Sonny Software

I would consider this feature very interesting. It would be a great way to share a bibliography with others and work collaboratively (Especially, if the sync goes both ways!) through Zotero's online bibliographies. It would be the best of both worlds (BE/Zot).

would sync between bookends and zotero also mean, that we could do all the referencing in word with bookends, but then use zotero for CSL-formatting of the references (as an additional option to bookends referencing formats)?

Here is an update on this possible feature. We are working on the ability of Bookends iOS to work with a Zotero library that is stored locally. For Bookends it would be just like Bookends library (when switching between libraries). The main reason for having Bookends work with local Zotero (as opposed to Cloud) libraries is to keep things simple and explore what can be done with the Zotero API. There are so many things the two apps do differently, and of course all reference metadata can’t match 1:1.

Another big topic is syncing attachments. There are a few options: local storage, Zotero cloud storage, and possibly WebDav. In my tests I was able to sync files to Zotero for Mac using the same approach we have for Bookends. This relies on the special Bookends folder in iCloud Drive. For this setup, the Zotero base folder should be pointed to the folder in iCloud Drive and all files should be moved there of course (maybe with help of ZotFile)?

Before looking at Zotero databases stored in the cloud, I would like to ask if anybody reading this uses local storage for Zotero files. If so, and you’d like to work with us on testing beta versions of Bookends for iOS that could access them, please let me know.

For access to the beta please write to support@referencesontap.com with your name and email to be added to TestFlight. Please also provide additional information such as how many references there are in your Zotero library, how many attachments, are they stored in the local folder that can be moved to Bookends iCloud Drive folder (if not, only references sync will be tested).

First off, I hope you are safe and well Serge! Thank you so much for your work on this feature. What exactly do you mean when you say "work locally"; do you mean a Zotero database on a desktop macOS system whose location could be shared via iCloud or Dropbox?

Thank you! By work locally I mean you are using what Zotero calls “My Library”, which is stored locally but also synced via Zotero Cloud. But Zotero also has what they call “Group Libraries”, which are shared by others in a group. At this time we're not working with these shared group libraries, only the private user library, My Library. I imagine that this will be the library that the large majority of Zotero users use.

for me it's not clear why sync between bookends and zotero would be desirable. how/for what could this be used? or do you think this would attract more users due to a better integration with the zotero community?

Please start at the beginning of this thread and read the comments of others.

Jon
Sonny Software

> for me it's not clear why sync between bookends and zotero would be desirable.

The ability to integrate Bookends iPadOS with Zotero will be a great advantage to facilitate collaborations with team members who do not use macOS. Take my case as an example. I have currently have set up over a half dozen different Bookends libraries covering the diverse research themes that I explore. Each theme is associated with colleagues or graduate students who do not use macOS or iPadOS. We are sharing bibliographies via Mendeley. I am quickly growing weary of the recent changes to Mendeley whereby significant features were removed from the software in transition to a newer desktop and Website version of their client application. I personally am not fond of Zotero for bibliography management. I do not immediately relish or feel a need to switch away from Mendeley to Zotero just to manage the collaboration aspects of my bibliography databases. However, if Bookends (iPadOS and perhaps macOS) would sync with Zotero databases that other users have set up to share externally, I would ask (insist) that my colleagues and students use Zotero instead of Mendeley.

> At this time we're not working with these shared group libraries, only the private user library, My Library. I imagine that this will be the library that the large majority of Zotero users use.

I must petition for the other way around as well. I want my colleagues or students to be able to share from Zotero on their Windows system with me using Bookends on my macOS/iPadOS system. I personally have no interest to set up Zotero on macOS only to be able to share My Library with Bookends on iPadOS. I am, as it might be said, "locked in" to the Bookends eco-system on both macOS and iPadOS.

We are concentrating now on the simpler case, personal libraries, as we work through issues that arise while we try to implement this feature. Hopefully, if all goes well, we might be able to expand to shared libraries as well.

Jon
Sonny Software

Makes sense. I am glad that shared group libraries would be considered for the reasons I noted, and I appreciate better that this step needs to wait until the basic system works. Thanks.

Serge wrote: ↑Fri Jan 06, 2023 9:36 am Thank you! By work locally I mean you are using what Zotero calls “My Library”, which is stored locally but also synced via Zotero Cloud. But Zotero also has what they call “Group Libraries”, which are shared by others in a group. At this time we're not working with these shared group libraries, only the private user library, My Library. I imagine that this will be the library that the large majority of Zotero users use.

OK, that is very clear. I'll need to catch up on the Zotero terminology then see if I can help test. My usecase is similar to DrJJWMac in that I want to stick to Bookends for my core work, but be able to sync out to my collaborators or students using Windows or Linux (and I similarly detest Mendeley ). I really appreciate your work, and understand that sync is often not an easy task to work on...

Serge, is the idea to be able to sync a Bookends library with the "whole" of Zotero's "My Library" or can we sync to a folder within "My Library"?

(1) A library is created and synced in Zotero, (2) it is downloaded to Bookends for iOS as a new library, (3) edits in this library in either Bookends for iOS or Zotero are synced via the Zotero servers.