TOPIC: request: have notes in separate files

Hi all,

I think it would be great to have the possibility to have TR store notes in separate text files. This files could be for example in a folder specified in advance (and another folder could serve for archives).

This would have the following advantages:
- make possible a search and view from a desktop search engine
- reduce the size of the TR file (-> faster opening);
- allow an easier editing of notes, with an external file editor, in case when the note becomes large, or when special functionalities of the file editor allow to simplify the edition of some particular notes (and still to have access to it from TR)

Thanks for considering! :-)

Patco

You can (sort of) do this already by creating a link to the file in the notes.

All, in all, I agree with tne need to take notes while TR is open. However, I don't want TR to do it. There are plenty of better programs that can open for note taking alongside of TR. On Mac OSX, I use Journler and SideNote, not to mention NoteTaker.

I think that the large area for notetaking in Thoughts is one of TR's greatest strengths, compared to other GTD programs.

But, conversely the lack of space for notetaking in Project panes is a major irritant. The division of space into "Brainstorming" "Organization" "Vision" and "Notes" leaves too little room in any of them, and a lot of the window space taken up by the framing areas.

To Jeremy:
Have a link for bigger files would work, but my action notes range usually from small to medium size, and it would be cumbersome to create a new text file for each of these. Therefore the solution that you proposed does not have the two first advantages that I presented.

To Steven:
Don't you agree that it is useful to have the ability to take short notes in actions, projects, thoughts? These notes are clearly related to TR. Also, in some way, TR can be good, in the context of a project, to begin to accumulate a few rough thoughts and notes.
It seems to me that, functionally, this kind of draft notes related to projects, actions, or future projects, is the kind of notes that you would like to edit quickly in TR. When you have a better idea of things, then it is the moment to write separate documents.

To Jeremy:
In the case it is sure that it will not be possible to store various TR notes in separate text files, it would greatly help to be able to associate a folder to a project, that would be used as default for the insertion of links (because also, in that case, I would not necessarily use only text files!


Your reactions?

Patrick

I don't understand. Both these "advantages" would result from using a file link in the notes field. It agree it is a bit cumbersome to create the files (using another program) and then linking them, but it does allow for different types of file (e.g. text, document, ...)

That's true, but because it is cumbersome, I would do it only for a few documents.
Thus, the search capability would not really work (only for the documents linked), and the reduction of size would be limited too!


Patco