Desktop added PDFs are shown as link files in Web Library

KaiZhong

I have added some PDF files in my Desktop Zotero (Mac OS), and they are truned to be items. The sync seems to be right and the sync ends with no error.

But when I open the Web Library of Zotero from the web browser, these items have no PDF attachment, the PDF files appear but they have gray color names like they are linked file. The Web Library also shows a "link icon" at the attachment column of these items.

dstillman

You have lots of linked files in your library, which you wouldn't be able to open in the web library. The whole point of those is that they're stored outside of Zotero and aren't synced via Zotero servers.

For actual stored files, see Files Not Syncing. You can convert linked files to stored files via Tools → Manage Attachments.

KaiZhong

Thanks a lot! I do have lots of linked files in my library, but the items I recently added are not linked files but pdfs. I don't move them but left zotero to sync them.

I can click "show file" and find the pdf file (such as this item: "ExTensor: An Accelerator for Sparse Tensor Algebra") in H2WPUQJ7 folder. The synchronization seems to work well, and I can see H2WPUQJ7.zip in my WebDAV.

But in Web Library of Zotero, This item's attachment is not an available pdf file. The attachment name is in gray color as it is a linked file. But it is not (the icon of the attachment file shown on the right panel has no link on it, but the attachment column of web library appears a link icon)

I have seen "Fils Not Syncing", and I am stopped here: "Load your WebDAV URL in your browser or another WebDAV client and look for corresponding .prop and .zip files (e.g., F81VWFP2.prop and F81VWFP2.zip) on the server." The answer is yes.

Here is the Debut ID: D2077254807

Thanks a lot!

adamsmith

WebDAV files are not available in the web library, either (how would they? Zotero isn't going to store your webDAV login on its servers). They still sync between devices and are available on the iOS app, but if you need the web library, Zotero file storage is your only option.

KaiZhong

Oh, I see. Thank you!

KaiZhong

Oh, it is strange that some of items do have pdf attachment in the web library. Why are they using zotero file storage when I have set to sync with webDAV? (such as item: "Accelerating Sparse Data Orchestration via Dynamic Reflexive Tiling" )

dstillman

That's not something we can answer. The app syncs the way you tell it sync. You may have had it set to something else on a different device, or temporarily on this computer, or you may have saved them from the Zotero Connector with the Zotero app closed and enabled saving directly to zotero.org, which will only use Zotero Storage (since the Connector doesn't know anything about your WebDAV server).