Zotfile and default PDF application on Mac

shermanwilcox
edited June 7, 2017
I'm just now discovering the ability to use extracted annotation links to open the PDF and go to the annotated page. What an incredibly useful feature!

I see zotfile works with Preview and Skim on Mac. My preferred reader is PDF Expert (Readdle). Is it possible to use a hidden preference to set the default to PDF Expert (I'm suspecting it isn't AppleScript-able enough)?
  • shermanwilcox
    Well, somewhat answering my own question: substituting "PDF Expert" for "Preview" in the zotfile expansion setting in config (sorry, can't remember the exact name of that setting) does work: it takes me to the correct page in PDF Expert.

    However, it also pops up a blank window named "Zotero". Annoying, but not a killer. Maybe Skim is the way to go for quick referencing of annotation links from Zotero/Zotfile, and I'll continue to use PDF Expert for my normal PDF workflow (it works well with iCloud and PDF Expert on my other iDevices).
  • bwiernik
    Skim annotations can't be extracted by Zotfile because it uses a non-standard annotation system.
  • shermanwilcox
    Thanks, bwiernik, that's good to know. My PDF Expert annotations are extracted well, it seems so far.
  • cjpoor
    If you export a pdf With embedded notes from Skim these can be extracted by Zotfile. When I do this I add an _N to the end of the file name (so that it doesn't overwrite the original pdf), make sure it is saved in the storage folder it came from, make sure it is an attachment to the parent item and then extract annotations.
  • cjpoor
    This thread on Stackexchange links to a script for helping with embedded notes:
    https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/211428/need-script-to-automatically-export-skim-pdfs-with-embedded-notes/237587#237587

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