downloading PDFs from a browser window

carhogg

If I am viewing a pdf in my browser window (this website http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1987/1015/report.pdf for example), what is the quickest way of getting the file into my zotero library?

Currently, I save the pdf file to my desktop and then "drag and drop" the file into the zotero library. This is several clicks and twice that I have to wait for the file to transfer between drives. I think there is also a method using the chrome file download but this is more than one click and waiting for one file transfer.

Ideally there would be a similar button to the one click "save to zotero" from a journal website for pdf files.

I currently use windows 7 with zotero 4.0.17 and chrome 32.0.1700.107 m.

dstillman

This is one area where things are currently easier in Zotero for Firefox — in that, the "Create Web Page Item from Current Page" toolbar button will save the currently viewed PDF as a top-level attachment, and you can Retrieve Metadata or Create Parent Item from there.

There's an equivalent function for saving snapshots in the browser plugins, accessible via right-click on a web page background, but it won't work if a plugin is handling the content, so it's not possible to use it to save PDFs.

At some point there'll be a more visible way of triggering the web page item/snapshot function in Chrome and Safari — possibly an additional toolbar button — and when that happens the same method for saving viewed PDFs will be possible.

bwiernik

It doesn't always work, but grabbing the favicon at the left of the URL bar and dragging it into Zotero works about 90% of the time for me.

dstillman

Ah, good point. That will work as long as a cookie isn't required for viewing the PDF (at the point of the final URL).

bwiernik

Nice to know what the actual reason when it fails!