PDF reader annotation file

dstillman Zotero Team
This discussion was created from comments split from: Adding New Features for Reading PDFs in Zotero 6.
  • bolejj
    My question is regarding annotations. I see that an annotation file is created.
    Is that file indexed by zot?
    In my case I would prefer not to have a file created at all, but just see the annotations in the viewer. If you create a file (indexed or not) another program like X1 search will find it and then you will have duplicates hits for everything you highlight as an annotation (once for the PDF and once for zot's annotation file). I tend to annotate extensively so there is the issue of eating up disk space also with the zot annotation file.
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    (Please start new threads for new issues. I've moved this to a new thread.)

    I don't know what you're referring to here, but it sounds like some sort of misunderstanding. Annotations in the PDF reader are stored in the Zotero database. There's no "annotation file".
  • bolejj
    Oh... Ok then, my misunderstanding. I saw the annotation note added under the item as a new note, and made the false assumption that it was on the OS not in the DB.

    Good to know. Guess you get tired of so many misunderstandings :(

    You can close this then.
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    Well, just to clarify further, while a note containing annotations is also stored in the database, it would only exist if you created it, and you don't have to. If you just want to view your PDF annotations, you can just open the PDF in the Zotero PDF reader and look at the annotations in the PDF view or in the left-hand sidebar.
  • staeuber
    @dstillman - In relation to the annotations->notes conversion - is this a copy function from the annotation db entry to a new note item, or does a link remain active between the note and the annotation db entry?

    Will there be a library-like overview or browser for PDF annotations that allows to add annotations to collections, thus categorising them? Or, say, a PDF annotation browser that lets us search annotations across PDF files?
    Following your feedback regarding annotation-tags* becoming available outside the PDF, I am hopeful that you all have something like the above in mind or even pipeline?
    Given that they are in the database, and _not_ in the actual PDFs, this would really push Zotero functionality towards QDA/coding capabilities.


    *https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/95797/annotations-tag-cannot-be-used-in-advanced-search
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