Pro

DEVONthink comes with a built-in server for broadcasting your databases on a network. While the operation is covered in the In & Out > Web sharing chapter, here we cover the interface shown when accessing shared databases in a browser window.

The layout of the web sharing should immediately be familiar to users of DEVONthink. While not as full featured as the native application, it behaves in ways similar to DEVONthink's main window. Here we will give you an overview of the parts of this interface.

Note: The permissions given by the administrator of the shared databases determine database visibility as well as what actions you can take. Due to this, some actions, e.g., creating new documents or downloading documents, may not be available. If you do not have permissions to modify the database you're browsing, the cursor will change to show the option is disallowed.

## Sidebar

A condensed version of the Navigate sidebar found in DEVONthink's main windows, this provides access to the contents of any shared databases. Some basic context menu items, e.g., New Group, New Feed, Rename, Move to Trash, and Empty Trash are available when Control-clicking in the sidebar. At the top is a button to show or hide the sidebar.

## Item List

The item list behaves in many ways similar to DEVONthink, showing the groups and documents in the current location. All these items can be selected and reorganized by drag-and-drop, to groups in the sidebar ones in the item list. Switch locations by navigating the groups in the sidebar or double-clicking a group in the item list. At the top, the name of the current location is shown. Clicking on it opens a popup displaying the parentage of the current group, going back to the database itself. Click any parent in the dropdown to navigate directly to it. To navigate back and forth through locations you've visited, use the and buttons in the path bar.

When dragging and dropping files into the websharing interface, drop them on top of existing documents in the group. If the group is empty, drag and drop to the group in the sidebar. Or click the button at the top of the item list and choose Upload Document. Drag and drop a file onto the dialog or click select and choose one. Make any changes you need to and upload it directly to the current group. To delete an item, select it and press the button.

Again, taking its example from DEVONthink's main window, Control-click items in the item list to show these commands in the context menu:

- New: The submenu allows you to create new items: plain text, formatted note, Markdown, Bookmark, RSS feed, and groups.
- Get Info: Shows the Inspector pane for the selected file.
- Mark: Toggle the Flagged, Unread, or Locked state of a selected file.
- Rating: Adjust the rating for a selected file.
- Label: Apply or remove a color label to a selected item.
- Upload Document: Use this to upload a new document to the database.
- Download Document: Download the currently selected file.
- Move to Trash: Move the selected item to the database's Trash.

While you can't reorder the items manually, the item list can be sorted by clicking on the column headers. Click the header again to toggle between an ascending or descending sort. Control-click the headers to enable and disable individual headers.

## View/Edit Pane

When an item is selected in the item list, a preview of any compatible file will be shown here. The DEVONthink-native formats and some non-proprietary text-based formats can be displayed. You can even edit plain text and Markdown documents. Just click in the view/edit pane and begin editing.

Editing bar: The Editing bar above the view/edit pane shows for certain types of files. If the document can be edited in web sharing, available tools will be shown. The bar also allows you to move back and forth through previously viewed files via the and buttons.

Of special note is the behavior of formatted notes, a web-based format. Tap the edit button on the right of the Editing bar to access some editing options, like adding bold or italic type. You can also select text and create a hyperlink with it. Lastly, you can choose an image to insert into the document.

For the Markdown fans, you will see the same navigation bar options, showing Edit, Preview, and Side-by-Side modes.

Note: While it is a force of habit — and in general, a good one to be in — you do not need to press `⌘︎`S after editing a file. The changes are saved automatically.

## Inspectors

Info: There are three inspectors available in web sharing. Shown by clicking the button, you will find a condensed version of the Generic and Data inspectors. If you have permissions to make changes to the current database, it is possible to change some of the metadata, like ratings or labels. You will also find a See Also inspector showing suggestions of potentially related documents. Clicking on an item in the results will display that document in the view/edit pane. The document selected in the item list is always listed at the top, so you can return to it easily.

## Toolbar

There are a handful of toolbar tools in the web sharing interface. Note a few items will be discussed separately.

- Show/Hide Sidebar: Toggles the visibility of the sidebar.
- Search: Search for files in the open databases by entering search terms. Search prefixes are supported so you can use, e.g., `kind:pdf name:manual`. When you do a search, a Search in scope dropdown will appear so you can choose to search the current location, current database, or all available databases.
- Add: The submenu allows you to create new items: Plain Text Note, Formatted Note, Markdown, Bookmark, New Feed, and Group. You can also add items via the Upload Document command.
- Action: Displayed as , this menu shows options similar to the context menu in the item list.
- Move to Trash: Put the selected item in the database's trash.
- User: Set the Appearance (Light, Dark, or Automatic), Language (English or German), or Logout.
- Show/Hide Inspectors: Toggle the Inspectors panes.