There's a new app in beta, "Hook" from Luc Beaudoin, that can be useful in creating a set of links between related files, emails, documents, etc. For example, working on a PDF, you want to relate that file to another file with notes, plus related PDFs, email messages, a Curio file, etc. Hook is intended to store links to that set of related documents and items so they can be quickly recalled.

The videos on the site offer better explanation of the app's intent and use. I found the interface a bit clunky and unintuitive, but it's a work in progress. Free for now -- which means "not free" in the future. Mac only.

https://hookproductivity.com

Whoa... this looks awesome.

Hook announced its post-beta pricing. $19.99 for an "essentials" tier, and $29.99 for "pro". Not explicit on this page is that these appear to be Tinderbox- or Agenda-style pricing models: you get the app's updates for a year for the base price, and need to pay again for the next 12 months, or remain with no updates after the first year. This is a hidden subscription model, in actuality.

Since none of the interesting features exist in the "essentials" level, and there's no published roadmap for "pro" much beyond what's in the beta already, I'd have to say the prospect of $29.99/year for an app that turns out to automate what someone can do pretty much on their own already, is not compelling.

https://hookproductivity.com/buy

Somewhat related, here are some decent free tools to get markdown links from webpages on Chrome and iOS:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/create-link/gcmghdmnkfdbncmnmlkkglmnnhagajbm

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/coppie-as-markdown/id1297207273?mt=8

Dynalist and Todoist can also save markdown links with their share extensions.

Paul Korm wrote:

beta already, I'd have to say the prospect of $29.99/year for an app
that turns out to automate what someone can do pretty much on their own
already, is not compelling.

Paul, I didn't realize we can do this on our own already. Can you point me to methods that either allow you to connect files to each other and access them via keyboard shortcut, or give you a tidy link to any file?

Thanks!
Beck

On a related but not really all-that-similar topic, I can recommend (for Mac users only, I'm afraid) Tabs to Links, a tiny utility that compiles a list of all the links in your multiple Safari tabs and allows you to save them to a separate text file, to your clipboard, or to any number of "shared" apps.

It's a really simple idea, executed very well (for instance, if you've got multiple Safari windows open, each with a bunch of tabs, it allows you to list them separately or all together).

It's available on the Mac App Store.

Cheers!
Bill

MadaboutDana wrote:

On a related but not really all-that-similar topic, I can recommend (for
Mac users only, I'm afraid) Tabs to Links, a tiny utility that compiles
a list of all the links in your multiple Safari tabs and allows you to
save them to a separate text file, to your clipboard, or to any number
of "shared" apps.

There is a similar extension to Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/copy-all-tab-urls-we

MadaboutDana wrote:

On a related but not really all-that-similar topic, I can recommend (for
Mac users only, I'm afraid) Tabs to Links, a tiny utility that compiles
a list of all the links in your multiple Safari tabs and allows you to
save them to a separate text file, to your clipboard, or to any number
of "shared" apps.

Lots of free similar options that save to clipboard or file, for all the major browsers. Here's one article listing some:

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/copy-urls-from-all-open-tabs-in-browser/

Ah, okay. Rats, knew I should have had a net-sniff first...

Thanks, satis!

Cheers,
Bill

Ah, no, I withdraw my "rats"! - I see that none of the free options listed cover Safari. But they're very useful for users of Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Edge.

Brett Terpstra's [Markdown Service tools](https://brettterpstra.com/projects/markdown-service-tools/#linkschrometabssafaritabs can collect markdown links from Safari and Chrome. I have not tried this for a few years. Gathering associated URLs is not that hard- heck copy and paste with some Keyboard Masetro magic will work. But, Hook can also tie files together -- can this be done manually ?

MadaboutDana wrote:

Ah, no, I withdraw my "rats"! - I see that none of the free options
listed cover Safari. But they're very useful for users of Chrome,
Firefox, Opera and Edge.

Safari is such a tumbleweed-strewn wasteland when it comes to extensions that it's good to see options appear... even if they cost money when multiple free alternatives live on other browsers.

On the whole, I'd agree with you - except that a lot of apps add their own share extensions to Safari, representing a kind of underground garden of extensions. I have, for example, buttons for Bear, DEVONthink, Pinterest, OneNote, Keep Everything, Zotero and Panic; I have share extensions for Ulysses, SnipNotes, Notes, Notes4Me, Curiota, Things; I have services for a whole bunch of other things, including three separate paste options for Notebooks. Having experimented with many other Mac browsers, I've always ended up coming back to Safari, and increasingly, feel that I'm not missing out on anything I could feel green with envy about.

I've given up everything to do with Google, I'm afraid, because I no longer trust them enough. I do use Firefox occasionally, but find it more cumbersome than Safari. And I do sometimes use Brave because of its excellent built-in VPN. Opera I tend to avoid because of its new Chinese owners (I may be unnecessarily paranoid - after all, I'm not an Uighur -, but I prefer to be safe than sorry.

Cheers,
Bill

I use many extensions on Chrome but most are disabled till needed for memory and privacy reasons, these 2 related to open-tabs are usually on though:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabcopy/micdllihgoppmejpecmkilggmaagfdmb/

+

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/quick-tabs/jnjfeinjfmenlddahdjdmgpbokiacbbb

Also if you like this forum, you might want this too:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/advanced-notepad/lfjjkejjcighooiohaacdhlgpbfoldca

Hook dev posted two videos showcasing the app:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9TqFGg5Lz0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr-MaP8Kjfo

Is anyone actually using Hook?

I realized this morning that it has been activating every time I boot but it never occurs to me to use it.

I think the developer is getting close to ending his beta and releasing v1 -- says their forum.

What app of yours started as a CRIMP and became indispensable -- something in your menubar or dock that you use frequently?

Mine is Dynalist.

Paul Korm wrote:

What app of yours started as a CRIMP and became indispensable --
something in your menubar or dock that you use frequently?

Mine is Dynalist.

For me, it is still Curiota.
I am still wondering if the menu bar in Devonthink can replace it.

I played with that thought a while back and decided no -- the DEVONthink sorter in the menubar is not a good substitute for Curiota. It failed in two respects:

1. The DEVONthink widget cannot be detached and float -- Curiota does
2. Rich text cannot be dragged from a browser onto the DEVONthink widget's icon and create a new rich text note -- Curiota does

There are work-arounds for both of these, but I figured since Curiota is free, and I can index Curiota's data folder(s) in DEVONthink anyway, why do I need a work-around to do what it already does.

Dellu wrote:

For me, it is still Curiota.
I am still wondering if the menu bar in Devonthink can replace it.

Dellu wrote:

For me, it is still Curiota.
I am still wondering if the menu bar in Devonthink can replace it.

I was a big user of Curiota until the tipping point of needing to access too many notes on the go on my iPhone. I tried a bunch of apps and settled on ... Apple Notes. Notes is just Command-space-N away (or in the dock) in macOS (unless I already have it open and hidden or in a separate Space), so I don't really miss the lack of menubar access.

I was an enthusiastic Curiota user, but I now save interesting tidbits (usually web pages/articles/PDF docs) as PDF files into a specific set of folders (set up as an automatic destination in my Mac Services) which are automatically indexed by FoxTrot Pro. This has turned out to be the most efficient way to access information. However, I also use Notebooks to manage these folders/files (in many ways, Notebooks is like a kind of ultimate file manager), and this combination (of FoxTrot Pro with Notebooks - which has a good search function of its own, of course) has turned out to be exceptionally powerful and flexible. You can bung any old file into a folder managed by Notebooks and the latter will automatically index it and display it as required.

Mind you, Notebooks on the Mac still doesn't handle PDFs very well (yes, it indexes, displays and searches them, but doesn't deal well with the detail of individual files, so no highlighting of search terms within PDFs, for example). I know Alfons is still working on that. Notebooks on iOS handles PDFs absolutely fine.

The new version of Dropbox (the enhanced desktop app, the upgraded iOS app) is an intriguing option, mind you. More info here: https://www.dropbox.com/features/new

I've got a test version running on my desktop. It's not as terribly exciting as Dropbox are making it sound, but it's quite neat, and very usefully expands Dropbox beyond basic file management. You can add comments to files, star and pin folders/files, write notes to yourself (in any folder), set up to-do lists, etc. If you're a Dropbox user, it's definitely worth the upgrade. It's also potentially very useful in team situations, for sharing files/comments/notes. We use AutoTask (formerly Soonr) for our business file management, but this new iteration of Dropbox could tempt me to shift over to the latter.

I'm still hoping Apple will acquire Dropbox. Although iCloud has some interesting new features (like folder sharing) which suggest Apple could be moving in the same sort of direction.

Cheers!
Bill

Great question, Paul.

At the risk of being boring, however, I'd have to also say Dynalist. If pressed for a different choice, maybe TickTick... although I didn't actually CRIMP that app, as I chose it in an attempt to solve my need for a Task Manager that works on Mac, iOS and Windows. I did try Diarly as a CRIMP and I've come to like it a lot, but can't quite say it is indispensable, as I could just as easily use MacJournal, which I like very much.

So, Dynalist it is.

Steve Z

Paul Korm wrote:

What app of yours started as a CRIMP and became indispensable --
something in your menubar or dock that you use frequently?

Mine is Dynalist.

At the risk of being boring, however, I'd have to also say Dynalist. If
pressed for a different choice, maybe TickTick... although I didn't
actually CRIMP that app, as I chose it in an attempt to solve my need
for a Task Manager that works on Mac, iOS and Windows. I did try Diarly
as a CRIMP and I've come to like it a lot, but can't quite say it is
indispensable, as I could just as easily use MacJournal, which I like
very much.

So, Dynalist it is.

Steve Z

Steve,

Did you try Todoist before settling on TickTick? Todoist has been a mainstay for me for a while now but it has it's annoyances and I'm constantly wondering if something would fit me better. I remember liking TickTick a few years ago as I was trying to transition from Wunderlist. Though I stopped using it after a few weeks because the notifications were out of control. First and last time I've had so much trouble with controlling notifications that I had to ditch a platform. I'm wondering if they've cleaned up some of that.

The new version of Dropbox (the enhanced desktop app, the upgraded iOS
app) is an intriguing option, mind you. More info here:
https://www.dropbox.com/features/new

I've got a test version running on my desktop. It's not as terribly
exciting as Dropbox are making it sound, but it's quite neat, and very
usefully expands Dropbox beyond basic file management. You can add
comments to files, star and pin folders/files, write notes to yourself
(in any folder), set up to-do lists, etc. If you're a Dropbox user, it's
definitely worth the upgrade. It's also potentially very useful in team
situations, for sharing files/comments/notes. We use AutoTask (formerly
Soonr) for our business file management, but this new iteration of
Dropbox could tempt me to shift over to the latter.

I'm still hoping Apple will acquire Dropbox. Although iCloud has some
interesting new features (like folder sharing) which suggest Apple could
be moving in the same sort of direction.

Cheers!
Bill

Thanks for the head's up on the new Dropbox. I hope that's a trend to bring more Document Management System features to consumer-level file management. Another alternative is TagSpaces.

Unfortunately, most users have been so conditioned with file and folder names as their only method of digital organization that it's very difficult to get teams to help build the metadata when given a more advanced platform. What makes that difficult to accept is that most of these casual users routinely immerse themselves in better metadata activities all the time.

-They understand how tagging facebook photos gives the benefit of one picture appearing in many virtual albums.... yet can't imagine adding metadata to files beyond a single hierarchy folder.

-They write product reviews on amazon, video comments on youtube etc.... yet can't fathom the value of adding comments and notes directly on work/personal files/videos... yet are fine with guessing about a file's purpose, context, and perception given only it's name and last modified date...

-They refer to wikipedia and experience how linked webs of information are obviously better than hierarchies of un-linked files.... yet never want to make that leap from island files to anything like a personal or group wiki.

-Use facebook to organize events but still insist on work email for project management....


Sorry for the rant. It reminds me why I like this forum and other pockets of the internet so much. Because you guys GET IT. Everyone in my real life just can't imagine information being outside of emails and file folders. This forum reminds me that I'm not alone.

Nathan,

I did try Todoist before settling on TickTick. I originally chose Todoist because it allows you to nest lists and TickTick only gives one level of folder structure. But I found that I didn't like how Todoist handles notes for a task. TickTick looks and feels more natural to me. It doesn't have the integration with Outlook that Todoist has, but I don't need that. Todoist is a fine app, but TickTick just works better for me.

Steve Z

nathanb wrote:

Steve,

Did you try Todoist before settling on TickTick? Todoist has been a
mainstay for me for a while now but it has it's annoyances and I'm
constantly wondering if something would fit me better. I remember
liking TickTick a few years ago as I was trying to transition from
Wunderlist. Though I stopped using it after a few weeks because the
notifications were out of control. First and last time I've had so much
trouble with controlling notifications that I had to ditch a platform.
I'm wondering if they've cleaned up some of that.

nathanb wrote:

Todoist has been a
mainstay for me for a while now but it has it's annoyances and I'm
constantly wondering if something would fit me better.

Todoist is undergoing major changes with a new version coming in the fall with one-click Trello-like kanban view, among other things. I'm on the grandfathered-in $29/yr pricing, but if I find something that works better I'd switch. But the thing I most like about Todoist is being able to move a Todoist item that's on my Google Calendar and having it sync back immediately to Todoist. I am inside my calendar so much that I really have come to depend on that 2-way-sync, and most other task managers only sync one-way onto a calendar (or they provide their own proprietary calendar view which you'd need to use and import everything else into). TickTick syncs one-way into Google Calendar, but many people have reported, for years, that the sync can take *hours* (and it's not 2-way sync anyway).

https://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/comments/9gc303/todo_list_integration_with_google_calendar/

https://help.ticktick.com/forum/topic/372112/google-calendar-sync

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

Nathan,

I did try Todoist before settling on TickTick. I originally chose
Todoist because it allows you to nest lists and TickTick only gives one
level of folder structure. But I found that I didn't like how Todoist
handles notes for a task.

Todoist notes are still terrible. I use the app solely for actionable tasks, and put notes for things elsewhere.

Unfortuantely for those who like nests Todoist is deprecating that for the new version, so as to accommodate the kanban Boards view coming in the fall. Recent Reddit discussion here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/todoist/comments/bztmqq/new_todoist_subtask_format/