[Share] Set Better Notes Syncing (menu/on closing item/on creating note)

[windingwind]

Description

Set Better Notes syncing by:

• menu or shortcut - set Event to None
• on closing item (finish reading a paper and sync its child notes) - set Event to Close Tab
• on creating note (auto-sync every new note) - set Event to Create Item

Event

None

Operation

Script

Data

/**
 * Set Better Notes Syncing (menu/on closing item/on creating note)
 * @author windingwind
 * @usage See link
 * @link https://github.com/windingwind/zotero-actions-tags/discussions/140/
 * @see https://github.com/windingwind/zotero-better-notes/
 */

if (!item) {
	return;
}

let toSync = [];
if (item.isNote()) {
	toSync.push(item);
}
else if (item.isRegularItem()) {
	toSync.push(...Zotero.Items.get(item.getNotes()));
}

// Filter notes by collection name, so that only notes in this collection will be auto-synced
const FILTER_BY_COLLECTION_NAME = null;

toSync = toSync.filter(noteItem => !Zotero.BetterNotes.api.sync.isSyncNote(noteItem.id))
	.filter(noteItem =>
		!FILTER_BY_COLLECTION_NAME
		|| Zotero.Collections.get(noteItem.getCollections())
			.map(collection => collection.name)
			.includes(FILTER_BY_COLLECTION_NAME));

if (toSync.length === 0) {
	return;
}

const window = require("window");
const PathUtils = require("PathUtils");
const FilePicker = window.require('zotero/modules/filePicker').default;

// Get sync directory

let rootDir = Zotero.Prefs.get("extensions.actionsTags.BNSyncRootDir", true);
if (!rootDir) {
	const fp = new FilePicker();
	fp.init(window, "Choose syncing root directory", fp.modeGetFolder);
	fp.appendFilters(fp.filterAll);

	const rv = await fp.show();
	if (rv !== fp.returnOK && rv !== fp.returnReplace) {
		return;
	}

	rootDir = fp.file;
	Zotero.Prefs.set("extensions.actionsTags.BNSyncRootDir", rootDir, true);
}

await Zotero.BetterNotes.api.$export.syncMDBatch(rootDir, toSync.map(noteItem => noteItem.id));

return `[Sync Notes] Synced ${toSync.length} note items.`;

Anything else

No response

[cs123951]

const FilePicker = window.require('zotero/modules/filePicker').default; may cause error.
I changed to
var { FilePicker } = ChromeUtils.importESModule('chrome://zotero/content/modules/filePicker.mjs');.
It works.

[ulahcherubim]

I happened to have the error you mentioned but after I updated my script with your line, I noticed the notes are not syncing to the directory that I want. How can I choose the directory, do you know?

[cs123951]

Sorry, I am using FilePicker for another usage. I did not use other codes in this script.

[Asstrole]

I happened to have the error you mentioned but after I updated my script with your line, I noticed the notes are not syncing to the directory that I want. How can I choose the directory, do you know?

I had same error and used his fix, but had similar problems you had since the script remembers the first directory you chose.

However, I commented out this line and it now asks for the directory every time (which is what I needed).
Zotero.Prefs.set("extensions.actionsTags.BNSyncRootDir", rootDir, true);

[HustleLiam]

I encountered such an error message: ScriptError:Modulezotero/modules/filePicker is not found at chrome://zotero/content/modules/filePicker.js. Could this be because this module was modified in Zotero 7?

[HustleLiam]

I encountered such an error message: ScriptError:Modulezotero/modules/filePicker is not found at chrome://zotero/content/modules/filePicker.js. Could this be because this module was modified in Zotero 7?

After replacing the code you provided, the problem was solved. Ignore my stupid question.

[DH-7488]

I'm trying to sync notes from one Zotero library to two different folders in a single Obsidian vault. I keep seeing the error "Sync Error: TypeError: changes in undefined". Any idea what this means?

[windingwind]

Syncing is one-to-one. It’s not possible to sync to two positions

[DH-7488]

Thanks so much for your reply. I've been receiving an error message: "Sync error: TypeError changes is undefined". I assumed it had to do with this.

**UPDATE: I used the debug log to discover syncing was hung up on a corrupt note. Fixed now. Thanks for creating this awesome tool! **

[Asstrole]

If you still need sync to multiple locations, this will do what you want https://freefilesync.org I've used it for about 10 years to sync enormous amounts of files/folders. Great program GL

[3zra47]

I tried to get this to work, but it doesn't do anything for me—I don't even get an error. I think I did everything right so I'm not sure what the issue is.

[windingwind]

Pls share screenshots

[3zra47]

#140 (comment)

[3zra47]

Here are the screenshots. In the data field I just pasted what I copied up above.

Also, I'm a bit confused about what the purpose of auto-sync in the Better Notes settings are. It doesn't seem to sync my markdown notes which I use in obsidian, so I manually sync it using the sync now button.

[windingwind]

Also, I'm a bit confused about what the purpose of auto-sync in the Better Notes settings are. It doesn't seem to sync my markdown notes which I use in obsidian

It's syncing your notes to markdown files (and back). It won't magically detect what you have outside Zotero and magically turn them into synced notes. You'll need to use import from markdown to get them managed by BN.

Let's first make sure the syncing works, then check the issue you mentioned here.

[3zra47]

It's syncing your notes to markdown files (and back). It won't magically detect what you have outside Zotero and magically turn them into synced notes. You'll need to use import from markdown to get them managed by BN.

@windingwind Yeah I understand that—I was referring to the Zotero better notes that I then turned into markdown files that are synced in my obsidian vault. I meant that once I sync them with obsidian I have to manually sync the notes—I can't figure out how to get auto sync to work.

Let's first make sure the syncing works, then check the issue you mentioned here.

The syncing itself works, but the auto-syncing doesn't seem to. What can I do to try to get that to work? Thank you.

[3zra47]

@windingwind Any ideas on this?

[windingwind]

• Do the synced notes appear in the sync manager (under Tools menu), and does syncing them manually again from the sync manager work?
• If not, try to reset the builtin note templates and try again.
• If not, what paths do your synced markdown files have? Are they on special directory, e.g. WSL, remote disk, etc?

[xfap]

@windingwind Hi, Is there a script or API to trigger a bi-direction sync, I want to trigger a instant sync for a note by shortcut. Thanks!

[windingwind]

Zotero.BetterNotes.hooks.onSyncing()

[docsez]

Is there a way to only sync the template note created by Better Notes and ignore other random notes attached to the item?