Duplicate notes

Support
1

Operating system

Windows

Joplin version

3.4.12

What issue do you have?

In looking for duplicate notes:

  • If I use a tool to find blank notes and delete them from the folder they’re in,
    Will that cause Joplin to go crazy, or will it simply remove them from the
    list
2

Which tool do you plan to use?

3

Hello,

I’m using a duplicate file finder called free Commander

4

See my response in you previous thread on the same topic. You need to

  • backup your notes to jex archive
  • extract it with a tool supporting tar archives
  • then you can use any duplicate file finder tool, such as mentioned free Commander, to delete blank notes
  • if removed notes are tagged, you should also remove appropriate notetag files
  • pack what remains into tar archive with JEX extension and import it into empty profile
5

Notes regarding .jex and .tar.

7

Hi,

Could you please explain why it is necessary to compress the data into a ZIP or compressed archive in order to delete files, then decompress it, delete the files, recompress it, and extract it back into Joplin, instead of simply deleting the files directly? Thanks!

8

I’m not really sure what files are you talking about. Notes in Joplin aren’t stored as files but as records in SQLite database.

If you mean deleting files in sync target, then that’s something which I’ve never done and is not supported by Joplin. It may work as you expect or it may lead to loss of data or Joplin crash. Feel free to try it and let us know how it went.

9

A tar archive is just the way the jex format is composed. You won’t know which files need to be deleted unless you extract them first to determine with an external tool. That is why you need to decompress and then recompress the files.

As horvat mentioned, other methods such as altering the database or altering the sync target are not recommended. This is because there is risk of data loss / corruption. Instead, modifying a jex backup file is a non destructive way to enable altering your Joplin data using an external tool

10

hi - i can't find the file you mention in my system under onedrive/apps/joplin - all i see are individual note files like 000a8fd1b9b04b2395743780ccedad85.md - these are not the sync files used by joplin? if sqllite is used - where is it located? would this be why my android joplin is unable to sync properly? Also, if joplin mobile can delete files also, then why can't i delete these sync files instead of the desktop app? these files can be easily searched for duplicates (sort by size) and that would solve the problem - thanks!

11

Please re-read this paragraph (emphasis added):

As horvat mentioned, other methods such as altering the database or altering the sync target are not recommended. This is because there is risk of data loss / corruption. Instead, modifying a jex backup file is a non destructive way to enable altering your Joplin data using an external tool

horvat’s suggestion is to make a new jex backup (file > export > jex backup) and then extract it and modify it. He is not suggesting to change any existing file

12

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