194 lines
5.1 KiB
Markdown
194 lines
5.1 KiB
Markdown
# Zotero Better Notes User Guide: Workflow
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Welcome to **Zotero Better Notes** !
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This note helps you quickly learn how to use this addon in 3 min!
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Let's start now.
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## 1 What is Knowledge
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Knowledge is an extension of Zotero's built-in note function.
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Zotero's note is much like a markdown/rich-text editor. You can edit the format with the tools above⬆️.
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### 1.1 Workspace Window
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The knowledge workspace window contains an outline area(left side⬅️), the main note area, and the preview area(right side➡️).
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Open workspace by clicking the 'Open Workspace' line above the 'My Library' line in Zotero main window.
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Alternatively, open it with the '🏠home' button on the top-left of note editors.
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### 1.2 Main note
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This addon uses a Zotero note item as the main note. It will show up on the main area of the workspace window.
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All links will be added to the main note.
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Set a note as the main note in the right-click popup menu.
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### 1.3 Workspace Menu
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**File menu**:
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- Create new main note(Ctrl/Cmd+N)
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- Open main note(Ctrl/Cmd+O)
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- Import notes(Ctrl/Cmd+I)
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- Export notes(Ctrl/Cmd+E)
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- Close workspace window(Ctrl/Cmd+W)
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**Edit menu**:
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- Insert heading
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- Decrease selected heading level(Tab)
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- Increase selected heading level(Shift+Tab)
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**View menu**:
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- Outline Views
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**Help menu**:
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- Open user guide
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## 2 Gather Ideas to Main Note
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### 2.1 From Note
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Select a note outside the workspace window(in Zotero items view or PDF viewer), you may realize a button with the addon's icon on the top of the note editor toolbar.
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Click it, the current note link will be inserted into the main note's cursor position;
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Select a heading, and the note's link will be inserted into the end of this heading.
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Open a PDF and open/create a note(in the right side bar of PDF viewer). Add a link below.
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### 2.2 From Annotation (including highlight and picture)
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You can find a button with the addon's icon on every annotation(in the left sidebar of PDF viewer).
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Click it, and a new note containing this annotation will be created under the PDF item. Annotation tags are copied to the new note.
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You can then add its link to the main note in the note editor.
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Open a PDF and open/create an annotation(in the left sidebar of PDF viewer).
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### 2.3 Import Existing Notes
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You can import notes into the main note.
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- In workspace window, File -> Import Notes;
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- Select notes and confirm.
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Notes' links will be appended to the end of the main note.
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## 3 Check Linked Notes in Workspace Window
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### 3.1 View Linked Notes
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Suppose you have added a lot of links to the main note. Now, it's time to view what you've got.
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Go back to the workspace window.
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Open a note link, the linked note will show up in the preview area(right side➡️).
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Open a note link.
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### 3.2 View Linked Note's PDF
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Click the '📄PDF' button on the top-left of the preview area.
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Open a linked note's PDF.
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### 3.3 Insert Citation
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Click the "Insert Citation" button in the middle of the preview area.
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Currently, the quick copy format must be a citation format, otherwise, this function will not work. See Edit->Preferences->Export in Zotero main window.
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### 3.4 Import Linked Note
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Import the selected linked note's context to the main note by clicking the 'import note' button in the link popup.
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Example:
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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> Import one linked note.
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### 3.5 Update Note Link Text
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Update the link text in main note by clicking the 'update link text' button in the link popup.
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Modify the first line of a linked note in the preview area. Then update its link text in the main note.
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## 4 Outline Mode
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Switch the outline mode with the '📊mode' button on the bottom of the outline area.
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Try different outline modes.
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## 5 Export
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Click the '⬆️export' button on the top-right of the main note area. Choose a format to export, i.e. MarkDown.
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If you are using MS Word/OneNote, export to clipboard and paste there.
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> **💡 Try it now!**
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>
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> Export this main note!
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## 6 Start a New Job
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After the export, you may want to start a new job with a new empty main note.
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Create a note and right-click to set it as the main note, or just create a new main note.
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Open different main note in workspace window->File->Open Main Note.
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> **✨ Hint**
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>
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> Create a new collection and save all main notes there is the best way to manage them.
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>
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> The user guide should have done this for you.
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Congratulations!
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You can select a new main note and start working with **Zotero Better Notes** now. Have fun!
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