URLs for embedding bibliographies?

I'm a newbie, so I hope I have the right category for this.

I want to use PHP calls to embed Zotero bibliographies in web pages.

Using this blog post (http://librarian.newjackalmanac.ca/2012/09/how-to-load-zotero-into-webpage-with-3.html), I can reproduce the poster's bibliography and change the output format to MLA (https://api.zotero.org/users/5110/collections/TG7WZ2TI/items?format=bib&style=mla), so I think I get the basic idea.

But when I try to do the same thing for my public-readable group (https://www.zotero.org/groups/ashplant/), I keep getting error messages. I've looked at the read API instructions and tried many variants of the syntax, but I can't get it to work. Here's one example: https://api.zotero.org/groups/ashplant/collections/EK45SWRU/items?format=bib&style=mla.

I have two questions:

1. Can you help me fix the syntax so that it I have a URL that gives me that collection's bibliography in MLA style?

2. My next step will be to try to produce the same thing with slices of the collection, such as a single item key or an author search. Any hints about that step would be appreciated as well, but #1 would be a great start. Thank you!
  • https://api.zotero.org/groups/155190/items?format=bib&style=mla

    gives you the MLA bib of your group

    You can get the basic api request using the atom feed button (Subscribe to this Feed) on the left of the library view - e.g. here: https://www.zotero.org/groups/ashplant/items/
    that gives you
    https://api.zotero.org/groups/155190/items/top?start=0&limit=25
    you can do the same for individual collections (and then, of course, reformat those to display the bib instead of the atom feed).

    The API documentation including examples is here:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/server_api/v2/read_requests
    If you have questions beyond the very basic API functionality, please post them to Zotero-dev:
    https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!forum/zotero-dev
  • Thanks very much! You've gotten me about four more steps down the road. I appreciate your help.
  • In line with the previous question, after creating a nice url with the bibliography, I was wondering whether it is possible to add a stylesheet in css in the url such that you get your prefered presentation.

    I mean the following (from Medeley), without css stylesheet: http://www.bibbase.org/cgi-bin/pyBibBase/pyBibBase.cgi?bib=www.bibbase.org/mendeley/b5f3a3e361&groupby=year&simplegroups=1

    WITH stylesheet:
    http://www.bibbase.org/cgi-bin/pyBibBase/pyBibBase.cgi?bib=www.bibbase.org/mendeley/b5f3a3e361&groupby=year&simplegroups=1&css=axiom.vu.nl%2f~arianna%2faxiom.css&charset=utf-8

    Any help will do.

    Thanks in advance!
  • Direct from the Zotero API? No. But if you're embedding this somewhere (which is how it's intended to be used) you can of course add your own style sheet to the page, using the classes in the returned HTML.
  • Dear Dan,

    Thanks! I've got it up and running now. :)
  • edited May 23, 2013
    Dear all,

    thank you for these helpful hints.
    I do get my library listed when using the URL and I am able to embed it in this way:

    <object height="500px" width="100%" style="font-family:Verdana" data="https://api.zotero.org/users/.../items?format=bib&style=taylor-and-francis-harvard-x&key=..."><param name="src" value="https://api.zotero.org/users/.../items?format=bib&style=taylor-and-francis-harvard-x&key=..." />
    </object>

    Now, this gives me back the references as unstyled output in my website but if I insert a stylesheet or the style with the font I pasted above, this does not help at all and it will still remain in the times new roman font.

    The stylesheet file I use defines:
    .csl-bib-body {
    font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
    }

    .csl-entry {
    font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
    }

    Can anyone help giving a hint what might be a solution to this?
    Is there a better way to include the references with PHP or a frame instead of the object?

    Maybe Jeroen can share his solution.

    Thank you and best regards,
    Dennis
  • Dear all,

    I have come up with another associated question.
    Has anyone tried to implement a mechanism that allows automatically generating a bibliography in a PDF from a collection.
    What I would like to do is, I would like to put a link on my website to a PDF with all my publications, which I sort into a collection on Zotero.

    Best regards and thank you
    Dennis
  • Does no one have an idea. I am still struggeling to resolve these two issues.

    Best regards and thank you
    Dennis
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