188BET靠谱吗Zotero PDF Reader - Compatibility with External PDF Readers

ZenonMarko

Hello, all -

188BET靠谱吗If I understand correctly, annotation sync-ing between external PDF app and Zotero's PDF viewer is uni-directional: highlighting and notes added in the external PDF app are viewable (but not editable) in Zotero's PDF viewer (there is a little lock symbol in the annotation list).188BET靠谱吗They only become editable in Zotero if one chooses File: Import Annotations.188BET靠谱吗In contrast, Zotero annotations (highlighting and notes) do not seem to show up at all in an external PDF app, unless one first chooses File:Export Annotations in Zotero.

188BET靠谱吗(NB: The Important Annotations and Export Annotations menu commands do not appear if the PDF is opened in a separate window in Zotero.Can this be modified so those menu items are available even with PDFs in separate windows?)

188BET靠谱吗This takes some acclimatization on my part, and now I am not sure I will find the internal Zotero PDF functionality so useful.At least on my initial impression, and under assumption that I will still frequently use an external PDF app (usually Acrobat, sometimes Preview), I would prefer that the standard annotation approach of saving within the PDF be used so changes made in any environment appear in all the others.188BET靠谱吗I see there were technical reasons to take this proprietary approach ("Annotations are stored in the Zotero database, not in the PDF file, which allows for much more advanced functionality as well as fast syncing" - 188BET靠谱吗//www.brodersterzo.com/support/pdf_reader_preview)

188BET靠谱吗• Is it possible to have a preference that Zotero uses the standard PDF annotation approach (saving in the PDF file rather than in the PDF database), for easy interchange/compatibility with external PDF readers?

188BET靠谱吗Failing that, may we have a preference to automatically Import Citations when opening the PDF in Zotero, and automatically Export Citations when closing the PDF in Zotero?

Thank you as always for consideration of these ideas.

astroHao

Me too would like an option to auto import and export annotations.

I guess this should require more resources and can be unreliable or unstable.
Also, since it involves with some "more advanced functionality and fast syncing", I would say add an hidden advanced option may be the best solution, letting advanced users take their own risks.

ZenonMarko

@astroHaoYes, I imagine the developers will prefer to avoid this option, as it's risky.188BET靠谱吗Namely, what happens if a user ends up having the document open simultaneously in both the Zotero PDF reader and an external PDF reader?

188BET靠谱吗Maybe it's possible to have Zotero give an error dialogue if the PDF is open in another reader.188BET靠谱吗Ideally that error would appear as soon as one tries to open the PDF in Zotero, and also when one tries to export the annotations from Zotero.

188BET靠谱吗However, the external PDF reader would not give any such error message if the PDF id also open in Zotero....

astroHao

@ZenonMarkoYeah you're right.But I guess either way will be impractical.To detect if the file is being edited by another process should be a OS-related editing lock or something similar.

I don't see an easy solution to this potential confliction.That's the main reason I will stick to an external reader.If it provides a hidden option to auto export to PDF files, I may have a try with the build-in reader.

Kobuster

+1 for this.It messes with my Obsidian integration that I cant embedd the annotations into the file itself.

dstillman

@Kobuster: It's not going to happen:

188BET靠谱吗//www.brodersterzo.com/support/kb/annotations_in_database

188BET靠谱吗This isn't necessary for integrating Zotero and Obsidian — there are various plugins for that.