How to not sync file links?

allenmcbride

I have file syncing turned off. All my PDFs are on device A. Then I installed Zotero on device B and synced. Device B now has none of my PDFs, as expected. But it still has all the file attachment metadata, which is just broken links. Zotero doesn't give the option on right-click to find the PDFs on device B unless I first delete the "attachment" (that is, the broken link). But the act of deletion IS synced, so now I've lost the PDF on device A.

Is there a simple way to maintain libraries on two devices, with linked PDFs separately downloaded on each device, without needing to have all the PDFs stored in the cloud?

dstillman

No.

tim820

By your description of 'linked' files in your last para do you mean that you already have your PDFs stored as linked files, not 'stored' files (the latter meaning those under the Zotero-managed Zotero\storage folder hierarchy) ? And if so, are both of the devices you mention computers (not iOS or Android devices) ?

allenmcbride

These are files stored and managed by Zotero, not linked in the sense of a pointer to a file I manage somewhere else. When I said "link" I just meant that Zotero apparently syncs the relative location of the file within its own managed tree, even though it's not syncing the file itself. Both devices are computers running Linux.

adamsmith

Yeah, dstillman's answer applies here. The idea to manage files completely separately, including downloading the same file multiple times from source, on two or more devices is not built into Zotero design (it's also an unusual use case -- I'm not saying no one else does this, but I'm not aware of any questions about this in the last 5+ years).

allenmcbride

Thank you for the answer! I'm surprised it's an unusual use case... it seems like a natural result of wanting to manage the same library from work and home machines without bloating the cloud storage with PDFs. Fortunately, when I'm at work I have library access, so it's typically quick to go back to the source for the papers.

adamsmith

I guess most people think that's what cloud storage (whichever one they're using) is for? You also won't be able to use the mobile apps with annotation the way you're working, nor would you be able to annotate across devices -- it's obviously fine if what you're doing works for you, but I'm not surprised at all others would find this annoying.

tim820

I know people who have their Zotero data/files on a small portable external drive which they move between computers, which is classed as relatively safe (so also requiring good backups).
https://www.zotero.org/support/preferences/advanced
"External disks: While keeping your data directory on an external disk is usually safe, your database could become corrupted if, say, the disk becomes unmounted while Zotero is open."

A linked-file strategy with a cloud-mirrored folder for those linked PDF files would also work, with data syncing (only) via Zotero servers (free). Although linked files preclude full use of the iOS/Android app or using groups.