Attaching citation details to a PDF

ThesisDan
I can't seem to work out how to add a PDF into 'My Library' that has come from, for example, a google search. When I click the link to the PDF on the google results page it opens in preview (mac) and there is no option by zotero to save the file. I can right click on the link in the google search results page but the only option is 'save link as zotero snapshot' this saves the file but i can't edit the 'info' fields to add authors, year or title etc.

There must be a way to do this?
  • adamsmith
    several ways:
    Preview works as a FF plugin, right?
    then, with the pdf open within FF, use "create snapshot from current page" (or attach snapshot of current page to an existing item)

    Alternatively, save and drag&drop to a parent item in Zotero.

    Thirdly, do the "save link as Zt snasphot", create a new (parent) item and drag the pdf to that item.
  • ahoward
    edited March 11, 2009
    The problem ThesisDan is having is not that he can't get the item into Zotero. It's that it's saving as an attachment-type file. There's no way directly around this. All PDF files are stored as attachment-type files with limited metadata (notes, tags, related). What happens when you import a PDF from, say, JSTOR, is that a Journal Article item is created with full metadata capability (a regular item). The full-text PDF is then automatically attached to this as a child attachment-type item.

    Saving a PDF you find in a Google search result will never result in a regular item with full metadata, as the relevant data does not appear on the page.

    There are a few options from here:

    You can create an item for the article manually and attach the already saved PDF to it via drag and drop.

    You can right click on the PDF file and select "Retrieve PDF Metadata". If the PDF/article is in Google Scholar, Zotero will query their server and automatically create an Article item with all the relevant metadata and attach the PDF to it. Mind, this presupposes that it is an academic article available to Google Scholar.

    Find the article on an academic database site like JSTOR or Project Muse and save the item to Zotero through the address bar icon. If you have enabled automatic PDF saving in Preferences and the full-text PDF is available, Zotero will automatically create the Article item with metadata and attach the PDF.

    Hope this helps. Let me know if I can clarify anything.

    By the way, Preview does not, unfortunately, function as a Firefox plugin. Intel Mac users have no means of viewing PDFs within Firefox. PPC Mac users can user the SchubertIt plugin, but it's not especially useful.
  • adamsmith
    I understood the problem - all of the methods I describe take that into account.
    (well, except that one that assumes a .pdf plugin...)
    You're right - using the retrieve metadata function is another - and perhaps the most elegant - choice - note it only works in the 1.5 version
  • ahoward
    Ahhh, you're right, of course. You're just pithier than I am and I misconstrued what you were saying. My apologies.
  • dstillman
    Intel Mac users have no means of viewing PDFs within Firefox.
    Yes, they do: http://code.google.com/p/firefox-mac-pdf/
  • ahoward
    @Dan - wow. how long has this been floating around? I thought this was something that has driven everyone up the wall for ages. I'd never heard of it.
  • ThesisDan
    wow thanks everyone, the other forums i have used have emailed me when a reply was posted and this hasn't happened here so i thought no one cared!!

    Thanks for all the suggestions, i am still working through them. With the help from Dan Stillman I can now veiw PDFs within Firefox and then save them using 'create a new item from current page' and add authour etc myself. There may still be another way of doing it, half the problem is that before the PDF plug in there was no way of veiwing the URL of the file.

    Thanks again for all your help
  • dstillman
    Glad to hear things are working for you. For what it's worth, the Schubert|it PDF plugin was recently updated and now works on Intel Macs.
  • ThesisDan
    Thanks Dan, I have it all working now so I have to stop procrastinating and actually get on with the writing!!!

    Thanks again

    Dan
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