Several individuals in our organization currently use EndNote, each with his/her own library(s).We are exploring setting up an organization-wide EndNote library and a set of .pdf files that would reside on our network server for the scientists’ internal use only. We are aware that EndNote currently allows file attachments to each record. It would be very useful, however, to be able to retrieve a collection of all the pdf’s in a particular collection of references, such as the results of a reference search.Am I asking for the moon?Would this be possible for us (or EndNote) to develop?
Many thanks for your reply. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
The metihd you described looks promising. I understand that you can make URL links to hundreds of PDF files simultaneously. If you do a Reference Search, however, and get a collection of 10 references that already have URL llinks to their respective PDF, is it possible to get all 10 PDFs together in a collection?
I think the URL links you download into Endnote is the links to the websites, right? Downloading these PDF files to your local PC is a different task. You can use “Find Full Text” function to attach these PDFs to your library, but they go to File Attachment field.
For more PDF attaching issues, please check this thread, and jump to other threads from there.
The PDFs would reside on our server for in-house use only. Please take another look at my initial post. I looked at the thread you referred me to, and I my most recent post was in reference to the recommendation in that other thread.
So, what you want is, download bunch of PDF full text articles to your server after you searched with some keywords, am I understanding correctly? If so, I think you can do that with Endnote X2’s find full text function. I personally do not use that function very often, but somebody should be able tell you that kind of “batch” download is possible or not.
As to the response to your first post, place some kind of master library in the server, then do the batch download to the .data folder. Individuals who have endnote library will refer to the .data folder in the server via the URL field.
Sounds like possible scenario? But, I’ve never constructed such shared library myself so somebody may have better ideas. I personally prefer keeping endnote library to individual, because (I believe) collection of research reference is a personal matter.
I truly appreciate your time and effort in replying to my queries. I think I have confused the issue by using ambiguous terminology. Here’s a recap, hopefully a little clearer.
A master EndNote library located on a server that is accessible by all the scientists in the organization.
PDFs for each library reference also in an accessible location on the server.
here’s the crux:
Scientist X does a search in the master EndNote Library (References, Search References…, keyword “tuna”) and finds 10 references he wants the PDFs of. Then, Scientist X activates something?? that places copies of those 10 PDFs into a folder on his personal hard drive.
He then happily reads all 10 papers at his leasure, which irritates his wife because he’s working instead of taking out the trash.
The question: Is there a way to download all 10 PDFs at once, as described.
No problem about the time and effort. This is my favorite topic because it is something I always feel like “there must be a better way doing this”.
Anyway, I got what you really want to do, and I realized I’m not the best person but let me tell you what I would try at least.
Assuming the scientist X’s PC also has a copy of Endnote and the server library uses “relative link” to store PDFs (all the PDFs are in the .data folder in the server library), just open the server library and do the search. Then highlight all the hits, and copy. Go to the library of the Scientist X’s local machine, and simply paste them.
I “believe” all the PDFs are copied to the Scientist X’s library (in the .data) folder. The reason I say “believe” is, I’ve never done this myself. I really don’t use “relative link” myself, and I gave up this “centralized library” idea long time ago because of several reasons.
So, if someone is reading this thread, please verify what I’m saying is possible. It should be that simple. Then, Scientist X works 10 times more efficienty at his lab such that he can go home very early and take care of trash and even gardening as well.
Happily ever after.
Best,
p.s. the problem might be the shared use of the server library. I don’t think more than one person can open the server library. That’s one reason I gave up the centralized Endnote library. Another reason is…well that’s not the focus of this topic so I’ll mention in the other place if I have a chance.
So this is what Myoshigi doesn’t do, because he doesn’t like the fact that they end up in a relative path. Relative to the location of the library, which can be on a shared network drive. Myoshigi is also correct that a shared library can’t be opened by multiple people at the same time. So get in before anyone else!
In X2 with IP authentication, with many publisher web sites but not all, after copying the 10 papers you want from your search, as described by Myoshigi if you did the search in the “online” mode (and not the “integrated mode”–if in integrated mode, then they are already in a group in your library-and you should throw away the ones you don’t really want, ) move back the the library and there will be a “temporary group” called “Copied References”. Click on that group, select all the showing references and then from the References menu, (or right click) and select “Find Full Text”. Endnote will think for a while, and begin attaching any PDFs it can and attach them to the record (paper clips will appear) until it finishes and reports at the bottom, how many it found out of the 10, placing them in the .DATA folder, in in the PDF folder, in a folder named similarly to the Title of the PDF. The .DATA folder is located in the same folder as the endnote library. It sounds complicated, but it is really pretty easy to find them in the folder structure, which I sometimes do to print (sorting the folder on date, for example)
but the easiest way to print them out, or read them on the screen, is to open the record and click on the “pdf” icon, or to right click on the record in library view and go to File attachments, open.
The various modes are explained quite clearly about half way down the page here:
) move back the the library and there will be a “temporary group” called “Copied References”. Click on that group, select all the showing references and then from the References menu, (or right click) and select “Find Full Text”. Endnote will think for a while, and begin attaching any PDFs it can and attach them to the record (paper clips will appear) until it finishes and reports at the bottom, how many it found out of the 10, placing them in the .DATA folder, in in the PDF folder, in a folder named similarly to the Title of the PDF. The .DATA folder is located in the same folder as the endnote library. It sounds complicated, but it is really pretty easy to find them in the folder structure, which I sometimes do to print (sorting the folder on date, for example)