I do have to respectfully disagree with the idea of a *correct*
folder.
I’m not saying it doesn’t exist or can’t be part of a larger
organizational system. I just think this method can easily (and often
does) break down when a second user is introduced to the system.
Within the context of Yojimbo this argument has no meaning. Yojimbo
isn't a shared program so we are free to put things - or tag them -
however we choose - unless you are suggesting that two people are
sharing a single account. And that is a recipe for all kinds of
disasters.
But let me go further. I really fail to see how tags are any better in
the context of your argument. Whether I am tagging or filing in
folders, if someone new is added to the mix they have to learn the
system. Both Yojimbo and the Finder fail miserably when it comes to
tags in this respect - neither provide a convenient way to see a
master list of tags AND the files associated with them. (At least
Yojimbo gives me a master list in Preferences but then I have to close
Preferences and search on a couple tags.) When I open a folder I can
see a group of files that are (at least in my case) named
descriptively and color coded. But since the Finder and Yojimbo don't
make it easy to both browse tags AND the files associated with them, I
don't think tags are superior to folders. Give Yojimbo an interface
similar to Leap which DOES provide a list of tags and immediate
feedback on the files with that tag and your argument takes on greater
force. But not now.
As far as I can see, Tags have two major advantages over folders (1) I
can give one file a multitude of tags whereas I can (conveniently)put
a file in only one folder and (2) a tagged file is virtually
hierarchical whereas a file inside a nested folder is physically
hierarchical. The advantage is that I can quickly and easily change
the tagged files hierarchy by changing my search criteria but a file
in nested folders has to be physically moved.
These advantages are nothing to be sneezed at but I'd also argue that
one of the reasons that folders and nested folders have worked for so
long isn't just a matter of habit but also because human beings are
spacial thinkers. Folders provide a spacial context - tags don't.
Thankfully Yojimbo provides an easy means to export data. My solution
at present is quite workable, though I wish I didn't have this added
step. I collect and tag in Yojimbo. When I'm ready to start arranging
my collection - because I am a spacial thinker - I export the data by
tagged collections and import it into DevonThink Pro. And here's an
irony for you - having imported the data into DTP - I don't use nested
folders - I simply import the data into folders just as they were
exported by tags. Since DevonThink Professional lets me have multiple
databases, I can use un-nested folders. The biggest reason I find a
need for nested folders in Yojimbo is because everything is all
jumbled together in one huge library.
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