Upgrade StorageBest Practices for Integrating Zotero Storage, 3rd Party Cloud, Windows & Android
I have 25Gb Zotero storage - and would be happy to keep all my pdfs stored there for different computers. I also would like to integrate it with my android tablet.
I am not sure what is the best way to approach the set-up for different computers access. I also have Dropbox, Google Drive and Busybox.
Notably I am not sure if the current updates have meant the whole issue about creating intermediate links between the cloud storage and Zotero folders are still relevant. Thought it would be good to for once and all, clarify what the state of the art is regarding integrating the following in seamless access:
[1] Windows [7 for me]
[2] Android tablets [e.g. Galaxy Note 10.1 - 2014 edition]
[3] Cloud [Zotero, Dropbox or Google Drive]
I have read many threads and blogs, but must now say, I have lost sight what is the best way to set up a centralised system. Here are some related links:
http://ligarto.org/rdiaz/Zotero-Mendeley-Tablet.html
http://markantoniou.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/how-to-use-zotero-and-dropbox-to-sync.html
http://remembereverything.org/syncing-zotero-with-dropbox-and-several-computers/
http://robert.orzanna.de/2012/12/use-zotero-with-your-dropbox-via-webdav.html
https://zotpad.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/103395-what-is-a-symbolic-link-and-why-should-i-use-one-w
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/29322/howto-linked-attachments-dropbox-zotero-40/
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/31534/saving-pdfs-as-zotero-items-from-dropbox/
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/28694/
http://libguides.princeton.edu/content.php?pid=3536&sid=3799004
Quite frankly, I am not sure which of these following links are most applicable and workable.
So I would appreciate it if a straight forward and up to date set-up could be described simply in a step by step fashion.
I am not sure what is the best way to approach the set-up for different computers access. I also have Dropbox, Google Drive and Busybox.
Notably I am not sure if the current updates have meant the whole issue about creating intermediate links between the cloud storage and Zotero folders are still relevant. Thought it would be good to for once and all, clarify what the state of the art is regarding integrating the following in seamless access:
[1] Windows [7 for me]
[2] Android tablets [e.g. Galaxy Note 10.1 - 2014 edition]
[3] Cloud [Zotero, Dropbox or Google Drive]
I have read many threads and blogs, but must now say, I have lost sight what is the best way to set up a centralised system. Here are some related links:
http://ligarto.org/rdiaz/Zotero-Mendeley-Tablet.html
http://markantoniou.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/how-to-use-zotero-and-dropbox-to-sync.html
http://remembereverything.org/syncing-zotero-with-dropbox-and-several-computers/
http://robert.orzanna.de/2012/12/use-zotero-with-your-dropbox-via-webdav.html
https://zotpad.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/103395-what-is-a-symbolic-link-and-why-should-i-use-one-w
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/29322/howto-linked-attachments-dropbox-zotero-40/
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/31534/saving-pdfs-as-zotero-items-from-dropbox/
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/28694/
http://libguides.princeton.edu/content.php?pid=3536&sid=3799004
Quite frankly, I am not sure which of these following links are most applicable and workable.
So I would appreciate it if a straight forward and up to date set-up could be described simply in a step by step fashion.
Unfortunately there is no good android app (though Zandy is so cheap by now that you could consider trying it - but be warned that it's not much maintained).
In any case you will sync your data through Zotero, the only question is what to do about files.
If you just want to read PDFs on your tablet, but don't plan to annotate on your tablet, just working with Zotero sync and the mobile version of the webpage will work great.
If you do want annotations, there are many different ways of doing things, depending on what you need.
One way would be to continue to sync through Zotero, but also to specify a folder in dropbox as a ZotFile tablet folder, send documents you want to read there so they sync to your tablet, annotate them there, and then fetch them back via Zotfile (which will also auto-extract annotations into notes).
You can also not use Zotero file sync, but use Zotfile to move all your attached PDFs to dropbox and rely on that (in combination with relative links) for syncing files. Downside is that individual files may be hard to find on dropbox on your tablet, since they won't be linked to Zotero there.
Those are the three main ways, though slight variations are probably possible.
If you do want annotations, there are many different ways of doing things, depending on what you need.
One way would be to continue to sync through Zotero, but also to specify a folder in dropbox as a ZotFile tablet folder, send documents you want to read there so they sync to your tablet, annotate them there, and then fetch them back via Zotfile (which will also auto-extract annotations into notes).
But what do you mean by "send documents you want to read there so they sync to your tablet"?
From where? And with what application? - Sorry I don't have the table with me just yet so I can't test - but would all these be through Zotfile?
Also regarding symbolic links - how relevant are they to the set-up I am interested in?
"Send to Tablet" is a Zotfile option (under right-click --> manage attachments, which you'll only have with Zotfile installed) that copies file to a folder you specify (typically in your dropbox folder) and adds a tag to the attachments in Zotero, so Zotfile remembers which files you've sent to the tablet.