Release Notes 0.5.0
New Features
Citation System
ZotFlow now supports inserting formatted citations directly into your notes. Four citation formats are available:
| Format | Example Output | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pandoc | [@smith2024, pp. 3, 7]
| Pandoc-style citation key in brackets |
| Footnote | [^smith2024] + definition
| Markdown footnote reference with auto-appended definition |
| Wikilink | [[Source/@smith2024|Smith (2024)]]
| Obsidian wikilink to the source note |
| Citekey | @smith2024
| Raw citation key, no template processing |
Three ways to insert citations:
- Drag & Drop — Drag items from the Zotero Tree View into any editor. The citation is inserted at the drop position.
- Citation Suggest — Type
@@(configurable) in the editor to open a search popup. Select an item to insert its citation inline. - Copy from Reader — Press
Ctrl+C(orCmd+C) in the built-in reader to copy a citation for the current item. If annotations are selected, they are included in the citation.
Modifier keys let you override the default format on the fly:
| Modifier | Format |
|---|---|
| (none) | Default (configurable in settings) |
Shift
| Pandoc |
Ctrl
| Wikilink |
Alt
| Citekey |
Modifier keys work with drag & drop, the citation suggest popup, and the reader context menu.
Customizable Citation Templates
Each citation format is rendered through a LiquidJS template that you can customize in Settings → Citation. Templates have access to the item's metadata, the resolved source note path, and any selected annotations — so you can build exactly the citation style you need.
The footnote format uses two separate templates: one for the inline reference marker ([^key]) and one for the footnote definition text.
Annotation-Aware Citations
Citations can include annotation context:
- Reader: Select annotations before copying — the citation template receives the selected annotation data (page labels, highlighted text, comments).
- Suggest popup / Drag & drop: If the source note already exists and has annotation blocks, the citation links to those blocks automatically (for wikilink format).
For example, a pandoc citation with annotations renders as [@smith2024, pp. 3, 7], and a wikilink citation links directly to annotation block IDs like [[Source/@smith2024#^ABC123|Smith (2024), p. 3]].
Reader Context Menu: Copy Citation
The reader's right-click context menu now includes citation options:
- Copy Citation — Copies a citation for the current item using your default format.
- Copy Pandoc Citation / Copy Wikilink Citation / Copy Citekey — Format-specific options.
- Copy Embed — Available for local files; copies an Obsidian embed link.
For library items, all four citation formats are available. For local vault files, only "Copy Embed" is shown (since local files don't have citation keys).
Auto Note Creation on Citation
When you insert a citation for an item that doesn't have a source note yet, ZotFlow automatically creates the source note in the background. This ensures that wikilink citations always point to a valid file.
Improvements
Template Preview: Annotation Multi-Select
The Template Test tab in the Activity Center now includes a multi-select dropdown for annotations when testing citation templates. You can select any combination of annotations to see how your citation template renders with different annotation sets. The dropdown includes a toggle-all checkbox for convenience.
Template Preview: Citation Context Support
The Template Test tab now supports all eight template contexts — the four new citation types join the existing library/local source note and path templates. Select a citation context, pick a Zotero item, optionally select annotations, and preview the rendered citation.
Documentation
- New Citation Guide — Comprehensive guide covering all citation formats, insertion methods, modifier keys, annotation support, and settings.
- Updated Template Guide — Added citation template variables, path template reference, and a Template Preview walkthrough.