DEVONthink stores a large number of metadata fields internally when importing documents from the file system, e.g., from PDF, RTF, MP3, EXIF/IPTC, HTML, and email messages as well as from all files that deliver metadata through the Spotlight metadata importer. Here's a partial list of theoretically supported fields:
File Metadata
General Metadata:
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Title
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Headline
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Subject
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Creator
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Producer
PDF Metadata:
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Author
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Title
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Subject
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URL
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Keywords
RTF Metadata:
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Author
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Title
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Comment
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Subject
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URL
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Keywords
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Organization
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Copyright
Media and Publication Metadata:
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Album
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Composer
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Contributors
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Publishers
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Editors
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Organizations
MultiMarkdown Metadata:
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title
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description
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author
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comment
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subject
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organization
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keywords
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publisher
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email
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copyright
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generator
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dc.title
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dc.creator
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dc.subject
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dc.description
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dc.rights
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dc.contributor
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dc.keywords
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dc.publisher
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og:title
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og:description
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geo.position
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ibcm
Custom Metadata
Another powerful feature of DEVONthink is custom metadata fields. Specified in the Preferences > Data, you can define fields that are meaningful to you, your company, your research group, or even your family!
When you create a custom metadata field, you give it a name. DEVONthink uses this name to create an identifier for use in automated processes. This identifier is created automatically and cannot be changed.
Data Types: When you define a custom field, you choose a data type for it. So what's a "data type"? It's simply a kind of a value; like "a" is a character and "42" is a (the!) number. The following data types are supported, including any interface items associated with them, e.g., checkboxes or dropdown menus:
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Boolean: This is a true or false value. Displayed as a checkbox.
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Countries: A dropdown menu providing a list of country names.
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Languages: A dropdown menu providing a list of languages.
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Integer: A whole number, e.g., with no fractional part, like 17.
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Decimal Number: A fractional number, represented with a decimal point.
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Date: Can be specified as Date & Time or Date.
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Identifier: Any alphanumeric value, specified as needed, e.g., a customer or patient number.
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Single-line Text: A dropdown providing a list of terms you defined for the field in the Data preferences. You can also type in a new value.
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Multi-line Text: Enter a small paragraph of text. Line breaks can be typed by pressing Option-Return.
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Rich Text: Same as Multi-line text but supports basic formatting, e.g., bold or italic text.
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Set: Similar to the Single-line text, this shows a dropdown with values pre-defined for the field in the Data preferences. However, new values can't be entered outside the preferences.
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URL: Accepts any valid URL, including filesystem URLs.
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Link: A special dropdown that allows you to choose an item in your databases. a link for the chosen item is used.
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Note:
The Countries and Languages lists are lengthy, but not necessarily exhaustive. For Multi-line Text and Rich Text, only one line will be displayed in its column in the item list.
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Predefined Custom Metadata: In Preferences > Data, we have provided some custom metadata fields to get you started. These are ready to use and explore and serve as great examples of the data types discussed above:
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