Finding attachments saved by zotfile

Larisa

I have tried to switch to using zotero & zotfile to manage my pdf library and it works ok within Zotero, but now I have a problem when I want to find a file without using zotero, for example if I want to attach a pdf to an email.

Apparently zotfile is storing things in my firefox profile (even though I use Chrome and Zotero Standalone), inside a long series of nested folders with non-intuitive titles like VFA51BWX. This means if I am writing an email and would like to send an attachment, when I click attach I cannot easily browse for the article

I am excited to make use of zotfile but I am finding this aspect very confusing. Any help would be welcome.

adamsmith

That's Zotero, not Zotfile doing that. You can specify where you want Zotfile to move your files on import (though note that they won't sync through Zotero file storage anymore if you do).

From within Zotero, you may just be able to drag files directly to your mail/webmail client, or you can click on "Show File" and drag from your regular file manager.

Larisa

Yes I am confused about the relationship between the two.

I started using zotero to manage actual files through having them be attached to zotero references at the same time as I downloaded zotfile and I'm not sure what does what.

The point is that I would like to be able to do it NOT from within zotero, which would mean having files be stored somewhere more easily findable through browsing.

Otherwise, when I am emailing someone, I have to launch zotero (which takes a long time, maybe because I have a lot of files), find the file, drag and drop, yes? rather than just click attach-browse-folder-file from within gmail..

As far as syncing goes, I'm sadly unclear on what "syncing through zotero file storage" means, since these files are stored on my computer as far as I can tell, in this series of folders in my firefox profile?

adamsmith

Look at the Zotfile preferences and instructions. It has settings to move and rename attached files.

On sync: www.zotero.org/support/sync

Larisa

So if I move the destination folder on my computer with zotfile, how does that change what zotero is able to do? I guess I'm not syncing files right now (since they are stored locally), but I am syncing data, yes?

Also I have one shared library with a colleague. Can we still share that if we change the destination folder?

adamsmith

sharing files in groups only works with Zotero file sync, so using Zotfile wouldn't be a good idea there.

Otherwise, Zotfile doesn't impact what Zotero is able to do at all (apart from the additional functionality it provides, of course).

Larisa

Ok thanks, sorry I'm still a bit confused. I already have been using zotfile, and I have a group library shared with another person. Which aspect the group library is not going to work because of zotfile? Currently it looks like I am sharing attachments (I just checked my preferences).

Or will it only stop working if I change the destination in zotfile?

adamsmith

actually, I double checked and Zotfile will not move attachments in groups (for good reason), so those would still sync, but they wouldn't be easily accessible from outside Zotero. There is no way to achieve that for groups.