direct storage of PDFs

tpaixao

One feature that would be nice was to be able to store a PDF directly from the browser ( without having to download the file and then to store a local file ). An extra function in the Add button of the Attachments tab that would "store current page" or "store link" would do it.

many thanks for such a great application

Tiago

karindalziel

I too would love this feature. I imagine a right click functionality that would allow you to associate a download with a specific citation (last added would be a good option) and assign categories and keywords.

In the same vein, I would love to be able to select text from a page, right click, and add as a note in the same way.

ranebo

I was already wondering where the capability was of highlighting text and clicking a toolbar tool (or right-clicking) to add the selection as a note, including the option to add and/or select tags, when I came across this discussion.

It would be most useful to be able to highlight and select text from within a PDF file and have it saved as a (tagged) note, as well.

SamInverso

In the same line, it would be great if the pdf was grabbed at the same time as the citation information, and possibly stored online or automatically downloaded to a folder.
(It would make my day if Zotero also put the citation information into the pdf's XMP).

sean

ranebo: Zotero now supports highlighting and right-clicking text to enter it into notes.
SamInverso: PDFs are already grabbed along with metadata at some major sites (e.g. JSTOR)

jverber

Sean: The PDF "Snapshot" doesn't work right for me (at least from JSTOR). Adobe Reader throws "File does not begin with '%PDF-'." when I try to open one. The link to the snapshot's original works just fine, of course.

ekalle

In addition to an easy download associated with the record (with easy renaming of the pdf), there is a couple of features I would like to see:
1) A folder (search) path pointing to the directory(-ies) where pdf's are stored. If this is editable, you would have the possibility to easy restructure your library when e.g. switching to a new computer etc.
2) A drag and drop-function for pdf, i.e. you can drag your already stored pdf as a link from into windows explorer into your records. The ultimate feature would be a search function that gives suggested pdf-files for your record, and you can choose with one click. I have a Reference Manager-database and approx 1000 pdfs, but they are not linked due to the extra work associated with the linking. All the files are named by author, year and words from the title though, so there's a lot of information to give a close search result. Features like this would make transition to zotero easy and convenient.

shane.lindsay

Some of the requests in this topics have been met, but I want to reiterate the central one - capturing PDFs manually, e.g. from an authors website. In the firefox scrapbook extension, when you right click on a link (e.g. to a pdf) you get the option to save link, as opposed to save the selected text. This would be very nice for zotero. Another thing that scrapbook can do is is to save all links with a user chosen filetype from a page, e.g. pdf, which would potentially work with the add attachment option the original poster suggested.

dstillman

Beta 3 supports right-clicking on a link (or an image) to create an attachment, which can then be dragged over another item to convert it to a child attachment.

Issues with PDF (and other non-HTML-document) snapshots downloading incorrectly should also be fixed.

Beta 3 is available from the home page (or via Tools->Add-ons->Find Updates for those who installed from zotero.org and not addons.mozilla.org).

shane.lindsay

Just tried it now, and am very pleased. Its also great to know how responsive you are to these comments. Also, if you click on the name you can rename the original file. Not sure if this is new but also a good feature.

I think both suggestions by Ekale are good ideas. Especially now I will be adding more files to zotero. If there was an option to save the zotero data outside of my profiles folder I would choose to do that, makes for easier backup for me. Location wise its really hard to find where zotero puts things, unless you use desktop search, so a link to the original folder e.g. underneath the "view snapshot" button would make sense.

Probably not that hard to implement the 2nd one - there is a firefox extension draganddropupload which does something similar.

shane.lindsay

One problem though - snapshots get saved to the My Library root and not to the current folder.

dstillman

1) A "Show File" button for snapshots is already implemented and will appear in the next version.

2) Dragging files from the OS into Zotero to create attachments is a planned feature, as is the ability to save Zotero data outside the Firefox profile.

3) Shane — thanks. We've fixed the code to save those snapshots to the active collection.

mass

I think I must be missing something here, this is key to the usablity of zotero for me. When I right click on the link to a pdf file I am now offered a save link as option for zotero but this saves only the link not the file pointed to. I really want to end up with a copy of the pdf on my pc not a link to its location on the web (preferably at the same time the citation info is captured). The above isn't very clear on how to do this but implies it is possible - what should I be doing?

sean

mass: When right-clicking a link to a PDF file, selecting "Save Link As Zotero Snapshot" will download the PDF to your Zotero library.

Indi

When right-clicking a link to a PDF file, selecting "Save Link As Zotero Snapshot" will download the PDF to your Zotero library.

When I do this, a link to the page is saved rather than the pdf.

adamsmith

could you post a sample link that doesn't work for you here?
Many links to pdfs actually get routed through an additional step, this won't work for these cases.

Indi

Here's one of the links: http://0-www.jstor.org.skyline.cudenver.edu/stable/2694276.

I realize that Jstor requires that extra routing step you mentioned, BUT Zotero is able to download the pdf with no problem if I re-add the entire entry (by clicking on the icon in the URL field at the top of the browser). If it can do that, why can't it get the PDF to attach to an existing entry?

adamsmith

because the routing step is addressed by the JSTOR translator of Zotero - whereas the save link as snapshot is a simple file operation.
There is currently no simple solution in Zotero for your issue - i.e. you can't "update" information (including file attachements) for a file from a database.

Indi

OK, thanks. I know I can re-add the entry and get the PDF that way, but sometimes the original entry has extra information that has to be transferred to the new one. No way to merge them, is there?

adamsmith

nope - merging is a complex issue that comes repeatedly - but currently there is nothing in that direction.