# Opening notes associated to .pdf with org-roam-bibtex **URL:** \ **Category:** Requests\ **Created:** [August 22, 2022, 8:12am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736 "2022-08-22T08:12:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nonreligious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c68b51/32.png) [@nonreligious](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nonreligious)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 8:12am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/1 "2022-08-22T08:12:46Z")
I use `org-roam-bibtex` together with a `helm-bibtex` interface, and a master `.bib` file generated by Zotero. I’m able to comfortably create an Emacs frame, launch `helm-bibtex` and then select a paper I want to read. Using the `Fn` keys, I can select whether I want to view the `.pdf` of the paper, or open the `.org` note file associated with it – and if there are no notes, I am lead to an org-roam-capture template that creates a new notes file for me. From the notes file, I can invoke `org-noter` to view both the`.pdf` file and add notes to the note file at the same time. I would like to do something slightly different now. I typically use `helm-bibtex` to open the `.pdf` file of the reference directly, using `pdf-tools`. I browse the file, and add highlights, etc. I now want to open `org-noter` and view the associated notes, or if no notes file exists, use `org-roam-capture` to create it. Unfortunately, I can’t see any way of doing this at the moment. The best I can do is invoke `org-noter` and add notes to files listed in `org-noter-default-files-name`, so that all the notes end up in the same file. Is there a function or hack I can use to get `org-noter` to search for an associated notes file for my `.pdf`, or use my `org-roam-capture-template` to create such a notes file? ---
**Author:** ![nobiot](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/org-roam.discourse.group/nobiot/32/159_2.png) [@nobiot](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nobiot)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 9:53am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/2 "2022-08-28T09:53:13Z")
If you look at the docstring of command `org-noter`, you will see this: > - Creating the session from the document > > * * * > > This will try to find a notes file in any of the parent folders. The names it will search for are defined in `org-noter-default-notes-file-names’. It will also try to find a notes file with the same name as the document, giving it the maximum priority. In the context of Org-noter, the “document” refers to the PDF document you want to annotate. So I read it that if you have a PDF named “2022\_nobiot.pdf”, it will first try to look for “2022\_nobiot.org” (probably in the same directory; I can’t confirm how the directory is determined) This part is followed by this: > When it doesn’t find anything, it will interactively ask you what you want it to do. The target notes file must be in a parent folder (direct or otherwise) of the document. > > You may pass a prefix ARG in order to make it let you choose the notes file, even if it finds one. So… it seems you can do `C-u org-noter` and select an exact org file. I haven’t tried these ways myself. I hope you will find a way without coding. Otherwise, you could consider overriding the part of the code. ---
**Author:** ![nonreligious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c68b51/32.png) [@nonreligious](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nonreligious)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 8:48am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/3 "2022-09-04T08:48:09Z")
Sorry for the slow response. Thank you! This is indeed helpful - `C-u M-x org-noter` will call give me a list of possible files in my `org-roam` notes directory associated with the `.pdf` I’m looking for, including a new file with the same title as the pdf, i.e. `foo.org`. The remaining issue is the recognition of the notes file by `helm-bibtex`/`org-ref`/`org-roam-bibtex`. In order for this to work, what needs to happen is that the `:PROPERTIES:` drawer for the main headline in the notes file needs to include: - a new UUID for the `:ID:` property and - the `org-ref` citation link for the `:ROAM_REFS:` property. So far, I have been able to add these manually, e.g. opening `2022_nobiot.org` and doing `M-x org-id-get-create` and then opening the property drawer to add the `:ROAM_REFS:` property, then doing `helm-bibtex` and selecting the citation link to add to the field, so that it reads `:ROAM_REFS: cite:2022_nobiot`. I would like this to happen automatically upon creating the notes file, but associating the citation link with the pdf file seems unwieldy. ---
**Author:** ![nobiot](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/org-roam.discourse.group/nobiot/32/159_2.png) [@nobiot](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nobiot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/4 "2022-09-04T18:36:14Z")
> [@nonreligious](#): > > So far, I have been able to add these manually, e.g. opening `2022_nobiot.org` and doing `M-x org-id-get-create` and then opening the property drawer to add the `:ROAM_REFS:` property, then doing `helm-bibtex` and selecting the citation link to add to the field, so that it reads `:ROAM_REFS: cite:2022_nobiot`. > > I would like this to happen automatically upon creating the notes file, At a quick glance, you could rather easily create your custom wrapper command around `C-u M-x org-noter` and add the two additional elements to be added to the note. The following is just a sketch of the idea off top of my head right now – easier to convey it via code. It’s untested (I don’t use `org-noter` at the moment). ```auto (defun my/org-noter-notes-from-pdf () "Call from within the PDF document to create or open an org-noter file. If it does not exist, create and add the following to the heading command `org-noter' creates: - a new UUID for the :ID: property - the org-ref citation link for the :ROAM_REFS: property." (interactive) (org-noter t) ;; I am assuming your point is now at the heading in the org-noter ;; buffer `org-noter' has created Not sure if you need to do something ;; different when the file already exists (other-frame 1) (with-current-buffer (org-noter--session-notes-buffer org-noter--session) (org-id-get-create) ;; You'd need to think of a reliable way to obtain the cite key of ;; the PDF document Here I'm assuming you can manually name the ;; file/buffer of the org-noter buffer as "cite-key.org" (org-set-property "ROAM_REFS" (concat "cite:" (file-name-sans-extension (file-name-base (buffer-file-name))))))) ``` EDIT: This latest version did work but probably not robust – it assumes you work with only one frame normally, and only one new frame will always open for the Org-noter session. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/orgroam/original/2X/2/2e76b6683d5e6310290106f497b4a7e1db4387b5.png) ---
**Author:** ![nonreligious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c68b51/32.png) [@nonreligious](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nonreligious)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 10:03am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/5 "2022-09-08T10:03:22Z")
Great, thanks very much! As you say there are a few bugs here. First, I use Emacs in `daemon` mode and have a lot of client frames around. I tend to have a couple of `org-noter` buffers open looking at different pdf files, and when I tried to use your function on a particular document, the `:ID:` and `:ROAM_REFS:` properties were added to a headline in another open `org-noter` frame. Secondly (and less problematically), if a notes file already exists with the appropriate name, it doesn’t just jump to it in the way that calling `org-noter` by itself does. But if you keep selecting the same filename etc, it will just open the pre-existing file in the end, so there’s no loss of information. Thanks again for your help – I will try to tinker around with this when I can to see if I get somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![nobiot](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/org-roam.discourse.group/nobiot/32/159_2.png) [@nobiot](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nobiot)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 10:24am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/6 "2022-09-08T10:24:45Z")
> [@nonreligious](#): > > Secondly (and less problematically), if a notes file already exists with the appropriate name, it doesn’t just jump to it in the way that calling `org-noter` by itself does. In the wrapper, you can check the existence of the file (file-existp, or something) and then switch to calling org-noter on its own with no argument. As for the first issue of determining the right frame, you could probably cycle them one by one and check the PDF file name in the “main window”(whatever that could mean)… I only work with a single frame so hopefully others can jump in to assist… ---
**Author:** ![nobiot](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/org-roam.discourse.group/nobiot/32/159_2.png) [@nobiot](https://org-roam.discourse.group/u/nobiot)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 10:53am UTC](https://org-roam.discourse.group/t/opening-notes-associated-to-pdf-with-org-roam-bibtex/2736/7 "2022-09-08T10:53:02Z")
Or alternatively, you could try (other-frame -1). I think you’d always want to select the newest frame just opened in this case. I have a feeling it could be added to the back of the list of frames and your “current one” is the first one (I can be completely wrong here — if so, I think cycling through frames until you get to the one is a valid logic).