Patterns, pics, pdfs, oh my!!!!!!

[DBenner]

I have been trying to consolidate the vast number of Word documents, PDF files, pictures, etc. of flies that I have found on the Internet from the 3 computers that I have and use regularly. I have a relatively large collection that I have horded over the past 5-6 years but am having trouble figuring out a way to store, sort, manage that mess. I assume I am not alone in the gathering of patterns, tips, tricks, etc. so I am wondering how you manage all of yours? I like the PDFs since they are small, and easy to manage, but, they are a bit of a pain to get them created from the mass of content I have horded over the years. Good thing it is all electronic since if it was paper I would have the house filled with stacks of paper.

(just another part of the flytying habit I guess)

Thanks,

Dwight

[Buddy Sanders]

Dwight,

Rather than build files, I build DIRECTORIES so that I can go where the fly, pattern, or tip is located on the web.

I'd not want to dedicate the memory to all that storage, plus when would you have the time to go back and look at it all? Computers are short lived things, anyway. 'Transferring' all that stuff from an old one to the new box every few years would be a major undertaking, especially if you replaced the old one because it had a problem.

If I need a 'hard copy' I'll print it out for use at the bench or wherever, but I always throw it away after use, since I don't want to buy another storage shed for the back yard...

Up to you, of course. I just see no need to keep it all on 'my' computer when I can get to it on someone else's data base.

Buddy

[Fatman]

Since you like the pdf style cause they're small, if you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat you can open say a word file, jpg ect. in the Acrobat program and then save it as a pdf file. This option doesn't work with just the reader.

Photo's you could do the above or get a free photobucket account and make an album.

Converting all those files and saving them WILL take space, myself I'd get an external storage device and store them there, if you really want that many.

Fatman

[Normand]

1. i have a 1 terabyte external hard drive dedicated to fly fishing/tying

2. using microsoft word 2007, you can "save as" a word document as a pdf

3. i copy the foto and recipe and paste it into a word document. my preference, yours may vary.

4. articles i find on the web that i find to be interesting and want to keep, i will write them as a pdf

5. i will scan only the magazine articles that interest me as a pdf

6. dont let anybody discourage you from doing what you want to do

[kelkay]

I use TreeDBNotes. I downloaded Fly Source too, and it is free.

[popperfly]

Once you get organized put everything on a external hard drive the only way to GO!!! then dump all that stuff from your computer. You will see a increase of speed on your computer once you dump large files, pictures, Etc......you are just slowing your computer down housing all that material.

[Moscow]

Hi Dwight,

I've just started using Mendeley for doing the very same thing. It's a free reference manager that lets me organize my files (pdfs) and search within them. Normally, when I find a fly I like I'll set up a Word document with a picture, recipe, tying instructions etc and then print it to a pdf using CutePDF Writer (also free). Up to now, I just had them in a directory called /flytying. Mendeley lets me add the pdf or file with fields for authors, links, tags and key words etc. It has a search feature that looks inside the pdf and depending on my tags and key words I can filter my files to display only certain ones. For instances, I normally add a tag for the type of fly (ie dry, emerger, nymph etc) and then can display only those using the filter. The files stay on your computer but you can sync across computers or upload them to the server in the 500MB free space and share with others.

It's not a database manager but it sure is nice way to organize all my fly tying recipes!

<disclaimer> I have no connection with Mendeley other than using the free version. </disclaimer>

Moscow

[Bass_Bug]

Once you get organized put everything on a external hard drive the only way to GO!!! then dump all that stuff from your computer. You will see a increase of speed on your computer once you dump large files, pictures, Etc......you are just slowing your computer down housing all that material.

Sorry popper but I beg to differ. A 500 GB drive with only 10 GB used is no faster than a 500 GB drive with 400GB used. Now if you are at 99% capacity that's a differnt story, specially if you have Vitrual Memory set to use more drive space than you have available.