Is there any way to import a file and not conver

love2lindy · 08-03-2004, 05:31 AM

Is there any way to import a file and not convert it over to gobinder (other than simply using a hyperlink inside a note)?

I'm finding that I always prefer to go to the native application for some types of files -- i.e., pdf files, older journal files, etc.. -- and that it's very handy to have these filenames sitting in the notebooks that I've created (i.e., using the notebook/file structure that gobinder has created makes it very easy to find these files). But if I never actually look at the file in the imported gobinder format, but only in the native format, then it seems silly to waste space on my harddrive to have 2 copies of the file. (These files can be very large.) So is there a way to use the "import file" option but tell gobinder that I don't really want gobinder to create its own copy of the file?

Ian.Stiles · 08-03-2004, 05:37 AM

You can create a link within a note to an external document by using the syntax "file:///c:/myfolder/myfile.txt" and then click the link to launch it natively.

This probably isn't what you were asking for though. Sounds like you want the hierarcical list view to link out to external files. There is no way to do this.

However, there is no need to have the file in two locations. Just use the file in GoBinder by clicking its icon in the list. This launches the native application for that file type and even version tracks any changes you make to that file.

Does that work out for you?

love2lindy · 08-03-2004, 06:29 AM

Thanks for your response. And yes, I did want to use the structure of the hierarchical list view.

I guess I'm not understanding something. When I import a journal file into gobinder, the file doesn't get saved somewhere on my disk in gobinder's format -- thus making 2 copies of the file? i.e., the original journal version and the gobinder version -- one for each icon for the file "my notes 3/23/04 ver" shown below?

Image Insert:

68.56Â*KB

I do know that when I click on the journal icon on the right and then make a change in the journal file, then I get the following:

Image Insert:

69.61Â*KB

I also know that the first journal icon does nothing, as if the link is dead; both icons on the second line refer to the revised journal file. It took a long time for the journal file to open up the first time I clicked on the revised version's icon -- don't know what was going on there.

What I'd really like is something the following after *every* revision of the journal file:

Image Insert:

20.39Â*KB

that is, only update the journal file and use the same icon for it (don't need the ebinder file to be changed, updated, saved, etc.)

Effectively what I'm asking for is the ability to put hyperlinks directly into the notebook/file structure. It seems like a lot of extra effort to create a note and then put the hyperlink (and nothing else) in it.

It seems like there may be MANY educational applications where one would want to be able to use the file hierarchy to list a file or application in a course notebook to allow one to quickly click on the icon of the file or application and be taken straight to the file in its native application (without having gobinder try to save it in its own format, which would be crazy in some applications).

For example, I'm a math professor who is currently trying to use gobinder to organize my course materials for an upcoming fall semester class. I would like to list a Mathematica program file as a file in my filelist. Clicking on the icon should start up Mathematica using this file (just like it would if I clicked on it using file explorer in windows); however, there's no reason to ask gobinder to create a copy of this Mathematica file or to try to keep track of backups if I happen to change the file while in Mathematica.

Ian.Stiles · 08-03-2004, 07:44 AM

There are multiple things happening here.

1. There are three "copies" of an imported file:
A. The original file in the file system
B. The imported copy of the original (called the native file)
C. A print-captured, annotatable instance of the file (typically much smaller than the file itself).

2. It sounds like the print-capture feature isn't working for your Journal files. When a document can't be print captured, the left icon is set to be the same as the right side icon and clicking either will launch the native file. Otherwise, the left icon will be an "e" signifying an eBinder, or print-captured, annotatable view of the document. We should get your print-capturing working.

3. Edits of a native file (clicking on right side icon) will import the changes under a new name e.g. "(v2) my notes". This will print-capture this new edited version of the file.

4. The versioning is needed to preserve ink & notes in the annotated version since it is overlayed on top and is position sensitive. Imagine a document with a paragraph that is highlighted with digital ink, and then the native document is edited such that the paragraph's printed location changes on the page. If the first version's ink were copied over to the new print-captured second version then the highlighter would be off. So the work around is to version every edit and start with new ink data every time.

5. For launching applications, we have some users that keep empty files of each type of app that they use, launch the native file, edit, close, and then rename the (v2) version to be the real name they want. This acts as a program launcher and may work for you as well.

Hopefully this helps understand better what is going on and how to best use it. I agree that it could be much more intuitive.

love2lindy · 08-03-2004, 08:44 AM

Many thanks for your replies, Ian. I'm understanding things a little better even if it's not totally intuitive, like you said.

But I didn't understand #5. Can you be more precise? This sounds exactly like something I'd use as a (short-term, hopefully) fix for launching applications. Thanks in advance...

Ian.Stiles · 08-03-2004, 09:16 AM

Sure,

Import a blank journal file, word file, excel file, etc. to the Notes tab. Then when you want to launch MS Word, just click the native icon for the word file, make your edits, save, and close MS Word. Now you have a (v2) blank.doc that you can right-click and rename.

love2lindy · 08-03-2004, 11:07 AM

So when you again edit the newly named file, you again have to rename the resulting (v2) file, right? Sounds a little cumbersome.

By the way, I just tried this approach and had some unfortunate results using a native journal file. I imported and then edited/saved the journal file, renaming the resulting (v2) document. I then tried to click on the journal icon of the renamed file. The disk whirred a bit and then suddenly I had a new (v2) version of the *renamed* file (but the journal application didn't open). I clicked on it again and the same thing happened (now with version (v3) of the renamed file). This is too much overhead for me!

I think the workable fix for me right now is to create a suitably named note and insert a hyperlink in the note (otherwise the note is empty). It takes 2 clicks to get to the application but at least it seems to work consistently.

Thanks again for all the input.

Ian.Stiles · 08-04-2004, 02:34 AM

I did some research with editing journal files and found a defect in the shipping MS ink libraries, but is fixed with TabletPC Service Pack 2.

During the re-import of a changed document, GoBinder launches a hidden desktop to run the owning application and gives it a print command to the GoBinder Printer. This is done so that the foreground desktop doesn't see the flashing windows of that process.

With Journal, it cannot initialize their ink controls and so times-out with a final error window saying so. But you can't see it, it is displayed on the hidden desktop. The timeout seems to be about 60 seconds.

As you were trying to use this, GoBinder was still waiting for Journal to finish and so created a new instance since it couldn't overwrite the current.

Since this is a bug in the MS ink system and has been fixed in the service pack 2 you should update to it when possible (right now it is in beta-release candidate stage and should be generally available in late August).

Your work around sounds fine in the meantime.

Thanks,

love2lindy · 08-04-2004, 03:55 AM

You're right, Ian. When I performed the same experiment with an Excel file I did not have the wierdness happen like it did with a journal file. So I'll update to SP2 when it's out.

I still find the work-around of renaming the v2 file cumbersome when you know you'll never be looking at the ebinder version of the file. I hope that future updates will allow one to simply put hyperlinks within the file structure and treat them like files.

Thanks for your quick responses to my questions. So far I'm finding gobinder the very best of all solutions to the organization/note-taking problem. I know I'll be using it in my classroom and look forward to receiving future updates.