Preserving PDF's xattr (extended file attributes) on import to Bookends -- to preserve Skim PDF annotations

[LucCogZest]

Per [my prior post](viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5352), I've successfully imported my PDFs from Finder (Papers3) into Bookends -- except: the extended file attributes do not seem to have been imported. None of my Skim annotations are visible. Skim annotations are stored in xattr's.

From Terminal.app I did "xattr -l" on several PDFs (in Bookends' "Attachments" folder) that originally had Skim annotations and can't see their xattr . e.g., no net_sourceforge_skim-app_notes#S

1. Any chance for an option to import the xattr?

2. If not, is there any reason for me not to replace all those PDFs with the original ones? I would do a spolight search from the original (Papers) archive and move all the original PDFs (preserving the xattributes) into Bookends/Attachment folder.

I'll make sure that Bookends is not running during the process.

By the time someone replies to this, I may have tried it myself.

(In my Cognitive Productivity books, I've developed advanced ways of annotating PDF files with Skim and have over a decade's worth of Skim annotations. Currently there is no other app for macOS that can do what Skim can do annotation-wise as described in my books.)

[LucCogZest]

PS, I realize and accept that those annotations would not be useful with the Bookends iOS app (no iOS app can deal with Skim annotations yet to my knowledge [an opportunity for PDF developers]). I dislike reading PDFs on iPad or iPhone [reading to me equally means writing, and that I prefer to do on a Mac], and if I did want to read a PDF on iPad, I could selectively use "skimembed".

[Jon]

There are no current plans to support Skim-specific annotations. These annotations are not stored in the PDF, but in the extended attributes of the file system (you know that, I'm mentioning this for anyone who reads this thread).

https://sourceforge.net/p/skim-app/wiki ... hts-stored

But you can convert them (using Skim) to standard PDFKit annotations, which Bookends will be able to read and, optionally, import.

It doesn't matter if Bookends is running or not if/when you move PDFs. The search for PDFs is dynamic (run on demand, not at a preset time like app launch).

Jon
Sonny Software

[LucCogZest]

There are no current plans to support Skim-specific annotations. These annotations are not stored in the PDF, but in the extended attributes of the file system (you know that, I'm mentioning this for anyone who reads this thread).

As long as Bookends (in a 1-Mac scenario) does not overwrite Skim's xattributes in its regular functioning, I'm fine with that.

I started over, moved all the PDFS over via Finder, and the Skim annotations are preserved as expected, as are all Hook links.

I had been postponing this for a long time thinking it would be a lot of work. I'm delighted that moving from Papers to Bookends is so easy -- and so easy to preserve my prior work/investment.