ZotFile + ZotPad (iOS) dropbox syncing

edited November 27, 2016
Hey there I have bought a new iPad to read my academic papers on it. I'm already a ZotFile user and I sync all the pdf files in my library with linked files in dropbox. Never had a single problem with it; worked always flawlessly.

The problem is though that I'm not able to set up ZotPad's dropbox syncing so that it's able to download the corresponding file on the iPad. I guess the problem is somehow with the subfolders. My "working" direction is dropbox/Zotero/ and I have the setting "%c" in ZotFile so it creates automatically subfolders with the collections names. But on the iPad it can't get the subfolders direction right.

So is it even possible with the way I've set up my subfolders to get it working in the ZotPad app or do I really ave to store all pdf's in a single folder /dropbox/Zotero/ without any subfolders?

When this is not working with dropbox I also would be willing to pay $20.-/year for the zotero syncing but is there a way to sync the linked files with zotero servers or would I have to manually connect every single pdf file with the corresponding index in the library?
  • I think the last update to Zotpad predates support for collection folder structure (%c) in Zotfile, so I don't think you will be able to get this to work (the Zotpad developer no longer maintains the app). You could try organizing folders using something other than collections.

    As you note, a much easier method would be to use Zotero file storage. You can convert linked attachments to stored attachments by following the instructions here:
    https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/34463/convert-linked-file-attachments-to-stored-attachments

    (This would also let you use the PaperShip app on your iPad, which is maintained and works reasonably well.)

    You could also look into Zotfile's Send to Tablet feature, which copies specific PDFs to a "reading"
    folder in Dropbox for annotation and then copies them back when done. This would work for you if you only need a limited part of your library on your tablet at a time.
  • Thanks for your fast and very helpful reply. I'm just a bit sensitive to change things with my library because it would be super annoying to mess things up (writing my BA paper).

    But I tried this trick in the link you've sent me and it worked. So in the future I will opt for a zotero data plan. I think the interface on papership is indeed more modern but a bit disappointing that there is no "tags" filtering. Would be really nice if Zotero eventually would develop an official version in the future...
  • You can also use Zotero's mobile web site. I believe you can search tags in PaperShip (I think they use the term "keyword").
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