Files under base directory copied (not linked) during import

chritallic
I am trying to import my library, which I have formerly organised with Mendeley, into Zotero. Using the fix provided by adamsmith [1], I have been able to import my citations successfully. However, Zotero copies all the attached files into the profile storage, despite the fact that all my pdfs are stored under the base directory.

Would it be possible to allow for attachments under the base directory to be linked to the original files instead of copying them during the import?

To be clear, my bib file currently uses paths relative to the base directory and is being stored in the base directory. I.e.:

ebooks/ [base directory]
- My Collection.bib
- Academic/
-- file.pdf

Where the My Collection.bib entry for file.pdf looks like this:
@article{Barber1992,
author = {Barber, Benjamin},
file = {:Academic/file.pdf:pdf},
title = {{Jihad vs. McWorld}},
year = {1992}
}

Many thanks,
chritallic

[1] https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/28347/unable-to-get-pdfs-stored-on-computer-into-zotero-standalone/#Item_9
  • adamsmith
    it's not currently possible, sorry. Generally planned, though:
    https://github.com/zotero/translators/issues/681
  • aurimas
    Currently, it is not possible to import files as links. It is possible to use ZotFile to move PDFs into some folder structure based on metadata _after_ you have imported them into Zotero. Whether that's helpful or not depends on how you have your PDFs organized.
  • chritallic
    Thanks for the swift replies. I will probably wait with switching to Zotero until this has been implemented. My pdf collection is simply too big and I don’t want to risk messing it up using ZotFile.

    Can you say something about how much of a priority this feature is/when it might be implemented?
  • adamsmith
    not reliably, no. I don't think core devs are very likely to implement this themselves any time soon, so it'll depend on a patch, most likely by one of the more regular contributors like Aurimas, willS, or myself (though anyone else is welcome). We all have dayjobs, so it's hard to say. Could be less than a month, could take more than a year.
  • aurimas
    I'm quite busy currently, but this is something that I do want to get to within a month.
  • chritallic
    Great, thanks for your efforts!
  • ptinits
    I visited the forums with the very same question and will excitedly anticipate if anyone will be able to provide a solution.

    Great to know, that the first steps have been made at least.

    For chritallic, I found this python script hack on the forums as well: https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/22204/pdf-import-without-metadata/#Item_6 - This might help you out, but I haven't tried it myself so I can't confirm.

    But also, many thanks for your efforts for all you maintaining the community!
  • mel47
    Did you check this post : https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/31124/import-with-attachment-location/#Item_18
    I use this add-on and it allow to link automatically instead of import.
  • ptinits
    Dear Mel, thanks a lot for the tip! Unfortunately the latest version written by emiliano.heyns on Aug 9th 2013 did not match the current Zotero build anymore (it gave a version mismatch error). I have yet to try the "*instead of, not alongside*" version, perhaps that might work.

    Otherwise, a gadget like that would help, as it is only really necessary to import the files just once.

    Many thanks. I look forward to any answers or updates.
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