Upgrade Storage1.5 feature req: tag while creating item from right click; collection/library view improvements
1) it would speed the early/ad-hoc creation/sorting of found materials if the Zotero UI offered a way to quickly add comma-delimited tags to the selection -- see the Google implementation of their Bookmarklet and their Notebook browser addin.
2) if the collections list had, in addition to the overall "My Library" view, a 'unfiled' collection so that recent or un-categorized items could be quickly identified & sorted, that would also speed the organization of raw research items.
3) a similar function could be attained by adding an column header attribute to the central item list pane for "collection", it would be seen from there if any item did not belong to any collection except 'my library' (which I suppose wouldn't need to be there, as it is implied).
2) if the collections list had, in addition to the overall "My Library" view, a 'unfiled' collection so that recent or un-categorized items could be quickly identified & sorted, that would also speed the organization of raw research items.
3) a similar function could be attained by adding an column header attribute to the central item list pane for "collection", it would be seen from there if any item did not belong to any collection except 'my library' (which I suppose wouldn't need to be there, as it is implied).
2 or 3 might be interesting, but not super necessary - if you select a collection (which you may call "unfiled" while downloading references, all of the references will go to that specific collection. From there you can then file them where and however you want to.
This effect remains if you minimize the Zotero pane.
1) While I may set out to research a single topic (read: collection), it is almost always the case I come across something tangential or orthogonal to that search which I'd like to capture "in stream" without needing to re-scan the list in "My Library" of collections at a later date - if the UI process flow enabled to enter or pass either target collection(s) to which to assign the item, or to assign arbitrary strings of tags, that would represent a significant efficiency gain over the current structure.
2) If I'm uncertain or not ready to assign an item to a collection or a tag to an item, then I should be able to find in one place, all those things which have no collection (or tags?). I would agree (viz) it a little bit perverse to create an attribute to find/identify those things which don't have attributes.
Re: #1, I'm not clear exactly what your request is. Right-click on the newly created item, or right-click on the address bar icon? There was a feature in a very early (possibly non-public) build of Zotero that allowed you to right-click on the address bar icon and choose a collection to save to. This doesn't work anymore, but, if restored, it might be handy for people browsing with the Zotero pane closed. For adding tags, there's currently a bug in that, if you have the tag selector open, the field in the right pane loses focus after you hit Return, which prevents quick entry, though it works properly if the tag selector is closed. There's not currently a way to get to the Tags tab via the keyboard, but there should be. I'm not sure it makes sense to add a tag entry option to the context menu, but there might be other options. You can, of course, drag items to the tag selector.
After selecting a section of a web page, right-clicking on the selected area offers a context menu which includes "Create Zotero Item and Note from Selection"
It's very speedy but goes immediately creates the item without offering an opportunity to tag or assign to collections right there in the workflow.
In my other feature request post concerning rich text for right-click to create notes, I mention the Google Notebook and Google Bookmark implementation, which have a small modal window which provides the chance to comment, tag or assign to categories.
For example, the Google bookmarklet works this way (if you are signed in to a Google account).
A video of the Google Notebook UI behavior can be seen here. The video does not show how focus remains in logical places if one is more attuned to the keyboard than the mouse.
While the distinction in behaviors may seem a mere nicety, when one is repeating an action over time so often, eliminating the need to change cursor/window focus or re-open an item saves tremendous time & increases the fluidity of the work. The cursor is automatically focused on the comments/tags area, and a nearby drop-down allows selection of category.
Thanks for considering the suggestions!