What the script does: the user can copy and add multiple selected texts to an MQL list for citation links during a literature review. The text and links will be paste in the correct link format to markdown and rich text notes automatically. I wrote this script to work with the StackV5 and TaggerV5.
The major features of this version:
- Add any number of the selected texts to an MQL list and paste those texts as citation links in markdown and rich text notes at any time.
- The script will detect the file format of markdown and rich text files and paste the correct link format automatically.
- User can change the style of the citation link to be pasted even after the text is copied and added into the MQL list.
- Preferences are set in a single dialog box and no change to the script is required.
- One global preference for all databases.
Preference
- Paste link as a quotation ( paste a text+back link) or bookmark (past a backlnk only).
- The maximum number of selected texts the user wants to keep in the MQL list.
- Some older journal articles have " - " or other symbols as line returns, the user can trim those symbols from the selected text. This feature works well when the OCR quality of the pdf file is good.
- There are three choices for the link text of the back link: a fixed name, the name of the source document, or 5. A value that is stored in a user-defined cmd of the source document.
DEMO
Each time the user invokes the script, the selected text in a document will be marked and added to an MQL list (the texts are saved in a plist file). User can continue to select-and-add texts into the MQL list.
When the user is working on a markdown or rich text note (or other editable files) and no text is selected, an MQL list will be shown when the script is invoked. The script will paste a quotation link with the correct format at the editing cursor of the note when the user double click or select the item in the list and click OK.
- The MQL list in this example has 10 items, showing the page/paragraph number and the first 10 words of those selected texts.
- When the maximum numbers of saved texts are reached, the list will be updated on a FIFO basis.
The script will detect markdown and rich text file formats and choose which link format to use automatically. For other editable file formats, the script will paste a markdown-style link.
Note: The action of MQL script is contextual.
- If a group, a tag, or no item is selected, or when no text is selected in a pdf document, the script assumes that the user wants to change the preference.
- If some texts are selected in a document, the script assumes that the user wants to add the selected text into the MQL list. I have only tested the MQL script for pdf, markdown, and rich text files. However, the script should be able add selected text from most of the other document types.
- If the user is at a markdown or rtf/rtfd note and no text is selected, the script assumes that the user wants to paste a quotation link from the MQL list.
The requirements to run the script
- You need to download Dialog Toolkit Plus from the Late Night Software website and save it under “/Library/Script Libraries”.
The script
Enjoy.
MQLV1b2.scpt.zip (59.2 KB)
v1b3 to eliminate the click-and-paste step if the preference is “Keep the last 1 quotations”.
MQLV1b3.scpt.zip (59.6 KB)