SYNOPSIS
This hint shows you how get a pdf-copy of any document in any app that supports the standard print menu, into the DT inbox by just pressing “cmd-P-P” (tested under OS X.10.5 Yosemite and DTPO 2.8.7).
Caveat: do not use with Preview, as this causes loss/flattening of annotations (see below).
Note: This is a follow-up to a older post by Korm (who else …)
[url]Save PDF to DEVONthink -- printing shortcut]
All credit for the cmd-P-P method goes to Paul Horowitz at OSXdaily:
http://osxdaily.com/2014/08/19/save-as-pdf-keyboard-shortcut-mac-os-x/
Since I find this extremely useful, I decided to make a new post on this.
DETAILS
Background: The “Save PDF to DEVONthink Pro” command in the standard print panel is a convenient way to generate a pdf of whatever document/data you have in any app that uses the standard print panel, and send the result straight to the DT inbox. However, the command is awkwardly located, so I tended not to use it.
Korm’s hint referenced above shows that a shortcut can be created that works in all apps that use the print panel. I found that “option” as a modifier does not work, but “cmd” does.
The OSXdaily hint takes this one step further: choose “cmd-P” as the shortcut in all apps for “Save PDF to DEVONthink Pro” (make sure what the command is exactly called on your system, it seems that this can vary, and international users must of course use the command in their language). At first this feels wrong, as this is already the shortcut for general printing. But there is no conflict, as cmd-P only invokes “print” when still in the main app, and only acts on “Save PDF to DEVONthink Pro” when the print panel is up.
Result: Pressing “cmd-P-P” (i.e. pressing P twice while keeping cmd down" sends a pdf right away to the DT inbox. It’s hard to imagine anything easier.
This works as advertised (for me) for all apps that use the standard print panel. Most notably:
Preview
(1) Pdf files: Cmd-P-P works, but should be avoided as it loses/flattens pdf annotations. The easiest solution I found so far (preservers annotations and does not tinker with permissions) is to use “save as” and choose a watched folder that imports automatically into DT. Details are at the bottom of this post.
(2) Image files: Cmd-P-P quickly converts them into pdfs in DT; otherwise, they are best imported in their original format using the "share"button in the Preview toolbar.
Safari (even though the clipping extension is superior)
Word (very important, because I get so many memos from people in Word that I’m not supposed to modify, and hence should be sent as a pdf in the first place).
Some other programs use a slightly modified version of the print panel:
Calendar: Here you press cmd-P to invoke the panel, then you have to hit “continue” and pressing cmd-P again will then send the pdf to DT.
Photos: Again, cmd-P will get the panel up, then you choose “Print” and use “cmd-P” again, and the photo is in DT. Of course, using the contextual menu item “Add to DevonThink” is usually the way to go in Photos, but using the print panel route, you can select several photos and arrange them into a contact sheet or similar and then export to DT.
Some programs seem to not be able to do this at all, e.g. Adobe products with their own print panels:
Acrobat: cmd-P-P will not work. But in that case, dragging the icon from the window bar onto DT (save the file with cmd-S first if the file was modified) seems to be the simplest option (preserves annotations and does not tinker with permissions).
Preview pdfs: Save the pdf to a watched folder, which imports into DT via Folder Actions. Create a folder, e.g. on the Desktop such as “ToDT” and attach/enable the DT Folder Action “Import and delete”. Put the ToDT folder into the Finder Sidebar for easy access.
For installation, see this DT Tuesday Tip (you can choose the folder action “Import and delete” instead, to make sure that already imported files don’t clutter the ToDT folder):
http://blog.devontechnologies.com/2008/08/tuesday-tip-using-the-folder-actions/
Note: If you choose the “Import and delete” script provided by DT, the “delete” implies “moving to the system trash” (vs. - say - using the UNIX rm command), so the file remains recoverable in case the import to DT fails.
