Zotable: a modern Zotero client for Android

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  • SRUnderwood
    Sorry to increase the length of the public discussion but I just wanted to thank adamsmith for the link.
  • Mela
    Here, Zotable too just didn't work. Zandy is near un-usable with a bigger database. I could do most of my work with the tablet and a light keyboard alone, leaving my old heavy laptop at home ... if there were a useable Zotero Client für Android.

    Zotable should be pulled from the Play store ASAP. After trying it out for a second time, I didn't get my money back. This is a rip-off.

    Mela
  • paoloaranha
    I wonder whether a Zotero standalone client for Android wouldn't be a good idea. As a user and not a developer, I don't know whether this would be extremely complicated to achieve.
    As I (and probably many other researchers) have a huge Zotero database, all solutions based on cloud sync are not going to help.
  • noksagt
    Yes, it would be complicated.
    But I'm confused as to why you think that solutions that use syncing wouldn't work for you. There are 3 possible limits I see:
    1. Storage space on Android devise
    2. Storage space on Zotero sync or WebDAV
    3. Limited bandwidth
    If (1) is a concern, you'd likely need a client that did not automatically sync attachments or would need to put the zotero data on an SD card or a USB stick that you could plug into your Android devive.

    If (2) is a concern, you'd need to find a service with a greater amount of space. This may involve spending money, but is certainly possible for the sizes you mentioned in the other thread.

    If (3) is a concern, note that file sync only happens once per file. Some clients may allow you to upload attachments offline or not auto-sync them. You can likely perform large syncs over wifi, which tends to be less limited than a mobile data plan.
  • smatthie
    I also found that Erathosthenes takes long to import the bibfile after changes (around 30 minutes I think), but I'm happy just do it every few days before I go to bed, as I don't need all changes immediately.

    Generally it would be better to have a proper sync via the Zotero API rather than having to copy a database. It would be faster, easier to implement 2-way sync and manage several devices (conflicting changes are less likely when individual entries are synced rather than the whole db).

    Is there a capable programmer here who might help the Erathosthenes developer with a sync via Zotero API? Erathostenes seems the best choice as it is in active development and the developer already has a Zotero sync in his wishlist for the next major version (https://bitbucket.org/mkmatlock/eratosthenes/wiki/Changelog).

    The Zotero web interface is good as well, but it's important to have a client that works completely offline. For me at least, because I'm most likely to use the tablet when I don't have internet (e.g. travelling).
  • smatthie
    edited January 19, 2016
    @noksagt and @paoloaranha: This might be a misunderstanding about sync/cloud storage/standalone. I think the worry is if a client pulls the info from the server every time but doesn't store anything on the device (like ZEDlite). So it would download a lot of data and wouldn't work in offline situations. It should be "standalone" in the sense that it keeps an offline copy (or cache).
  • noksagt
    I'm not sure if that is misunderstood anywhere. If it is, we should also point out the difference between the database and attached files.

    In another thread, paoloaranha noted he has 10 GB to download. The bulk of that would be attached files, so I assume the concern is over how these attachments are handled by Android apps.

    In apps that are essentially interfaces/browsers to the online database (such as Zed Lite), these files are downloaded when requested (not everything automatically). The total size of your attachments is likely of very little concern, as you typically would pull only the few files that you have an immediate need to interact with.
  • smatthie
    @noksagt: Ok, I see what you mean. Yes, the client would need user settings how to handle attachments.
  • ajlyon
    Just discovered that Zotable is a thing. Definitely interesting to see that someone else has taken up the cause of making Zotero a great thing on Android.

    For those interested in seeing Zotable's code, I went ahead and pushed it to a branch of Zandy and made an unmergable PR: https://github.com/avram/zandy/pull/134/files

    Sorry to see that this is still an incomplete solution-- and unfortunately I still am not in a position to make a whole lot more investment in Zotero for Android myself.
  • cordltx
    Hi, I'm just looking for an android app in which i could edit my zotero notes. I installed zed (but it doesn't do that) and zotable (but it crashed). Any ideas? I don't use zotero for storing pdf files.
    Thanks
  • adamsmith
    The mobile page is not an option? That would allow you to edit notes and it's main disadvantage is its handling of attached files.
  • cordltx
    Will try, thanks!
  • apstrom
    Does anyone still have the full code for this?
  • adamsmith
    ajlyon links it above

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