Zotero compatibility for Papis

Installation

Pip

To install the latest release from PyPI

python -m pip install papis-zotero

To install the latest development version

python -m pip install papis-zotero@https://github.com/papis/papis-zotero.git#egg=papis-zotero

Nix

For Nix and NixOS users, a Nix flake is included in this repository and can be used to install the package. There are many ways of doing so, for instance like so:

{
  pkgs,
  inputs,
  ...
}: {
  home.packages = with pkgs; [
    (
      python3.withPackages
      (
        ps: [
          inputs.papis.packages.${system}.default
          inputs.papis-zotero.packages.${system}.default
          # you can add other packages you might want to make available for papis
          # ps.jinja2
        ]
      )
    )
    # Here you can list other packages, such as
    # typst
    # hayagriva
    # zotero_7
  ];
}

Arch

Arch users can use the AUR to install the package.

Importing from Zotero SQLite (preferred)

Zotero also maintains a database of all its files and collections under a zotero.sqlite file. You can check where this file is located by going to Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Data Directory Location (may vary depending on the Zotero version). The Zotero data directory should contain the zotero.sqlite file and a storage directory with the files for each document.

The SQLite database maintained by Zotero can be imported directly (without using a BibTeX export) by papis-zotero. This can be done with:

papis zotero import --from-sql-folder <ZOTERO_DATA_DIRECTORY>

Here, ZOTERO_DATA_DIRECTORY is the folder containing the zotero.sqlite file. By default, papis-zotero will add the imported documents to your current library directory, but it can be customized using the --outfolder argument.

Importing from BibTeX (alternative)

Zotero can export different variants of BibTeX or BibLaTeX files (from Files > Export Library). You could import the resulting .bib file directly with Papis (with the papis bibtex command), but papis-zotero provides a specialised command. This command has better support for special Zotero fields. To import a given exported library run:

papis zotero import --from-bibtex library.bib

BibTeX files exported by Zotero can include attached files as shown in the below example:

@article{Einstein1905Photon,
    author = { A. Einstein },
    doi = { 10.1002/andp.19053220607 },
    journal = { Ann. Phys. },
    pages = { 132--148 },
    title = { Über einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes
        betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt },
    file = { Full Text:path/to/some/relative/file.pdf },
    volume = { 322 },
    year = { 1905 },
}

Given this, papis-zotero will interpret the path of the file entry as a relative path to the library.bib passed to the import command using --from-bibtex. The files are skipped if they do not exist at the expected location.

By default, papis-zotero will add the documents to your current library. When initially importing a big library, it is recommended to always import it into a scratch folder, so that you can verify the import. This can be easily done using:

papis zotero import --from-bibtex library.bib --outfolder some/folder/lib

When you are ready you can move this folder to a final Papis library.

Using Zotero connectors

This plugin can also connect to a Zotero connector browser plugin. First, such a plugin should be installed from the Zotero website. Then, make sure that Zotero itself is not running (and connected to the connector) and run:

papis zotero serve

Papis now starts listening to your browser for incoming data. Whenever you click the Zotero button to add a paper, papis-zotero will add this paper to the Papis library instead.

Development

This project uses pyproject.toml and hatchling for its build system. To develop the code, it is recommended to start up a virtual environment and install the project in editable mode using, e.g.:

python -m pip install -e '.[develop]'

After installation, always check that the command is correctly recognized, e.g. by looking at the help output

papis zotero --help

If you use the Nix flake, you can also use the included devShell with nix develop.