Zotero 5 – plugin creation

Hi,

I have been using Calibre for a while now, but recently I also started using Zotero. I have searched for quite a while for a way to connect these 2 programs as each has features which I need. Previously I did not have the time to learn JavaScript in order to make a plugin that would provide the integration I need. But given that Zotero has moved to standalone program, which I assume is now being coded in C/C++, language which I am already familiar with, I can try to code the plugin.

My plan for syncing both programs is somewhat simple:
1 - at Zotero start it would take a bib export from Calibre (using its CLI) and check for any library difference, if any it would then import the items which are missing from Zotero and/or import into Calibre the items it is missing.
2 - every time an item is added to Zotero, at the end of the import routine Zotero would make use of Calibre CLI to import the item into Calibre.

My problem, and the reason for this post, is that due to Zotero change I am not sure if the plugin documentation (https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding) is still valid. Does anyone know if it is still valid or if it is being re-written? I would also appreciate any advice/critique on the syncing flow I roughly described above.

Regards
  • edited September 14, 2017
    Zotero is still coded in JavaScript and runs Firefox extensions. (The standalone version has been around since 2011 and always shared the same codebase as the Firefox version. The only difference is that the Firefox version is no longer available.)
  • Your proposed Zotero plug-in would be a great supplement to the Calibre "Zotero Metadata Importer" plug-in. ZMI imports both Zotero metadata and Zotero file attachments into Calibre as "books". ZMI also exports metadata from Calibre to an RIS file that is specifically configured to be imported into Zotero as a "book" item type.

    The ZMI plug-in for Calibre is hosted at: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3339192
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