Workflow and files to automatically create new tiddlers in response to new files: A reference management example

[Diego Mesa]

Hey everyone, 

Just wanted to share a useful directory watching workflow I've come up with. I am working on a mac and running TW on node. I read a lot of papers, and have taken to using TW to keep track of them - a homegrown reference manager. My workflow is the following: 

• Find a bunch of papers I want to add to my library and downloaded them into a "Papers" directory (I keep this somewhere in my dropbox).
• I've setup a "Folder Action" on my "Papers" folder, which runs the watchFolder.scpt applescript file every time this folder has new items added. 
• That applescript will go through each PDF, and call a newPaperTid bash file, responsible for creating a new .tid file
  
• Those tid files are created in the appropriate tiddlers/ directory (which is also on my dropbox)
• Restart node and voila!

This has been working very well for me and I wanted to share in case others might find it useful. Both files can be found on github:

https://gist.github.com/diego898/e117cc4aec51511f39d5611a0a65f946

Note: These files/workflow can easily be changed to accommodate anything where you want to respond to some action somewhere by creating a new tiddler. 

If anyone has any suggestions/improvements/questions I'd be happy to discuss. 

Best,

Diego

[Diego Mesa]

I also have some customizations on my TW itself to handle papers that I can share if someone is interested.

[Jed Carty]

I like this idea. I think that it wouldn't be hard to add to the multiuser plugin in a way that doesn't require external scripts and wouldn't require a server restart. I may look into that over the weekend.

[Diego Mesa]

awesome Jed!

[TonyM]

Jed

I will be happy to write the windows batch to monitor a folder and create the tid file if given the requirements. I have written a few baches I call sentenials, that react to a file arriving. However it would be better inside node if possible.

Keep in mind if this solution can work outside node it would be even better but unlikely.

Regards
Tony

[Diego Mesa]

Hey Jed,

Just checking up on this? Curious if you were able to incorporate it!

On Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 4:14:23 PM UTC-5, Jed Carty wrote:

[Jed Carty]

I haven't had a chance to make this. I added a feature request to the repo for Bob but I don't know how long it will be until it is worked out.

As it is, if you can make your script create the .tid files in the tiddlers folder of a wiki using Bob than they should appear in the wiki without any restart. It isn't as clean and elegant as I would like but it may work as an interim solution.

[Rahul Kashyap]

Hello everyone, 

@Diego: I wasn't aware of your script but, came up with another using python -- https://github.com/rahulkashyap411/tw_scripts.git 

It also contains a link to the tiddler and a hidden note section where you can store your notes about a paper. This is helpful to transclude them elsewhere so that you can go to your reference without opening another tiddler. 

My workflow is following: 

• scans the directory _all_papers_Refs/<year> under each year and checks if this tiddler has already been created and exists in the directory old_all_papers_Refs_tiddlers.
• If such tiddler doesn't exist already, script creates new tiddlers in new_all_papers_Refs_tiddlers old_all_papers_Refs_tiddlers
• Then you can manually drag the tiddler to your TW and then put them in old_all_papers_Refs_tiddlers. 

NOTE: it does not check if the tiddler has been already exported in the TW. So, after importing the tiddlers, copy them into old directory for next time succesful update. Otherwise you'll be importing them again which will remove any changes/tagging that you've done to last imported tiddler since then. 

Best,

-Rahul Kashyap