Bring back batch operations

EndNote EndNote Product Suggestions
1

I remember that Reference Manager has some features to do batch operations and it would be nice to have some level of programmability in EndNote.  For example, I often grab papers from the publishers site out of the “early edition” postings which come with an incomplete citation.  Later when the publisher goes to print and PubMed indexes the article, the citation is completed and other goodies (like keywords) are added.

Right now the only way to scan my database for those lackin updated citations is to created a custom field in reference view for keywords and then highlight all the ones with missing data and do a “Update Reference” on the group.  That works of course, but then I have to confirm that I want to update the fields on EVERY RECORD.  My fingers get tired after a while.  So, can we get a batch processor that automates steps like this and/or a check box in the preferences to diable confirmations they way we can suppress repeated messages we are not interested in seeing?

I understand that newbies and infrequent users might need lots of warnings and hand holding, but power users should be able to turn off the digital nanny.:stuck_out_tongue:

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One further thought, although this might be a taller order, is the ability to flag when an attachment is an ePub or “early edition”.  This would facilitate retrieval of the final or official version after editing and publishing in the journal.  Ditto for later published retractions, errata, and commentary associated with an article.

As for my earlier suggestion, it has dawned on me that this can be accomplished through creative use of SmartGroups and Group from Groups functionality plus use of a macro recorder like Autohotkey.  While Autohotkey is widely available and seems suited to the purpose (I have updated several hundred references at this point), it is far from ideal and the programming is beyond the skill of a typical user.  Alas, the macros themselves need to make use of on-screen coordinates for mouse clicking in the correct spot so these are not portable from user to user due to differences in screen dimensions.

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