Last week I spent at least 10 hours researching document management systems and I am so frustrated.
Anything that looked good was several thousand $$$, for huge companies.
I’m looking for an app with extensive search capabilities to index pdfs and allow for adding keywords or tags and comments.
I definitely prefer offline (local) doc storage.
Got so desperate, I considered setting up something in Excel or Access, but it’s too complicated.
Also checked out various Windows file managers, but haven’t found anything that would work for me.
Scrivener was great for two appeals, but now I’m in extremely complex litigation and I’m overwhelmed by filings and documents, including many 15+ page medical studies, and need to be able to full-text search hundreds, but not thousands of docs.
I even searched for law software, but to get the full indexing and search capabilities it’s thousands per year. And I don’t need most of the many other features, am not a lawyer.
Am willing to pay a couple hundred, or so.
It’s not rocket science, simple document management – not a CMS. Greatly appreciate any pointers
Zotero perhaps. It’s a reference management system. It’s free. It’s available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS. (You didn’t say what platform you are using.)
You might want to take a look at some of its features.
Another WOW, very powerful search, indexing, tags …
" Note: At this time, only PDF full text content (and plain text files) can be indexed by Zotero. Other document types (e.g., .docx, .odt, .epub) cannot be indexed by Zotero."
That would not bother me at all.
I already signed up at Liquid Text for a year, but I might just get Zotero for the future.
– Just remembered, I got a Liquid Text free trial for a week. Can still cancel.
You infer you use Windows, so you can’t use (unless you get a new computer) DEVONthink which does pretty much everything you wish. In use by those you mention, esp. lawyers (which I am not). Take a look anyway.
Thanks, you’re right, Windows only, forgot to mention that.
Last week I also found several open source unix apps that looked really good, but it’s been way too long and my brain is way too full to learn that again.
Buy an Apple. Get Devonthink. It will do all you ask and save you money and sanity. Both Apple and DT have learning curves but they are not insurmountable and DT has a very helpful users forum to hel get you up to speed.
@Vincent_Vincent It’s a serious suggestion especially considering the macOS version is always first to have new features. And how long was the Windows version 3 in gestation for?
Scrivener wasn’t even remotely part of the suggestion btw.
Lets not make a fight out of this, but I doubt someone would buy a mac just so he/she could use an app he/she had never heard of.
Absolutely. I started with an Apple II (48K), then added a CP/M card, and eventually switched to Windows which I stuck with for 20-25 years because I felt Apple was too constricting. Eventually returned to Apple, did not like it until I learned enough to be comfortable AND to find stunning software like Devonthink, Bookends, and Scrivener.
It is a nuisance to change systems, but I really think that the OP will benefit from such a change. DT, Scrivener, work well together. DT is more powerful than Liquid Text and is worth the investment.
