Tags aren't saved when they are added in the PDF preview interface

paulmjkaye

If I add a tag from within the library view, all is ok.
But if I add a tag from within the PDF preview interface, it seems to vanish. When I subsequently view that same reference within the library, the item pane displays "0 Tags".

To recreate the problem, I double-click on a newly-added reference (a PDF) such that it opens in a new tab. I then use the 'select area' tool to select an area. Then, in the context pane I "add standalone note from annotations", which adds the previously selected area as a note, and also displays the currently unused tags and related sections:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u18795419/j2uh40yqw7oiqjovmd5b.png

If I click on the plus sign to add a tag, it seems to add it fine:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u18795419/9fnu2dqghtj79jlh5nse.png

But if I then close the tab for the preview and return to the library view, the tag has disappeared:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u18795419/s4uivb3csm984jbyzphq.png

I think this might also be happening with adding relationships, but I haven't had a chance to try recreating that in the same way.
Is this a known bug or annoyance? (FYI, I'm brand new to Zotero.)

mjthoraval

You have added the tag to the standalone note you have just created.
The standalone note should appear in your library tree.
If you click on it should correctly display the tag you have just added.

paulmjkaye

Thanks. Interesting. As a newbie I hadn't appreciated that tags can be added to notes as well as to actual references. It seems that this would make the 'my library' folder very noisy because it will be full of all the annotations that I've made in all of my files!
Does this mean that there is a live linkage between the PDF of a document and the annotations element in the library? And if I were to delete the annotation from the 'my library' folder (top level of the library tree), would it disappear from the PDF in which I originally placed it?

paulmjkaye

Sorry to nudge this most recent question of mine, but I'm really trying to understand how Zotero works so that I can become proficient with it.

mjthoraval

Can you explain why you want to add annotations to notes?
Zotero annotations are stored in its database. It can also read and import annotations made with an external PDF reader.
https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/annotations_in_database