Together is a program that often confuses new Mac users. It has all the tagging, editing and search features of a note taking program, but also includes capabilities to organize pictures, movies, sound clips, web pages, bookmarks, PDF files, Word documents and other files. It can encompass virtually any type of file that needs to be organized or cataloged. These additional features make Together an ideal all in one organizer.
A variety of options ensure that Together can be customized for any organizational system. This means Together can be adapted to the way each user is accustomed to doing things, instead of the user being required to adapt to the organizing software.
Note Taking With Together
Together’s note taking features are the first thing most users will notice. While not as full featured as a dedicated word processing program, Together includes the features needed by most users for both short and long notes. Everything needed to edit rich text is available: font selection, ruler, spelling and grammar check, color selection, find and replace, highlight and internet link capabilities. Files, such as pictures, can even be embedded in a note.
Note taking can be as flexible as needed. Notes that are created in Together can be exported in rich text format and shared with others. External content can be imported and in some cases even edited within Together. For example Word documents, html files and web archives can be imported and edited using the Together interface. The document will remain in its original format and can be exported at any time.
Organizing Other Files
One of the strengths of an organization program such as Together is its ability to handle a wide variety of files. Any file that needs to be kept for future reference can be stored and organized using folders and groups. While there are other programs for some of these tasks, they aren’t always the best tools for the job. For example pictures intended for work use would be better stored in a folder or group than in iPhoto.
Even files that can't be edited in Together can be imported for organizational purposes. When it's time to edit these files, they are opened, edited, and saved using the original application. The ability to organize and quickly find files stored in a Together library is the main advantage over simply storing them in any external folder.
Using Together for Internet Research
Together has quite a few features that make it the ideal companion for Internet research. The two main tools that accomplish this are the shelf and bookmarklets. The shelf is displayed as a small tab that sits on the side of the screen and expands when clicked. Items can be imported into the Library by dragging them to the shelf, favorites can be accessed, and new notes can be created without opening the main program window.
Bookmarklets look and can be manipulated like any other bookmark from within a web browser, such as Safari or Firefox, but they provide added functionality. Clicking the appropriately labeled bookmarklet will create a new bookmark (in Together), save the current page as a web archive file or PDF in Together. Content imported this way can be found in the main Library or in the Recent Imports section.
Searching for Specific Content
There are a variety of ways to find new or imported Library content again later. In addition to the previously mentioned folder and groups, Together provides another organization tool: tags. Each item can have a variety of tags to make it easier to find later. Folders and groups can also be configured to add a specific tag to new items. If all else fails the search box at the upper left of the window also works very well.
Users that try organizational software hoping that it can help them keep track of files or notes are often disillusioned. The software might be too complicated, or require a specific organizational method. The advantage Together has is that it can be customized to each user and is relatively easy for beginners to use. These features and a low price tag make it worth considering.
Marco Villar - A technical writer and translator with years of experience in the industry. Content translated or written includes articles, manuals, help ...
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