Upgrade StorageLegacy Library folders
I have used Zotero over several computers, and right now I am doing a clean up and find several old Zotero Library folders. I also maintain an ample storage account on the Zotero servers, which has been active for about three years. I have used Zotero for about five.
I wonder if there could be valuable information in these folders not contained in the server sync storage, or my current library folder. One folder has several "reports" I once created, while my current library has a long list of .dll files.
I considered merging these folders with DirectoryCompare, which copies the more recent version of a file to the new location. However this didn't work well back in the days of DOS, and I worry about breaking links.
I could create a second instance of Zotero on my computer and give the legacy folders a chance to live. But then I worry about the sync function. Will I then just get updates on both ends (acceptable)? Will the servers be flumoxed by two instances (opened separately of course) of Zotero calling from my desktop?
Importing (not in the existing sense) would be best. A function that allows Zotero to open a legacy folder and assimilate data that is not in the newer iteration. This would provide the cleanest and safest method of bringing old data into an existing iteration (unlike the example in the help files which relies on the new library folder being empty). This seems like an obvious missing link to me, since there is already a help page that discusses strategies to move the local library folder from one location to another. Having a specific function to import a legacy folder would give Zotero a chance to sort and reject files and folders with obsolete or conflicting links.
thank you team, I have enjoyed Zotero over the years as a reliable residence for my research.
I wonder if there could be valuable information in these folders not contained in the server sync storage, or my current library folder. One folder has several "reports" I once created, while my current library has a long list of .dll files.
I considered merging these folders with DirectoryCompare, which copies the more recent version of a file to the new location. However this didn't work well back in the days of DOS, and I worry about breaking links.
I could create a second instance of Zotero on my computer and give the legacy folders a chance to live. But then I worry about the sync function. Will I then just get updates on both ends (acceptable)? Will the servers be flumoxed by two instances (opened separately of course) of Zotero calling from my desktop?
Importing (not in the existing sense) would be best. A function that allows Zotero to open a legacy folder and assimilate data that is not in the newer iteration. This would provide the cleanest and safest method of bringing old data into an existing iteration (unlike the example in the help files which relies on the new library folder being empty). This seems like an obvious missing link to me, since there is already a help page that discusses strategies to move the local library folder from one location to another. Having a specific function to import a legacy folder would give Zotero a chance to sort and reject files and folders with obsolete or conflicting links.
thank you team, I have enjoyed Zotero over the years as a reliable residence for my research.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7715979/mb1kgk33iojr32kl3l4h.png
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7715979/cqen19j0c5eg58nl5xhr.png
If you're actually concerned about Zotero library data and want to see what's in the zotero.sqlite file, you can just disable auto-sync and point Zotero at those folders from the Advanced → Files and Folders section of the Zotero settings. Otherwise, you can delete these, assuming there's nothing in Data you want.
(I'm still not sure what .dll files you're referring to.)
Turning off sync and then pointing at the data folder sounds like a good idea to explore the contents of the legacy folder. I'm not sure yet what the base file is, as against the data file, but I will look for definitions in the help files.