what is the encoding method of the attachment path in zotero sqlite database?

wlx
Hi,
I want to write a front-end of zotero with gtk+ interface, which will use the zotero database to display the personal documents, and get a problem now: if the attachment path's encoding is English(ascii), it is no problem; but if the encoding is Chinese (UTF-8), it is could not parse the path in sqlite3 client, just echo some strange characters. The attachment is a soft link of pdf file, and in the itemAttachments table, the charsetID is null.
So what is the encoding method of the attachment path?
  • dstillman
    It's better to post technical questions like this to zotero-dev, but the answer is that it's the output of nsIFile.getRelativeDescriptor(), which is an "opaque, cross platform format". So using it from outside Zotero may be tricky.
  • ajlyon
    And since what you're doing sounds an awful like the Gnotero project, you might want to search for it and work from that starting point. It works quite nicely already.
  • wlx
    The first goal of my project is to organize a "reading list" with friendly ways, organize the items like gnome nautilus with note/category/tag support, for e.g., to write a thesis, organize some reference journal papers/books to read and should be referenced.
    I have used the gnotero project, and I do not think the project can do what I need.
  • ajlyon
    That sounds great! I certainly hope that you make progress on this project, and I would be glad to do testing of it when you need it.
  • wlx
    Dan, could you give me some hints about how to decode the nsIFile.getRelativeDescriptor()?
  • dstillman
    Read the Mozilla source?
  • wlx
    Just find the source code : http://firefox.sourcearchive.com/documentation/3.6plus-pnobinonly-0ubuntu6/nsLocalFileCommon_8cpp-source.html
    but I could not understand what the code is doing.

    And I have tested that the path saved in the sqlite db, is not utf8, nor utf16.

    Could somebody kindly tell what is the meaning of the code (nsIFile.getRelativeDescriptor) ?
  • adamsmith
    you might be better of asking this on a mozilla dev forum - more people with expertise on such things over there.

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