Even without getting into the pros and cons of specific software packages, though, I think there’s something to be said for differentiating between “tools for creation” and “tools for reference.” In the course of a project – by which in this context I mean a specific deliverable for a client – I might create a lot of ephemeral material that I simply don’t want or need to see again. I might need the final result, but I’m unlikely to need “Note to self: add more detail in middle of page 5.” Multiply that second category across years or decades and the signal to noise ratio of the archive starts to go way down.
That really goes right back to what I was talking about though, about how Scrivener isn’t aware of any projects on your disk until you open them, and even if it somehow were (that is a complicated problem when you have full file system control over them!) it has no way of searching a closed project, and the only way it could conceivably do so would be quite a bit slower than I think you’d find useful.
I’ve been thinking more about this point. Why couldn’t Scrivener just have a simple add-on app: call it, say, Scrivener Global Search. You’d point it to various folders, and click index, and it would index any (open or closed) projects in those folders. You could re-index/update with a click of a button, and you could obviously just change the folders if you changed your folder structure. You could have multiple indexes.
Then you’d pick your index(es) to search and use full Scrivener search functionality. And it would display results in expected Scrivener note form.
This itself would be a boon. I know I’ve had instances where I couldn’t find in which project I put what, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
And it doesn’t seem like this would change the way that Scrivener is otherwise used for anyone who likes it just the way it is.
I’m afraid you’re wrong. Most people here don’t use Scrivener as a PKM. They just organize their writing projects. One project per book. And they know what they can find in which project.
However, as far as I know, pretty much anything you want will work if you only use one project. Or if that project gets really big, two. So in the worst case you would only have to search in two projects.
Most full-disk search tools will search Scrivener projects. The good ones have a lot of options to limit the folder(s) being searched. And of course those tools will search materials outside of Scrivener projects as well.
On the Mac, I use both Houdah Spot and its lightweight cousin Tembo. I also use DevonThink for many PKM-like functions, though, and DT has its own internal search tools.
I’m not sure what the alternatives are on the PC, but of course you could start with Windows Explorer.
Hrmm… so for example, is there a tool that would make it simple to say: “search all scrivener projects – but exclude all the backups – in the following folder and its subfolders” for whatever term? Does HoudahSpot or Devonthink do that sort of thing?
If the backups are ZIP files – which we recommend – then a search for .scriv files won’t find them. Narrowing a search to a specific folder is trivial for any modern search tool.
If the backups are ZIP files – which we recommend – then a search for .scriv files won’t find them.
Ok, but suppose they’re not zip files. Is there an easy solution with HoudahSpot or anything else, and one that will also show some context around search results so you know what you’re looking at?