Upgrade StorageHelp request: How to best retrieve PDF metadata for pdfs already in parents?
Hi, I am migrating my library from papers2 (finally!) and I end up with a number of articles where the parent metadata is incomplete because it was not complete in papers. Now in Zotero, I would like to update the parent with fresh metadata since the lookup is so good.
So, *I would like to retrieve pdf metadata for pdfs already in parents*. While I can understand that is not be the usual workflow, it is what I I need in this case. Is there any way for me to accomplish that? I'm OK with completely replacing the existing metadata.
The docs say: "If you're not happy with the metadata saved for the PDF, you can right-click on the new parent item and choose Undo Retrieve Metadata to leave the PDF as a standalone attachment for further manual processing." (https://www.zotero.org/support/retrieve_pdf_metadata).
However there is no such menu item when right clicking on any parent or group of parents. Those docs must be old. Where has that option gone, and is there any way to get it back?
In the end, what I've come up with is an overly time-consuming workflow: drag the pdf out of each parent item one-by-one, until I have a group of 10 or so bare pdfs that I can select, right click on and choose to retrieve PDF metadata thus creating new parents en-masse.
Hoping I am missing something obvious and that you can help!
Best,
John
So, *I would like to retrieve pdf metadata for pdfs already in parents*. While I can understand that is not be the usual workflow, it is what I I need in this case. Is there any way for me to accomplish that? I'm OK with completely replacing the existing metadata.
The docs say: "If you're not happy with the metadata saved for the PDF, you can right-click on the new parent item and choose Undo Retrieve Metadata to leave the PDF as a standalone attachment for further manual processing." (https://www.zotero.org/support/retrieve_pdf_metadata).
However there is no such menu item when right clicking on any parent or group of parents. Those docs must be old. Where has that option gone, and is there any way to get it back?
In the end, what I've come up with is an overly time-consuming workflow: drag the pdf out of each parent item one-by-one, until I have a group of 10 or so bare pdfs that I can select, right click on and choose to retrieve PDF metadata thus creating new parents en-masse.
Hoping I am missing something obvious and that you can help!
Best,
John
Or look for other plugins https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/93777/update-metadata-in-bulk
It would be helpful if you could weigh in on what is currently available and planned (or not) for metadata updating of a parent based on an enclosed PDF, as well as bulk editing/merging of metadata. Thanks!
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/93777/update-metadata-in-bulk
dstillman January 6, 2022
Note that we have a mostly completed PR for metadata updating and are actively working on it, so I wouldn’t recommend spending time on this until that launches.