Feature request: allow multiple bibtex/ris files to be selected for import

mtl_zack

When importing items from bib files, I am unable to select multiple files to be imported sequentially. This would be fantastic, since I have numerous (i.e. dozens) of bib files that need to be imported as their own collections. This currently requires multiple user actions, and I don't see why this is truly necessary.

emilianoeheyns

You can just cat *.bib > combined.bibtex (Mac, Linux) or type *.bib > combined.bibtex (Windows), then import the combined file.

bwiernik

That won’t put the items from each BibTeX file into their own collections though.

emilianoeheyns

That is true. It could be done through the javascript console.

mtl_zack

Yes, keeping the contents of each bib file in their own collections is key. emilianoeheyns, can you describe in a bit more detail what this might entail, or point me to a more informative resource about this?

emilianoeheyns

You can either through https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/javascript_api or https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-better-bibtex/tree/master/test/fixtures/debug-bridge run your own javascripts insize Zotero.

The script would look something like

const bibfiles = [
  'absolute path to.bib',
  'absolute path to other.bib',
];

for (const bibfile of bibfiles) {
  const file = Components.classes['@mozilla.org/file/local;1'].createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsILocalFile)
  file.initWithPath(bibfile)

  await Zotero_File_Interface.importFile({ file, createNewCollection: true })
}

making sure to check the async checkbox if you're using the first option.

mtl_zack

Thank you. This is extremely helpful. I will provide an update later on once I develop a more exact script that resolves this issue.

dstillman

Simpler version:

var bibfiles = [
'absolute path to.bib',
'absolute path to other.bib',
];
for (let file of bibfiles) {
await Zotero_File_Interface.importFile({ file, createNewCollection: true });
}

(You also don't ever really need to check the "async" checkbox manually — that's checked automatically when there's an "await" in the code.)

mtl_zack

Thanks, the simplified version worked like a charm. I did get a `===>undefined<=== (undefined)` returned at the end though, probably due to the trailing comma at the end of the bibfiles array, but it was inconsequential.

dstillman

That's expected, and not due to the comma — it displays the return value for async code, and there's no return value here, so the return value is undefined.