Create and open literature notes

Open an existing Literature Note or create one from its Zotero item.

Use the quick switcherCopy anchor link

The quick switcher searches your Zotero library and opens or creates a literature note for the item you pick.

It searches every library in your library scope at once, in one relevance order. While more than one library can contribute results, each row names the library its item comes from. An empty search lists papers by Last Activity, newest first. This is the same order as 最近 in the Library View.

Choose the profile that creates the noteCopy anchor link

A profile supplies a note's name, folder, properties, and body. While your vault holds only the Default profile, the Default creates the note and ZotLit asks nothing.

Once you add a profile, ZotLit selects one by Profile Match:

• One profile matches the item: ZotLit creates the note from it, and the notice reports the match.
• Several profiles match, or none does: a picker opens. Select the profile for this note, or dismiss the picker to cancel the creation.

A profile that matches the item carries the 匹配此条目 badge in the picker. When nothing matched, the Default is preselected. When several profiles match, ZotLit names them above the results and the search box reads 从匹配的配置方案中选择….

See Use a different template for different notes to add a profile and set the conditions that select it.

Browse the Library ViewCopy anchor link

The Library View lists your library in a tab, by collection, recent activity, or reading state. Its rows take the same keys as the quick switcher: Enter opens or creates the literature note. See Browse your library in the Library View.

Open the item's PDF in ObsidianCopy anchor link

A literature note's PDF attachment opens in Obsidian's own PDF reader, from the note, the quick switcher, or Zotero. See Open an item's PDF in Obsidian.

Open a note from a Pandoc citationCopy anchor link

Turn on Pandoc 引用 and 将引用作为链接打开 under Settings > ZotLit > 引文. Pandoc 引用 is on by default, and 将引用作为链接打开 is off by default.

Type or paste a Pandoc citation such as @key or [@key] in an editor.

• In Live Preview, click the citation to open or create its Literature Note.
• In Source mode, Ctrl-click the citation key. Use Cmd-click on macOS. A plain click places the caret.
• In reading view, click the citation. A single-item citation opens its Literature Note. A multi-item citation opens a menu.

You can also place the cursor on a recognized citation and run ZotLit: 打开光标处的文献引用标识（citation key）. This command uses the same two settings.

ZotLit recognizes bare keys and citation clusters alike: @key, -@key, [@key], [@key, p. 3], and multi-cite [@a; @b].

A click resolves the citation key against Zotero's native citation key field, across every library in your 文库范围 (set at the top of Settings > ZotLit). When a Zotero item carries that key and already has a literature note, ZotLit opens the note. When the item exists but has no literature note yet, ZotLit creates one and opens it.

If the item is not found in your Zotero library, a notice appears: 找不到文献引用标识（citation key）为 @… 的 Zotero 条目。 If the database is unavailable, ZotLit shows 打开 Zotero 数据库查找文献引用标识（citation key）为 @… 的条目。

If several Zotero items carry that key, ZotLit asks which one you mean. A picker lists each item with its library and item key, and opens the one you choose. See A key that matches several items.

The four open-under-cursor commands use 将引用作为链接打开; what hovering shows follows 悬停行为 instead. 显示格式化引用 does not control navigation.

将引用作为链接打开 covers Literature Note wikilinks shown as citations as well. For recognized syntax and the complete interaction model, see How in-text citation rendering and navigation work.

Find notes that cite a Literature NoteCopy anchor link

Open the Literature Note whose incoming citations you want to inspect. Run:

ZotLit: 显示被引用Copy →

The 被引用 Sidebar follows the active Literature Note. It groups citation occurrences by source note and shows the citation in its surrounding text.

Use the sidebar toolbar to narrow and arrange the results:

• 显示搜索筛选器 filters by source-note path or the shown citation context.
• 显示更多上下文 expands every result from a compact excerpt to its enclosing Markdown block.
• 更改排序顺序 sorts source notes by file name, modified time, or created time, in either direction.
• 折叠结果 collapses or expands the visible source-note groups.

Select a citation excerpt to open its source note at that occurrence. Select 打开来源笔记 on a group to open the note without targeting one occurrence. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Linux, or Command on macOS, to open either action in another pane.

Create or update notes in bulkCopy anchor link

You can create or update literature notes for many Zotero items at once from the Zotero right-click menu. This action requires the Companion.

Choose the profile for new notesCopy anchor link

Every new note is created from a profile, which decides its name, folder, properties, and body. When your vault holds added profiles, the confirmation carries a profile control for the new notes, above the item groups. Each control governs the rows it names:

• 未匹配或匹配多个配置方案的条目（…） covers items that no profile matched, or that several profiles matched. Its help reads 为未匹配或匹配多个配置方案的条目选择一个配置方案。仅匹配一个配置方案的条目保留其选择。.
• 不可用的配置方案（…） covers items whose matched profile is unavailable. Its help reads 所选配置方案不可用。请选择一个配置方案来创建这些笔记。.
• 所有新笔记 overrides matching for every new note in the batch.

A control names its profile once every row it governs agrees on one. The line under it reads 已匹配 when Profile Match selected that profile. To change the profile for those rows, select the control and choose another; its tooltip names the rows it governs. See Use a different template for different notes for how matching picks a profile.

Update the entire library at onceCopy anchor link

Use this command to create or update literature notes for every item in your library at once.

Open the command palette and run:

ZotLit: 创建或更新所有文献笔记Copy →

Obsidian opens a confirmation modal that lists what will be created and what will be updated, and, when your vault holds added profiles, which profile creates the new notes. Review the list, then confirm to start the batch.

In Zotero, right-click My Library or a group library in the sidebar. Choose ZotLit > 创建或更新文献笔记.

The Obsidian command covers every library in your 文库范围 (set in Settings > ZotLit). The Zotero entry covers the library you right-clicked, whatever your library scope is.

Update one collection at onceCopy anchor link

In Zotero, right-click a collection in the sidebar and choose ZotLit > 创建或更新文献笔记. Obsidian opens the same confirmation modal, scoped to that collection.

Items in nested subcollections are included, so you do not need to repeat the action on each child collection.

If the collection no longer exists in your Zotero database, Obsidian reports 在 Zotero 中未找到收藏集。

Open or update a single item from ZoteroCopy anchor link

When exactly one regular item is selected in the Zotero library, the top-level context menu shows 在 Obsidian 中打开文献笔记. This creates the note if none exists, or opens the existing one. The behavior matches the quick switcher.

To choose where the note appears in Obsidian, open the ZotLit pane in Zotero's settings. Under 在 Obsidian 中打开, set 笔记打开位置 to 当前标签页 (the default), 新标签页, 新标签页组, or 新窗口. See Where the link opens.

Update multiple items at onceCopy anchor link

How ZotLit identifies literature notesCopy anchor link

ZotLit identifies literature notes by their zotero-key frontmatter field. For details on note identity and the managed region, see Literature notes and the managed region.

See alsoCopy anchor link