Issue with tablet annotations in Xodo showing up in Zotero PDF reader

nicole.marone
I have Zotfile installed and set to two folders on OneDrive - a tablet folder and general reference folder (explained below). How do you get the annotations from Xodo to show up in the Zotero PDF reader? It does not show up for me. Here is my process:

1. In Zotero, right click on PDF > Manage Attachments > Send to Tablet.
This takes the file that is linked in my "General Reference" folder on OneDrive and
sends it to my "Tablet" folder on OneDrive.
2. On Tablet, edit in Xodo.
This allows me to add annotations to the document that is now in my "Tablet" folder
on OneDrive.
3. In Zotero, right click on PDF > Manage Attachments > Get from Tablet.
This should replace the file in my "General Reference" folder with the now annotated
document from my "Tablet" folder. However, When I then click to view the PDF in
Zotero, no annotations appear.

Am I missing a step?
  • adamsmith
    Check if the file in Zotero shows annotations in any other reader (like Acrobat). If it doesn't the issue would be with ZotFile's get from tablet -- sounds like you're using that right, so hard to say why it wouldn't be working but it also doesn't seem like it'll exist in Zotero 7 (since ZotFile won't be compatible and the replacement add-on has signalled they won't implement this).
  • Hopsakee
    I have the same problem I think. But with other tablet en software. I use a Boox tablet with the Neo Reader. I checked if the annotations are in the file that is stored in Zotero, after I made annotations on BOOX and did the 'Get From Tablet' action.
    The annotations do exist in that file. I used Foxit PDF reader to confirm that.

    But, if I understand adamsmith correctly, we won't be able to import PDF notes from other PDF readers from Zotero 7 and onwards. Is that correct.

    For me, that would be a massive bummer. I love to read on my Boox ereader. Like it a lot more than behind my PC in Zotero. And the android app that is on the horizon probably won't help much, since it's an ereader I use and most Android apps don't work on it because of the black/white instead of colors.
  • adamsmith
    edited January 26, 2024
    I have the same problem I think. But with other tablet en software. I use a Boox tablet with the Neo Reader. I checked if the annotations are in the file that is stored in Zotero, after I made annotations on BOOX and did the 'Get From Tablet' action.
    No, if the annotations show up, then the issue is with the annotation format used and it's worth exploring in a separate thread. You'd want to describe what type of annotation you're using and share a link to a file.
    But, if I understand adamsmith correctly, we won't be able to import PDF notes from other PDF readers from Zotero 7 and onwards. Is that correct.
    Not it's not correct. Zotfile's "get from tablet" functionality likely won't exist (unless someone builds an add-on, which is not harder than it was with previous versions). Importing pdf annotations is a core Zotero feature since Zotero 6 and will remain so.
  • nicole.marone
    Thanks Adam for your response. The document from my "Tablet" folder opens in Adobe Acrobat with the annotations. The document in the "General Reference" folder does not have the annotations, so it does not get replaced by the annotated document. Your hunch was correct that it's the "get from tablet" that is dysfunctional for some reason. But if the "get from tablet" function will likely not exist with the new version, I might not even bother trying to understand why this isn't working...
  • adamsmith
    The one simple thing worth checking is that the file to be replaced isn't open (in Zotero or elsewhere). That would definitely lead get from tablet to fail
  • Hopsakee
    Thanks adamsmith for your reply. I'll start another post.

    And you're right of course, about zotfile 'get from tablet' is something different than getting annotations out of a PDF. Could have figured that out myself.
    It's still a pity though, that this option will disappear. At least for me. It makes the workflow Zotero - ereader - Zotero simple. But with the very goed PDF reader within Zotero, I get that this is a feature not many people use anymore.
  • ulahcherubim
    edited January 28, 2024
    There are workarounds can be used in Zotero 7. If you are using a cloud service to store your PDFs with Zotfile replacement Attanger plugin (this plugin is very similar to Zotfile and easy to set up), you can dedicate a collection for the tablet files. When you want to send something to tablet, you can simply put the item in this collection, then right click on the item and select "Move attachment" menu of Attanger. Now the file is in that dedicated folder on your cloud. You can use this folder as your tablet folder in tablets.

    For Boox devices, I didn't find native sync of Onyx reliable. So I set up Syncthing to sync the tablet collection folder in my Google Drive with a folder on Boox tablet and set the library of Boox to include that folder. It is pretty easy. (Syncthing needs background and battery optimization exceptions to work though) If many people need this kind of workflow, maybe I can prepare a detailed guide for it.

    One extra point for Xodo: After you set up cloud syncing via Attanger in Zotero 7, you can use Xodo's built-in cloud service access, which I use at the moment. You can also use Syncthing but I find Xodo's built-in access a bit more frictionless.
  • FeralFlora
    @hopsakee Are you sure Foxit PDF isn't the issue? It uses a non-traditional annotation format that can cause issues.
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