Upgrade StorageImport from zotero to endnote with pdf attachments
I'm stuck in a research group sharing a communal Endnote library. Until my university supports zotero officially I'm stuck putting the relevant bits of my Zotero collection into endnote periodically. Meanwhile I won't use Endnote because I have become dependent on Zotero's numerous, incredibly useful features which Endnote lacks.
This is fine except I want to be able to import pdfs into endnote as well.
In this case it would be great to have zotero's RIS export to provide a feature for this. Presumably it's simply a matter of finding the pdf attachment(s) for each record and adding a field like:
This would be great, and would presumably be easy to implement for someone familiar with the RIS export functionality.
This is fine except I want to be able to import pdfs into endnote as well.
In this case it would be great to have zotero's RIS export to provide a feature for this. Presumably it's simply a matter of finding the pdf attachment(s) for each record and adding a field like:
For each article. A check box "include links to fulltext pdfs" could be included.
L1 - file://path/to/file.pdf
This would be great, and would presumably be easy to implement for someone familiar with the RIS export functionality.
I have searched the Zotero support forum and documentation for 'export pdf endnote' but can only find advice for how to import FROM Endnote TO Zotero (e.g. http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/importing_records_from_endnote and http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/exporting_from_endnote_with_pdfs). However I need help the other way: export TO Endnote FROM Zotero WITH pdfs. (Strangely this post ends with no resolution.)
I've managed to find advice for how to export using the Zotero RDF option (including files and notes) but Endnote does not want to import the pdf(s) along with the item(s).
My current Endnote X1 library is ca 1500 most with pdf attachments. I am considering importing them into Zotero but I want the option of exporting them out again for my colleagues who still use Endnote.
As other forum members have noted the Endnote techies are not that responsive, but I can certainly post this issue on their forum. Still, it seems to me that Zotero might have invested interest in finding a workable solution since Endnote is one of its primary competitors and reference-linked pdfs are increasingly standard practice.
in one of the threads discussing import into endnote, someone describes successfully adding a link to a pdf (manually) in .ris and importing the pdf to endnote. So it is possible in a standard format.
@Peter - don't be silly. RDF allows exporting items and files to other zotero users in a relatively lossless way. It's also an open format, so other software could take it up (what about Mendeley, maybe even possible already?) And i can only repeat what I tell other people - it's probably a bad idea to antagonize the developer whose help you seek out.
Second point: is manually adding a link to the ris file feasible without it taking more time than attaching each pdf by drag and drop into Endnote (or whatever the application at hand)? I still have yet to find the discussion you refer to. The ones I've found refer to importing into Zotero but perhaps I've read too quickly.
Clarification: No, I didn't realize that RDF was Zotero's own format. I'm a humble social scientist not a software developer so please pardon my ignorance.
So, if I may ask, what is the take away from all of this? While we all anticipate BIBO are we still stuck or are there potential workarounds to be found with URL/RIS/RDF for Endnote X (and other bib software)? A brief summary of this exchange with some indication of next steps would greatly be appreciated.
Thank you.
http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/7961/export-in-ris-format-link-to-pdf-file/
so while it may not help with endnote, including the L1 pdf link (or at least giving the option to) would still be a good idea, as it works with other programs.
@Peter, as for your questions - sorry for the "silly" - it was just the "shrewd business interest" part, not the question itself that I thought was unnecessary.
As a summary - as of now it is not looking great.
I think getting Zotero to include links to pdfs in RIS as "L1" should be feasible and is desirable for interoperability with Papers (and perhaps other software) - Dan, any reason it couldn't do that?
But if Endnote doesn't deal with that properly, you're back at square one for your problem.
Everything else - RDF/BIBO support as well as importing PDFs from RIS correctly - depends on Endnote then, so you'll have to see what the friendly folks over at Thompson Reuters have to say.
- I was simply referring to adamsmith's comments: "I think getting Zotero to include links to pdfs in RIS as "L1" should be feasible and is desirable for interoperability with Papers (and perhaps other software) - Dan, any reason it couldn't do that?"
- and your comment, "As of EndNote X, 'L1' from RIS is imported as a URL in EndNote (not as an explicit attachment)."
It seems to me that there is potential lurking somewhere here for a workaround (i.e. revising the Zotero RIS format to include URL links to pdfs which is then read by Endnote, Papers, etc.) but perhaps I'm mistaken...
"Again: it seems that EndNote doesn't properly import PDFs for formats they did not, themselves, create" - yes, I agree, but somehow I'm still optimistic that Endnote could be fooled... but again I know too little about the tech side.
PS - what is 'L1' anyway?
But EndNote will still get that wrong when it imports them. You can see for yourself by exporting an RIS from EndNote (which will contain attachments) & re-importing it into EndNote (which will put the attachment information into the generic URL column, rather than the file attachment column; also note that EndNote's peculiar pseudo-URI scheme ('internal-pdf://') means that the links won't even work).Nope. RIS will not, by itself, get file attachments into EndNote as working attachments unless they improve their importer.
Until that happens, the only way in is through one of their proprietary formats & I really can't say how strong support for that is in software that has better import functionality.The tag in the RIS specification used to denote PDF attachments: http://www.refman.com/support/risformat_tags_07.asp
In the meantime, just one question. If Zotero RDF creates a 'files' subdirectory in the export process, and relative paths are discovered an unworkable route, couldn't an absolute path be created on c:\? -- alt. the user is offered a choice of where to put the directory (if the 'c' drive is unavailable)?
Not much point in speculating on this until we have more technical details on what Papers and other programs actually support, though.
I'm not sure I agree on the relative paths as a prerequisite - people who want to move from endnote to Zotero are happy that endnote is putting absolute paths (kind of...) into its RIS export. My thinking is that Zotero should do the same. But I very much see all the reasons that might be problematic.
(I use a PC with endnote and Zotero/Firefox installed but for various reasons anticipate moving to a mac with Papers (and possibly Office). Is Zotero a PC only application? I just assumed it was cross-platform. Of course there is the possibility on the Mac to move between OX and Windows.)
L1 in an RIS is imported (and exported) as a link to the respective file - i.e. the pdf would stay in the Zotero storage folder - which seems intuitive, but hardly ideal for the given purpose.
Mendeley does claim Endnote XML Export as well as Zotero library import, though - that may be a possible route to explore for Peter - it's free (as in beer, not in speech).
How would I test for relative links? I tried ~/ (in linux) that didn't work.