Upgrade StorageIs it possible to link to Zotero all the files in a folder system?
IN SHORT
I would like to know if it is possible to link to Zotero all the files in a standard windows folder system. The linked files should be placed in Zotero categories similar to the original folder system.
THE LONG VERSION
From my understanding, there are 2 main ways to use Zotero and have your files synced across devices:
1. The standard way. Both the pdf files and the Zotero database are stored on the Zotero cloud and on your computer (if you want).
2. The Zotero database is stored on the Zotero cloud and on your computer. The pdf files are stored in some cloud (e.g. onedrive, google drive etc.) folder and they are linked to Zotero database entries (and not stored within Zotero). It is convenient to use the zotfile extension in this case.
If you use method 1 you can import a full folder system into Zotero using the Folder import plugin. However, the issue here is that you need to use the Zotero cloud which has a really limited free storage space (300Mb).
Method 2 (the method I use), is convenient because you can use any cloud service you have already purchased to store your pdf files. The issue is that there seems not to be any simple way to link to Zotero all the files in a folder system. This means it is not easy to put a lot of files into Zotero if you are using method 2.
TO SUMMARISE
I asked the question:
"Is it possible to link to Zotero all the files in a folder system?"
because I would like to use 'method 2 Zotero' but I would also like to put some old files into Zotero quickly, without having to go to each folder and batch link the files.
Another way to solve the problem would be to add a 'convert to linked file' feature to Zotero.
Thank you for reading!
I would like to know if it is possible to link to Zotero all the files in a standard windows folder system. The linked files should be placed in Zotero categories similar to the original folder system.
THE LONG VERSION
From my understanding, there are 2 main ways to use Zotero and have your files synced across devices:
1. The standard way. Both the pdf files and the Zotero database are stored on the Zotero cloud and on your computer (if you want).
2. The Zotero database is stored on the Zotero cloud and on your computer. The pdf files are stored in some cloud (e.g. onedrive, google drive etc.) folder and they are linked to Zotero database entries (and not stored within Zotero). It is convenient to use the zotfile extension in this case.
If you use method 1 you can import a full folder system into Zotero using the Folder import plugin. However, the issue here is that you need to use the Zotero cloud which has a really limited free storage space (300Mb).
Method 2 (the method I use), is convenient because you can use any cloud service you have already purchased to store your pdf files. The issue is that there seems not to be any simple way to link to Zotero all the files in a folder system. This means it is not easy to put a lot of files into Zotero if you are using method 2.
TO SUMMARISE
I asked the question:
"Is it possible to link to Zotero all the files in a folder system?"
because I would like to use 'method 2 Zotero' but I would also like to put some old files into Zotero quickly, without having to go to each folder and batch link the files.
Another way to solve the problem would be to add a 'convert to linked file' feature to Zotero.
Thank you for reading!
If it doesn't you can always run ZotFile in bulk afterwards.
(Be aware, though, that using linked files does have some other downsides: they don't work in groups, they don't work in the iOS app, and file management on your devices is trickier)
Well, i thought i was sure until i checked now and i found out the folder inport plug in did exactly what i wanted. I had no idea a settings window would pop up after selecting the files. I guess i just lost time writing the post above goddamn : |.
Yes i am aware of those shortcomings, I have been using Zotero with method 2 for a few months now. I still prefer having my files on my onedrive though. I might reconsider in the future.
Thanks again.