Fewer folders

ransomca

Hi,
I was wondering if there would be a way for Zotero to store its information without creating a new folder for each reference? It seems to arbitrarily name the folders with a string of numbers. I'd like to see all the files in one folder, with the Zotero library file. Does that make any sense? Thanks!

dstillman

The string of numbers is the id of the attachment item. (Regular items and notes are just stored in the DB and don't have files.) They're stored in separate folders to make filename handling much easier, since otherwise Zotero would need to account for conflicting filenames on different items, which would be quite tedious and problematic. Also, web page snapshots, one common type of attachment, generally contain multiple files, so those need to be stored in separate folders anyhow.

The "Show File" button is the recommended way of getting to the attachment directory, but if you wanted a view of all files stored within Zotero from the OS, there are certainly ways to do it—for example, a Smart Folder on OS X.