EndNote X2 - First Impressions and suggestions

EndNote EndNote Product Suggestions
41

Well, maybe the new implementations in X2.01 are some kind of unsatisfying. I used to open a new thread for that here.

42

Where is the X2.01 patch though. I don’t see any download link posted or anounced yet?

43

You can find the patch at the following location or by searching for “Endnote Program Updates…” via Endnote’s Help menu. 

http://www.endnote.com/support/ENX201_WinMac_updater.asp

44

For Windows users, the patch is available for download from within EndNote using the “EndNote Software updates” function. The team is in the process of posting Macintosh files and official announcements. We expected this all to be ready momentarily.

Jason Rollins, the EndNote team 

45

From reading the help file, it is my understanding that the recommend way to use the Online Mode is to search for references in this mode and then copy them into the permanent library using “Copy References To”.  I like this approach, however; it would be much easier for me if I could copy references directly into a group in my permanent library, instead of copying them to the library, then opening the library, searching for the new references, and then copying the reference into a group.  I tried to use “Add References To,” which normally allows adding references to a group, but this feature was grayed out.  Is there another efficient way to achieve what I’d like to do?

46

After copying them to your premanent library, they are in a temporary group called “copied” and you can move them from there to the group. 

47

Ok, thanks for the information. 

48

I just upgraded to X2 and also very unhappy about online downloads automatically given a record number and copied to library (unless one goes the extra step of putting them into another library first, then deleting, etc.) — although I heard the maxiumum record number size has increased considerably, why “waste” all those numbers?

Anyway, has the patch mentioned below available yet for this particular item?  Thanks -

M. Graves

Univ. of AZ

49

Patch is available.  Go to Help and see the update option there.

50

Thanks Leanne - I’ll check it out.

Michele

51

I just installed the upgrade and tested the waters - maybe because I’m still so new to X2, but I didn’t see a difference when I did an online search.  All the citations listed were still assigned a record number.  Was the patch going to turn this off if we choose?  Where does one do that?  I guess I thought it was going to be like the previous version where all the citations found online would be listed and then you’d get to highlight and then download just those into your library.  What am I not doing? 

Also was there going to be a change in the viewing of duplicates (so that you’d see both records and their corresponding numbers)?

Thanks!  Michele

52

Hi Michele, changing the viewing of duplicates is an issue I really would like to change as well. Just have a look here: http://forums.thomsonscientific.com/ts/board/message?board.id=en-suggest&thread.id=130

53

Elha - thanks for that link.  I tried it with the directions given - so I guess it can be done, however I still like the previous version where they’re all listed together (just easier to manage).  But that’s my preference.  I’m sure the programmers made changes they thought were better and I’m sure it’s discouraging to them to see all the complaints.  I’ll try to keep an open mind on learning the new X2, however I may end up going back to the previous version (if the online search/download function stays the same - still waiting to hear about the patch question I had on that).

54

Check out the Help: What’s new in Endnotex2, which gives the update new features and links to further details about the two options. 

It is a bit different, but I have adapted… and if this old dog can adapt, anyone can! 

You want to switch to the globe for the searches.  (icons in upper left corner).  They do still get assigned numbers. (1 to  whatever) - but they aren’t in your library, until you select them and right click to copy them there or to an alternative or new library.    Then you work in books alone for library and globe alone for searches.  When you close and reopen Endnote, it stays in book alone, if you close it with that selected (or if you left with globe alone selected). However if you like the new optional (import everything) mode, then if you close with the combined globe/books, it will reopen in that mode. 

55

Using the patched version, I still have issues.  The Online Mode works fine as a working library if you are pulling items into EndNote (i.e. searching a remote database from within EndNote).  However, if you push items into EndNote from a remote database, say Web of Science, the results go straight into your main library, even if you have the Online Mode open in EndNote when you conduct the search.  Am I missing something?  I thought the patch was meant to overcome this problem.

If I select maybe a hundred references from WoS, I don’t necessarily want to add them directly to my “main” library - there are definitely fields I would want to alter or omit - subject headings which conflict with my Term List, for example.  So is there no other way to avoid this than to always use a “working library” when doing an online search, and then copy any corrected records I definitely want into the Main Library.

When is X3 due?  I certainly hope that it reverts to the pre-X2 way of doing things.

Best wishes,

Paul Woods,

University of Bristol

56

I have to add my voice to the list of people who do not want all references that are found in a search added to the library.  This adds several unnecessary steps, e.g. 1) you then have to delete duplicates of things you may already have, and 2) you have to delete the many references you dont need (which can be 100’s of them), unless you want to spend hours searching through your own library when you wish to add a reference to a document.

Being able to create a temporary library (this is the purpose of the patch, correct?) does not adequately solve the problem, in my opinion.  It just adds more steps to the process of creating and deleting.  Temporary libraries may be useful addition for some users’ purposes, but for me it is a waste of time.  Endnote should not be something that takes hours to use.

Please, PLEASE just make the automatic adding an option that can be turned on and off. 

57

the patch keeps the references in a “temporary” space, similar to before.  The main difference is that you need to copy to rather than drag and drop between two windows.  If you like the drag and drop, then open a temp library and it is functionally the same as before.  That is what I do when I want to prevent bringing in duplicates. I then import the temporay library (which copy to “new library” always defaults to “My Endnote Library” and I just write over) into my main library, with discard duplicates on. 

It would very nice if the Patches “copy to” function from the online interface also did a duplicate check. 

Message Edited by Leanne on 02-25-2009 05:47 PM

58

Since remote/online searching was originally built into EndNote, there has always been a “temporary” library. The design in EndNote X2, simply integrates this into the main EndNote Library interface. The multiple, separate windows of the older design habitually caused confusion and frustration for new and novice users. The X2 design does not add any additional steps or clicks.

Jason Rollins, the EndNote team

59

I don’t know that this is the most efficient way to handle online downloads, but since I have a widescreen monitor, I currently use three libraries with two side-by-side to download and save references. Here is the process I use:

1.  I open two libraries that I call “dump” and “temp”. 

2.  I use the dump library to download references from the web in Online mode.

3.  I then copy the references I want to keep from the dump library to the temp library. (Endnote should at least be able to cut out this middle man, but this is not the case.)

4.  I then download the fulltext (PDFs) for the references in the temp library.

5.  After I have a chance to read the reference(s) saved in the temp library, I close the dump library (if I haven’t done so already) and open up a third “true” library.  I copy the reference(s) from the temp library into various groups in the true library .

I’m not a computer programmer, but I can’t figure out for the life of me why Endnote doesn’t allow the user to save references downloaded in Online mode directly to the same library, which would cut out at least one step in the process (i.e. no need for separate dump and temp libraries in my case).  It befuddles me how either the current integrated or online modes are supposed to be simpler than this.  I think Endnote should just replace the Online mode with this approach.  In any event, this is the path they’ve decided to follow up to now in X2.  Hopefully, my approach will offer you some additional ideas on how you may wish to proceed at this point.  

Take home message for Endnote:  Create a better online mode that downloads references, and allows them to be saved to the same library, but doesn’t automatically save them to the library, until they are dragged into groups.

I also agree with the prior poster that it would be superb if Endnote could detect if a reference being saved to a library is a duplicate.  It would be even better if it would allow the new duplicate to merge with the old duplicate record (e.g. allow you to choose which version you wish to keep), since some of my older records don’t have PDFs associated with them, because you couldn’t download PDFs in Endnote before X2.  It especially annoys me that if I drag a reference from one library to multiple groups in a separate library, each time I drag the reference, it creates a duplicate.  I realize I could just drag the reference from one group to another within the same library, but I often forget, and end up dragging the reference multiple times between libraries.

Message Edited by hsrstud on 02-26-2009 02:15 PM

60

Impressions of the version

 

Abstract. Endnote 2X is Aweful.

 

0. Compromised security. When the Cite While You Write (CWYW) option is “on” Antivirus detects a virus / key logger on the computer at

C:\Program Files\Common Files\ResearchSoft\Cwyw\12\EndNote Cwyw.dll

What does it mean? Are you trying to steal my my user name and password for bank account?

1. Online search mixes my precious references with tons of crap. If you didn’t clean the online search before quitting - you are screwed, it is faster to start from scratch. Solution would be to save online search files to temp directory.

2. Search flexibility. Add an option “select all, but … references”. (This way I can sort the issue 1 by deleting all refs except for refs from “my group”).

 

3. Let me drag and drop fields. Yes< I can go to Edit-> Prefs->Display Fields-> move fields. But I want to be able to drag and drop. Or "right click -> customize -> drug and drop. Besides, if you want to bring DOI to front -you have to change the settings of the fields 1-8.

 

Now, if you want to bring DOI to the top in the ref section - you are fully screwed. The fields will not move. No PasarĂĄn.

 

4. Make it more standard. It saves time. In the ref editing window add “ctrl+F” to find. Why use Ctrl+J ? Why call it “Go to?” Goto means “go to line number” in text editors. Put it in “Edit tab”. What is it doing in “references”?

 

5. Make clicking on the field a bit more specific. For example - one click opens reference, two clicks opens the selected field. If you want to add a note, you have to use field “Custom 8”, and to edit this field you have to scroll to the very bottom (because of  No Pasarán, part 6. Make the search a bit more intelligent. “2000-2009” means “years from 2000 to 2009”. Yes, now I know that 2000:2009 makes it work. But don’t make it a quest. I don’t want to study your program. I want to use it.

 

7. Make the search work. It gives correct results if I type “Singleton, D. A.” and  2009. Search for “Singleton D. A.” returns sume irrelevant results. (search in PubMed).

 

8. Remove the “find full text” option. It plainly doesn’t work. Or make it explain, why it fails. Or (even better) fix it.

 

10. Add “Get reference from DOI” option. Cross ref ( http://www.crossref.org/ ) provides this option for free.

 

11. “Get reference from pdf” would help. At least, try to fill out the fields and ask user to choose correct option, when program is not sure. (this is a daydreaming though).

 

  1. I downloaded update today. None of these issuaes were resolved

 

Site

 

1. Registering on this site is quite a challenge.

“Your password must be 6 or more characters, contain at least one lowercase character, one uppercase character, one digit, and no repeated sequence of characters of any length. Your password can’t be a subset of your login name.”

Guys, this is NOT a code to launch nukes. This is a password to a forum of a software company. One forum out of many. How am I supposed to memorize it? Even my bank is not this strict.

 

2. Why don’t you use black font as default settings? Grey font looks cool, but is not readable.

 

3. Fortunately, I wrote this post in Word. Fortunately, because when I pasted and sent this to forum it said “ticket missmatch”. Sure enough it lost my message.

 

Guys, you should design educational programs and quests for children. It will greatly develop their mental agility. Also, they will learn how they shouldn’t write programs.

Message Edited by ijin on 06-27-2009 12:23 AM

Message Edited by ijin on 06-27-2009 12:24 AM

Message Edited by ijin on 06-27-2009 12:27 AM