Link as a default, not embed

[hanstammen]

Hi all,
it would greatly speed up my workflow if I could, instead of embed being the default for attaching files, have it default to a link only. Did I overlook something, or is that just not possible (yet)?
Thanks, Hans

[timstringer]

On the Mac, you can select a project or action and choose Edit > Attach File. You’ll be presented with the option of embedding the file in the document or creating a link to the file. Linking is useful in some instances, but this link can break all too easily (e.g. if you rename or move the file).

Another option is to use Hook to link OmniFocus to documents, folders, and many other things. I find that Hook works really well and the internal links that it creates are robust. For example, the link will typically be maintained if the file/folder is renamed or even if it’s moved to a different volume.

Home

I hope this helps!

[Jan_H]

But what @hanstammen was asking for, and I also would appreciate, was simply to have link as the default instead of embed, but I assume that is not possible.

[timstringer]

I don’t think there’s a way to set the default to link (unless there’s a hidden preference that I’m not aware of). I encourage you to submit this request by choosing Contact Omni from the Help menu.

When dragging a file into the inline note field you can hold down the Control key to change from Embed to Copy. When you’re hovering over the note field, the green plus will change to an arrow as a visual indicator of what’s happening.

I hope this helps!

[hanstammen]

Thanks Tim, Hook works like a charm. The links have proven to be stable in the past, it’s probably the best way to go. @Jan_H, I sent in a feature request.

Tanks, Hans

[timstringer]

You’re very welcome, @hanstammen. Great to hear that Hook is working well!

On a side note, in addition to using Hook to link existing OmniFocus projects and actions to existing files and folders, I sometimes use the “Hook to New” feature to hook to, for example, a new MindNode or Craft document. Conversely, I sometimes use “Hook to New” to create a new OmniFocus action (which I sometimes convert to a project) that references an existing document or folder.