un-attached pdf in Zotero folders

stephengourlay
I have set Zotero to download pdfs if available. A file indexing programme shows I have a copy of a pdf in a Zotero folder (and it is actually there), but Zotero does not show this. Any suggestions?
  • mronkko
    Does this happen systematically when you import PDFs or just for a particular item?
  • stephengourlay
    Not systematically - I just noticed it for the one item. (I tend not to keep the pdfs in Zotero so as not to use server space, but use the facility to automatically obtain a copy where possible). I'm guessing it's just a stray file, stray files shouldn't happen with computer systems!
  • mronkko
    If you are sure that it is a stray file, you can probably delete it. If the same stray file appears every time you import a particular item, then it is something that can be tracked down.

    Unfortunately just telling that you have a stray file does not really help finding the cause.
  • stephengourlay
    Thanks. I'll do that. I've been updating with the server copy of Zotero and the status of this file has not changed, so it looks like a stray file.
  • PeterSmith
    I seem to have a similar problem. I was checking my "Storage" directory (looking for any "FullText.pdf" files) and I have come across several PDFs for items that are not in my Library (although they are the type of document/research that would fit --- they could have been destined for my library at sometime).

    So far, all of the 'unattached' files are dated 2011 or 2012.

    I have at least 30 of them (and my library is about 2300 entries).
  • adamsmith
    have you emptied your Zotero trash? (bottom of the left hand pane)
  • dstillman
    Or checked your group libraries?
  • PeterSmith
    ... the trash is empty and shiny :)

    ... they are in the group library. I didn't realise that group libraries got replicated onto the (my) local machine.

    Does that raises some interesting management/versioning issues. For example, I have something in my local library, copy to a group library, someone else (correctly or incorrectly) revises it. Now what I think are two identical items (mine and the group) are no-longer the same.

    Hmmm. I'll have to ponder this.

    Thanks for point this out Dan.

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