Automation. No matter how efficient we are, there is always some process that could be done more quickly, and sometimes more accurately. This may be as simple as renaming a file, or as complex as filing, emailing, and archiving. While not everything can be automated, and careful thought should go into your automation plans, DEVONthink offers a level of automation capabilities rarely rivaled in other Mac applications.

AppleScript: Most of DEVONthink is built on a solid foundation of AppleScript. Not only used in the scripts you can install from DEVONthink > Install Add-Ons, they are also at the core of several pre-installed templates. Additionally, in conjunction with other AppleScript-enabled applications, the potential for automation on your Mac is extraordinary. This mature but easy to learn technology is the one we will focus on. Read more...

Smart Rules: DEVONthink also offers a technology for those with little to no programming experience: smart rules. Smart rules are conceptually similar to smart groups but allow you to choose pre-defined actions to take on matched items. This makes them accessible to all users, while still providing AppleScript execution in the smart rules. They also allow automation based on events. Read more...

Item Links: While not an automation technology in itself, item links are item-specific identifiers in DEVONthink that can be used in automation. Providing a way to refer to files by a unique and unchanging value, they can help avoid automation problems when items are moved or renamed in your databases. Read more...

JavaScript: In addition to AppleScript, JavaScript for Automation (JXA) is supported. However, it is bridged by the operating system from AppleScript, not specifically coded for. We advocate AppleScript for its ease of use by new and less-experienced programmers.

On a side note, our AppleScript dictionary has a do JavaScript command you can use to interact with web content viewed in a DEVONthink window. With a bit of creativity, some pretty amazing things can be done!

AppleScript Objective-C: This is supported, for those who are inclined that direction.

Terminal: For those who are into other technologies, like Python, bash, Ruby, etc., the question arises: Is there a command line interface (CLI) for DEVONthink? The answer is no. However, you can still use a do shell script command in AppleScript when needed. Actually, the combination of the shell and AppleScript creates even more opportunities, as their individual strengths compensate for the other's weaknesses.