translate rule to txt or other easy format?

Hi,

While learning the tricks of the trade, I find it is fairly difficult to keep track of what I'm doing with the rules.
At first I started out with screenshots, but these often don't show what is beneath a disclosure triangle.
Then I tried to export a rule hoping it would somehow be 'human readable', but it doesn't seem to be so.

I wonder how other users are coping with this?
Is there some way to export a rule or convert the exported rule to some form of human readable txt file?
This would also be super easy to use for posting on the forum.

Thanks for your idea's!

No real way to do that. How many rules do you have? Have you looked into consolidating them? I find many times people haven't discovered the pattern matching feature, thus creating a bunch of repetitive rules.

Thanks for replying!

Maybe there is a way..
I first tried this:

Code: Select all: base folder = OCR_Yes ->if tagged "notitie" > copy to backup and move to ToDevonthink folder |_if |_all |_kind > is > PDF |_Tags > contain > notitie |_Do |_Copy > to folder > ToDevonthink |_Move > to folder > notities — scans_BU

But it is pretty tedious to write this down.
However, I notice in the log file that you pretty much find the rule, albeit maybe spread over a couple of lines.
To me it would be sufficient if I could just copy those couple of lines to a single file..
In fact it's all there.

=> Maybe there is a possibility to enable / disable per rule logging?
This would ease debugging rules.
+ It would allow to take a copy / keep a copy of the text based rule actions.

Code: Select all: I find many times people haven't discovered the pattern matching feature, thus creating a bunch of repetitive rules.

Could you elaborate a bit on this?
I think I'm also caught in this trap, I've caught myself creating multiple say 'quasi' identical rules but in different places.. Later you don't remember and it's leading a life of its own - or at least so you think..

Maybe and probably I'm not the best at 'logic' but that's why I'm searching for a way to keep an inventory of what I'm doing.
Things surely become tricky if you operate multiple machines..

Erwin

Search the help for "match patterns". That may help in consolidating rules.

Also, keep in mind you can attach notes to rules which may help you differentiate them. When you hover over the rule in the list, it will show the notes.