Tag auto-completion in Zotero Connector for Chrome?

I just recently discovered that the Zotero Connector had acquired the capability to add tags directly from the browser when posting. This is a feature that CiteULike had from the beginning in 2005, but Zotero had been missing for very long. Perfect!

It seems, however, that the Zotero Connector cannot auto-complete the tag names. This is essential to help keep tag naming consistent. Am I missing something or is this not implemented for a reason?

  • This hasn't been implemented (and you might be the first to request it, but it's a good idea). Tags are stored in the client, so they're not available by default in the connector, but we should be able to do this. Not sure when we'll get to this, but I've created an issue to track it.
  • I would like to second this request. I value having this feature earlier rather than later because it affects the quality of my data collection, in two complementary ways:

    1. (reduces false negative match) Autocomplete helps me use a consistent tag for the same idea, rather than having slight deviations that make retrieval harder: it reminds me what the tag was called. For example, when typing "banana" it can remind me that I use the tag "bananas".
    2. (reduces false positive match) Autocomplete reminds me that there are two tags with similar names but which need to be distinguished. For example, if I type "apple", it will suggest that instead I use the tag "AAPL" (for the company) or "apple fruit". This avoids accidentally merging unrelated data into the same tag. Relatedly, autocomplete helps me use long precise tag names that would otherwise be too inconvenient to type.
  • I am surprised that not so many people are not requesting it. The issue you created almost 4 years ago did not get any activity.

    Tag autocompletion might not be "necessary" but it is so useful that it can potentially change the way you are doing your current work. So I would expect many more people interested in it.
  • @kaiWizardly Believe me, this is much sought after by users like me!
  • @dstillman any thoughts on whether this will get implemented. I’m very keen on seeing it.
  • As this is still an open issue, I want to express my support for the reasons outlined by ztrr. I have been having exactly the same experience and believe it would greatly improve the user experience. I am hopeful to see this request merged in soon.
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