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Hook, a new application for making connections between files

MartinBBMartinBB
in Software & Gadgets

I just read this article by Brett Terpstra (who will be known to some of you as the developer of nvALT, and a prolific blogger on Mac stuff). From his description (I haven't used the application myself yet) Hook seems like a very interesting solution to a problem that I think a lot of us have -- how to keep track of all the material that is related to a project, or even a small task. Of course, you can already do some of this in Scrivener, for example, or perhaps using DEVONthink, but there always seem to be cases when this doesn't quite work, and using DEVONthink is not to everyone's taste (it is a big program, and perhaps expensive for the average student or struggling writer). Anyway, have a look at the article and perhaps try out the software (it is in Beta) to see if it might help you. I shall certainly try it myself.

https://lifehacker.com/connect-your-files-across-applications-with-hook-1832357024

Comments

  • nickmilo22nickmilo22

    Thanks for the share

  • mediapathicmediapathic

    I looked at this, and it seems really cool, but I have concerns about this in terms of software agnostic futures. If anyone decides to play with this, I'd love a report on whether the metadata that it creates is useable in any way outside of the application itself.

  • DeaconPatrickDeaconPatrick

    Plus one for the idea behind Hook app, https://hookproductivity.com. I'd love to be able to do this via system copy or similar or keyboard Maestro; however only Hook (so far as I've puzzled out) does not get the "[this app] does not have permission to open this file" firewall. Ideas?

    The beauty of having my whole computer become an interlinked system of notes is very enticing! This makes The Archive, NotePlan, and Ulysses seem like a seamless text app, with the correct "mode" for the job at hand, be it writing, thinking (I know, also writing), calendering, planning, etc...

    With abandon,
    Patrick

  • MartinBBMartinBB
    edited April 2021

    Hook is pretty remarkable, and is slowly getting better (not a criticism of the pace of development -- good solutions take time). It could do with the ability to create shorter links, in my view. At the moment they look monstrously long in a plain text file. And it would be nice if they also worked in iOS, though I gather that is something that is in consideration for the future.

    One relatively recent development is "deep linking", which means that with some programs you can link to an item inside a file, not merely to the file itself. So with a pdf it is possible to link to a location within the file (though only with certain programs). It is nice to be able to go straight to the right page. Hook also works with Alfred, which opens up further possibilities: https://hookproductivity.com/blog/2020/05/browse-all-your-hook-bookmarks-with-alfred-its-a-great-launcher-app-for-your-mac/.

    All in all, Hook offers some unique possibilities, and I think it will continue to get better.

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