Script that I used to import my Mendeley library into paper-pile

import.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

import yaml, os, sys, subprocess

venue_strings = ["booktitle", "journal", "institution"]

with open(sys.argv[1], 'r') as fp:
    collection_yaml = yaml.load(fp.read())

transformed_entries = {}

for entry_name in collection_yaml["entries"]:
    if os.path.exists(os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop/imported_papers/%s" % (entry_name))):
        print "Skipping '%s'..." % (entry_name)
        continue

    entry = collection_yaml["entries"][entry_name]

    if "year" in entry:
        year = int(entry["year"])
    else:
        sys.exit("Can't find year for %s" % (entry_name))

    venue = None

    for venue_str in venue_strings:
        if venue_str in entry:
            venue = entry[venue_str]
            break

    if "type" in entry and entry["type"] == "techreport":
        for key in ["institution", "publisher"]:
            if key in entry:
                venue = "%s Tech Report" % (entry[key])

    if venue == None:
        sys.exit("Can't find venue for %s" % (entry_name))

    authors = []

    if "author" in entry:
        for author in entry["author"]:
            if "first" not in author:
                sys.exit("An author in %s has no first name" % (entry_name))
            if "middle" in author:
                author_name = "%(first)s %(middle)s %(last)s" % author
            else:
                author_name = "%(first)s %(last)s" % author

            authors.append(author_name)

    if "title" not in entry:
        sys.exit("Can't find title for %s" % (entry_name))

    title = entry["title"].strip("{}")

    if "file" not in entry:
        sys.exit("Can't find file for %s" % (entry_name))

    filename = "/" + entry["file"].split(":")[1]

    date_read = None

    transformed_entries[entry_name] = {
        "title" : title,
        "authors" : authors,
        "venue" : venue,
        "year" : year,
        "date-read" : None}

    print "Importing %s (%s) ..." % (entry_name, filename)
    cmd = '~/src/paper-pile.git/paper-pile add -n "%s" "%s"' % (entry_name, filename)
    cmd_obj = subprocess.Popen(cmd, shell=True)
    cmd_obj.communicate()

    if cmd_obj.returncode != 0:
        sys.exit("Add failed")

    with open(os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop/imported_papers/%s/metadata.yaml" % (entry_name)), "w") as fp:
        fp.write(yaml.dump(transformed_entries[entry_name]))