Is it possible to move "zotero data directory" out of /home?

saatyy

am a new Linux user, and I am unable to set up zotero as I usually do with Windows.
I usually use an external hard drive to store my data directory, without any problem, to use it with different computers under Windows.
Unfortunately it is impossible to do the same under Linux, and my /home will be too small... I tried with a symbolic link (ln -s) without success.

Any idea?

dstillman

@saatyy: Why do you say it's impossible on Linux? You can set a custom data directory location from the Advanced → Files and Folders section of the Zotero settings. It works exactly the same way.

aborel

You can choose differents locations in the advanced settings: https://www.zotero.org/support/preferences/advanced#files_and_folders

saatyy

So the good news is that it's supposed to work. Now I just have to figure out why I can't do it.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u14897725/rhy4c8z73q43qn3uqtzj.png


Error

The Zotero database cannot be opened.

Make sure you have read and write permissions for all files in the Zotero data directory and that security software is not preventing Zotero from accessing this directory.

You may be able to resolve this issue by moving the data directory to the new default location in your home directory. Zotero will automatically detect the new location.

Current location: /run/user/1000/doc/183972ee/Zotero-empty
Recommended location: /home/sylvain/Zotero

Quit Check for updates

dstillman

I mean, that just means what it says. Assuming this is an institutional system, ask your IT department if you're having trouble.

aborel

Note that under Unix-like systems (such as Linux), external drives are not systematically mounted in read-write mode. Check the documentation and/or support for your distribution to make sure the drive is mounted with the necessary access rights.