An overview of translation documentation can be found here.

(Rintze, Debbie) Migrate Adam's docs (relevant portions) and update

Contrary to what the name may imply, “translator” in this context does not mean Zotero will translate a web page from one language into another (like English into Spanish for example.) A translator is, simply put, that folder, book, newspaper or moviereel icon that pops up in the URL when you're on a page that Zotero can recognize. Programming-wise, a translator is some code bundled into your Zotero translator library which enables Zotero to recognize a particular web page, pull citation data off of it, and convert that data into a form ingest-able by the Zotero client. If no translator script exists in the Zotero translator library for a Web site that you're on, Zotero will not be able to “recognize” the site (and so no cute little icon will appear by the URL.) This section will explain how translators work, how to build and debug a translator, and how to choose the type of translator that's best for the web site in question.

Here is a textual explanation of how a translator works, as well as a diagram.

Depending on what you what you want to do with translators, the difficulty level varies. For instance, if you want to just tweak a simple, already-created translator, there are quickie methods for doing that and you don't necessarily have to know JavaScript (TODO: link to video/text). However, if you want to create something from scratch, more knowledge will likely be required. Also affecting your decision will be whether or not you have control over the guts of the web page you want to make a translator for (are you a site admin? the designer? Or just a fan?)

What are the types of translators?

What skills are required to build one?

What tools are required to build one?

Does the translator I want to build already exist?
Sometimes, Zotero will not recognize a page for which it has a translator already; in other words, no little icon appears next to the URL when it should. A frequent reason is that the Web site the translator is trying to parse has changed, and the translator needs to be tweaked to accommodate those changes. So that you don't reinvent the wheel and try to re-create a translator Zotero already has, consult the current list of Zotero translators.

(ask Avram)

A web site I use and like does not currently support Zotero. What are the steps I should take to make Zotero recognize it?

• If you have control over internal site content, click here.
• If you do not have control over internal site content, click here.

Two guides are provided here for creating translators: a beginner's guide to creating “scrapers” and an advanced guide. JavaScript Beginners and people who'd prefer using tools to help them interface with Zotero may prefer Adam Crymble's guide for creating translators. Seasoned JavaScript programmers may find using tools like Scaffold tedious, and so may prefer the advanced guide, which omits usage of such tools.

• Table of Contents
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: General Troubleshooting Guidelines
• Chapter 3: Required Software (all free)
• Chapter 4: The DOM & HTML
• Chapter 5: XPaths (Directions)
• Chapter 6: JavaScript Basics & Variables
• Chapter 7: JavaScript Methods & Math
• Chapter 8: JavaScript If Statements
• Chapter 9: JavaScript Loops
• Chapter 10: JavaScript Functions
• Chapter 11: XPath Objects (Containers)
• Chapter 12: Regular Expressions
• Chapter 13: Scaffold Metadata Tab
• Chapter 14: Scaffold DetectWeb Tab
• Chapter 15: Scraping the Search Results Page: doWeb Function
• Chapter 16: Scraping the Individual Entry Page: Scrape Function
• Chapter 17: Common Problems when Scraping an Individual Entry Page

This tutorial is an adaptation of 'How to Write a Zotero Translator' (2009) by Adam Crymble. The 2nd Edition has been created to bring the tutorial up-to-date with Zotero 2.x translator development.

• How to Build a Translator Videos