Upgrade StorageNew built-in Zotero support on Boox devices!
I haven't seen this discussed on the forum yet, but updated Boox devices have built in Zotero support. You can add your Zotero account as a cloud service in the library tab and download papers from your Zotero account. The pdf-reader syncs your annotations back to Zotero. This lets you use the built in PDF-reader with its fast rendering of strokes and automatic recognition of underlining as pdf-highlights. So far it works on my boox note air 2 plus but not on my boox Nova air which has an older firmware.
The only problems I've come across so far:
* The sync does not always start automatically. I'm not sure what triggers it.
* Zotero recognizes highlighting and most underlining. However, drawings are treated as part of the page and can't be deleted in Zotero.
* It is difficult to find papers in the GUI so I use the Zotero app to put the pdfs in a collection and find them from the collection.
* I don't think it will work with epubs.
But it works very well. And there is much less lag with drawing than in the app.
My note air 2 plus is on the 2024-07-01 firmware.
The only problems I've come across so far:
* The sync does not always start automatically. I'm not sure what triggers it.
* Zotero recognizes highlighting and most underlining. However, drawings are treated as part of the page and can't be deleted in Zotero.
* It is difficult to find papers in the GUI so I use the Zotero app to put the pdfs in a collection and find them from the collection.
* I don't think it will work with epubs.
But it works very well. And there is much less lag with drawing than in the app.
My note air 2 plus is on the 2024-07-01 firmware.
Any other user of this built-in Zotero feature, who might share feedback?
Just connected my Zotero account on Boox - the browsing is quite neat as it inherits the structure of the (web) library, also that it's quite responsive (think of using a file browser). However, as I use my own webdav for attachments - this is not supported by the built-in service on Boox, alas. However, with the built-in service I've been able to see the bibliographic details of my entries - just not the attachment itself.
I am using a Note Air 3C, firmware 2024-09-10. The native cloud sync does in general work, with all directories, items, and metadata available but there are two problems:
1) It sometimes takes ~10 seconds to load the list of folders in my library
2) PDFs are only available if they have been added to items by hand. PDFs automatically downloaded by Zotero e.g. after automatically adding items with an identifier cannot be accessed.
The second point is bad enough to make this implementation unusable for me. Hopefully BOOX will fix the issue, but they have a bad reputation for support, so I'm not optimistic.
What would be the best workflow for me?
- As a Boox owner for a few years I have been syncing my pdfs between OneDrive and Boox via OneSync, so that I can read and annotate them mainly on Boox but sync them back to OneDrive to access them from other devices.
- What is the best way to get those annotated pdfs into Zotero? Is there a direct OneDrive option? Or can I really just get them manually into Zotero from my PC?
- Once I work with Zotero, is the better workflow to work on Boox WITHIN the Z beta app or is there a way to continue work within Neoreader and sync the pdf back to Z?
- (To make it even more complicated, is there a way to create a workflow with Obsidian and Zotero - Onedrive - Boox?) ;-)
Thank you!
The zotero integration on boox is a way to get the pdfs into neoreader but you have to download the pdfs one by one. the sync back to zotero is also not instant to say the least. I think it always happens in the end but i haven't found a way to control it manually.
The android client does not let you export the pdfs (yet?) but you can always use the web library and download /upload there. I use it to read epubs which are not supported in the app yet and I works well for reading.
@ketank2 I don't know if it helps but I have a separate collection on the top of my library with the files I want to download ("___boox"). Since there are few pdfs in this collection it is not as slow as loading the whole library. I can also add papers there on my iphone zotero and then download from the boox.
The NeoReader experience is just to much better than the Zotero Beta I tried, or even any other PDF reader. The most ideal thing would be if the Zotero app opens files in NeoReader, and converts annotations to the Zotero format.
I've even tried deleting the local file and forcing a re-download. Even when I start with a PDF with Zotero annotations, they never render on the Boox.
Any suggestions?
However, I guess the reverse (i.e. annotations by boox to appear on zotero) works because that involves editing the pdf files themselves, and zotero does read the edited files. As to the mechanism/frequency of zotero's accessing the edited files w/o using the zotero app, i'm not sure.
Do you know if this Zotero integration can be installed for older devices?
I think "old" Max Lumi should be more than sufficient to drive that, isn't it?
Does anybody have any information about?
1- I add pdf via zotero app beta on android. Works on boox but it's easier to do it on my phone.
> Creat item with doi or reference
> Upload pdf as attachments
Note : unlike zotero on computer, attachment is not renamed! So choose a wize name (More on that later)
2- I find the item pdf in zotero connector of neo reader
> Wait for item listing (search before the loading of the first list speed up the process slightly)
> Wait for item loading... (Why is it so slow?)
> Select attachment, an download pdf
> Open pdf
Note : DO NOT rename file in neo reader it breaks the link to zotero!
3- I annotate in neo reader
> Annotations are visible in zotero and neo reader handle synchronization seamlessly. That's the only value vs managing pdf by hand and reupload via zotero app.
> You can move pdf in other neo reader folder as long as you don't rename it.
When I'm on computer I annotate on zotero and export annotations to a note which is exported to obsidian so I can access it on all my devices easily for writing. As far as I searched there is only one way to export pdf with zotero and it is to save it as a separate file and send it to boox which is cumbersome.
I want to alternate easily between my devices while annotating large documents and have the annotations reliably up to date. I am getting bogged down and not sure if I am seeing a solution anymore. I have read every forum I can find multiple times.
This workflow is for a note4ac boox device.
My key hang up is that zotero (pc) does not share the annotations to boox. So if I do a bunch of work on a document in zotero, I don't see it elsewhere.
You said you share a note of annotations to obsidian - does this somehow help you work with highlights in another device? Maybe just to see a separate summary of what you highlighted (and other annotations) I guess?
Current potential workflow to go back and forth between zotero pc and boox device:
- on boox device - get file from zotero folder (integrated service), work on doc in neoreader (have tried a few others, but this one is as good as or better than)
- in zotero - import annotations to zotero (they populate automatically reliably (YAY!), but by importing they are adopted to the document when it is saved or exported I think)
- annotate in zotero - now what?
Could I save as and replace the pdf in zotero with the new document?
I get a bit jumbled here but I have set up zotmoov and syncthing and I feel like I am close.
A second option is to download each file in the browser on the boox. When I do that, the annotations are included in the pdf and show in neoreader. If you do this you'll have to upload the new file to zotero again in the web browser and you'll end up with multiple files unless you delete the old one when you upload. But your annotations will show up in Zotero and you can download annotated pdfs from the web library.
Third is using the android app/web browser for annotations. The app is still in closed beta, but the pdf-view in the browser also works quite well. Of course these two options are not as good as neoreader but they are pretty convenient. I use the web library to read epubs which is not supported yet in the app.
I have been working from the zotero folder integrated into boox, annotating in neoreader, and then I find it shares back to the zotero pc reliably (lately). There is sometimes an issue accessing the file from the zotero library in boox lately though - it will say downloading but never becomes something I can open, multiple files have done it this week.
About second option - you use the browser to download from zotero library and then you get the annotations? I will try this. This may be the same as "save as" or "export" then. At least a solution for the most recent file access if I am not near pc. Then I could share back through syncthing and delete version in zotero library maybe.
The third is annotating in the web browser - haven't tried but I will. I haven't made it into the test group on android app - not sure if that is available on the boox or just the phone when it is taking testers.
Good note on the epub format working on web library and not app based. So far just on pdfs, but your good experience with epubs leads me to try editing pdfs in the web format and see how the boox does.
Edit: using syncthing on the boox is pretty painful. I am a basic user so others may have more success. everytime I want to open a folder I have to enable "material files" in the playstore. will not be recommending syncthing for boox use at this time.
Edit2: the boox cloud app seems to upload the library all the time (by a default setting). I am having trouble getting the file back to zotero on the web library or the zotero folder (files cannot be added error message). But I can open the boox cloud library from the pc and go from there.
I'm not sure if I've been having the same issue as you but whilst searching for solutions to my issue I came across this thread (which helped me!). However, in hopes that I may be of some use I'll provide my experience. I'll first state my work flow, the issue I had, and the solution. I use a Note Air 4C.
Workflow:
I upload PDF files unto the the zotero program on my Window 11 computer. I use both my pc and the note air to annotate, make notes, etc. I go back and forth as to what device I read from.
[issue 1]: I used to encounter an issue where the files were not uploaded unto my zotero cloud, but saved only locally on my pc. I could see the metadata on my book air but not have access to the file. However. I discovered that although my settings are made to sync everything to cloud, I sometimes have to manually sync it.
[solution 1]: I resolved this by selecting the file to sync -> click on tools -> manage attachments -> Convert linked files to stored files (image attached).
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u15267465/41ffnh18oitdmrx3ti6z.png
- continuing workflow -
After this was done, I could access zotero via neoreader (native e-reader from boox) on my note air. I would download the file from the attachment tab.
After annotating on the file on my note air, I would go to my pc to work on a paper.
[issue 2]: Upon accessing the file on my pc and re-syncing (just in case), I come to find that the annotations I made on the note air were not synced.
[solution 2]: I discovered, whilst reading this thread, that I can "upload" the annotated file from my note air. This synchronizes the annotations made on the note air to zotero. As a result, I can see all the annotations made on my note air on my pc.
Conclusion:
Again, I am not sure if this is at all similar to the issues you guys were having but I'm posting it, hoping that it'd be of use.
Please let me know if anything was not clear, I'd be happy to provide more images and better explanations.
When I annotate in NeoReader as Chalumette says below, only highlights/underline syncs back to Zotero desktop, not the comment associated with my annotation. To clarify: when I say "annotate", I'm referring to annotations added using the "add annotation" button that comes up when a highlighted/underlined is touched with my finger.
Can anyone explain why the highlights/underline is showing in Zotero desktop reader, and not the actual annotation?
TIA!
3- I annotate in neo reader
> Annotations are visible in zotero and neo reader handle synchronization seamlessly. That's the only value vs managing pdf by hand and reupload via zotero app.