PDF reader: Tagging annotations and notes

dstillman

This discussion was created from comments split from: Available in preview: Zotero PDF reader and new note editor.

joycekwc

Wow! This new feature is really fantastic, and will really streamline my workflow. Thank you all so very much for all the hard work you are doing to make this incredible tool.

I have one small request: can the option to tag an individual annotation be
1. a pop-up option when you highlight (as it is with the comment annotation tool)
2. and/or the 'related' and 'tags' option be included somewhere on the Note editor, as it is in the classic version?
3. and/or after extracting all the annotations into a single note, have a feature that allows you to split a long note either manually (by inserting at the point you want to split) or by heading?

At present, I split most of my notes for individual tagging and to enable more filtered reports.

dstillman

@joycekwc:

can the option to tag an individual annotation be
1. a pop-up option when you highlight (as it is with the comment annotation tool)

I think this may be a slight misunderstanding? The same widget, with tagging ability, appears both in the sidebar and, if the sidebar is closed, the PDF view. The selection popup for highlights is different — that only includes colors (and "Add to Note" if a note is open) and doesn't show the options from the annotation widget. But the annotation widget is the same (plus or minus highlight text) for highlight and note annotations.

2. and/or the 'related' and 'tags' option be included somewhere on the Note editor, as it is in the classic version?

This isn't about the classic version — those are just missing from the note editor in the PDF view. They still appear for the new note editor in the library view. I think this was just an oversight, but the main reason not to include them in the PDF view would be that it's a little less clear what exactly you're editing. Technically you're editing a child note or a standalone note, and that's what the related/tag options would apply to, but in the context of the PDF view people might end up relating/tagging the note while thinking they're affecting the parent item.

3. and/or after extracting all the annotations into a single note, have a feature that allows you to split a long note either manually (by inserting at the point you want to split) or by heading?

We could think about note-splitting options, but the better solution here will probably just be to make it possible to create notes from the context menu of the annotations sidebar when multiple annotations are selected, and with the ability to filter the pane by tag. (Right now "Add to Note" in the context menu only adds a single annotation, and annotation tags aren't currently searchable.)

joycekwc

Ah apologies - you're right. I had been looking at Zotero with the sidebar closed, and had imported the journal article from my iPad while testing the new iOS app, where I had been using the 'select' and 'highlight' option, which doesn't give the option to tag. But I see now that if I use the highlight tool, it does give me the option to tag and comment individual highlights, which is absolutely fantastic and will really improve my workflow.

I also get why 2. doesn't make sense and isn't needed now I know about the sidebar, and re 3. (now that I can see the annotations sidebar) agree that selecting multiple annotations and creating notes, and filtering makes a lot more sense.

Conceptually, I think it makes a lot of sense to keep annotations and Notes separate, if people don't want to. That would enable me to distinguish more easily between my own notes and highlights (currently, I just tag my own notes separately from highlights).

Just so I'm clear - when the annotation tags are searchable, how is this intended to work? Will it be the same way as it is with Notes currently?

Also I've just discovered the Stacked view and the option to change Note Font Size - both excellent features.

cjpoor

".. people might end up relating/tagging the note while thinking they're affecting the parent item. "
Dan, you said this was actually an oversight. This gels with the current inconsistent experience of note editing vis-a-vis tagging.
Wouldn't it make sense to have the item (book etc.) "inherit" (gather?) all the tags from the notes anyway? (And for annotations and notes to optionally "inherit" each other's tags.)
If notes have been added to an item, I think the content of the notes and their tags would be the primary focus of the user when searching for tags.
It would still make sense for the item to have its own separate tags, but I think most users are aware of this being the case at present.
If the "inherit/gather tags" feature were to be announced, alongside the retention of item only tags, the problem of believing one is adding an item-only tag to the item while editing a note would, I think, be largely obviated.