Category Archives: Files

Papers 3 library searchable by Spotlight

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Aleh Cherp

Since my first post about Papers 3, a reference and pdf-file management software, it has significantly matured to become one of if not the best in the field. The most recent addition (version 3.2.6) has been to make a Papers 3 library indexable … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliographies, Files | Tagged , | 40 Comments

FoxTrot Professional Search

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Aleh Cherp

I had been trying FoxTrot Professional Search for several months before eventually deciding to buy the professional version. My initial motivation was to find a tool that could search inside Papers3 library, but I have discovered that the appeal of FoxTrot is … Continue reading →

Posted in Files, Tags and folders | Tagged , | 22 Comments

What software do I really need for academic work on Mac?

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Aleh Cherp

A reader has just challenged me to re-think the software I use for academic work on Mac. Well, there are over 250 items in my Applications folder, but how many do I need to remain productive? So imagine that I have a completely new Mac with no … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Bibliographies, Email, Files, Graphics, Notes, Presentations, Projects, Tasks, Workflows, Writing | Tagged , , | 97 Comments

Hazel, Mavericks tags and reference files workflow

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Aleh Cherp

My workflow for storing reference files includes three elements: 1. Tagging (most often by DefaultFolderX) reference files while saving them to the Downloads folder; and 2. [for scientific articles and other citable pdf documents ] renaming and automatic archiving by Papers2 (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Files, Tags and folders, Workflows | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

OS X Mavericks and OpenMeta tags

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Aleh Cherp

I have been checking Mavericks ability to handle OpenMeta tags which are essential for organizing academic reference files. I really hoped that the tags integrated in OS X would be compatible with my existing tagging system. At the moment I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Files, Tags and folders | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Sending files which are too large for e-mail

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Aleh Cherp

I have recently asked a colleague to share one of her publications with me. I did not hear from her, but after a week or so, while cleaning my @SaneLater box, I discovered an email sent by her from an unfamiliar address and … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, Email, Files | Tagged | 1 Comment

Mountain Lion’s mini-revolution: renaming and moving without closing files

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Aleh Cherp

A nightmare had followed me for decades on both PCs and Mac. I am working on a file and decide that it should be called differently or be placed in a different folder. So I switch to Finder/Explorer, look for … Continue reading →

Posted in Files | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Guest post by Ez: Annotating PDFs in Papers, Sente, Skim and other apps

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Aleh Cherp

Ez responded to the post on annotating pdf in Papers with a comment so useful I reworked it, with Ez’ kind permission, in a separate post. It was prompted by John asking about a “simple workflow”: ‘… [to create] referenced notes … Continue reading →

Posted in Annotation, Bibliographies, Files, Writing | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Removing duplicate reference files with Gemini

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Aleh Cherp

The best way to find a reference files management system which works for you is trial and error. However, all this trying and erring might leave a messy trail of duplicate files. You end up with more duplicates after sharing your … Continue reading →

Posted in Files | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Annotating pdf documents in Papers

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Aleh Cherp

Until recently, when asked whether Papers provide good annotation tools I would say “not really… but they have other advantages …”. There is no longer need for such an excuse. Papers’ support for document annotation is as good as in their competitor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Annotation, Bibliographies, Files | Tagged | 22 Comments