Have you ever tried “Journler” which I’ve been using?
Is “Journler” not good for you?
Although I tried Yojimbo and DEVONthink, right now Journler is the best for me.
However this is a first time to hear “Together”.
So I will try “Together”.
Together at Last
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Have you ever given up looking for something and then it found you the next day? That’s how I found Together tonight. I had developed half of a new, nearly perfect (for me) project management system using VoodooPad Pro and its awesome ability to turn freeform thought into organized structure. I could link everything I needed to, including images and files, but I desperately wanted something with a sweet GUI to hold and preview project related documents…
I went through the possibilities of Eagle Filer, Yojimbo, NoteMind, KIT and others and eventually decided to forge my own system using links in Path Finder and some Ruby magic in VoodooPad Pro. And then I stumbled on the update to KIT: Together. It’s vastly improved and now does exactly what I’d been trying to do: combine the best of hierarchical folder organization with tagging, commenting, linking and smart folders while maintaining a file system based storage system and built in previews. Nailed it.
Here’s my problem. It doesn’t let you link to individual entries the way Eagle Filer does. Otherwise I could finish out the system I started (and love) with VoodooPad and add links to my little wikis that jump from notes straight to Together entries. I’ll find workarounds with a little more time. For now, I’m happy to be able to copy a link from any page in VoodooPad and paste it as a link within any project folder I create in Together.
Items in Together folders are actually stored in a folder hierarchy in the filesystem (it can also work with links). Items can simultaneously be represented in “Groups” as well as folders, and can then be shown in “Smart Folders” with a plethora of criteria. The icon previews are great, the built in editor/preview is very functional and even includes a Quick Look Slideshow option. Man, if I could build the VoodooPad power into the notepad in Together, I’d be in heaven.
This post is a little scattered, partly because I’m exhausted from playing with all of the possibilities, and partly because I’m trying to mentally organize how I’m going to get all of my information into these new tools while I’m writing. It’s really distracting. That, and Emma is licking my elbow incessantly. Better let her out…
BTW, if anyone has the latest versions of Quicksilver and VoodooPad/Pro working together, I’d love to hear how. 
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11.15.07 / 11pm
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11.16.07 / 4am
A second for Journler. Haven’t checked out Together yet, so can’t vouch for one over the other, though I know Journler does a great job for me. Can anyone that has experience of both make a(n unbiased) comment?
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11.16.07 / 6am
Actually, Journler really isn’t specifically geared towards what I’m trying to accomplish here. It could manage to do most of these tasks, but it’s not necessarily designed with them in mind. And seriously, if you’ve never put together notes using VoodooPad, you have to try it. I was going to give Journler another go-round and see if I’m forgetting something, but the download link is broken, so it will have to wait.
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11.18.07 / 9pm
Journler is great, I use it as a Journal and I love it. But it is really designed to be used as a Journal with the calendar organisation paradigm as opposed to the folder/file layout.
I too have been looking for a program like this to organise some of my research for ages. Largely to hold documents and pdfs etc with good previewing. This is the best i’ve seen too.
it seems to me that the main reason it’s so much better is because it’s utilising some of the core advancements to the finder under 10.5 (I think … i’m not an expert in such things.)
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11.18.07 / 9pm
The one thing that’s killing me right now is not being able to create external links to items in Together. I’m penning a letter to the authors to see if that and some Applescript support might be arranged… they seem to be fixing other small bugs at a decent pace, so we’ll see what happens.
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11.18.07 / 10pm
Agreed, I have noticed a few little UI bugs too, but nothing serious.
The other feature I would love to see, and I don’t know how viable this is, or if other uses would be interested this, is to be able to go to and highlight strings inside the preview of searches inside pdfs (or any document really) and go next previous etc to move to the location in the preview.
That way you could reference content in your library very quickly without opening the file in the application.
At the moment you can search contents, but it will just show you the file, and you have to browse to find what you are looking for or open in preview and search again.
Does that make sense?
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01.22.08 / 5pm
Please delete this double post, I neglected to activate comment notification. Thx.
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01.22.08 / 5pm
Hi,
I love the thread you have been on here, with integrating VP and Together. Regarding the limitations of Together, a) have you had any progress in your correspondence with the developer(s), and b) have you looked at Leap (from the Yep! camp) and considered it in the PathFinder/Together combo you are considering?
I am regularly keeping notes and related files (both prep assignments and reference after the fact) for courses and groups (i.e. project specific databases) with the intention of delivering a database of links, files, and notes as an archive of the journey. I think the track you are on for your ideal system would be close to mine as well (especially once you add in the iGTD or OmniFocus integration) and would REALLY appreciate any further thoughts you have on the matter.
(Also, wish that LEX from the developer of Journler will be released soon!)
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01.22.08 / 5pm
I’ve been exploring every possible combination for months now. Nothing is as polished as I want it to be, but I have high hopes for iGTD2 working with the rest of this. The clencher will be if Together incorporates spotlight integration and individual file linking the way that, say, Eagle Filer and Yojimbo do. I’ve been using Leap a lot, but it’s too limiting. I wish I could get an interface like FileSpot with Yep style icon layout. That would be awesome. In the meantime, I’ve forged a tagging system that works with Spotlight using TagBot and Leap. I mass files together for projects using Together, and import them as links. Works alright, but I feel handicapped.
I’ve been playing with MindManager and have found that organizing projects around MindMaps with links to external files, emails, etc. is actually really intuitive. I’ll post more about that when I get things smoothed out.
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01.23.08 / 3am
Thanks for the reply.
I am trying to grok the position of Together in your workflow; is it your “bucket” for collection? And, when you say “import them as links”, from-and-to where do you mean? (Sorry if I’m a bit obtuse on this point.)
My (main) issues with Together are: Generally I have documents in my folder hierarchy that I move—either in total or selectivelly—to project specific groupings (e.g. a particular class). In the case of importing the entire folder, if I make changes to the original (e.g. add or remove a document), then I must remember each instance of this folder, or else there is a risk of an incomplete archive. Curriculum and References are fluid, and this is just not doing it for my needs.
Additionally (leaving the multiple instance issue behind), from within each class/project, there are multiple places where a file is relevant, making tagging more appropriate than folders. Using the tagbot scheme is a benefit here, and while I was excited to find Leap originally, it seems to only have value (for me) as a robust viewer (with its own limitations, as you mentioned) especially since I use Quicksilver to make tagging changes. If I want only folders (and I don’t) I’d stay in Finder… which is why we are all having this conversation in the first place.
I like that there is a note mindset built into iGTD2, though I wonder if it will be robust enough. We shall see. Again, it would be great if LEX would finally drop, but I am not holding my breath at this point.
One final note—perhaps more appropriate in your MindMap posts, but you mentioned it above, so I’ll include it here: I love Freemind and had to walk away b/c the product of the process was trapped inside the (albeit unintentional) walled garden of FM (though there is an export menu item, i never did get it sorted out.) I would construct elaborate “radial hierarchies” (my best description of a mindmap, as opposed to “linear hierarchies”, i.e. an outline) but would then need to either reconstruct the context w/in another format (e.g. omnioutliner) or be left with only the data and no real relational relevance (e.g. txt). Lots of good work that would ultimately lead to double entry. Enter NovaMind. It exports to OPML, and therefore OMniOutliner, and so the product of the MM becomes something I can work with beyond the brainstorm, arrange and plan phase into tracking and adjustments. I have yet to include (and export) files to the mix, and the UI is a little clunkier than FM, but I mention it as one MM aficionado to another. The export can become an OO, which can then become an RTF, which is great if you use this as a writing tool.
Looking forward to future thoughts from you. At this point, the sum total of my requirements (multiple file formats—no YEP/Papers—the breadth of information—too clunky in a mindmap—and the tagging requirements due to multiple relevance) seem to require something with a bit more muscle than a MM as a database. Until then, at least there’s quick look in finder. (Dare I look at PathFinder again? Not going back to DevonThink) Peace.
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01.23.08 / 5am
Sounds like you’ve put in at least as much time as I have agonizing over this. I think my next post on the subject will probably be an attempt to nail down what I think my dream app would be/do so that I’ll have it as a gold standard. I’ll be interested in your feedback.
As far as Together goes, you have the option to move/copy files or link them. I’ve been using my own hierarchical folder structure (Finder) and Spotlight tags, and then linking the files in Together for the purpose of composing groups and adding notes/web links, etc.
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01.24.08 / 1pm
I have been considering Bento in the last few, ahem… hours. While it sets of my corporate protectiveness alarm (admittedly i know nothing about their 3rd party development policy, but i am concerned with access to the data and context if i ever migrate away in the future), it seems like if it had an SDK it could be *the* platform that other apps could use to integrate the features you and I seem to identify as gold standard. I posted this in their forum:
“I am evaluating Bento, which seems like a fantastic product.
“I am not a developer, but I am also hooping that the creative mac community will be allowed to integrate other apps with Bento. The first that comes to mind is a more robust (beyond todo list) productivity app like iGTD, Things, or OmniFocus; password storage like 1Passwrd; and of course, Quicksilver integration.
“I haven’t poked around enough yet to determine whether Bento also replaces media management such as Yojimbo, etc. as well, but that would be more functional integration (either by 3rd party plug-in or via Bento) that would be welcome.
“Allowing extensibility to Bento would guarantee it to become the must have platform to manage Personal Information.”
Wonder what you think about this…
(Congrats on the LH coverage for MoodBlast!)
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