroed in on the category you want, containing the snippet(s) you want, you can't actually search through the snippets themselves (on the right). Odd, because the search function for finding text in source files is actually very good. The same thing could easily be set up for the snippets.

I've pointed out to the developer that a proper snippets search function would turn Pigeonhole into a highly desirable all-in-one research app - you'd simply have to load up a .pigeonhole file for a whole gamut of research on a particular topic (including lots of subcategories for that topic) to become available for searching etc. As it is, you have to save out your .pigeonhole file as an RTF file before you can really get to grips with the detailed content of your snippets.

But it's still early days - the app is only at version 1.0, and already works very well. The import function is fast and stable. The snippet-clipping function is seriously cool.

Definitely worth a look for Mac users who like to organise lots of textual information! Please note it's currently only available for the Mac, via the App Store.

More info at http://onewindowwonders.com/pigeonhole/

Cheers,
Bill

Thanks Bill

For a snippets "clipboard" I really like the Safari extension provided by Craig Scott's iThoughtsX from toketaWare. The extension also captures text and link and adds it as a node in a designated mind map, ready for further mind map magic or export.

Too bad Pigeonhole does not have an available demo. I don't think I'd pay $19.99 based on the video.

Well, yes, I kind of see your point - if you're already invested in iThoughtsX. But Pigeonhole is much cheaper, and for a text-focused chap like me, much friendlier. No need to mess about with mind maps, just a simple collection of congruent data assembled under convenient headings.

I'm already using it for a translation project involving lots of cross-references to previous documents. It's proving extremely easy and convenient to use!

Just the lack of a snippets search function - that's the biggest shortcoming. But at the moment I'm using RTFD files.

Cheers,
Bill

This reminded me of a piece of Windows software from long ago, also called Pigeonhole, that still seems to be available:

http://m8software.com/clipboards/pigeonhole/pigeonhole.htm

Thank you Stephen for bringing this one up. Used this application extensively for years. Will give it a go for nostalgic sake. Thanks, Sigurd

Kevin has just e-mailed me to say that a new version of Pigeonhole will be available in a couple of days that will indeed include the ability to search through and zoom snippets!

This will turn Pigeonhole into a very neat all-in-one research tool. I'm really looking forward to it.

Cheers,
Bill

Many thanks for the recommendation, Bill.

I couldn't resist the CRIMIP and bought Pigeonhole. I agree it's a nice concept. Simple to set up and use.

I've asked the developer to consider a number of improvements. The main thing is to change the document storage philosophy so we can store our snippets in a folder hierarchy instead of locked away inside a package comprising binary files. (Now, the .pigeonhole document is an OS X package with binary-encoded folders inside containing our data.) I don't like this lock-in since any macOS update could break the app and I would be unable to get my data out easily.

(Yes, export to RTF is possible, and is the backup option available now.)

Yo Paul,

I've asked the developer to consider a number of improvements. The main
thing is to change the document storage philosophy so we can store our
snippets in a folder hierarchy instead of locked away inside a package
comprising binary files. (Now, the .pigeonhole document is an OS X
package with binary-encoded folders inside containing our data.) I
don't like this lock-in since any macOS update could break the app and I
would be unable to get my data out easily.

Good point, Paul, although I think the RTF export is a fairly solid concept, given that Spotlight allows you to search folders etc. easily and RTF is a fairly straightforward format. However, PDF would also be cool.

The new Pigeonhole does work well – the snippet search is very welcome (although it's set up for keyboard rather than mouse, so if you want to find multiple instances of a search term, you have to press Cmd+G - there's no convenient buttons for moving forward/back through the snippets), and being able to magnify snippets is also excellent. I can see this becoming part of my workflow!

Cheers,
Bill

Did this app die off already? The URL for the developer seems to have gone away.

While the link from the Mac App store leads to a 404 sub-page, the rest of the Web site seems to be functioning. It mentions that the software is being renamed Research Multitool. But the link for that goes back to Pigeonhole. Hopefully just a transition in progress. I for one am glad to see the demise of the "bird" name - between EagleFiler and Growly Notes, felt like I had to change the newspaper under my computer on a daily basis already, without adding a Pigeonhole. ߘ

Hope the author sees this and makes that page a redirect instead of a 404.


mprazoff wrote:

While the link from the Mac App store leads to a 404 sub-page, the rest
of the Web site seems to be functioning. It mentions that the software
is being renamed Research Multitool. But the link for that goes back to
Pigeonhole. Hopefully just a transition in progress. I for one am glad
to see the demise of the "bird" name - between EagleFiler and Growly
Notes, felt like I had to change the newspaper under my computer on a
daily basis already, without adding a Pigeonhole. ߘ