Working with The Archive and Tinderbox

brunoc

I work with The Archive on a daily basis. From time to time, I use Tinderbox (especially the Map View) to analyse my repository, organise it, identify new connections.

I have one Tinderbox file where I capture the notes (read-only) and use Agents to separate projects using the hashtags on the notes (having one Map View per project).

My actual file has got very complex, with lots of small tweaks, after 2-3 years working on it. But I just did a simplified version with the fundamentals and posted it on the Tinderbox Forum, for those who might be interested.

ctietze

That's an interesting combination, thanks for sharing!

GeoEng51

@brunoc said:
I work with The Archive on a daily basis. From time to time, I use Tinderbox (especially the Map View) to analyse my repository, organise it, identify new connections.

I have one Tinderbox file where I capture the notes (read-only) and use Agents to separate projects using the hashtags on the notes (having one Map View per project).

Can you share a little bit about how Tinderbox works? I tried downloading a trial version and I see I can drag and drop some Zettelkasten files (cards) onto a Map view, see them there, select them and view the text in the outline, but I'm not sure how you see your connections. Hopefully, you don't have to do that manually for every card?

The sofware seems quite capable but also seems to have a fairly steep learning curve. Any suggestions for that?

brunoc

@GeoEng51 said:

@brunoc said:
I work with The Archive on a daily basis. From time to time, I use Tinderbox (especially the Map View) to analyse my repository, organise it, identify new connections.

I have one Tinderbox file where I capture the notes (read-only) and use Agents to separate projects using the hashtags on the notes (having one Map View per project).

Can you share a little bit about how Tinderbox works? I tried downloading a trial version and I see I can drag and drop some Zettelkasten files (cards) onto a Map view, see them there, select them and view the text in the outline, but I'm not sure how you see your connections. Hopefully, you don't have to do that manually for every card?

The sofware seems quite capable but also seems to have a fairly steep learning curve. Any suggestions for that?

Tinderbox has a feature called “Watched Folder”. It can monitor a folder and automatically populate a container configured with the appropriate attribute. (it can also monitor a DEVONthink group).

On top of that, I’ve created a set of Agents and Stamps that do the job of getting attributes and hashtags from the $Text contents, linking then based on [[nnnn]] links etc. For the linking the idea is to use Map View and select some or all notes and use the Stamp for link extraction.

I would suggest that you download my .tbx file and try to examine it. Otherwise, yes, it takes time and effort to really tune Tinderbox to your needs. The ebook The Tinderbox Way is the best reference to start from.

GeoEng51

@brunoc Thank you!

mrcmrc

I must admit that my experience of using Tinderbox was one of the most disheartening of my entire life (and I believe to have got my hands on a considerable number of software, among the most diverse).
Speaking of Tinderbox I often hear of "steep learning curve", but it's hard to get it right. No other software I have used has required not only a considerable effort in its learning but also the need to have an elastic mind. And above all very clear ideas about what you want to get from the software and what this software can offer. The only suggestion for those who want to understand Tinderbox is to download the free demo and get ready to immerse themselves in dozens of messages on the forum dedicated to him.

I am convinced that the software is very special, and that it certainly offers unique and interesting features. Only, and I feel very unfortunate, I belong to that category of people who, although interested in learning new subjects, and the use of new tools, with this software I realized that I have met my limits. And although the TB forum community is generous in helping beginners, the program's usage features have blocked my desire to learn how to use it several times.

It is certainly my problem: there is a multitude of people, both scholars and technicians from various backgrounds, who have been using it successfully for years. But every time my thoughts go to Tinderbox I feel a bad taste in my mouth.

jamesrregan

@mrcmrc said:
I must admit that my experience of using Tinderbox was one of the most disheartening of my entire life (and I believe to have got my hands on a considerable number of software, among the most diverse).

You are not alone. I have used the software for several projects, and it can be a real time saver. However, the application can also take you in the other direction where you spend hours with it only to discover that you have accomplished very little.

jemscott

@brunoc

Thanks so much for this. I'm just getting started with Tinderbox and am keen to integrate it with The Archive - while not using the former to replace the latter! Can you recommend any good 'how to' guides to get started with this? I'm very new to Tinderbox, but have been using The Archive since its inception.

jregan

You might try viewing YouTube videos posted by Beck Tench on how she uses Tinderbox. Beck posted a several part series on topics that included note taking.

Amontillado

There are monthly Tinderbox meetups you can either join live or view later on YouTube. Details can be found in Tinderbox's user forum.

Tinderbox has several categories of automation. Agents and edicts, for example. My best understanding of Tinderbox came when I got a feel for its scripting language as a common element between automation features.

jemscott

Thanks, @jregan and @Amontillado - much appreciated.