Couple of improvements for Word plug in

shane.lindsay
1. Keyboard shortcuts for activation, especially for insert reference. I have a macro setup to do this, but obviously keyboard shortcuts would be nicer, if possible.
2. Set initial focus to search field. Right now, initial tab is broken - you have to use mouse to focus on search box, where tab will then work.
3. Have an option (which I would set as default) to only show references - I don't want to insert references to pdf's, notes etc...and it would make it easier to select references if these didn't appear.
4. Include an option for in text references (references where the author name/s appear outside of brackets, while the date remains in bracket). If you go back an manually edit the field, when a refresh is prompted any changes get wiped. This means that if you use Zotero, only solution is to delete all field codes at end of your document once you have generated the bib, and then go back and change all your in text references.
Obviously there is a lot of work still be done to match the functionality of the Endnote word citation tool, but until no.4 is resolved I won't be using the zotero word tool.
  • CB

    4. Include an option for in text references (references where the author name/s appear outside of brackets, while the date remains in bracket). If you go back an manually edit the field, when a refresh is prompted any changes get wiped. This means that if you use Zotero, only solution is to delete all field codes at end of your document once you have generated the bib, and then go back and change all your in text references.
    Agreed. Furthermore, as I've pointed out in an earlier thread (http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/547/edit-a-citation/#Item_4), there are many in-text formats often required for reasonably fluid writing. I've never used Endnote, so I don't know how it handles such things, but the apacite module for BibTeX does a good job of providing a reasonably comprehensive set.
  • sybille
    edited August 30, 2007
    3. Have an option (which I would set as default) to only show references - I don't want to insert references to pdf's, notes etc...and it would make it easier to select references if these didn't appear.
    I agree with this one. You might try the workaround with a Saved Search folder that ezralogo suggested in another thread:
    http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/1146/option-to-display-only-toplevel-items-in-search-results/#Item_4
    It's improved the situation for me, in any case.

    For #1, I think it may be a word processor issue. In OpenOffice.org Writer, which I use, it is possible to bind the Zotero insert citation macro to a key press. For example, I'm using F4, and it works just fine. Could you associate the macro you're using with a keyboard shortcut? It's been a while since I've used MS Word on a regular basis, but I seem to remember this being possible.

    I definitely agree with #4, that more flexibility for adding additional text to citations is needed, for Note styles as well as Author-Date styles.

    (I edited this to take out some thoughts about issue #2 because I realized that I don't have the problem as a side effect of a particular configuration I'm using. This is on Linux and isn't really relevant here.)
  • jimdelaney
    I agree that much of Zotero is now mature enough for day to day use, except for the Word plugin. In addition to providing the date outside of the author name, pagenumbers are a must. I personally think that these two are *must haves* if Zotero really wants to call itself a 1.0 product (they are necessary parts of the workflow that it seeks to support, not nice additions).

    For now, I have shifted most of my work into Zotero but export references to Bookends to deal with the actual citation.

    But congrats to the developers on all of the work that they've done to date. Zotero really is a first class product!
  • bdarcus
    edited August 30, 2007
    I agree that much of Zotero is now mature enough for day to day use, except for the Word plugin. In addition to providing the date outside of the author name, pagenumbers are a must.
    Huh? Cited pages are already supported!
  • jimdelaney
    My bad. I completely missed the feature. I am now officially in love with Zotero. Thanks.
  • shane.lindsay
    Just tried the new word plug-in - it fixes my point 4 as it allows you to suppress author name and just show date in brackets, and has fields for adding prefixes suffixes, and page numbers, which are much needed and appreciated additions. While there is still a way to go to match endnote/ref manager, and there is room for usability improvements (points 1-3), this new feature should make the plug-in usable so I will try it in my next paper, as would rather not use endnote if I don't have to.
  • MiikaH
    # 1 is indeed a word processor issue. In Word, choose Tools --> Customize --> Keyboard, pick "Macros" from the Categories list, pick (e.g.) "ZoteroInsertCitation" from the Macros list. Write your shortcut key sequence of choice (e.g. F4) where it says "Press new shortcut key", --> Assign --> Close.

    Took me a good while to figure this out, so I'll post this for other newbies even though it's a matter of knowing how to use Word rather than Zotero...
  • RintzeRintze
    With regard to #1, it is possible to change the plugin itself so that certain shortcut keys are mapped automatically to certain macros (such as a reference insert):

    http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa221991(office.11).aspx
    http://www.vbaexpress.com/kb/getarticle.php?kb_id=621

    In that case users wouldn't have to customizes the shortcuts in Word themselves.
  • dstillman
    With regard to #1, it is possible to change the plugin itself so that certain shortcut keys are mapped automatically to certain macros (such as a reference insert)
    That's good to know, but does anyone actually have suggestions for possible shortcuts that wouldn't conflict with other commands on most users' machines?
  • RintzeRintze
    Endnote uses Alt+numeral shortcuts:

    http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/library/endnote/faq/index.html#What_are

    Alt + 1: Go to EndNote/return to Word
    Alt + 2: Insert Citation(s)
    Alt + 3: Format Bibliography
    Alt + 4: Unformat Citation(s)
    Alt + 5: Edit library references
    Alt + 6: Edit citation
    Alt + 7: Find citation
    Alt + 8: Export Travelling Library
    Alt + 9: Cite While You Write Preferences
    Alt + 0: Insert note

    I don't know if these are already assigned to something else in Word. One solution could be to map standard shortcuts, with the option to disable shortcuts in the plugin preferences. Alternatively, you could allow users to map their own keybindings.
  • bdarcus
    Just a reminder that Word isn't the only word-processor supported by Zotero, nor Windows the only operating system ;-)

    I don't know about Word, but OOo already allows one to attach a macro to a key binding. I presume Word does the same.

    Perhaps a good first step, then, would be for those users here interested in this feature to create the bindings themselves and test them to make sure a) they work well and b) they don't conflict with existing default bindings. Then report back?
  • RintzeRintze
    edited July 30, 2009
    Just a reminder that Word isn't the only word-processor supported by Zotero, nor Windows the only operating system ;-)
    True. It's just that I'm not aware of any other word processor plugin that allows you to insert citations and bibliographies with shortcuts other than the Cite While You Write-system used by Endnote (and probably also by Reference Manager and ProCite). And to make the transition for these users as easy as possible, my preference would be to use the same set of shortcuts.
    Perhaps a good first step, then, would be for those users here interested in this feature to create the bindings themselves and test them to make sure a) they work well and b) they don't conflict with existing default bindings. Then report back?
    I guess the shortcuts work pretty well for Word, otherwise Endnote wouldn't have settled on them. There would be a problem of course if you have both the plugins from Endnote and Zotero installed.

    Furthermore, I was thinking about what would be involved in allowing the user to change the shortcuts via a Zotero pref window, and it wouldn't be straightforward. We would need to capture the shortcuts in Firefox (as all custom Zotero windows in Word are Firefox windows) and transmit these shortcuts to Word. It is probably sufficient if we just rely on the interface of Word to change shortcuts.
  • RintzeRintze
    As an additional comment, the standard shortcuts of OpenOffice Writer are listed in the files below, and the Alt+numeral shortcuts do not appear to be assigned to anything by default.

    http://documentation.openoffice.org/manuals/oooauthors2/0118GS-KeyboardShortcuts.pdf
    http://documentation.openoffice.org/manuals/oooauthors2/0219WG-KeyboardShortcuts.pdf
  • bmcm
    A long time ago, Sybille wrote here:
    In OpenOffice.org Writer, which I use, it is possible to bind the Zotero insert citation macro to a key press. For example, I'm using F4, and it works just fine. Could you associate the macro you're using with a keyboard shortcut? [...] This is on Linux [...]
    I'm struggling to do exactly this (on an ubuntu linux platform) and can't figure it out. I go into "Tools | Customize | Keyboard" but can't find any zotero macros mentioned anywhere in "Functions" (and yes, the zotero plugin is definitely installed and working ;-) Any more detailed instructions would be appreciated!
  • phsamuel
    Yeah, same problem as bmcm also. It seems that one should be able to add the shortcut. But simply can't find the macro inside "Tools | customize | Keyboard".
  • markbfm
    I have been using Zotero with Word 2003 on XP ever since the Word plug-in was made available and have had no issues with assigning keyboard shortcuts via Tools|Customize|Keyboard.

    I use the following:
    Alt+C inserts citation
    Alt+E edits citation
    Alt+R refreshes
    Alt+L builds the reference list/bibliography
    Alt+M edit bibliography
  • oct4
    bmcm / phsamuel - for shortcuts in OO3 in Linux (Ubuntu Hardy), you can find the Zotero fcts under OO macros / user / Zotero / Zotero - scroll right down to the bottom of the list
  • sidies
    I'm using openoffice3 on windows vista right now, and I can't find any zotero commands in the keyboard shortcut menu. Zotero is installed and working, and I have a zotero toolbar visible and fully functional.
    I have systematically gone through every function in the list under Tools | Customise | Keyboard, and the word "zotero" does not appear anywhere.
    Does anyone have any suggestions?
  • adamsmith
    I believe that changed with the new plugin. This thread may have something:
    http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/16910/shortcuts-in-libreoffice-plugin/#Item_7
  • sidies
    Thanks very much adamsmith! That's solved my problem.
This discussion has been closed.