Help

Guides to using CiteDesk.

• Quick Start

  CiteDesk is a Markdown editor combined with a reference manager: writing, citing and reading all happen in one application. This page walks you through your first session.

• The Library

  The library is where references are managed. Its layout and use follow Zotero's main window: collections and tags on the left, the reference table in the middle, and the details of the selected reference on the right.

• Citations and Annotations

  Citations and annotations are markers written in the Markdown text. This page describes the complete syntax. The **Insert** > **Citation** dialog normally writes them for you, so you rarely need to type them by hand.

• Document Preferences

  Document preferences decide how a document lays out its citations: which style, which language, whether to romanize, footnotes or endnotes. They are stored in the frontmatter at the top of the document and travel with it.

• Exporting a Manuscript

  While you write, the document stores only your text and CiteDesk's markers, not the typeset citations and bibliography. When the manuscript has to go out, Export Manuscript produces a separate file in which the citations, footnotes and bibliography are real, finished content. Exporting never changes the original Markdown document.

• Settings

  Changes to settings take effect immediately; there is nothing to confirm. The Help button at the bottom of each page opens the matching section of this page. **Settings…** is in the application menu on macOS and in the File menu on other systems.

• File Renaming

  CiteDesk can name attachment files automatically from the metadata of their parent reference; the default names look like "Author - Year - Title.pdf". The settings are under **Settings** > **General** > **File Renaming**.

• Attachments

  An attachment is a file that hangs under a reference; it can also exist on its own, without a parent reference.

• Importing and Exporting References

  The library uses standard CSL-JSON, and files going in and out of the library are handled by Zotero's translators, so the library interoperates with Zotero and other tools.

• Browser Window and Adding from a URL

  There are two ways to bring a reference in from the web: Add Reference from URL and the browser window. Both use the same web translators (Zotero's translators) to read the bibliographic data of a page into a reference.

• Adding by Identifier and Retrieving Metadata

  With an identifier such as a DOI or ISBN you can get a complete reference quickly; and an existing PDF can be recognized the other way round. These functions follow Zotero's approach and use Zotero's lookup translators.

• Data Directory and Backups

  CiteDesk keeps the library and its attachments in a data directory. Knowing where it is and what is in it lets you back up and move your data with confidence.

• Sync

  Keep your library and workspaces in step across several devices. Data is encrypted on this device before it is uploaded, by default, and comes with a recovery code. You choose where it goes: the CiteDesk sync service, or your own S3-compatible storage or WebDAV server. The sync settings are on the **Settings** > **Sync** page. The last line of the **Account** page shows the current sync status, and **Sync Settings…** there takes you to the same page.

• Updates, Announcements and Feedback

  CiteDesk can tell you when there is a new version or a new announcement, and lets you send us your comments. The **Help** menu has **Check for Updates…**, **Announcements** and **Feedback…**.

• Troubleshooting

  When something goes wrong, look here first. **Help** > **Troubleshooting Information** opens this page.

• Changelog (0.1.1)

  This page lists what changed in 0.1.1 since 0.1.0. Everything 0.1.0 could do (writing, the library, reading and notes, exporting a manuscript and so on) is still there. During testing, an upgrade may require rebuilding the library, so before upgrading make a copy with "Export Library Backup" on the Advanced page of Settings.