Jasondm007

@sballin Thanks a ton! This feature is incredibly helpful. If you live Stateside, I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving! All the best!

Thanks @sballin!! I almost gave up on Notes before this workflow! This thing is a life saver. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my previous post. I meant to ask whether the folders, themselves, could show up as individual results (i.e., (1) among the individual note results or (2) by themselves, if an argument was added to the main script filter)? I ask because there are times when I want to open a folder without knowing which specific note that I might have placed the material in that I'm looking for (i.e., in cases where I don't have a good enough idea of what I'm even looking for). I'd also like to be able to use it as a fallback search for times when the usual workflow isn't returning the note that I am looking for, but I know the folder where it's located. In short, I'm just looking for an easy way to search for, and open, folders. Thanks again for sharing this workflow! It's great.

@sballin Thanks for sharing this workflow. It's great, and has saved me a ton of time. Out of curiosity, are there any small changes that could be made to your script filter so that it only searches for folders (i.e., as a new script filter based on the NS workflow)? Or, alternatively, is it possible to see folders in the results of the standard search (i.e., alongside/within the standard results for the individual notes)? Thanks again!

@vitor I'm not sure what's wrong with it, but I can't get your suggested script working (quoted above). The good news is that the old one works fine. And, I actually simplified it to the following: on alfred_script(q) do shell script "/usr/local/bin/exiftool -overwrite_original -all= " & q end alfred_script It deletes everything, and it appears to work well with multiple files, too - which is great! Related Question: I've been trying to come up with an easy way to write the same input to multiple files at once (e.g., if you wanted to rename several files with the same author), do you have any suggestions for how to approach it? First, I tried feeding into your initial workflow, but I couldn't get anywhere (e.g., coming in at the second step - skipping the part where you'd read the current values and select a field). Instead, I tried adjusting the shell script above, but I haven't had any luck with it either. More specifically, I created a file action that accepts multiple pdfs, that is linked to an Arg & Vars utility that captures the variable pdf_file (Name) with the selected files {query} (Value) that feeds to a keyword input for the user to input the author's name for all of the files, and that feeds to another Run NSAppleScript with the following code: on alfred_script(q) do shell script "/usr/local/bin/exiftool -overwrite_original -Author=" & q pdf_file end alfred_script Here, I thought that q would pick up the value of the author's name from step 3, and that the variable pdf_file could be referenced from step 2. Any idea what's wrong with the shell script above? I'm sure that I probably screwed up the later portion of the code (" & q pdf_file), but I also wasn't sure if I had to "set" the pdf_file variable in the script, too? To make things easy, I've broken this workflow off and uploaded it here: https://cl.ly/b76255aa15d9 . And, to test, the same PDFs from before can be used. You'd just need more than one of them: https://cl.ly/1618a40a381d Thanks for any help you can lend!!

@vitor I finally figured out how to run the shell script in the appropriate manner through Alfred. For others that might be interested in doing the same, the following code will remove all of the metadata at once from a PDF (i.e., all the metadata that the EXIFtool can reach, anyways): on alfred_script(q) set posixPath to quoted form of POSIX path of q do shell script "/usr/local/bin/exiftool -overwrite_original -all= " & posixPath end alfred_script Thanks!

@vitor That was it! It works great now. Thanks a ton. If you're curious, after tinkering around with the EXIFtool today, it looks like what it calls the "description" is what corresponds to what Adobe calls the "subject." Since your workflow centers around field names, this was really easy to change. Everything looks like it's working great now. To supplement this workflow, if I wanted to create a simple file action that uses the EXIFtool to delete all of this metadata at once, is there an easy way to reference the file in a shell script? For example, I've used the following command in Mac's Terminal app to accomplish this: exiftool -all= -overwrite_original FILEPATH Is this as easy as attaching a File Action object to a Run NSAppleScript object with the following code? on alfred_script(q) do shell script "exiftool -all= -overwrite_original q" end alfred_script I tried several variations of this script (e.g., shifting around quotation marks, references to the file, and some with the arg/vars tool), but I've never really understood how to run shell scripts in Alfred. Thanks again!

Sure @vitor here's the slightly modified version: https://cl.ly/c0d1ee39dc76 Thanks!

Thanks for all of the helpful feedback, @vitor! I really appreciate it. Question 1 No problem. I'll keep goofing around with the EXIFtool to see if I can get the results to stick to the correct fields. I wonder if this problem is related to the one you mentioned at the outset, about how EXIFtool doesn't actually change the file? PS - I can certainly understand your frustration with Adobe products! Question 2 I've tried several variations of this, but I haven't had any luck yet. I was under the impression that Alfred would know to look in the workflow's folder for the icons (presently named Author.png, Keywords.png, Subject.png, and Title.png). Is there some additional code that has to be placed in the pdfedit.rb script? Based on your previous recommendation, I updated that element as follows: def show_fields(file, *fields) require 'json' script_filter_items = [] fields.each do |field| value = get_field(file, field) script_filter_items.push( title: value, subtitle: field, arg: field, icon: field + '.png' ) end Unfortunately, it's still not adding any of the icons for the fields. Do I need to add something else to the pdfedit.rb script? If not, does the script filter object in Alfred have to be updated/changed, too? I haven't touched it, so it still reads as follows: require_relative File.join(Dir.pwd, 'pdfedit.rb') show_fields(ENV['pdf_file'], 'Title', 'Author', 'Subject', 'Keywords') Question 3 Thanks! I never understood what that feature did, but your suggestios has fixed it! Oddly enough, it might just be my machine, but the file still shows up in my clipboard history. But now, at least when I paste from it, Alfred's smart enough enough to paste the previous text (i.e., almost as if the file was not there). Thanks again for all of your help!!

@vitor This workflow is awesome! After tinkering around with it a little, I was wondering if I could bounce a few questions off you about the workflow? Question 1 - After running a few tests on the fields, I noticed some discrepancies between what the workflow is reporting for a few fields and what Adobe Acrobat is reporting (i.e., the gold standard for readers - though, to be honest, I only ever use it to edit things). Using the same PDF from last time, I updated each of the four fields in your workflow. The new information can be viewed by the workflow and Finder (Side Note: I made a small modification so that the field's name was in the subtitle and the value was in the title - just to make it easier to read in the workflow). The following images show the output from the workflow and Finder. Alfred Workflow Finder - Get Info However, if you view the same fields in Adobe Acrobat, only the "Title" field appears to be updating correctly. Adobe Acrobat - Properties w. Comments From what I can tell in Adobe Acrobat, it looks like the Author and Subject fields were untouched. Interestingly, the the Keywords field appears to have absorbed the subject and keywords from the workflow (separated by a semicolon). For testing purposes, I've uploaded the PDF displayed above here: https://cl.ly/1618a40a381d Question 2 - I'd love to add icons to each field in the output. I have some problems with my eyes, so I tend to go heavy on icons. Out out curiosity, which fields in workflow should I update? During the first step, when the workflow is gathering the PDF's metadata, would I update the pdfedit.rb file to add icons for each of the four fields? For example, let's say that I placed four icons in the root folder for the workflow, and each is named after the fields as follows: Title.png, Author.png, Subject.png, and Keywords.png. Would updating the pdfedit.rb file as follows cause the icons to be displayed? script_filter_items.push( title: value, subtitle: field, arg: field icon: field.png And, during the second step, when the script writes the new value for the selected field, I have no idea how to reference the different icons for the field being overwritten (i.e., beyond just placing a generic icon in the keyword - which would look the same, regardless of the field that's being updated). Question 3 - I guess I never realized this before using your workflow, but is there a way to run a File Action in Alfred without having the file copied to the clipboard? The reason I ask is because I usually copy the metadata from another source before updating it. As a result, when I run your file action, that text automatically becomes second on the clipboard (i.e., because file that's being actioned is now first). This makes it tough to access the text while running the file action (i.e., the user can't kickoff snippet viewer without aborting the workflow - which means the user has to manually write the field in). Is it possible to turn this off for your file action (or all file actions, for that matter, as I can't imagine why would need to access this from the clipboard's history)? Thanks a ton! This workflow is awesome!!!

@vitor This is amazing!! Thank you so much! It's also super helpful to learn from (i.e., I think I can see now why my past attempts failed). If it's OK, I'd like to dig into it for a few minutes, and then pick your brain a little. This is amazing!! I can't thank you enough.

@vitor Often, I just delete what's in those two fields - since they're not typically used, and are usually full of garbage. They can be helpful sometimes, however. In any event, here's the same pdf with info in those fields: https://cl.ly/bef8ed55e672 Thanks again!

@vitor There's nothing special about the Pdfs that I use - same fields. However, I've updated a random classic chapter of something for you here: https://cl.ly/bc6972285a77 I've attached a screenshot of the usual fields from Adobe Acrobat below. However, these are the same fields that you'll see if you "Get Info" through Finder. Relatedly, I took @dfay's advice and purchased HoudahSpot, which is great for viewing and search through this metadata, too. When you add the columns/fields to your search results, you can even sort by them. It's great!

@vitor Thanks for getting back to me. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that I understand what this means. Is the new metadata only visible on the machine that makes the update? For example, if I viewed the PDF on a different computer, is the old content going to show up (do the new machines need ExifTool installed, etc.)? I guess that my preference would be to delete the information, but if that's not possible, and other computers can view the new metadata without special tools, then ExifTool may work just fine. If not, then maybe the PDFTK utility or the XATTR command work better? Thanks again!

@vitor Sorry to bug you, but I was wondering if you had a chance to take a look at the EXIF tool for editing metadata in PDFs? Thanks again for all your help!

@phyllisstein Thanks sharing! I'm afraid the workflow appears to be broke now, but I'll see if I can tinker with it a little. Thanks for your help! Much appreciated.

@phyllisstein @zhaowu By chance, would you guys be willing to share your Alfred workflows for listing the tags used on a machine? I've been searching for tools to help me use tags more efficiently, and one of the principal issues I keep running into is how to quickly show all of the tags that are being used on my machine (since they tend to grow complex, rather quickly). I wish there was an app that would easily display them, allowing for hierarchies, etc ... but I'd settle for a tool that just displayed them in an easily viewable way - like through the use of Alfred. Thanks for your help!

Out of curiosity, does this workflow still operate in Mojave (and Alfred 3, for that matter)? If not, what other tag management workflows or tools are people using? Thanks!

Do you add these web-clippings to BibDesk? I use Evernote, at the moment, for web-clippings of news and other secondary sources (as well as for other personal things, etc.). And then I just highlight their records in the app as I go along. I usually don't save these as PDFs because they usually look like garbage, and I like to maintain their images, etc. Then, if I actually wind up using the source in an article, I'll add it to Perma for future researchers. Do you save them as PDFs so that it's easier to extract your annotations, etc.? Do you use a tool when saving them as PDFs to avoid all the usual website clutter? Thanks!

This could be a game breaker! Have you done any testing with it? Frankly, for what I'd like to do, any citation management software or (file organization system, like DEVONthink) would work for me if it would embed its tags/collections/groups/whatever on the file as a tag for the native OS to view. Then, tools like Houdah Spot could be a real tour de force (Side Note - I love the metadata window that's displayed in Houdah Spot, I wonder why they don't allow editing in this window?). Can BibDesk write its citation-related records to the PDF's metadata, too (e.g., author, title, etc. - that it will follow the PDF)? Relatedly, have you ever tinkered around with other citation managers? Frankly, since I'm not so reliant on the citation management side of things, any file organization application would work. Your approach with Bibdesk reminds me somewhat of what is found in a lot of image-based organization systems, like Pixave (collections, tags, etc.). It'd be great if there were an all-purpose version of it ... or at least one that catered to PDFs (i.e, that embedded its metadata for Finder/Alfred to use)! I tried goofing around with Zotero a little - since it works, somewhat, with the citation style that I usually have to use, and there are a lot of great integrations for it, including Alfred - but I can't find any tools for embedding its collections as tags for the PDFs or its other metadata (e.g., authors, title, etc.). Maybe there are some plugins/add-ons that do this? I don't know why citation managers don't make this easier. Shouldn't they all (1) embed their internal organization scheme to the PDF as a tag or a series of tags, and (2) write the citation information for the source to the PDF? This would make everything portable, and easy to use on a Mac ... but maybe I'm dreaming?

@dfay Thanks for the response! This was really helpful, and you’ve given me a lot to think about. As for your frustrations with DEVONthink, I definitely share them. In fact, I laughed about your reference to sticky zooming, as it was the first thing I contacted their support group about (i.e., because I just thought I was overlooking something - given that it’s UI is so clunky). I guess I’m just attracted to the nuanced tagging options that DEVONthink brings, as well as using it for web clippings (to replace Evernote). What do you use to capture websites? Whether it’s BibDesk (or DEVONthink, for that matter), I wish that their tags could be dynamically added to the PDFs as native Finder tags. While I’m no DEVONthink expert, I think that they’re only added to files when they’re exported from a database. Like yourself, I’d prefer to stay in the native OS (and use other tools that can see this information, too). I just don’t see how to use more nuanced and dynamic tagging approaches in Finder (even with Alfred’s help) - though HoudahSpot sounds great for finding things! I wish there was an app that would work within Finder to quickly show the user’s tags (and their hierarchy) so that they could be visualized and quickly added to a file without having to remember each tag or create a unique Alfred workflow that displays them, etc. That way, Alfred/Finder/HoudahSpot could all use this information to search and display things. Regardless of how hard I try, file organization feels like a fool’s errand.

@dfay Since it sounds like you have a great system for managing your research - and have tried out many of the same tools - I was wondering if you had an opportunity to think a little about my post last week (re workflows, DEVONthink, and tagging/citation managers)? I’m still struggling with these issues, and was hoping to learn more about your own workflow and thoughts on these tools. Thanks again!

Thanks, @vitor! I really appreciate it.

Thanks - That screenshot is actually from a workflow that I created using your script - which works great! Thanks again!! However, I only use it to apply existing Finder tags (not to search or apply more complicated hierarchical tags).

@dfay This tool sounds great for viewing and searching for tagged files (whether or not it addresses all the issues mentioned above). Do you use it through Terminal or an Alfred workflow?

@vitor In my opinion, the easiest way to create a metadata tool for PDFs would be to create a file action for each important field, which uses the EXIFTool to write the information. So, the user could simply use a different file action for each field. Once the file action is selected it would trigger a keyword input where the user could type in the value of the field that they want it to be. Relatedly, it be great if the subtext of the keyword told the user its current value. However, I assume that’s not possible in Alfred. A better approach, however, would be one where (1) a file action triggers (2) a script filter which provides the current values for the following metadata fields: (a) Authors, (b) Title, (c) Subject, and (d) keywords. From there, the user could view the fields, and, if necessary, select one that they might want to rewrite. So, if the user selected the Authors field, for example, it would trigger a keyword input where they would type in the authors’ names (separated by commas) and the EXIFTool could be used to update them accordingly. This tool would be great for people with lots of PDFs, regardless of whether they use tools like DEVONthink, etc. Thanks!