IOS Unable to Edit Entry in Zotero Library

mdsimants
I used the iOS Share Sheet in the Files App to add a downloaded pdf to my Zotero library. I selected the destination folder and entered a couple of tags. The file arrived in the correct Zotero folder, but without the tags. The Item Type shows "Attachment."

I then click on the (i) to see the information for the Item and then on Edit to change the information. It only allows me to change the Title. When I click (using the touchpad on the Magic Keyboard or my finger directly on the screen) on any other field it ignores that I made an effort to go to that field.
  • mdsimants
    Forgot to say I’m on version 1.0.7 Build 5 on iOS 16.2
  • mdsimants
    Sorry, I realize my mistake was to not use the "Create Parent Item" option.
  • JimGrisham
    edited November 17, 2022
    You did not make a mistake.

    Field editing on iOS for ~attachments without parent items~ ('Accessed' & 'URL' fields) was still working as of the latest 1.0.4 Testflight build.

    It no longer works in 1.0.6, 1.0.7 from build #2, or 1.0.8. I'm not sure of 1.0.5. (This ~might~ be related to a Zotero iOS bug where pasted text was being entered into fields other than the selected field.)

    This is a regression and will need to be fixed.

    Adding URLs to attachments added on iOS will be necessary for some users. If the Zotero iOS share sheet would do that automatically, some users might still wish to edit that data without needing a computer.
  • dstillman
    edited November 16, 2022
    It's not a regression — it was a bug that it was allowed.

    The URL and access date for attachments has never been editable on the desktop and isn't meant to be editable on iOS either. All those fields tell you is where the attachment was originally downloaded from and when it happened. Actual metadata goes on the parent item.
  • JimGrisham
    edited November 23, 2022
    Correction to the above... it appears to have changed between 1.0.7 build 1 and 1.0.7 build 2.

    Any URLs entered in previous builds are still visible (and colored / highlighted as such)in later ones, but they are ~not~ clickable in 1.0.7 Build 2 and later (up to, and including, the most recent build showing, 1.0.8 Build 2).


    Even if it was a 'bug', that 'bug' provided a very useful feature that allowed a workaround to currently missing functionality:
    The entered URL is not currently captured for attachments added to Zotero via the iOS 'share sheet', when Zotero adds a PDF and does not automatically create a parent item.
    - (If a parent item was ~always~ automatically created, and the URL was recorded there, this would be less of an issue.)
    Is there a reason why URL and 'Access date' aren't (or can't be)automatically captured and saved by the process on iOS?
    - (It seems that in at least some cases, Zotero is being passed a URL to download, instead of already-downloaded data, so it should have access to that data.)


    If there is going to be no way to enter data in those fields in the future, they shouldn't be visible at all (especially when blank).


    Having the URL saved provides at least two benefits:

    1. It can provide added context when later creating a parent item with the 'desktop' version of Zotero (e.g.: due to URL redirects and CMS/CDNs, often actual downloaded 'filenames' these days contain few, if any, actual words).

    2. When viewing a entry on the Zotero website, the URL can be used to re-download or access the file from the live internet (I've never personally used this, but it is a nice feature for those using WebDAV for storage who can't open the attachment from the Zotero web interface to see what might be inside of 'JH24GShj9A.pdf').
  • JimGrisham
    Related:
    [iOS] Possible to automatically save source URL when saving a PDF?

    - June 28, 2022
  • dstillman
    Right, so then those fields not being automatically populated as they are on the desktop is the problem. We'll see if we can fix that. (We can fix access date, obviously. Not sure about URL.)

    And we'll fix tappability for attachment URLs.
  • JimGrisham
    Minor update:
    URLs can be tapped on the 'info' screen, but not from the 'edit' screen.
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