Yojimbo 1.2: Smarter integration
Barebones has released another update to Yojimbo, its information management app.
The new features focus on better integration, making it easier to get information in and out and to link items into other apps.
One-click bookmarking or archiving
Yojimbo 1.2 contains bookmarklets for Safari, Camino, Firebox and OmniWeb. When placed in a bookmark toolbar, they offer one-click bookmarking or archiving of URLs.
This is nifty, although keyboard shortcut fans may still prefer to use Fraser Speir’s applescript 
for archiving, which can be launched with a single keystroke through FastScripts or some similar app (although see Jade’s remarks in the comments).
Linking items
A new “Copy Item Link” option in the Edit menu allows you to insert an application-specific URL into Yojimbo notes or another app altogether.
For example, using this new feature you can paste a link to a particular Yojimbo item into an iCal reminder or event:
Clicking on the URL in the information pane, jumps you straight to the linked item in Yojimbo.
Smarter Importing and Exporting
Yojimbo now exports bookmarks and URL clipping files rather then text files and includes comment data with exported plain text items like serial numbers and passwords.
In addition, copying or dragging items places additional formatting information on the pasteboard that can be used by applications that support it.
Importing .webloc clippings now uses the .webloc’s filename as the item name rather than the URL.
Other features
New users are now treated to a QuickTime movie when they first launch the app (old users can see it too by accessing the “Quick Start Movie” option in the Help menu. A “Getting started” document also outlines some of the basic features.
Search terms are now highlighted in matching notes, PDFs and web archives.
It also fixes a number of bugs in earlier versions. You can read a detailed changelog of additions, fixes and changes on the Bare Bones site.
No sign of the feature I most hope for, the ability to email an item easily. This seems odd to me, as I can’t be the only person who uses email as my main way to share information.
Yojimbo is shareware (USD 39 for an individual user, USD 29 for students and faculty, USD 69 for a family pack, up to five users) and is available from Bare Bones .
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June 8th, 2006 at 11:37 am
As you are surely an Apple Mail user :-), simply drag the Yojimbo item(s) out of the item list and onto Apple Mail’s dock icon, and a new message will be started with the items attached.
June 8th, 2006 at 11:43 am
Sure. That’s a pain (why should I have to drag? Why not a keystroke that does it for me?) but works for PDFs and Notes.
But look at what happens with other items:
- If I drag a web archive out of Yojimbo, I get a web archive in Mail. What I want is the web page itself.
- If I drag a boomark, I get the title of the bookmark (I’m a plain texter). What I am hoping for is the URL.
It’s not a major loss or a productivity catastrophe, but it still ought to be easier and smarter than that.
June 8th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
“This is nifty, although keyboard shortcut fans may still prefer to use Fraser Speir’s applescript for archiving, which can be launched with a single keystroke through FastScripts or some similar app.”
In Safari the bookmarks in the toolbar can be launched by command-1 thru 9 (in the order in which they appear). I dragged the bookmarklet at the start of my toolbar and can hit command-1 anytime I need to archive.
June 8th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Thanks, Jade. I didn’t know that about the toolbar in Safari. Excellent.
June 8th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
I also find the services menu for Yojimbo great to copy in highlighted text/webpages etc. Now to set up a Quicksilver shortcut key.
June 9th, 2006 at 3:35 am
It’s not a single keystroke, but you can also hit Print then PDF then Send with Mail in the PDF menu… works fine. Probably some way to automate that…