Upgrade StorageFeature Request: Expose Annotation Timestamps (Creation/Modification Date) via API for Plugin Use
Hello all,
I am copying an AI-generated forum post below -sorry about the creepy AI style- because I am currently super tired of trying to find a solution for what I am trying to achieve for so many hours. Here you go:
Hello Zotero Developers and Community,
I'm an active user of Zotero (latest version on macOS) and rely heavily on its PDF reader and annotation features. I also use Obsidian for my note-taking, connected via the excellent Zotero Integration plugin (latest version).
My current workflow involves importing bibliographic data and annotations from Zotero into Obsidian using a custom template. This works wonderfully for pulling in metadata, the content of highlights/comments, annotation tags, and links back to the specific annotation in the Zotero PDF reader.
What I'm trying to achieve:
I would like to enhance this workflow by including the specific date and time each individual annotation (highlight, note, etc.) was created or last modified within the data imported into Obsidian.
Why this would be valuable:
Tracking Research Chronology: It would allow me to see exactly when specific insights or highlights were made during the reading process, helping to reconstruct my thinking process over time.
Reviewing Annotations: Being able to see the timestamp alongside the annotation text/comment in Obsidian would aid in reviewing notes chronologically.
Advanced Workflows: Having this timestamp as structured data in Obsidian would open up possibilities for sorting, filtering, or querying annotations based on when they were made, potentially using other Obsidian plugins like Dataview.
Current Situation & Findings:
It appears Zotero does store this timestamp information internally. When hovering over an annotation in the Zotero PDF reader's sidebar, a timestamp is often visible.
However, when using the Zotero Integration plugin's "Data Explorer" feature in Obsidian to inspect the data available for an item's annotations, fields for the annotation's text, comment, color, page, tags, etc., are present, but a specific creation/modification timestamp for the individual annotation does not seem to be listed among the available fields.
The item-level dateAdded and dateModified fields are accessible, but these refer to the Zotero item itself, not the individual annotations within its attachments.
My Question:
Is the creation/modification timestamp for individual annotations currently accessible via Zotero's API or other data export mechanisms that external tools and plugins can utilize? If not, would it be feasible to expose this data point in the future?
Having access to this timestamp would significantly streamline workflows for users like myself who integrate Zotero closely with external knowledge management tools.
Thank you for considering this feature request and for the fantastic work on Zotero!
I am copying an AI-generated forum post below -sorry about the creepy AI style- because I am currently super tired of trying to find a solution for what I am trying to achieve for so many hours. Here you go:
Hello Zotero Developers and Community,
I'm an active user of Zotero (latest version on macOS) and rely heavily on its PDF reader and annotation features. I also use Obsidian for my note-taking, connected via the excellent Zotero Integration plugin (latest version).
My current workflow involves importing bibliographic data and annotations from Zotero into Obsidian using a custom template. This works wonderfully for pulling in metadata, the content of highlights/comments, annotation tags, and links back to the specific annotation in the Zotero PDF reader.
What I'm trying to achieve:
I would like to enhance this workflow by including the specific date and time each individual annotation (highlight, note, etc.) was created or last modified within the data imported into Obsidian.
Why this would be valuable:
Tracking Research Chronology: It would allow me to see exactly when specific insights or highlights were made during the reading process, helping to reconstruct my thinking process over time.
Reviewing Annotations: Being able to see the timestamp alongside the annotation text/comment in Obsidian would aid in reviewing notes chronologically.
Advanced Workflows: Having this timestamp as structured data in Obsidian would open up possibilities for sorting, filtering, or querying annotations based on when they were made, potentially using other Obsidian plugins like Dataview.
Current Situation & Findings:
It appears Zotero does store this timestamp information internally. When hovering over an annotation in the Zotero PDF reader's sidebar, a timestamp is often visible.
However, when using the Zotero Integration plugin's "Data Explorer" feature in Obsidian to inspect the data available for an item's annotations, fields for the annotation's text, comment, color, page, tags, etc., are present, but a specific creation/modification timestamp for the individual annotation does not seem to be listed among the available fields.
The item-level dateAdded and dateModified fields are accessible, but these refer to the Zotero item itself, not the individual annotations within its attachments.
My Question:
Is the creation/modification timestamp for individual annotations currently accessible via Zotero's API or other data export mechanisms that external tools and plugins can utilize? If not, would it be feasible to expose this data point in the future?
Having access to this timestamp would significantly streamline workflows for users like myself who integrate Zotero closely with external knowledge management tools.
Thank you for considering this feature request and for the fantastic work on Zotero!