Ammar, to say that I am grateful would be an understatement. I am a Master's student and just started working on my thesis. I just got into Zotero and Obsidian. Your template has already been greatly beneficial to me and I am very thankful to you for having taken the time to help us with this. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your detailed exploration of integrating Zotero and Obsidian! Your thorough explanation on how to enhance research and note-taking experience using these tools is greatly appreciated. It's evident that you have put a lot of effort into providing a comprehensive guide for boosting productivity.
I cannot believe the template worked! I have tried various method with different youtuber. this is the first time the integration has worked. Thank you so much Ammar!!
Thank you Ammar. I have spent the last week trying to link Zotero with Obsidian (on Ubuntu) and failing. I uninstalled everything and started from scratch, following your instructions and it worked. So happy!
Thank you so much! This is a brilliantly competent video - tried a bunch of others and nothing worked. I would like to customise the template somewhat. For example, the title of the file/document is coming out like this 'zotero_annotationsharveyNewImperialismAccumulation2004' but the rest of my files are formatted 'harvey-david-2004-new-imperialism-accumulation-by-dispossession'. Can I customise it to come out in this format automatically? Also, the first letter of the paper after 'title: is blocked out and the writing is red which I would like to change. Lastly, how do you turn these notes from Zotero into atomic notes to fit into your Zettlekasten? (if you use one). Many many thanks - I look forward to hearing from you :)
Hi. Thank you for your feedback. Can you please tell me how “Output Path” is defined under “Import annotation” under “Import formats” in plugin settings. For atomic notes I follow QEC format for each atomic note. Question, Evidence, Conclusion. Each paper address more than one question usually. So i split them and then link them back to parent note.
Thank you very much for sharing the information. One question if I highlight again in zotero, I noticed that it doesn't update in obsidian automatically. Do I have to enter everything again?
The imports are not automatic. You can import again and it will add the new annotations separately in the same note while retaining the old ones. So you can keep track.
Great video! Could you provide a template which updates the annotations instead of adding them chronologically? When re-importing a paper, the template would then put all blue annotations under the heading "Background information, Prerequisites", regardless of when the annotation was (re-)imported, instead of creating a second heading "Background information, Prerequisites" with a new time stamp?
Latin characters (like ç á é í â ô etc) of PDF files (both highlights and notes) show in Zotero annotations. However, when importing the annotations to Obsidian the latin character in the notes disappear. The latin character of the highlights are Ok.
Great template and brilliant explanation!! I'm trying to tweak it a bit and was hoping you might be able to guide me if you have some time. I'd like to have the callouts be colored based on the Zotero highlight (instead of grey). I've searched a bit, even added a custom CSS but nothing seems to work. Any idea on how to implement this?
Hi Ammar, thank you for sharing your wonderful template. It works like magic!!! Just a quick question, how do I keep the self notes unchanged if I import the paper again? FYI, I inserted a couple of callouts in the self notes part (e.g., see the codes below). I would greatly appreciate it if you could sharing expertise. I am a PhD student in management. I would be happy to be of any help to you by any chance! > [!information] > Project:: > Keywords:: Just to clarify, when I import the paper for the second time, it will generate a new set of empty callouts because I have filled out the callouts. I guess it has to do with the persist code, but I don't know how to tell it to skip this part (i.e., self notes) on the second import. Update: Problem solved. It is actually written in the Templating section of the plug-in doc. I copied the original words below. "How do I prevent sections of my templates from being overwritten Each time you import data from the same Zotero entry, it will overwrite the existing markdown file. You can prevent this using the persist template tag. This can be used to create a section for notes: ## {{title}} ### Notes {% persist "notes" %}{% if isFirstImport %} - [ ] first thing - [ ] second thing {% endif %}things to add each time you import {% endpersist %} Which will create a markdown file that looks like: ## The Boring Billion, a slingshot for Complex Life on Earth ### Notes %% begin notes %% - [ ] first thing - [ ] second thing things to add each time you import %% end notes %% Any content added between %% begin notes %% and %% end notes %% will not be overwritten. Content between {% if isFirstImport %} and {% endif %} will not be overwritten. But things to add each time you import will be appended to the end of the notes section each time you import as follows: - [ ] first thing - [ ] second thing things to add each time you import things to add each time you import things to add each time you import ..."
how to add annotations from multiple zotero pdfs, so that the red annotaions from multiple pdfs are grouped together then the other highlight color from different pdfs and so on. instead of adding files one after one.
This video and script is very useful to me, thanks very much. I am still new to Obsidian so I can't quite figure it out myself yet, but does anyone knows how I could get the highlight boxes of each sections to appear in the color they have been highlighted rather than the default theme color? It'd help for quick referencing. Thanks!
You can change the format. All colors are already defined. But you have to change which color corresponds to what. I mean what does blue represents for you and so on. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, explain it to me and i will do it for you.
Thank you for your great work. How to change the colors? I mean if I want magenta for example to be my color for background information. How to do this?
If you open the template it contains two lists in the start "set Zotero colors" and "set colorHeading". You can play with these if you want to associate different color to a heading.
If you have stand-alone notes with a paper in zotero, you can import them by pressing Command/Ctl P and then selecting "Zotero Intergration: Import notes".
Ammar, this is great! Thank you ❤ I have two questions since I'm new to Zotero/obsidian set-up. 1) What is the purpose of self notes in the given template? Does it pull out any info from the zotero pdf database? 2)Do you have any workarounds to get highlights from epub formats?
The content within self notes will not be overwritten if you ever decide to re-import the annotations. These could be your thoughts on an article jot down within obsidian. If you will write anywhere else, it will be gone due to overwriting after the reimport. As far as epubs are concerned, the easiest method is to use calibre. You can highlight/annotate any ebook in calibre and export the annotations as markdown. However, the workflow is not automated. You have to manually export the annotations as markdown into your obsidian vault.
@@Ammarsays My content placed between the %% begin notes %% and %% end notes %% is being overwritten/cleaned upon re-import, so definitely check this before doing a complete batch import.
@@JochenPrinsen I am sorry to hear about the loss of your notes. I have checked again that the notes section persist upon reimport. Have you made any changes to the template? Can you share your template so I can test it out?
Thank you very much for this video. I've been trying to install everything you recommended and everything is working fine except the annotations and this is precisely what I want. Working with Mac. Any idea why annotations don't work ? thank you very much for your reply
Can you please describe the problem in detail? Which annotations are you using? Highlights, sticky notes or snapshots? And do you get any error or any output in the obsidian notes related to annotation when you import?
@@Ammarsays Hello thanks for your answer. I'm using highlights exactly like you show in the video. I've managed to make it work by using zotfile making the pdf's available in obsidian. But no colors and sometimes images are missing. I also need to make the annotations available in notes, otherwise it doesn't work anymore. Before using zotfile I had such message " " could not be found but not anymore with the pdf's in my vault.
Hi Ammar. There is one problem in the template: if I import 2 or more times with updated annotations of the same paper, the *Imported: {{importDate | format("YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm")}}* line goes directly under the previous line starting with '>', so in the reading view the imported message belongs to the block above. I tried to add blank lines in the templates but the empty line does not appear in the markdown file, Could you guide me how I can fix that?
Awesome - thank you so much. I am definitely using this for my studies. I just noticed that whenever I import new highlights and notes, the sentence that informs me about the date and time it was imported, is nested inside a callout that already contains information (highlights, notes or images). How can I change that? Again, thanks. I really appreciate this!
@@ylberi5530I have changed the heading levels to improve the nesting. The new imported notes are nested under the import date now. Please download the template again from the github. raw.githubusercontent.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/main/zotero_integration.md
I cant seem to understand how to put the template in the obsidian, please help. The Zotero thing is done but the first part of inserting the Template (you dragged a file and put it there) which file is it?
You can download the template from this link as save it as zotero_integration.md. raw.githubusercontent.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/main/zotero_integration.md
Hi, I have followed all the steps both plugins installed, howevery upon selecton of the article from zotero serch bar no note is getting created , I use windows 11 and zotero and obsidin latest versions. Howevery I am not able to do this
It can happen if your plugin is unable to locate the template file. Please put the template file in the same vault and check the path in the plugin settings. The search bar under "Template File" should be able to search the file.
Thank you so much for your kind reply. The template is accessible to obsidian. It is showing on the search bar on the path file. When I Use Zotero data explorer i can see the dialogue no data retrieved. In any event there no note is getting generated
@@arshad5433 Some latest updates of betterbibtex have caused this problem. Can you please check with an older release like 6.7.94, or reinstalling the Zotero Integration plugin?
As others have commented, I am having the same problem. I can get the zotero search bar to appear, however after pressing enter no output is present. I am using a Macbook Air M1, with obsidian 1.3.7 and Zotero 6.0.26
This issue is related to the Better Bibtex plugin. Remove the current one, install an older version (6.7.94 works perfect for me) and turn off automatic updates.
@@ferenckovacs6290 I really appreciate your input. I was able to reproduce the problem after an update of betterbibtex to 6.7.104. However after the update of betterbibtex, if I uninstall and reinstall the Zotero Integration plugin, it solves the problem. Can you please confirm?
@@Ammarsays I have tried the following: First, I updated my current Better BibTex version 6.7.94. to 6.7.104. and it worked perfectly fine Second, I uninstalled Better BibTex, followed by reinstalling the 6.7.103. version and then it doesn't work anymore, not even when reinstalling Zotero Integration So it seems that whatever causes the problem it was fixed with the 6.7.104. version
@@Ammarsays @ferenckovacs6290 I can confirm that after updating betterbibtex, uninstalling and reinstalling zotero integration plugin, it is now working perfectly for me. It appears the new update resolves this issue. Thank you both very much for the help
@@Ammarsays Reinstalling Zotero Integration did not work for me. However, I updated betterbibtex to v6.7.116 and it worked. Maybe the issue has been fixed in the latest update.
zotero_integration template fails to copy to obsidian the 4 item notes (self notes) from the pdf file. 3 of those notes were created in another program, and 1 within zotero. The annotations work fine.
Thank you for your feedback @JEduardoBrissos. Actually the template only works for the annotations and the notes taken on the pdf itself in the form of annotations. As far as item notes under the parent item are concerned, there is a separate command in the Zotero Integration plugin named "Import notes". Just hit cmd/ctl + P and select "Zotero Integration: Import notes"
Thanks, the "Zotero Import Notes" to import to Obsidian the Notes created in Zotero, works fine with ctrl+p and "Zotero import notes".The notes previously created in the PDF from other apps show in Zotero mixed with the annotations, and are imported to Obsidian with your template together with the notes. Problem solved. Thanks.
Importing annotations into Obsidian from Zotero is particularly beneficial for individuals engaged in writing papers or managing their knowledge database. It allows you to seamlessly integrate annotations into your Obsidian notes, which can be extremely helpful when you’re synthesizing information from various sources or trying to draw connections between different ideas. Essentially, it streamlines the process of cross-referencing annotations from different papers, making it easier to connect the dots and develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. While this integration significantly enhances the efficiency of managing and utilizing your research in Obsidian, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. If you find this approach aligns well with your workflow and helps you in your writing or knowledge management endeavors, it’s worth incorporating. However, it’s important to stick with whatever system works best for you.
Hi Ammar, it's seem that I can't insert the Zotero integration template to Obsidian. Can you help me with that? I'm using the latest Zotero and Obsidian in the newest Mac OS.
@@Ammarsays it seems the file of Zotero integration template is different from your tutorial. From your provided link, I can only save it as page source or web archive.
@@oliviahadiwirawan6203 I got you. Right-click the file. Save link as and while it ask you for the file name add ".md" in the end of file name without quotes. If you have already downloaded, change the name accordingly. Sorry for not clearing this.
Hi Ammar, great video and introduction. When I use this plugin I only get this response in reading notes: %% begin annotations %% %% end annotations %% %% Import Date: 2023-08-14T10:28:09.384+03:00 %%" Nothing else shows, I do believe it is because of the code of the template. Unsure why this happens. I installed older version of bibtext as well and it still doesnt work. Would it be because of templater plugin or?
@@stefand.4317 looks the template is working, but the annotations are not imported. It is possible if the PDF utility is not installed. Please make sure the option is showing “PDF utility is up to date”
@@Ammarsays I guess that is the problem, as when I enter settings it shows quickly red sentence and then Pdf up-to-date, and sometimes it works, sometimes its not. After manually uploading everything works well. Thank you very much
This is great. Thank you so much. I have used templates for Zotero in Obsidian before, but I really needed the annotations to not be overwritten in case I reference a specific annotation block in another obsidian page; if i reimported annotations, the references disappeared; your template solved that huge issue. I have 2 questions. I am not getting properties up top to work with the new obsidian properties functions with the yaml area; in the master/template page, the properties show up (tags, title, etc) as properties in metadata but when i use the importer function, the article page in obsidian does not contain properties (although the yaml is still there up top, the obsidian file just lacks the properties metadata). Is your code meant for working with properties or not; can you update it if not? I also have one other question; if I embed-reference a specific annotation block in a new page, it would be nice for the citekey or title or something similar to be visible in the embedded annotation block, so that I know where the (embedded) annotion block comes from without having to click on it and go to the source file. Is there any code I can add to the annotation block in the zotero template to allow that? I hope the questions were clear. Once again, thank you so much for solving such an important issue with avoiding overwriting during reimport :)
@@Ammarsays Thank you! I understand that these are heavy requests that no-one else has mentioned/incorporated in their template, so I understand it may take a while :)
Thank you so much for this video! It has been so useful! When I am using the template, some of my zotero exports are not pulling through correctly into the properties table, it is coming through in red and I cannot add in tags. Do you know how I resolve this?
Please let me know in detail what specific properties are in red. And if possible share with me one of the specific items that are causing problems. You can export that specific item as zotero library and email me at ammarzahid@gmail.com
Hi friend, I wanted to ask how do you manage with the Tags, if I include tags in the book to clasify and update the document (with concatenation which I find really handy) I loose those tags because the document is refreshed. I also couldn't add those tags directly from Zotero, they are not being readed by Obsidian.
The tags are imported under "keywords" in the front matter of my template. I made it a list to use with data view later. You can also use "tags: {{allTags}}" in the front matter . It will only import tags and will not make them a list.
Thank you for your feedback. The template gave you some error while importing or you are not pleased with the aesthetic of the notes only? In the later case, you can modify it to your liking. Let me know if I could be of any assistance. Thank you
Hi Ammar, thank you for this great video. In Obsidian, I cant download the PDF Utility. Although I press the button, it didnt work. Can you help, please?
@@huzeyfebilge2863 Try to uninstall the plugin from community plugins and reinstall the plugin. If it still doesn't work, use the second option "PDF utility path override". This option contains the download link to the tool (github.com/mgmeyers/pdfannots2json/releases). Download the tool for Microsoft windows. Extract the downloaded file. And select the file in the option. Please let me know if it works.
@@huzeyfebilge2863 So strange. You were not able to follow the last solution or it didn't work? Lastly, can you please check if your operating system is 32bit or 64bit? As far as i know, only 64bit operating system is supported. That could be a possible reason. I am more than happy to help you out.
Hi Ammar thank you for the template. Which work great, but i have issue when i delete highlight in zotero then i update my obsidian (import annotation) the deleted highlight is still showing. Can you make it so that when i delete highlight in zotero it will also deleted in obsidian?
@@erickosmanto4877 The template does not overwrite the previous annotations, it just adds the new one with a time stamp. The overwriting is not useful because you may loose some useful information accidentally.
Hi. You can download the template here: github.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/blob/7ad6785e8aedd91b28444efc40061c6894a3266d/zotero_integration.md?raw=true
Thank you so much for such efficient and straight forward explanation! That's exactly what I was looking for! Amazing effort!
Ammar, to say that I am grateful would be an understatement. I am a Master's student and just started working on my thesis. I just got into Zotero and Obsidian. Your template has already been greatly beneficial to me and I am very thankful to you for having taken the time to help us with this. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your detailed exploration of integrating Zotero and Obsidian! Your thorough explanation on how to enhance research and note-taking experience using these tools is greatly appreciated. It's evident that you have put a lot of effort into providing a comprehensive guide for boosting productivity.
I cannot believe the template worked! I have tried various method with different youtuber. this is the first time the integration has worked. Thank you so much Ammar!!
Thank you for this tutorial! I have watched HOURS of other videos and I was never able to make it work and then you saved the day! :)
Thank you Ammar. I have spent the last week trying to link Zotero with Obsidian (on Ubuntu) and failing. I uninstalled everything and started from scratch, following your instructions and it worked. So happy!
Glad I could help
Literally just watched this on my work PC and then opened it on my phone so I could like the video😂 thank you so much for the template!
Thank you for your support.
Wow, great template! makes integration and search in obsidian so powerful. The Selfnotes block is fantastic addition. Thanks again!
Thank you! The best video I found about Obsidian integration with Zotera.
Been through many videos setting up a very similar workflow.... Without a doubt this one helped me the most. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the template! It looks amazing!
Glad you like it!
Thank you so much! I finally connect Zotero to Obsidian
Worked, and I feel smarter already.😄 Ty 🙏
I am so grateful you shared this. Thank you.
WOW! I am speechless.
I too had to downgrade BibTex and reinstall Zotero integration extension. Working fine now. Great template, Ammar. Shukran ketir ;-)
You are a hero
Thanks for sharing!
Will the annotation be updated if we add or remove the annotation?
The additions will be added separately in the same note with the date of import. Nothing will be deleted to keep track of the changes.
great template. thanks for sharing!
Glad you like it!
Thank you so much! This is a brilliantly competent video - tried a bunch of others and nothing worked.
I would like to customise the template somewhat. For example, the title of the file/document is coming out like this 'zotero_annotationsharveyNewImperialismAccumulation2004' but the rest of my files are formatted 'harvey-david-2004-new-imperialism-accumulation-by-dispossession'. Can I customise it to come out in this format automatically? Also, the first letter of the paper after 'title: is blocked out and the writing is red which I would like to change. Lastly, how do you turn these notes from Zotero into atomic notes to fit into your Zettlekasten? (if you use one). Many many thanks - I look forward to hearing from you :)
Hi. Thank you for your feedback. Can you please tell me how “Output Path” is defined under “Import annotation” under “Import formats” in plugin settings. For atomic notes I follow QEC format for each atomic note. Question, Evidence, Conclusion. Each paper address more than one question usually. So i split them and then link them back to parent note.
Thanks!!!!
Thank you very much for sharing the information. One question if I highlight again in zotero, I noticed that it doesn't update in obsidian automatically. Do I have to enter everything again?
The imports are not automatic. You can import again and it will add the new annotations separately in the same note while retaining the old ones. So you can keep track.
Great video! Could you provide a template which updates the annotations instead of adding them chronologically? When re-importing a paper, the template would then put all blue annotations under the heading "Background information, Prerequisites", regardless of when the annotation was (re-)imported, instead of creating a second heading "Background information, Prerequisites" with a new time stamp?
I am busy with my PhD project these days. I will make necessary changes and let you know.
Hello! Were you able to get the version of the template with the annotations update?
Latin characters (like ç á é í â ô etc) of PDF files (both highlights and notes) show in Zotero annotations. However, when importing the annotations to Obsidian the latin character in the notes disappear. The latin character of the highlights are Ok.
Thank you for your feedback. I will look into this.
Thank you so much, this was really useful
Great template and brilliant explanation!! I'm trying to tweak it a bit and was hoping you might be able to guide me if you have some time. I'd like to have the callouts be colored based on the Zotero highlight (instead of grey). I've searched a bit, even added a custom CSS but nothing seems to work. Any idea on how to implement this?
I will look into this and let you know.
Hi Ammar, thank you for sharing your wonderful template. It works like magic!!! Just a quick question, how do I keep the self notes unchanged if I import the paper again? FYI, I inserted a couple of callouts in the self notes part (e.g., see the codes below). I would greatly appreciate it if you could sharing expertise. I am a PhD student in management. I would be happy to be of any help to you by any chance!
> [!information]
> Project::
> Keywords::
Just to clarify, when I import the paper for the second time, it will generate a new set of empty callouts because I have filled out the callouts. I guess it has to do with the persist code, but I don't know how to tell it to skip this part (i.e., self notes) on the second import.
Update: Problem solved. It is actually written in the Templating section of the plug-in doc. I copied the original words below.
"How do I prevent sections of my templates from being overwritten
Each time you import data from the same Zotero entry, it will overwrite the existing markdown file. You can prevent this using the persist template tag.
This can be used to create a section for notes:
## {{title}}
### Notes
{% persist "notes" %}{% if isFirstImport %}
- [ ] first thing
- [ ] second thing
{% endif %}things to add each time you import
{% endpersist %}
Which will create a markdown file that looks like:
## The Boring Billion, a slingshot for Complex Life on Earth
### Notes
%% begin notes %%
- [ ] first thing
- [ ] second thing
things to add each time you import
%% end notes %%
Any content added between %% begin notes %% and %% end notes %% will not be overwritten.
Content between {% if isFirstImport %} and {% endif %} will not be overwritten. But things to add each time you import will be appended to the end of the notes section each time you import as follows:
- [ ] first thing
- [ ] second thing
things to add each time you import
things to add each time you import
things to add each time you import
..."
how to add annotations from multiple zotero pdfs, so that the red annotaions from multiple pdfs are grouped together then the other highlight color from different pdfs and so on. instead of adding files one after one.
That is an interesting idea. Unfortunately at the moment I am not sure how to achieve this. I will look into this in my free time.
i love ur template, thank u so much
This video and script is very useful to me, thanks very much. I am still new to Obsidian so I can't quite figure it out myself yet, but does anyone knows how I could get the highlight boxes of each sections to appear in the color they have been highlighted rather than the default theme color? It'd help for quick referencing. Thanks!
You can change the format. All colors are already defined. But you have to change which color corresponds to what. I mean what does blue represents for you and so on. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, explain it to me and i will do it for you.
Thank you for your great work. How to change the colors? I mean if I want magenta for example to be my color for background information. How to do this?
If you open the template it contains two lists in the start "set Zotero colors" and "set colorHeading". You can play with these if you want to associate different color to a heading.
Thank you so much for this, your template ist great! One question: is there any way to import notes from Zotero in addition to the annotation?
If you have stand-alone notes with a paper in zotero, you can import them by pressing Command/Ctl P and then selecting "Zotero Intergration: Import notes".
Ammar, this is great!
Thank you ❤
I have two questions since I'm new to Zotero/obsidian set-up.
1) What is the purpose of self notes in the given template? Does it pull out any info from the zotero pdf database?
2)Do you have any workarounds to get highlights from epub formats?
The content within self notes will not be overwritten if you ever decide to re-import the annotations. These could be your thoughts on an article jot down within obsidian. If you will write anywhere else, it will be gone due to overwriting after the reimport. As far as epubs are concerned, the easiest method is to use calibre. You can highlight/annotate any ebook in calibre and export the annotations as markdown. However, the workflow is not automated. You have to manually export the annotations as markdown into your obsidian vault.
@@Ammarsays Got it. Thank you and keep posting. Cheers ✨
@@Ammarsays My content placed between the %% begin notes %% and %% end notes %% is being overwritten/cleaned upon re-import, so definitely check this before doing a complete batch import.
@@JochenPrinsen I am sorry to hear about the loss of your notes. I have checked again that the notes section persist upon reimport. Have you made any changes to the template? Can you share your template so I can test it out?
@@Ammarsays Thanks a lot - will send you a DM.
Thank You
Man, you saved me, you have no idea
thanx and greetings from Brasil
Thank you very much for this video. I've been trying to install everything you recommended and everything is working fine except the annotations and this is precisely what I want. Working with Mac. Any idea why annotations don't work ? thank you very much for your reply
Can you please describe the problem in detail? Which annotations are you using? Highlights, sticky notes or snapshots? And do you get any error or any output in the obsidian notes related to annotation when you import?
@@Ammarsays Hello thanks for your answer. I'm using highlights exactly like you show in the video. I've managed to make it work by using zotfile making the pdf's available in obsidian. But no colors and sometimes images are missing. I also need to make the annotations available in notes, otherwise it doesn't work anymore. Before using zotfile I had such message " " could not be found but not anymore with the pdf's in my vault.
Hi Ammar. There is one problem in the template:
if I import 2 or more times with updated annotations of the same paper,
the *Imported: {{importDate | format("YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm")}}* line goes directly under the previous line starting with '>',
so in the reading view the imported message belongs to the block above.
I tried to add blank lines in the templates but the empty line does not appear in the markdown file, Could you guide me how I can fix that?
Can you please send me an email with attachment of your template.
Awesome - thank you so much. I am definitely using this for my studies. I just noticed that whenever I import new highlights and notes, the sentence that informs me about the date and time it was imported, is nested inside a callout that already contains information (highlights, notes or images). How can I change that? Again, thanks. I really appreciate this!
I will look into this and change it up. Thanks for your feedback.
@@Ammarsays thanks a lot, mate!
@@ylberi5530I have changed the heading levels to improve the nesting. The new imported notes are nested under the import date now. Please download the template again from the github. raw.githubusercontent.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/main/zotero_integration.md
@@Ammarsays thank you so much. I will try it out this weekend and let you know. I highly appreciate it!
I cant seem to understand how to put the template in the obsidian, please help. The Zotero thing is done but the first part of inserting the Template (you dragged a file and put it there) which file is it?
Have you downloaded the format from github? Just drag that file in obsidian. That is the template you need to reference in the plugin.
Awesome
Hi, I follow all the steps, and the resulting zotero note in Obsidian shows duplicate highlights and anotations, There are two for every highlight.
Can you share your template with me?
Thank you for your explanations, but I'm stuck. Can you please tell me how to generate the zotero_integration?
You can download the template from this link as save it as zotero_integration.md. raw.githubusercontent.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/main/zotero_integration.md
great video. Can i get the template?
You can download from raw.githubusercontent.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/main/zotero_integration.md
Hi, I have followed all the steps both plugins installed, howevery upon selecton of the article from zotero serch bar no note is getting created , I use windows 11 and zotero and obsidin latest versions. Howevery I am not able to do this
It can happen if your plugin is unable to locate the template file. Please put the template file in the same vault and check the path in the plugin settings. The search bar under "Template File" should be able to search the file.
Thank you so much for your kind reply. The template is accessible to obsidian. It is showing on the search bar on the path file. When I Use Zotero data explorer i can see the dialogue no data retrieved. In any event there no note is getting generated
@@arshad5433 Some latest updates of betterbibtex have caused this problem. Can you please check with an older release like 6.7.94, or reinstalling the Zotero Integration plugin?
@@Ammarsays installing older release of betterbibtex worked. Thank you so much for your input.
As others have commented, I am having the same problem. I can get the zotero search bar to appear, however after pressing enter no output is present. I am using a Macbook Air M1, with obsidian 1.3.7 and Zotero 6.0.26
This issue is related to the Better Bibtex plugin. Remove the current one, install an older version (6.7.94 works perfect for me) and turn off automatic updates.
@@ferenckovacs6290 I really appreciate your input. I was able to reproduce the problem after an update of betterbibtex to 6.7.104. However after the update of betterbibtex, if I uninstall and reinstall the Zotero Integration plugin, it solves the problem. Can you please confirm?
@@Ammarsays I have tried the following:
First, I updated my current Better BibTex version 6.7.94. to 6.7.104. and it worked perfectly fine
Second, I uninstalled Better BibTex, followed by reinstalling the 6.7.103. version and then it doesn't work anymore, not even when reinstalling Zotero Integration
So it seems that whatever causes the problem it was fixed with the 6.7.104. version
@@Ammarsays @ferenckovacs6290 I can confirm that after updating betterbibtex, uninstalling and reinstalling zotero integration plugin, it is now working perfectly for me. It appears the new update resolves this issue. Thank you both very much for the help
@@Ammarsays Reinstalling Zotero Integration did not work for me. However, I updated betterbibtex to v6.7.116 and it worked. Maybe the issue has been fixed in the latest update.
zotero_integration template fails to copy to obsidian the 4 item notes (self notes) from the pdf file. 3 of those notes were created in another program, and 1 within zotero. The annotations work fine.
Thank you for your feedback @JEduardoBrissos. Actually the template only works for the annotations and the notes taken on the pdf itself in the form of annotations. As far as item notes under the parent item are concerned, there is a separate command in the Zotero Integration plugin named "Import notes". Just hit cmd/ctl + P and select "Zotero Integration: Import notes"
Thanks, the "Zotero Import Notes" to import to Obsidian the Notes created in Zotero, works fine with ctrl+p and "Zotero import notes".The notes previously created in the PDF from other apps show in Zotero mixed with the annotations, and are imported to Obsidian with your template together with the notes. Problem solved. Thanks.
I don't see the point. You can view your annotations in Zotero anyway. Can someone elaborate this usecase of this to me?
Importing annotations into Obsidian from Zotero is particularly beneficial for individuals engaged in writing papers or managing their knowledge database. It allows you to seamlessly integrate annotations into your Obsidian notes, which can be extremely helpful when you’re synthesizing information from various sources or trying to draw connections between different ideas. Essentially, it streamlines the process of cross-referencing annotations from different papers, making it easier to connect the dots and develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. While this integration significantly enhances the efficiency of managing and utilizing your research in Obsidian, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. If you find this approach aligns well with your workflow and helps you in your writing or knowledge management endeavors, it’s worth incorporating. However, it’s important to stick with whatever system works best for you.
Hi Ammar, it's seem that I can't insert the Zotero integration template to Obsidian. Can you help me with that? I'm using the latest Zotero and Obsidian in the newest Mac OS.
Hi. I am using the same template on mac as well and it works for me. Can you please let me know what particular error you get so I can help you out.
@@Ammarsays it seems the file of Zotero integration template is different from your tutorial. From your provided link, I can only save it as page source or web archive.
@@oliviahadiwirawan6203 I got you. Right-click the file. Save link as and while it ask you for the file name add ".md" in the end of file name without quotes. If you have already downloaded, change the name accordingly. Sorry for not clearing this.
@@Ammarsays finally I can install it successfully. Thanks for helping me out. Awesome!
Hi Ammar, great video and introduction. When I use this plugin I only get this response in reading notes: %% begin annotations %%
%% end annotations %%
%% Import Date: 2023-08-14T10:28:09.384+03:00 %%"
Nothing else shows, I do believe it is because of the code of the template.
Unsure why this happens. I installed older version of bibtext as well and it still doesnt work. Would it be because of templater plugin or?
Are you getting the metadata for the paper in the created note? Like title, authors, cite key?
@@Ammarsays Yes, I get everything, newly created note, citekey, metadata. But i dont have annotations inserted nor headings
@@stefand.4317 looks the template is working, but the annotations are not imported. It is possible if the PDF utility is not installed. Please make sure the option is showing “PDF utility is up to date”
@@Ammarsays I guess that is the problem, as when I enter settings it shows quickly red sentence and then Pdf up-to-date, and sometimes it works, sometimes its not. After manually uploading everything works well. Thank you very much
This is great. Thank you so much. I have used templates for Zotero in Obsidian before, but I really needed the annotations to not be overwritten in case I reference a specific annotation block in another obsidian page; if i reimported annotations, the references disappeared; your template solved that huge issue.
I have 2 questions. I am not getting properties up top to work with the new obsidian properties functions with the yaml area; in the master/template page, the properties show up (tags, title, etc) as properties in metadata but when i use the importer function, the article page in obsidian does not contain properties (although the yaml is still there up top, the obsidian file just lacks the properties metadata). Is your code meant for working with properties or not; can you update it if not?
I also have one other question; if I embed-reference a specific annotation block in a new page, it would be nice for the citekey or title or something similar to be visible in the embedded annotation block, so that I know where the (embedded) annotion block comes from without having to click on it and go to the source file. Is there any code I can add to the annotation block in the zotero template to allow that?
I hope the questions were clear. Once again, thank you so much for solving such an important issue with avoiding overwriting during reimport :)
I will look into it and get back to you.
@@Ammarsays Thank you! I understand that these are heavy requests that no-one else has mentioned/incorporated in their template, so I understand it may take a while :)
@@ankushgulati3718 the problem is the title there. if you change title: {{title}} to title: "{{title}}" the properties will work
Thank you so much for this video! It has been so useful! When I am using the template, some of my zotero exports are not pulling through correctly into the properties table, it is coming through in red and I cannot add in tags. Do you know how I resolve this?
Please let me know in detail what specific properties are in red. And if possible share with me one of the specific items that are causing problems. You can export that specific item as zotero library and email me at ammarzahid@gmail.com
Where can I find the zotero_integration template? Thanks.
raw.githubusercontent.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/7ad6785e8aedd91b28444efc40061c6894a3266d/zotero_integration.md
Thanks a lot, following your video it worked first time.
Thank you so much
Hi friend, I wanted to ask how do you manage with the Tags, if I include tags in the book to clasify and update the document (with concatenation which I find really handy) I loose those tags because the document is refreshed.
I also couldn't add those tags directly from Zotero, they are not being readed by Obsidian.
The tags are imported under "keywords" in the front matter of my template. I made it a list to use with data view later. You can also use "tags: {{allTags}}" in the front matter . It will only import tags and will not make them a list.
Uff, I am a little bit lost. I would like to use tags from Zotero as Tags in Obsidian. How could I do that? Thanks@@Ammarsays
template doesnt work as nicely when I used it - specifically the meta data looks less asthetic
Thank you for your feedback. The template gave you some error while importing or you are not pleased with the aesthetic of the notes only? In the later case, you can modify it to your liking. Let me know if I could be of any assistance. Thank you
Hi Ammar, thank you for this great video. In Obsidian, I cant download the PDF Utility. Although I press the button, it didnt work. Can you help, please?
Can you please specify which operating system are you using?
@@Ammarsays I use Microsoft 11.
@@huzeyfebilge2863 Try to uninstall the plugin from community plugins and reinstall the plugin. If it still doesn't work, use the second option "PDF utility path override". This option contains the download link to the tool (github.com/mgmeyers/pdfannots2json/releases). Download the tool for Microsoft windows. Extract the downloaded file. And select the file in the option. Please let me know if it works.
@@Ammarsays Thanks for your interest Ammar. Although I could not make it, that is OK. Thanks for this great video again.
@@huzeyfebilge2863 So strange. You were not able to follow the last solution or it didn't work? Lastly, can you please check if your operating system is 32bit or 64bit? As far as i know, only 64bit operating system is supported. That could be a possible reason. I am more than happy to help you out.
what if better bibTex doesn't generate citation key?
Can you please explain a bit? What error did you encounter?
Hi Ammar thank you for the template. Which work great, but i have issue when i delete highlight in zotero then i update my obsidian (import annotation) the deleted highlight is still showing.
Can you make it so that when i delete highlight in zotero it will also deleted in obsidian?
i mean its not overwriting, it keep the deleted annotations.
@@erickosmanto4877 The template does not overwrite the previous annotations, it just adds the new one with a time stamp. The overwriting is not useful because you may loose some useful information accidentally.
Thank you , I am using your template from now
I am unsure why but this did not work for me :c
What problem are you encountering?
mine is not working and I can't figure out why.. Any suggestions?
Can you please give me a little description of the problem so I can help you out.
@@Ammarsays I do get some of the information over from Zotero per paper, but not all of it and also not all the colors are right..
Hpw i can get the zotero integration file
Hi. You can download the template here: github.com/muhammadammarzahid/zotero_obsidian/blob/7ad6785e8aedd91b28444efc40061c6894a3266d/zotero_integration.md?raw=true
what about zotfile plugin
Zotfile is another alternative. I have used it in the past. But this new workflow is more streamlined for me. Stick with whatever works best for you.
I have an error saying that: error in retrieve the data: Unexpected end of json input, any idea why? 🥲
Hi. If you have not made any changes to the template, try updating your betterbibtex plugin. That could be the culprit.
Thank you! it worked@@Ammarsays