Drag-and-drop PDF highlights in Heptabase (better than Logseq, kind of like Marginnote)

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00:00 - First Marker
01:16 - Adding PDFs to Heptabase
01:37 - Opening PDFs in Heptabase
01:55 - How to increase PDF text size
02:20 - Drag-and-drop highlights
03:38 - "Locate highlight" button
03:46 - "Copy content" button (creates a quote block)
04:18 - Editing highlighted passages
05:01 - Synced changes to highlights
05:14 - Unsynced changes to highlights
05:20 - When to make synced changes to highlights
06:04 - When to make unsynced changes to highlights
06:33 - "More" button (the "copy" option)
07:04 - Creating or clicking on a highlight
07:26 - Selecting a highlight color
07:50 - Adding/attaching a note to a highlight
08:07 - Three options for incorporating highlights into what you're working on
08:14 - Option 1 - the "Add to whiteboard" option
08:33 - Option 2 - the "Copy highlight" button
08:47 - Option 3 - the "Copy link" button
09:01 - Option 3a - Paste as embed
09:21 - Option 3b - Paste as mention
09:45 - Option 3c - Dismiss
10:20 - "Area highlight" button (for capturing images, charts, etc.)

[@MacSide01]

This is the BEST Heptabase presentation I've seen. No stuttering, but a clear, concise presentation quality delivery. I'm a sales executive, and I approve of this video. I'm looking forward to others. I am a new user, and this was really helpful.

[@forrestrperry]

Many thanks for your kind remarks!

[@StevenMichels]

I'm loving Heptabase! The devs are great and so responsive, and they roll out new features on a crazy schedule.

[@laredt]

I love the way you explain, I'm a HeptaBase user since 3-4 months now and I'm learning new stuff from your videos :) And you keep it so real, rare talent nowadays on KZbin and social media. Thank you!

[@forrestrperry]

Aww, thanks for your kind remarks. I hope to release some more Heptabase videos soon.

[@jackhollingsworth6880]

You are one of the best teachers I have come across. Precise, accurate, no dreamy side-trips, no unnecessary words . I'm currently using Milanote but will consider Heptabase, only because you make it understandable.

[@forrestrperry]

Many thanks for your kind words. I was deep into Obsidian when people started using Milanote. I saw a few videos about it but never tried it out. I must admit that I have made videos that contain what some might call “dreamy side-trips”-but that most would more likely call bizarre. Thanks again.

[@JHProductivity]

Milanote is a good and solid app. Heptabase in contrast is excellent with a fresh approach. Another category. I have switched to Heptabase and enjoy it every day.

[@MacTomCat1]

Its a very welldone Video. Thank you very much

[@jordanwellness5657]

Have you moved all your notes from Obsidian to Heptabase ? Do you use the Zettelkasten method in Heptabase ?

[@RameshKumar-ng3nf]

Bro, new to your channel and subscribed. I loved Heptabase . One question, Does it allow highlights to drag and drop for PDFs which have handwritten content ? Or does it only work highlights for digital text content PDFS only ?

[@forrestrperry]

Hello: you can drag and drop highlights of TYPED but not handwritten text.

[@RameshKumar-ng3nf]

@@forrestrperry Thanks for sharing the info. One more question as i am new to this. If i use heptabase on monthly basis and i end subscription one day , Will all my notes still exists ? or will be deleted ?

[@peetung]

You are great at explaining things clearly! Question: is there any way to draw, write, annotate directly on the PDF itself, sort of like pen on paper?

[@forrestrperry]

Thanks for your comment! At this point, no, but I know the Heptabase team has been thinking about how to improve the PDF experience. They were thinking of integrating Zotero into their system, but apparently Zotero's API isn't all that great, so they will be exploring other options. But I'm not sure what those other options are at this point or when they might roll out updates to working with PDFs in Heptabase.

[@ricardomego7895]

Great video! I would add that quotes automatically dragged from the PDF are not searchable using the WhiteBoard's search feature (Cmd P). That might be a good reason to prefer the 'copy content' format. What do you think?

[@forrestrperry]

I was unaware of that. The developers sent out an email yesterday indicating that they will be offering more card types in the future, "including Image, Video, Audio, Journal, Highlight, and more." My guess is that the Highlight cards will be searchable.

[@louiscastillo9741]

Is there a way to bookmark your progress in a pdf in the heptabase app?

[@forrestrperry]

Not that I know of. A possible workaround might be to highlight and pull onto a whiteboard or a card the last sentence of a place in the PDF that you stopped at so that you can click on it to be brought back to that place in the PDF. If you do this on a card, you might have that card be titled “reading log,” and onto it you could pull the placeholder sentences from whatever texts you’re reading and want to return to.

[@josegoncalvesdias3242]

Is there any way to extract PDF metadata?

[@forrestrperry]

Not at this time. The Heptabase team has indicated that they might create a a Zotero integration in the future, but I don’t know when that might happen. If extracting metadata from PDFs is crucial for your workflow, consider checking out videos that show how to use Zotero with Obsidian. Danny Hatcher has some good videos on that.

[@josegoncalvesdias3242]

@@forrestrperry That is my setup now, actually. But always looking for the next best thing. I will keep this in my head, though and follow the progress. Thank you!