Can Zotero auto-import pdfs from a folder and attach them to the proper references?

wikipedian561
EndNote can do it , if the pdf has a doi number on the first few pages
: https://libguides.mandela.ac.za/c.php?g=1219099&p=8925892
  • poettli
    You can drag and drop PDFs in the main window: https://www.zotero.org/support/adding_items_to_zotero#adding_pdfs_and_other_files
    If you have a local PDF or other file on your computer — for example, if you received a file via email — you can drag it to Zotero, either onto an existing item to create a child attachment or between items to create a standalone attachment.
  • tim820
    You just drag the PDF(s) from your OS folder into Zotero and it will retrieve metadata for it (not just from DOI). If that metadata is available, a parent item will be created ...
    https://www.zotero.org/support/adding_items_to_zotero#adding_pdfs_and_other_files
  • wikipedian561
    edited October 8, 2024
    thank you all for your suggestions. The problem with your approach is that I have ca. 150,000 references in my EndNote, and about 50,000 of them have pdfs attached. I do not think I can live long enough to complete the pdf transfer manually like you suggested. Or did I misunderstood your proposed solution?
    If there is a a big need for the functionality, that I described above, I may be able to get a python program to do this task.
  • adamsmith
    Can you step back and describe what you're trying to do in specific rather than abstract terms? If you have an Endnote library that you want to get into Zotero with attachments, you should just be able to export/import that with attached PDFs, but I may be misunderstanding the issue.
  • wikipedian561
    I have an EndNote library with many full-text pdfs in it. I would like to convert this enl into a Zotero library, so that the pdfs from the EndNote are automatically transferred to Zotero.

    I spoke to EndNote TechSupport and I tried using some suggestions, that I found in online blogs, and my conclusion is: the process of exporting xml from EndNote and importing this xml into Zotero does not transfer pdf attachments. It also looks like the xml file does not have locations of the pdf attachments, thus why the pdfs do not get transferred.

    I think you correctly understand what I would like to do.
    If you are aware of a process, that can do it- please let me know about it.
  • wikipedian561
    What we discussed here earlier is an alternative route, where Zotero imports pdfs from an EndNote folder and recreates bibliodata for each imported pdf. The problem with this approach is, that Keywords (in particular, those which are added by Scopus or WoS and thus not present in the pdf) (+Authors Address etc.) from EndNote do not get transferred.
  • adamsmith
    This should work (note step 3, in particular) https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/endnote_import and if it doesn't, we almost certainly can make it work.
  • wikipedian561
    edited October 8, 2024
    Dear adamsmith, thank you for that weblink. This was the very first process, that I tried a few months ago. It did not work for me. PDF files did not get transferred.
    I would very much interesting in helping Zotero to make such library conversion possible.
    I have some experience with python (do I guess correctly, that Zotero is written in python?) and SQL, but not enough for such task. I can create EndNote libraries for testing.
  • adamsmith
    Zotero is mostly javascript. What we'd need is
    - and Endnote XML export of a single item that has a PDF attached in Endnote
    - the location of your Endnote data directory where you placed the .xml file during import
    - the exact filepath of the PDF attached to the Endnote item

    You can XXX out your username in all filepaths if you prefer. Please share the filepaths here and provide a link to the XML shared on gist.github.com, pastebin.com, or a similar code sharing site.
  • wikipedian561
    Hello again, and thank you for your reply. It may be a better idea to give you the ability to prepare your own EndNote libraries for testing. You can download EndNote 21 from here: https://endnote.com/free-trial/ and use it for free for 30 days.
    I can help you with using EndNote. I believe, that we both are in the EST (US Antlantic) time zone. Is it correct?
    I prepared a small enl library with 7 references for you to test. Besides pdfs I made epub and docx attachments in the Folder “Attachments” as shown below (see a docx file on the cloud).

    In order to guarantee the correct attachment transfer EndNote recommends using compressed enlx files, which is exactly what I made for you here: https://mega.nz/folder/iFBynQwD#ukHwCJ8FqieY84u5EgL2mw

    I would like to find out if attached files as well as the group structure can be transferred from EndNote to Zotero.

    Please let me know, if I can be of further help,
    Yuriy.
    PS: I also prepared an ENL library with references about EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero. This subject may be of interest to your colleagues, so please feel free to share it with others. I posted one here: https://mega.nz/folder/OQ5mVAzB#GKDaDmrwVpjB9HKaEEC71A
  • adamsmith
    If you want to try to fix this yourself, you're obviously welcome to do so in any way that works, but if you want my help, I really do have the best idea of what I need to do so.
    For a start, I have no interest in downloading and installing Endnote, but even if I did, working of your actual set up that we know isn't working is going to be much more efficient.
  • wikipedian561
    Hi, Adam, and thank for getting back.
    Regarding your original request:

    What we'd need is
    1) an Endnote XML export of a single item that has a PDF attached in Endnote
    >> please find it here: https://github.com/IpsilonTau/EndNote/upload C1_Zotero.xml
    2) the location of your Endnote data directory where you placed the .xml file during import
    >> when EndNote generates xml file, it is automatically placed into the same directory, where the .enl file is. In the case of my sample it is:
    F:\20-SOFTWARE\Zotero\Wiki_2_Zotero\SampleC


    3) the exact filepath of the PDF attached to the Endnote item.
    >> Here it is:
    F:\20-SOFTWARE\Zotero\Wiki_2_Zotero\SampleC\C1_Zotero.Data\PDF\2826456017
    I think in the xml file this path is written as
    internal-pdf://2826456017/Abbott-2012- Can nuclear power supply the worl.pdf
     Please let me know, if I can be of more help,
    Yuriy.
    PS:
    From EndNote to Zotero with attachments and group+subgroups.
  • wikipedian561
    One other thing: You did not ask me where the group structure (folders and subfolders) are stored in the xml file. Does it mean, that you do not think , that it would NOT be possible to transfer the group structure from EndNote into Zotero?
  • adamsmith
    Zotero's import replaces the internal-pdf:// with PDF/ and treats the resulting as a relative path from the current location of the Endnote XML file. In other words, you'll want to move the XML file to the C1_Zotero.Data folder before starting the import. Test with the sample file to make sure this works, but it almost certainly will.
Sign In or Register to comment.