Zotero Documentation

https://www.zotero.org/support
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### Attempt to start server (may fail)

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/citeproc-node

Command to start the server, which may produce an error about loading contextify.node. The error message is shown as an example.

```bash
node ./lib/citeServer.js

```

```text
...
Error: Unable to load shared library /blah/blah/contextify.node
...

```

--------------------------------

### Symlink zotero.desktop to applications folder

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/installation

Create a symlink for the Zotero .desktop file so it appears in the launcher or applications list. The example uses `/opt/zotero` as the installation directory.

```bash
ln -s /opt/zotero/zotero.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/zotero.desktop
```

--------------------------------

### Directory listing after setup

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/citeproc-node

Shows the expected contents of the citeproc-node directory after cloning the repositories and installing dependencies. Directories are csl, csl-locales, node_modules, and test.

```text
citeprocmodule.js     csl                  sampledata.json
citeprocnode.js       cslFetcher.js        test
citeprocnode-repl.js  csl-locales          testciteproc.js
citeServerConf.json   csl_nodejs.js        zoteronode.js
citeServer.js         csl_nodejs_jsdom.js
COPYING               node_modules

```

--------------------------------

### Start the server successfully

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/citeproc-node

Starts the server from the top of the citeproc-node directory. Successful startup shows the debug log file, precaching message, and server URL.

```bash
node ./lib/citeServer.js

```

```text
debug log file :./citeServerLog.log
precaching CSL engines
Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8085/

```

--------------------------------

### Install dependencies and lint a translator

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/translators

Install dependencies and lint a translator file in the zotero/translators repository. Run npm ci to ensure ESLint is installed, then lint a specific translator with npm run lint.

```bash
npm ci
```

```bash
npm run lint -- "Translator Filename.js"
```

--------------------------------

### Install NSIS plugins

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/building_the_desktop_app

Run this script to install the necessary NSIS plugins for Windows packaging. Requires NSIS 3 to be installed first.

```bash
app/win/download-nsis-plugins
```

--------------------------------

### Windows: Start Zotero with debug logging

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_problems

Run this command in the Run dialog to start Zotero with debug logging enabled on Windows. Add the flags after the full path to zotero.exe, with a space before the hyphen.

```powershell
"C:\Program Files\Zotero\zotero.exe" -ZoteroDebug -safe-mode
```

--------------------------------

### Response for GET /deleted

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/web_api/v3/syncing

Example response from the /deleted endpoint, showing the Last-Modified-Version header and JSON body with deleted object keys.

```json
Content-Type: application/json
Last-Modified-Version: <version>

{
  "collections": [
    "<collectionKey>"
  ],
  "searches": [
    "<searchKey>"
  ],
  "items": [
    "<itemKey>",
    "<itemKey>"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "<tagName>",
    "<tagName>"
  ]
}

```

--------------------------------

### Set up Zotero source on Windows with Cygwin

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/building_the_desktop_app_windows_notes

Commands to run in a Cygwin terminal (as Administrator) in a single session to set up the Zotero source tree on Windows. They force native Windows symlinks, clone without checkout, install Node modules, check out files with valid symlinks, fetch the rcedit build dependency, and then build and run the app.

```bash
export CYGWIN="winsymlinks:nativestrict"
```

```bash
git clone --config core.symlinks=true --no-checkout https://github.com/zotero/zotero zotero-client
```

```bash
cd zotero-client     git checkout HEAD package.json package-lock.json     npm install
```

```bash
git checkout -f HEAD     git submodule update --init --recursive
```

```bash
app/scripts/fetch_rcedit
```

```bash
app/scripts/build_and_run -r
```

--------------------------------

### PHP OAuth Handshake with Zotero

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/web_api/v3/oauth

PHP implementation of the OAuth handshake with zotero.org, using the PHP OAuth extension. It covers the three OAuth states: starting a handshake, handling the callback, and using a stored access token. The example saves state to a temp file and uses the Zotero OAuth endpoints.

```php
/** Note that this example uses the PHP OAuth extension http://php.net/manual/en/book.oauth.php
* but there are various PHP libraries that provide similar functionality.
*
* OAuth acts over multiple pages, so we save variables we need to remember in $state in a temp file
*
* The OAuth handshake has 3 steps:
* 1: Make a request to the provider to get a temporary token
* 2: Redirect user to provider with a reference to the temporary token. The provider will ask them to authorize it
* 3: When the user is sent back by the provider and the temporary token is authorized, exchange it for a permanent
*    token then save the permanent token for use in all future requests on behalf of this user.
*
* So an OAuth consumer needs to deal with 3 states which this example covers:
* State 0: We need to start a fresh OAuth handshake for a user to authorize us to get their information.
*         We get a request token from the provider and send the user off to authorize it
* State 1: The provider just sent the user back after they authorized the request token
*         We use the request token + secret we stored for this user and the verifier the provider just sent back to
*         exchange the request token for an access token.
* State 2: We have an access token stored for this user from a past handshake, so we use that to make data requests
*         to the provider.
**/
//initialize some variables to start with.
//clientkey, clientSecret, and callbackurl should correspond to http://www.zotero.org/oauth/apps
$clientKey = '9c6221a6ccae7639711a';
$clientSecret = '39091046dc9cf4dc3b61';
$callbackUrl = 'http://localhost/oauthtestentry.php';
//the endpoints are specific to the OAuth provider, in this case Zotero
$request_token_endpoint = 'https://www.zotero.org/oauth/request';
$access_token_endpoint = 'https://www.zotero.org/oauth/access';
$zotero_authorize_endpoint = 'https://www.zotero.org/oauth/authorize';
//Functions to save state to temp file between requests, DB should replace this functionality
function read_state(){
    return unserialize(file_get_contents('/tmp/oauthteststate'));
}
function write_state($state){
    file_put_contents('/tmp/oauthteststate', serialize($state));
}
function save_request_token($request_token_info, $state){
    // Make sure the request token has all the information we need
    if(isset($request_token_info['oauth_token']) && isset($request_token_info['oauth_token_secret'])){
        // save the request token for when the user comes back
        $state['request_token_info'] = $request_token_info;
        $state['oauthState'] = 1;
        write_state($state);
    }
    else{
```

--------------------------------

### Build and Run Zotero from Source

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/building_the_desktop_app

Commands to clone the Zotero source, check system requirements, install Node.js modules, and build/run the app. Requires Git and Git LFS; Node 18 or later for npm install. The build output is placed in app/staging/.

```bash
git clone --recursive https://github.com/zotero/zotero zotero-client
```

```bash
cd zotero-client
```

```bash
app/scripts/check_requirements
```

```bash
npm i
```

```bash
app/scripts/build_and_run -r
```

--------------------------------

### Build Zotero for Another Platform

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/building_the_desktop_app

Prepare Zotero's JavaScript source and build for another platform. Use npm start to keep it prepared automatically. The -p flag specifies the platform (e.g., w for Windows).

```bash
npm run build
```

```bash
app/scripts/dir_build -p w
```

--------------------------------

### Install Zotero via community deb package

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/installing_on_a_chromebook

Install the community-packaged version of Zotero on Chrome OS Linux. Run these commands in the Terminal app after setting up Linux. The first command downloads and executes the installer script, then updates package lists and installs Zotero.

```bash
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/retorquere/zotero-deb/master/install.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install zotero

```

--------------------------------

### POST /connector/document/execCommand

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/http_integration_protocol

Starts a citing integration transaction by sending a command to Zotero. The response contains a command to be executed by the client.

```APIDOC
## POST /connector/document/execCommand

### Description
Starts a citing integration transaction by sending a command to Zotero. The response contains a command to be executed by the client.

### Method
POST

### Endpoint
http://127.0.0.1:23119/connector/document/execCommand

### Parameters
#### Request Body
- **command** (string) - Required - The command to execute, e.g., "addEditCitation".
- **docId** (string) - Required - The document ID.

### Request Example
{
  "command": "addEditCitation",
  "docId": "1ro9AmDxrwbys-xjazJqQG7UlSbBC76CU5xRJ71I8UjE"
}

### Response
#### Success Response (200)
- **command** (string) - The command to be executed by the client.
- **arguments** (array) - Arguments for the command.

#### Response Example
{
  "command": "Application.getActiveDocument",
  "arguments": []
}
```

--------------------------------

### Get related items

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/javascript_api

Gets an item's related items as an array.

```javascript
var relatedItems = item.relatedItems;

```

--------------------------------

### Get item abstract

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/javascript_api

Gets an item's abstract by retrieving the 'abstractNote' field from the Zotero item.

```javascript
var abstract = item.getField('abstractNote');

```

--------------------------------

### Start Zotero beta with Browser Toolbox using -jsdebugger

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/developer_tools

Starts a Zotero 7 beta build with the Firefox Browser Toolbox open by passing the -jsdebugger flag on the command line. The -ZoteroDebugText flag is also included.

```bash
$ /Applications/Zotero\ Beta.app/Contents/MacOS/zotero -ZoteroDebugText -jsdebugger

```

--------------------------------

### Get child note IDs

Source: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/client_coding/javascript_api

Gets the child notes for an item. Returns an array of IDs of note items.

```javascript
var noteIDs = item.getNotes();

```
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