Zotero from Qiqqa

Importing my pdfs is no problem - but Zotero only finds bibtex data for about half of them. I can export my bibtex from Qiqqa - it loads as a separate collection - but how do I get Zotero to associate the right bibtex entry with the right pdf?

A Qiqqa bibtex export item looks like this -

@article{sitch2013aethelfrith
, author = {Sitch, Bryan}
, title = {Aethelfrith of Northumbria and the Battle of Chester }
, journal = {The Heroic Age}
, year = {2013}
}


and I've got about 1500 of them in one text file.
  • I'm afraid, if Qiqqa isn't able to export filepaths in any of its export formats (is there really not?), I don't see how Zotero can import files together with metadata. Obviously Zotero will import the above bibtex, but there's no way for it to identify which PDF belongs with it.
  • Hmm, I'll look into that. Thanks, it hadn't occurred.
  • Sorry Adam, I forgot I'd asked about this here and have accidentally started another discussion.

    ANYWAY, I find that Qiqqa will in fact produce a BibTeX file with URLs -

    @article{vanthienen2016symbol
    , author = {Van Thienen, Vince}
    , title = {A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined}
    , year = {2014}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Van Thienen2014 - A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined.pdf}
    , file = {Van Thienen2014 - A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined.pdf:docs/Van Thienen2014 - A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined.pdf:application/pdf}
    , tags = {authority;brooch;chlamys;crossbow brooch;dress;elite;material culture}
    , autotags = {late roman;late antiquity;late antique;roman military;century ad;roman world;material culture}
    , keywords = {authority;brooch;chlamys;crossbow brooch;dress;elite;material culture;late roman;late antiquity;late antique;roman military;century ad;roman world;material culture}
    }

    @inproceedings{galinie2007spatial
    , title = {A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950)}
    , author = {Galinie, Henri}
    , booktitle = {Medieval Archaeology in the 21st century}
    , year = {2007}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Galinie2007 - A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950).pdf}
    , file = {Galinie2007 - A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950).pdf:docs/Galinie2007 - A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950).pdf:application/pdf}
    , tags = {administration;black earth;christianity;church;civitas;dark earth;defence;fifth century;forum;fourth century;gaul;public buildings;seventh century;sixth century;towns;trade}
    , autotags = {early middle ages;saxon;england;gaul;europe;britain;fifth-century;christianity;post-roman;late roman;frankish;le;roman empire;early medieval;fifth century;fourth century;research agenda;archaeological evidence}
    , keywords = {administration;black earth;christianity;church;civitas;dark earth;defence;fifth century;forum;fourth century;gaul;public buildings;seventh century;sixth century;towns;trade;early middle ages;saxon;england;gaul;europe;britain;fifth-century;christianity;post-roman;late roman;frankish;le;roman empire;early medieval;fifth century;fourth century;research agenda;archaeological evidence}
    }

    How would I use this please?
  • You've tried just importing them and that doesn't work? In that case, I'd remove the duplicate backslashes.
  • Sorry no, I was a lot more stupid than that. I just dragged the pdfs in.

    I haven't tried a proper import - I was just looking at that, now I know I've got URLs, when your answer came in. I'll give it a go the proper way.

  • Well, what do you know? Doing it the proper way seems to be working (early days ...)

    I wasn't sure just what to Import - which file to point the file selector at. But I used the qiqqa.bib file and the computer's rumbling away Importing Items so it looks hopeful!

    I hadn't realised that importing the bib file would bring along the pdfs too. At least I hope it will ...!

    Thanks Adam, I was making it all far to complicated.
  • Well, what do you know again! Googling around I just found a very useful site called Mastering Zotero!

    Thanks for that too!
  • OK. It's loaded the bib file, looked through it and succeeded with only 360 entries.

    The first three entries in the bib file are -

    @article{vanthienen2016symbol
    , author = {Van Thienen, Vince}
    , title = {A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined}
    , year = {2014}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Van Thienen2014 - A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined.pdf}
    , file = {Van Thienen2014 - A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined.pdf:docs/Van Thienen2014 - A symbol for late Roman authority re-examined.pdf:application/pdf}
    , tags = {authority;brooch;chlamys;crossbow brooch;dress;elite;material culture}
    , autotags = {late roman;late antiquity;late antique;roman military;century ad;roman world;material culture}
    , keywords = {authority;brooch;chlamys;crossbow brooch;dress;elite;material culture;late roman;late antiquity;late antique;roman military;century ad;roman world;material culture}
    }

    @inproceedings{galinie2007spatial
    , title = {A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950)}
    , author = {Galinie, Henri}
    , booktitle = {Medieval Archaeology in the 21st century}
    , year = {2007}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Galinie2007 - A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950).pdf}
    , file = {Galinie2007 - A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950).pdf:docs/Galinie2007 - A spatial Approach to Towns (Gaul, 300-950).pdf:application/pdf}
    , tags = {administration;black earth;christianity;church;civitas;dark earth;defence;fifth century;forum;fourth century;gaul;public buildings;seventh century;sixth century;towns;trade}
    , autotags = {early middle ages;saxon;england;gaul;europe;britain;fifth-century;christianity;post-roman;late roman;frankish;le;roman empire;early medieval;fifth century;fourth century;research agenda;archaeological evidence}
    , keywords = {administration;black earth;christianity;church;civitas;dark earth;defence;fifth century;forum;fourth century;gaul;public buildings;seventh century;sixth century;towns;trade;early middle ages;saxon;england;gaul;europe;britain;fifth-century;christianity;post-roman;late roman;frankish;le;roman empire;early medieval;fifth century;fourth century;research agenda;archaeological evidence}
    }

    @phdthesis{sorrill2012AD450
    , author = {Sorrill, Benjamin}
    , title = {AD 450: Cultural Identity in Sub-Roman Britain}
    , school = {University of Leicester}
    , year = {2012}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Sorrill2012 - AD 450- Cultural Identity in Sub-Roman Britain.pdf}
    , file = {Sorrill2012 - AD 450- Cultural Identity in Sub-Roman Britain.pdf:docs/Sorrill2012 - AD 450- Cultural Identity in Sub-Roman Britain.pdf:application/pdf}
    , tags = {adventus;bacaudae;bede;black earth;buckle;burial;cemeteries;chronica gallica;church;city;civitas;constantius;ethnicity;fifth century;foederati;fourth century;gene;genetic;germanus;gildas;gratian;grave;marcus;material culture;nene valley ware;nennius;population;public buildings;quoit style;settlement;small towns;town;zosimus}
    , autotags = {de excidio britanniae;late roman military;early anglo-saxon england;early middle ages;first millennium ad;early anglo-saxon cemetery;late roman britain;apartheid-like social structure;late roman empire;anglo-saxon;chronica minora saec;saxon;england;britons;gaul;sub-roman;historia;europe;british;celtic;romano-british;germanus;britain;fifth-century;christianity;rome;anglo-saxons;london;post-roman;gildas;roman britain;late roman;anglo-saxon cemetery;sub-roman britain;frankish;roman empire;late antiquity;late antique;early anglo-saxon;roman military;anglo-saxon england;bronze age;early medieval;early christian;century ad;western europe;5th century;early church;roman period;fifth century;centuries ad;iron age;fourth century;roman world;fifth-century britain;saint germanus;research agenda;dark ages;post-roman britain;historia brittonum;roman army;material culture;archaeological perspective;archaeological evidence}
    , keywords = {adventus;bacaudae;bede;black earth;buckle;burial;cemeteries;chronica gallica;church;city;civitas;constantius;ethnicity;fifth century;foederati;fourth century;gene;genetic;germanus;gildas;gratian;grave;marcus;material culture;nene valley ware;nennius;population;public buildings;quoit style;settlement;small towns;town;zosimus;de excidio britanniae;late roman military;early anglo-saxon england;early middle ages;first millennium ad;early anglo-saxon cemetery;late roman britain;apartheid-like social structure;late roman empire;anglo-saxon;chronica minora saec;saxon;england;britons;gaul;sub-roman;historia;europe;british;celtic;romano-british;germanus;britain;fifth-century;christianity;rome;anglo-saxons;london;post-roman;gildas;roman britain;late roman;anglo-saxon cemetery;sub-roman britain;frankish;roman empire;late antiquity;late antique;early anglo-saxon;roman military;anglo-saxon england;bronze age;early medieval;early christian;century ad;western europe;5th century;early church;roman period;fifth century;centuries ad;iron age;fourth century;roman world;fifth-century britain;saint germanus;research agenda;dark ages;post-roman britain;historia brittonum;roman army;material culture;archaeological perspective;archaeological evidence}
    }

    - but the first one Zotero picked up is the third one, @phdthesis{sorrill2012AD450

    I can't see anything special about the successful one. Can you?

    The 360th entry is -

    @misc{mapromanroads
    , title = {Map Roman roads}
    , author = {Briggs}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Briggs2007 - Map Roman roads.pdf}
    , file = {Briggs2007 - Map Roman roads.pdf:docs/Briggs2007 - Map Roman roads.pdf:application/pdf}
    }

    Originally this just started @misc{ and it was the only one with nothing after the { so I added the rest but that doesn't seem to have been the problem. Can you see any reason why Zotero should fail on this entry?

    I think the two URLs that Qiqqa uses are filename for my original watch folder and file for Qiqqa's own duplicate in its docs folder. I wonder whether Zotero needs both? Not that that would explain the selection Zotero is making.



  • It'd be helpful to narrow this down more. E.g. when you create a file with just the three first items, does Zotero also only import the 3rd one?
  • Hi Adam.

    I've been slicing and dicing my lengthy list of BibTeX references - first into files with a couple of hundred references, then fifty - finally down to individual references, to find out the dodgy one. This is it -

    @article{dunshea
    , author = {Dunshea, P}
    , title = {The road to Winwaed? Penda's wars against Oswiu of Bernicia, c. 642 to c. 655}
    , year = {2016}
    , filename = {C:\\Users\\dbrea\\Google Drive\\Read\\History\\_Work\\Qiqqa export library 170319\\docs\\Dunshea2016 - The road to Winw\aed- Penda-s wars against Oswiu of Bernicia, c. 642 to c. 655.pdf}
    , file = {Dunshea2016 - The road to Winw\aed- Penda-s wars against Oswiu of Bernicia, c. 642 to c. 655.pdf:docs/Dunshea2016 - The road to Winw\aed- Penda-s wars against Oswiu of Bernicia, c. 642 to c. 655.pdf:application/pdf}
    , autotags = {early anglo-saxon england;early middle ages;anglo-saxon;chronica minora saec;yorkshire;saxon;england;ireland;britons;historia;british;celtic;scotland;britain;anglian;northumbria;christianity;rome;london;gildas;frankish;latin;early anglo-saxon;anglo-saxon england;irish;early christian;north britain;historia brittonum}
    , keywords = {early anglo-saxon england;early middle ages;anglo-saxon;chronica minora saec;yorkshire;saxon;england;ireland;britons;historia;british;celtic;scotland;britain;anglian;northumbria;christianity;rome;london;gildas;frankish;latin;early anglo-saxon;anglo-saxon england;irish;early christian;north britain;historia brittonum}
    }

    What's wrong with that please? Zotero just refuses it and won't load any more after it (which is a bit of a bug if you ask me! It should just skip it and load the rest, surely)

    Is it the backslash in the middle of the filename - Winw\aed ? I haven't tried editing it ...

    Thanks in advance.

    David
  • yes, it has to be that backslash (which is illegal in Windows filenames, I though). Does your file actually have that in the filename or is that a product of Quiqqa doing something weird.
  • Must be Qiqqa - the proper filename is
    C:\Users\dbrea\Google Drive\Read\History\_Work\Qiqqa export library 170319\docs\Dunshea2016 - The road to Winwæd- Penda-s wars against Oswiu of Bernicia, c. 642 to c. 655.pdf
    but that itself is a Qiqqa-manufactured filename, not my original filename.

    Wish I'd noticed that earlier. Anyway, Zotero looks good. I've just finished attaching files where necessary.

    Thanks for your help Adam, much appreciated. It's not often you get one of the software authors providing support!
  • excellent; glad that worked.

    (While I have contributed some code on the margins of Zotero, I don't think I could by any stretch claim to be one of its authors; Zotero's creators, too, actively provide support here, though)
Sign In or Register to comment.