Re: [Refdb-users] Making RefDB cooperating with Zotero

[Bruce D'A. <bda...@gm...>]

On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Markus
Hoenicka<mar...@mh...> wrote:
> Quoting Bruce D'Arcus <bda...@gm...>:
>
>> On Sat, Aug 22, 2009 at 9:41 PM, Wei-Wei Guo<ww...@gm...> wrote:
>>
>>> RefDB is powerful in managing reference database. If RefDB could
>>> managing the database of Zotero directly, which is a sqlite3 database, it
>>> will boost RefDB a lot.
>>
>> I think the ability to easily move data around between systems is
>> probably the better approach.
>>
>
> I second that. I've had a look at Zotero's internal data model, which isn't
> really documented anywhere except in the SQL script which creates the
> database. At first glance there are so many differences to the data model
> currently used by RefDB that it would come close to rewriting the app in
> order to make it handle Zotero databases. Moreover, the Zotero developers
> discourage external access to the database as Zotero may end up in an
> undefined state if the database is fiddled with while the browser is open.
>
> How good are Zotero's import and export capabilities?

Keep in mind that Zotero is now split between a client, and a server.

The client has supported good import/export of standard formats like
RIS, BibTeX, MODS for awhile. Their primary (e.g. lossless) format is
RDF, which is about to get an upgrade (to the BIBO vocab I've worked
with them and others on), and be accessible via a server API as well.

Upshot is that I would assume some kind of server API interop might be
worth exploring.

Bruce