Add selected tags automatically as tags to a new item

infekt

By selecting a set of tags in the selector box you generate a choice of items tagged by this set. That is marvellous! Why not using this set of tags also for tagging new items?

When doing research on a subject, I often put the same set of tag over and over to several new items. That needs time.

Would it not be easier, giving the possibility to append the tags that are actually selected in the selector box automatically as tags to a new item? By clicking "deselect all" you can prevent this.

What do you think about this suggestion?

erazlogo

yes that would be great and also this:

Suppose I have a saved search on a bunch of tags (i.e. tag=ch1 and tag=south america). If I select this saved search when adding items from online databases, it would be great if Zotero could automatically add these tags to the newly added item, so the item would automatically appear in the collection.

dstillman

Would it not be easier, giving the possibility to append the tags that are actually selected in the selector box automatically as tags to a new item? By clicking "deselect all" you can prevent this.

That's an interesting idea. I'd be a little concerned that people would add tags to items inadvertently, though. What do others think?

Elena, I think you mentioned that idea to me before, and I believe I said (though this conversation might've only happened in my head) that it wouldn't really work since a saved search might have all sorts of conditions along with the tags that might not match the saved item. Zotero could add the tags if the saved search had only had tag conditions, but that seems like a bit too much hidden logic.

erazlogo

That's an interesting idea. I'd be a little concerned that people would add tags to items inadvertently, though. What do others think?

Can we have a preference for that that people could uncheck if the inadvertent behavior became too annoying?

Elena, I think you mentioned that idea to me before, and I believe I said (though this conversation might've only happened in my head) that it wouldn't really work since a saved search might have all sorts of conditions along with the tags that might not match the saved item. Zotero could add the tags if the saved search had only had tag conditions, but that seems like a bit too much hidden logic.

Ah, I haven't thought of that (that conversation did indeed happen in your head :)). But the other suggestion would take care of that since if I had a saved search based only on tags I could just select those tags while in the search collection and start adding sources. I just want to avoid having to move between saved search and "my library" to tag new items.

CB

I'd be a little concerned that people would add tags to items inadvertently, though. What do others think?

I'd be uncomfortable with this happening silently, without some kind of UI feedback. I don't think a general preference is good enough for this.

A couple of (probably ugly and ad hoc) Ideas for UI feedback:
- a dialogue on adding a new item, warning that multiple tags are to be applied, with a list of the tags alongside pre-ticked checkboxes
- an option in the tag selector, present when tags are selected, offering something like 'apply selected tags to new items' (like a preference, but at least immediately visible

erazlogo

a dialogue on adding a new item, warning that multiple tags are to be applied, with a list of the tags alongside pre-ticked checkboxes

That would be pretty annoying if you're trying to add several items one after another.

an option in the tag selector, present when tags are selected, offering something like 'apply selected tags to new items' (like a preference, but at least immediately visible

This could work I think--there is some room next to the "display all tags" checkbox for this.

infekt

That would be pretty annoying if you're trying to add several items one after another.

As mentioned, one click on "deselect all" would prevent adding unwanted tags.

an option in the tag selector, present when tags are selected, offering something like 'apply selected tags to new items' (like a preference, but at least immediately visible

This would be just wonderful! Would niftily assign all freedom to the user.

infekt

As proposed by erazlogo, the same could be very helpful too for "saved searches".

erazlogo

Ticket created.

infekt

Just realised, that even in the new version 1.5 there is no option for taking over the selected tags, neither in the tagging mode nor in the saved searches. It's a pity because it will not favor the use of tags over the use of folders. It's just too time consuming when doing a search on a certain topic to tag several items with the same group of tags again and again. So the solution by now is still: no tagging, single tag or use of a folder! It would be miraculous, if you could implement this feature. In particular you stated that this would be an easy one. I am convinced that users will discover the advantages of tagging and saved searches using tags over the use of folders. Many thanks for this excellent application.