Feature Request: Citation Key column in library window

zenobiaaa · 2026-03-07T16:09:19+00:00

Better BibTeX used to provide a Citation Key column in the library window.
In zotero 8, Citation Key has become a build-in field, no longer in the control of BBT, so that column vanished.
Since Citation Key is managed by Zotero now, is it a reasonable request to Zotero to handle displaying and sorting Citation Key column rather than a plugin?

poettli · 2026-03-07T23:47:34+00:00

There is a Citation Key column. Right click on headers to activate it.

zenobiaaa · 2026-03-08T06:48:51+00:00

I realise the Citation Key column only exists in English (or maybe other language), but NOT in Chinese, then it should be a bug.
(see the screenshots, there are 12 items on the list in English but only 11 in Chinese)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7671313/sj85whvw4j6pqyif4ir7.png
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7671313/fwqm5e82jp6yhsmony3l.png

poettli · 2026-03-08T08:03:57+00:00

I see it in Zotero 8.0.4 with BBT 9.0.6:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u2119014/1xtwgg13o9vhu74faqxo.png

zenobiaaa · 2026-03-08T09:23:11+00:00

I have try a clean reinstall zotero, cleaned all related files, removed all plugin, fresh sync from zotero.org, but the Citation Key column is still missing, and I can't find it back even in English language.

I checked the debug logging but found nothing strange.

Zotero 8.0.4 , macOS 12.7.6

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7671313/o2iy3rv5d0mgg8esaryr.png

emilianoeheyns · 2026-03-08T10:00:29+00:00

BBT adds the citation key column. Without BBT I don't see a citation column in English.

northword · 2026-03-08T10:03:03+00:00

Zotero does not currently include this column in any language.

@poettli: "引用" is provided by the citation plugin, not built into Zotero.

poettli · 2026-03-08T10:36:22+00:00

@northword I only have BBT installed on this machine.

dstillman · 2026-03-08T15:14:29+00:00

We can add this, but that current field isn't from us. ("Key" would be capitalized if it were.)

emilianoeheyns · 2026-03-08T17:07:50+00:00

Noted, will update.

RamonMi · 2026-03-09T01:48:25+00:00

"引用" is provided by the citation plugin, not built into Zotero.

In the zh-CN locale, the custom column added by BBT was originally named '引用', which conflicted with an existing column (if you have the Citation plugin installed). To avoid ambiguity, I have updated the label on the BBT side to '引用关键词' (corresponding to 'Citation Key').

iagogv · 2026-03-09T11:14:31+00:00

Please @dstillman, may you add PMID column too (https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/130190/allow-to-include-new-item-fields-as-columns-in-main-middle-pane#latest)?

Thanks!