Connecting OmniOutliner

OmniOutliner documents can be used on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro. For extra planning power and focused flexibility, changes can easily sync between devices, and be edited anywhere!

You can sync OmniOutliner documents using iCloud Drive, OmniPresence (with or without our Omni Sync Server), as well as other services with operating system support.

Once you have configured syncing, you can expand the reach of OmniOutliner by using Connected Folders and Omni Links to pull together a range of resources and options.

Connected Folders

New in OmniOutliner 6, Connected Folders support using Omni Links to connected OmniOutliner documents to each other or external files, sync Custom Templates for use in the Template Picker, and sync Omni Automation Plug-Ins between devices.

OmniOutliner creates a default Connected Folder in iCloud Drive, while allowing you to connect as many additional folders as desired.

Folders can be part of any sync provider which is supported by the operating system; note that iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS each support fewer options than macOS.

As of this writing, iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS support using iCloud Drive and Dropbox, but do not support Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Proton Drive.

This may change over time; there are two ways you can check for support, on your own device:

Try Adding a Connected Folder on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro. If the Open button can’t be selected, the service cannot be used for Connected Folders.
Open Apple’s Shortcuts app, and create a new shortcut with the built-in Select File action. Switch from Select File to Select Folder, and run the shortcut. If a service cannot be selected for this shortcut, the service also cannot be used for Connected Folders.

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive contains the default Connected Folder for OmniOutliner.

The iCloud Drive Connected Folder is automatically turned on for Omni Links. To turn on support for additional item types, select the Connected Folders menu item:

On Mac, the menu command is in the OmniOutliner Menu
On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, the menu command is in the Toolbar Menu

Once the Connected Folder window opens:

Select OmniOutliner in the Sidebar
Select Omni Links to turn on or off Omni Links for files stored in iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner
Select Templates to turn on or off access to Templates stored in iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner > Templates
Select Plug-Ins to turn on or off access to Plug-Ins stored in iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner > Plug-Ins

When you have finished updating your iCloud Drive settings, you can either close the window, or connect additional folders by selecting the plus button.

You may have noticed that the iCloud Drive Connected Folder looks for Templates and Plug-Ins in specific locations. If you need to create the necessary folders, you can select the magnifying glass next to the Location in the Connected Folders window, or:

On Mac, open Finder and choose Go > iCloud Drive from the menu bar, then click on the OmniOutliner folder.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, open Files, tap on iCloud Drive in the left sidebar, then tap on the OmniOutliner folder.

Inside the iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner folder, you should create additional folders, if they do not exist:

iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner > Templates for Templates
iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner > Plug-Ins for Omni Automation Plug-Ins

Templates or plug-ins that are stored in iCloud Drive, but outside of those two folders, will not be available in OmniOutliner.

The iCloud Drive Connected Folder is only available if you are signed in to an Apple Account on your device, and have OmniOutliner turned on in Apple Account > iCloud > Saved to iCloud.

Even if iCloud Drive isn’t available, you can still add other Connected Folders.

To learn more about iCloud Drive, see these Apple User Guide articles:

Adding a Connected Folder

In addition to the built-in iCloud Drive option, you can connect as many additional folders as desired.

If you are adding a Connected Folder which has already been configured on another device, either by you or another person, please see the Setting up Omni Links section. If you are adding a Connected Folder which has not yet been configured on any device, keeping reading this section.

To connect a new folder, select the Connected Folders menu item:

On Mac, the menu command is in the OmniOutliner Menu
On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, the menu command is in the Toolbar Menu

Once the Connected Folder window opens:

Select the Add button
On Mac, navigate inside of the folder you would like to configure, and click the Connect Folder button.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, navigate inside of the folder you would like to configure, and tap the Choose or Open button.

The new Connected Folder is automatically selected in the Sidebar, with the following default attributes:

Display Name based on the name of the folder that has been connected
Location showing where the folder is located on your device
Use For with Omni Links turned on
Omni Links Folder ID based on the name of the folder that has been connected, combined with a random number

To change the Display Name, select the folder in the Sidebar, and tap or click into the Display Name field. Please note this only updates the name displayed in this window; it does not update the name of the folder which has been connected.

To view the Location on device of your Connected Folder, either:

Select the magnifying glass next to the Location field
Select Show in Files or Show in Finder from the Settings menu

To update the Use For section:

Select Omni Links to turn on or off Omni Links for files stored anywhere in the newly connected folder
Select Templates to turn on or off access to Templates stored anywhere in the newly connected folder
Select Plug-Ins to turn on or off access to Plug-Ins stored anywhere in the newly connected folder

To update the Omni Links Folder ID, select the pencil button. Please read the warning carefully before making any changes, as updating the Omni Links Folder ID will invalidate any existing Omni Links, and require you to either manually update existing links, or create new links.

To disconnect (remove) a Connected Folder:

Select Disconnect Folder from the Settings menu

Omni Links

If you have used earlier versions of OmniOutliner, you may be familiar with the Copy as Link command, which allowed linking to specific rows in an open document. This command is still available in OmniOutliner 6, as Copy Legacy Link.

OmniOutliner 6 introduces a more powerful version of this command: Copy as Omni Link, which allows linking to specific rows in any OmniOutliner document which is stored in a Connected Folder. These links can be used on any device where you are using OmniOutliner, as long as they are configured to use the same Connected Folder.

Setting up Omni Links

Once configured, Omni Links are very easy to use, but configuration requires a touch of attention. The good news is that we make it as easy as possible!

If you are using the iCloud Drive Connected Folder for the first time, please see the iCloud Drive section.
If you are adding a Connected Folder which has never been used on any device, by you or another person, please see the Adding a Connected Folder section.
If you are adding a Connected Folder which has been used on another device, by you or another person, please keep reading.

When a Connected Folder is added to an Omni app for the first time, a unique Omni Links Folder ID is generated by combining the name of the selected folder with a random series of numbers. Once the Omni Links Folder ID has been created, the ID is independent of any changes to either the name of the connected folder on your device, or the display name in the Connected Folders window.

The Omni Links Folder ID is used as part of Omni Links created for documents inside of that Connected Folder
It is possible to change the Omni Links Folder ID, but updating it will break any existing Omni Links.
Manually adding the same folder on two different devices will result in a different Omni Links Folder ID for each copy of the synced folder.

Fortunately, there is an easy solution: clicking on a shared Omni Link from a Connected Folder will prompt you to locate the synced folder containing the linked document, which will then be added to OmniOutliner on the current device.

Templates

Plug-Ins

Requires OmniOutliner Pro

Legacy Links

The links from earlier versions of OmniOutliner are still available in OmniOutliner 6, with a new name: Legacy Links.

The Copy Legacy Link command allows you to create links between different locations within the same document. While Legacy Links are not as robust as Omni Links, they do have two Legacy Link–specific qualities:

Legacy Links can be created within any document, without the document being part of a Connected Folder.
Legacy Links will always work as long as the document is open.

To use Legacy Links:

Select one or more rows
Select the Copy Legacy Link command
Navigate to another row in the outline and paste the link to the other row

This is particularly handy when you are working in a long outline where you might need to include references to other parts of the same document.

The link that gets pasted in when you press Command+V references the location in the file of the text you copied, in the form of omnioutliner:///open?row=mLUW8Czar_j. After pasting the link into another location of the same document, you can select the link and replace it with whatever text you’d like. Another option for changing the link text is to Option + click on the link, and then edit the Display title. You can also opt whether to display the link URL. When you’ve finished editing the link, click Done.

Clicking the Legacy Link will take you to that location in the document.

OmniPresence

We created a pair of technologies to make sure you have the latest versions of your outlines with you wherever you go.

The first is OmniPresence, a free utility that you install on your Mac for synchronizing files. OmniPresence runs in the background, watching a selected folder. It makes sure the files inside are in sync with files in the cloud, and with your other devices with OmniPresence configured.

On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, OmniPresence is built into OmniOutliner. The result is that all of your devices with OmniPresence configured detect changes wherever you make them, and constantly sync up to keep your files up to date.

On Mac, you’ll need to download OmniPresence for Mac from our website and install it. The instructions in the OmniPresence Help (OmniPresence Gear Menu > OmniPresence Help) will take it from there.

As part of the setup process you’ll need to choose where to store your files in the cloud. The second component to our sync solution is just such a place: Omni Sync Server.

Using OmniPresence With Omni Sync Server

Omni Sync Server is our own custom cloud server that functions as a central hub for all your syncing needs, and it’s one option for OmniPresence to connect to when shuttling files between your Mac and iOS devices. Unlike other compatible cloud servers, since we control the server hardware and software we are able to provide better advice should you run into trouble when syncing.

With Omni Sync Server, we never ever look at your data without your permission (if our Support Humans are working with you to restore a corrupt file, for example). Beyond that, you can rest assured that your data is private and secure on Omni Sync Server. Read more about our privacy policy here.

Omni Sync Server accounts are free. If you don’t have one already, head over to our website and sign up for an Omni Sync Server account if you would like to use it as your OmniOutliner cloud sync location.

Using OmniPresence Without Omni Sync Server

We understand that sometimes you want to keep your data on your own server. This could be due to company policy, for legal reasons, or just your desire to be in charge of backing up everything that’s important to you. We get it!

If you don’t want to use Omni Sync Server, OmniPresence is capable of connecting to any WebDAV server you choose. This could be one that you run on your own server, or a third-party service that you rely on.

If you choose to run your own WebDAV server, please read our support article about Configuring a WebDAV server for OmniPresence sync.

Other Services

By default, OmniOutliner .ooutline files are flat files, which are compatible with common cloud storage services (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box).

While the .ooutline file format can be changed from the default flat file to a file package via the option in the Format and Metadata Inspector), we recommend always saving your .ooutline files as flat files if you intend to sync with a cloud service. Syncing package files via a cloud service other than OmniPresence may result in data loss.