Upgrade StorageLinked attachments on iOS
I know the topic of supporting linked files has come up many times. Often, the response has been that there are technical limitations about iOS not having a file system that would support linked files (below I’ve reposted a reply to a long, older discussion on the forum in hopes it would be more visible here).
Would it be possible to clarify more specifically what those limitations are perceived to be?
Opening files and folder contents outside of an app has been possible on iOS and iPad since iOS 12/13. Apps can also bookmark folders to maintain permission to access the folder. An app just has to ask for permission from the user and implement file/folder access as decscribed in this Apple developer article:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/view_controllers/providing_access_to_directories
In Zotero on my Mac, I've used linked attachments that are stored in my iCloud Drive. On my iPad, I have several apps that I have given specific permission to access/bookmark the folder where these attachments are stored, and I am able to easily access the attachments in those apps after giving the app permission.
For example, the References app on iOS/iPad (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/references/id1481843213) is another reference manager that uses .bib files. I keep a BibTex file up-to-date via Better BibTeX auto exports, and then in the References app on my iPad, I add the iCloud folder where my attachments are synced as a Linked Folder in the app, and I then can open the attachments in the app in place or use the share sheet to open them in another app. It's basically the same thing as setting the attachment base directory in Zotero on desktop.
As another example iOS/iPad app, I can give PDF Search (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-search/id1303227688) permission to access, index, and even OCR files in the iCloud folder where my linked Zotero attachments are synced.
There are several other apps that implement file/folder access features like this, and I use them most days.
It would be great if the Zotero iOS app could implement linking/bookmarking folders in this way for linked attachments as well.
Are there other technical limitations that couldn't be overcome by implementing the API features described in the Apple Developer article linked above?
I know that implementing the API feature wouldn’t automatically make linked attachments work with every possible file syncing option available, but it would provide support for the one built in to iOS itself, and it would greatly help the workflow of many asking about this topic.
Thanks for your help.
Would it be possible to clarify more specifically what those limitations are perceived to be?
Opening files and folder contents outside of an app has been possible on iOS and iPad since iOS 12/13. Apps can also bookmark folders to maintain permission to access the folder. An app just has to ask for permission from the user and implement file/folder access as decscribed in this Apple developer article:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/view_controllers/providing_access_to_directories
In Zotero on my Mac, I've used linked attachments that are stored in my iCloud Drive. On my iPad, I have several apps that I have given specific permission to access/bookmark the folder where these attachments are stored, and I am able to easily access the attachments in those apps after giving the app permission.
For example, the References app on iOS/iPad (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/references/id1481843213) is another reference manager that uses .bib files. I keep a BibTex file up-to-date via Better BibTeX auto exports, and then in the References app on my iPad, I add the iCloud folder where my attachments are synced as a Linked Folder in the app, and I then can open the attachments in the app in place or use the share sheet to open them in another app. It's basically the same thing as setting the attachment base directory in Zotero on desktop.
As another example iOS/iPad app, I can give PDF Search (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-search/id1303227688) permission to access, index, and even OCR files in the iCloud folder where my linked Zotero attachments are synced.
There are several other apps that implement file/folder access features like this, and I use them most days.
It would be great if the Zotero iOS app could implement linking/bookmarking folders in this way for linked attachments as well.
Are there other technical limitations that couldn't be overcome by implementing the API features described in the Apple Developer article linked above?
I know that implementing the API feature wouldn’t automatically make linked attachments work with every possible file syncing option available, but it would provide support for the one built in to iOS itself, and it would greatly help the workflow of many asking about this topic.
Thanks for your help.