Using an External PDF Reader with iOS App
Could someone please clarify how to deal with the external pdf reader with the iOS app of Zotero?
Questions:
1. How to open the file with an external app
2. How to import back/save to Zotero iOS app?
Possible Answer:
1. Use the export/share button
2. Export to Zotero. But in this case, I also have to (1) move the pdf inside the correct place (below its original metadata), (2) rename it appropriately since it automatically adds the "- 2" at the end and (3) delete the older pdf. Another issue is that the imported pdf is not recognised with its metadata, and indexing doesn't work.
Is there a better way?
Questions:
1. How to open the file with an external app
2. How to import back/save to Zotero iOS app?
Possible Answer:
1. Use the export/share button
2. Export to Zotero. But in this case, I also have to (1) move the pdf inside the correct place (below its original metadata), (2) rename it appropriately since it automatically adds the "- 2" at the end and (3) delete the older pdf. Another issue is that the imported pdf is not recognised with its metadata, and indexing doesn't work.
Is there a better way?
Although one pailful workaround on iPads that I found was to:
(1) open PDF inside Zotero
(2) copy to PDF Expert, or other external PDF viewers
(3) make edits
(4) email edited PDF back to myself
(5) open edited PDF on PC/Mac via email, and drag back to Zotero
ZotFile can streamline the process of reading and annotating your Zotero attachments on a iPad or Android tablet using a pdf annotation app. It sends pdfs to and gets them back from the tablet, renames and sorts them into subfolders so that you can find them, and extracts the annotations and highlighted text to a Zotero note.
1. Open the PDF on Zotero and share to GoodNotes (include annotations if you already have some)
2. Read and highlight/annotate the PDF in Goodnotes
3. Once you are done, share from GoodNotes to Zotero (include annotations obviously)
4. The PDF will appear as a separate entry in the library. Drag and drop it onto the original entry, and it will be moved there. Tap on 'i' to check that there should now be two PDFs for the same entry
5. Delete the old PDF from that entry by long press and 'Move to Trash'
That's it!
I use GoodNotes but I believe it should be similar for LiquidText etc.
It would be much easier, though, if we could opt within Zotero for having all annotations written directly into the PDF. The current 'database method' might have some other advantages for some workflow, but I do need to use all annotated PDFs in other applications (or simple preview), without having to remember to produce some kind of export. I do hope this will become possible in future versions.
I too chose Zotero out of all the other reference managers out there for it's ability to integrate, but major competitor Evernote is sweeping the floor with it's note functionality...it's a shame.