Upgrade StorageChange Filename
I download lots of pdfs and I change the Title to reflect a more descriptive name.
However, I don't change the filename.
Now when I open in Acrobat, the Tab shows the filename and with many tabs open, it's difficult to know which one is which.
Is it possible to change just the filenames without changing the titles?
I could do it through a multistep process, but with 50 or so items, that can get time consuming.
Regards,
Brett
However, I don't change the filename.
Now when I open in Acrobat, the Tab shows the filename and with many tabs open, it's difficult to know which one is which.
Is it possible to change just the filenames without changing the titles?
I could do it through a multistep process, but with 50 or so items, that can get time consuming.
Regards,
Brett
is that what you're looking for? If not, you'd have to elaborate a bit more what you're actually doing in Zotero.
I don't use many of the features of Zotero since my work is not research based and I don't require bibliography type information.
I work in the electronics industry and work with schematics and product datasheets.
When I find a datasheet online that I need to read and save, I add it to my Zotero library as a pdf.
I don't need to create a parent item for these pdfs since I have no need for additional metadata.
The only thing I do is change the title to include part number and brief description and Revision so the center panel shows a better description, add tags so I can find them quickly, 5% of the pdfs I add some notes.
So the title contains all the information I need to quickly find the datasheet I need.
I do use parent items for some documents. Like if I have a bunch of related documents that I don't have a good title method for I will create a book parent item and put them in there. When I see a book icon, I know it contains many additional items relate to the title of the book. Eventually I retitle them and tag them and move them out of the book. It's more of a place keeper.
If I have a lot of presentations from a conference, I will put them in a Parent item (Presentation Parent) to keep them together and not fill up the center pane in Zotero.
If I need to group together a bunch of documents relate to a software release, I create a report parent and put them in there.
If I have a schematic, I will create a Map parent item and put it in there. Usually only 1 file.
I use the parent items to reduce clutter in the My Library view and I can tell qucikly by the icon what it is book for group of misc related items that may be split up, Report for group of specific related items that won't be split up, Map for schematics, Presentation for related presentation files from events.
This has worked well for me and I am able to use tags to reduce the list and skim the Titles in the center panel to find the specific doc I need.
Back to my request.
I add pdfs directly into zotero without generating a parent item.
(Note: this can be tricky and doesn't always work as expected depending on which browser and OS I am on.)
My most success is from Firefox when I am viewing the pdf in a browser window, I can click download and add to zotero in dialog window. Zotero must be closed for the option to appear in dialog.
After it's added, I reopen Zotero and the pdf is at the top (sorted in descending date added).
I double click to open in adobe reader. I copy a description from the pdf and paste it as the title in Zotero. I do not check to update filename for 2 reasons.
1. The name can be a little lengthy and don't what to run into path name length problems.
2. I don't like the .pdf in the Title and it needs to be there if you update the filename.
Otherwise it won't open Adobe for the pdf and the nice Adobe icon won't show on the center panel.
In the past, I have changed the title to the filename.pdf with the box checked, saved. reedit the title to the Title name I want and uncheck the filename box. This works but time consuming and prone to errors. I also have to remeber to close the pdf if I am changing the filename or I have to repeat the process.
I just want to change the filename.pdf without changing the Title. Not sure if it's possible in 1 step.
I have quite a few documents now so I don't want to do this for all of them.
I use both Mac OS X and Windows which is great that Zotero supports both.
I do wish it was a little easier to add pdfs to the library.
When viewing a pdf in a browser:
1. Firefox click on download and add to zotero adds the pdf without parent item but must quit zotero for option to appear.
2. Safari can't find any option to save pdf to Zotero. The browser extension button does nothing.
3. Chrome saves pdf to zotero which standalone must be running (opposite behavior) but saves it as a web page parent item with a snapshot sub item without titles. If I right click on item and show file, I see and html file and a pdf file. The problem is I don't want Parent item at all.
So I like Firefox method, but not that I have to close Zotero.
Sometimes I just download the pdf to Downloads folder and just drag'n'drop into Zotero. Just an extra step.
Sorry for the lonnnggg description, but I hope it explains my use case.
Regards,
Brett
Otherwise no, though, there's no way to change the filename but not change the title in an easy way. Zotero is built on the idea of metadata and parent items and while you're obviously welcome to use it any way you find useful, your use case is just too rare to try to accomodate.
If you save a PDF directly from Chrome or from Firefox with Standalone open (by clicking on the icon next to the Z), this _should_ just import the PDF, but I see that it doesn't currently for me either. I think that'd be a bug:
@Dan%20Stillman could you check on this:
Open e.g. http://www.pdf995.com/samples/pdf.pdf with Firefox 4.0.29.16 in Connector mode, Standalone open, and click the Zotero icon --> this imports a parent item with attached HTML rather than, as would be expected and as occurs with just the FF add-on, the standalone PDF.
I am definitely a fringe use case.
I just haven't found any other document mangement tool to handle all my documents and be able to find what I need quickly, once I tag and title them. ;)
The best part is it's cross platform and I can store the docs on a webdav server and only load them as needed.
In firefox, if I go to the link you provided, the Zotero icon in toolbar only gives me the option to save as web page with/without snapshot whether Standalone is open or not.
If standalone is closed and I click the Download icon within the browser window at the top of the pdf, the save dialog gives me the option to Save to Zotero. This will save the pdf without a Parent Item and that's how I usually do it. But Stand alone must be closed. If open, the Save to Zotero will not appear in the dialog box.
This has been the only way I have found to add a pdf directly into Zotero without a Parent Item unless I download it and add it manually.
I wouldn't normally care about the filename, but I had 15 pdfs open during a schematic review and the tabs had weird names since that was the original pdf download name. Two of them were Download.pdf :(
I understand it's not something that will be added, I was just checking if there was something I overlooked.
Now to figure out how to have a personal and a work Library.
I have seen mention of Profiles, but can't figure out how that would work.
Some of the work documents are confidential so I don't want to use the Zotero server. I will create a new thread if I continue to struggle with a solution.
Thanks,
Brett