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I reinstalled Zotero just now, since it has a Mendeley importer now. What is the proper way to store PDFs that I annotate (say, using Okular in Linux) on Zoter

by zwaps 8y ago

I reinstalled Zotero just now, since it has a Mendeley importer now. What is the proper way to store PDFs that I annotate (say, using Okular in Linux) on Zotero with the ability to send them to other researchers and then update them? I don't mind paying money for cloud storage, but I gotta be able to work with the pdfs.

ekphrasis 8y ago
You can choose to set a custom PDF reader in the General tab of preferences --> Open PDF using --> custom [1]. Then you can annotate the file and save it. If Zotero creates a copy of the file when you save your annotations, you might need to use Show file by right clicking the article in Zotero and make changes to the file in Zotero's storage. In Linux, that'll be in ~/Zotero. [1] https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/1977/changing-the-default-pdf-reader https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/1977/changing-the-defau...
- dstillman 8y ago
  No need to use Show File. You can just open the PDF from Zotero, annotate, and save.
bovine3dom 8y ago
It's a bit of a pain, but you can store `~/.local/share/okular/docdata/` in version control or your favourite cloud storage provider, and then you'll get synchronised annotations. When I say a bit of a pain, I mean it - I switched to Mendeley with great sadness because its mobile application means I can read and annotate papers on my tablet and have it synchronised perfectly with my desktop. On a semi-related note: the Mendeley mobile application makes selecting text a joy on a touchscreen with a kind of magnifying glass. I really wish it was built into Android system wide.
- blattimwind 8y ago
  > you can store `~/.local/share/okular/docdata/` in version control What kind of annotations are that? I think GP refers to document annotations, which are stored in the PDF file itself.
  - bovine3dom 8y ago
    Annotations meaning notes, highlights, etc. If they are stored in the file itself, that's news to me. Last time I used it, Okular didn't modify the actual PDF and considered that a feature.
    - blattimwind 8y ago
      You have to explicitly save the file after making the annotations. I've been doing this for years with Okular, indeed, Okular having out-of-file annotations is news to me :)
      - bovine3dom 8y ago
        Oh, wow. That will make collaboration so much easier. I resorted to Adobe Reader on multiple occasions in the past... Thanks!

by zwaps 8y ago

ekphrasis 8y ago

You can choose to set a custom PDF reader in the General tab of preferences --> Open PDF using --> custom [1]. Then you can annotate the file and save it. If Zotero creates a copy of the file when you save your annotations, you might need to use Show file by right clicking the article in Zotero and make changes to the file in Zotero's storage. In Linux, that'll be in ~/Zotero. [1] https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/1977/changing-the-default-pdf-reader https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/1977/changing-the-defau...

dstillman 8y ago
No need to use Show File. You can just open the PDF from Zotero, annotate, and save.

bovine3dom 8y ago

It's a bit of a pain, but you can store `~/.local/share/okular/docdata/` in version control or your favourite cloud storage provider, and then you'll get synchronised annotations. When I say a bit of a pain, I mean it - I switched to Mendeley with great sadness because its mobile application means I can read and annotate papers on my tablet and have it synchronised perfectly with my desktop. On a semi-related note: the Mendeley mobile application makes selecting text a joy on a touchscreen with a kind of magnifying glass. I really wish it was built into Android system wide.

blattimwind 8y ago
> you can store `~/.local/share/okular/docdata/` in version control What kind of annotations are that? I think GP refers to document annotations, which are stored in the PDF file itself.
- bovine3dom 8y ago
  Annotations meaning notes, highlights, etc. If they are stored in the file itself, that's news to me. Last time I used it, Okular didn't modify the actual PDF and considered that a feature.
  - blattimwind 8y ago
    You have to explicitly save the file after making the annotations. I've been doing this for years with Okular, indeed, Okular having out-of-file annotations is news to me :)
    - bovine3dom 8y ago
      Oh, wow. That will make collaboration so much easier. I resorted to Adobe Reader on multiple occasions in the past... Thanks!