copying versus moving AND syncing different collections separately

alevcinar

I have two requests from Zotero developers but I didn't know where to write so I am posting here.

I use Zotero a lot not only for managing bibliography but also to create sorts of data bases for research purposes. I am now managing not only my own library but also two separate group libraries with two different research teams. In the process I frequently wish Zotero has these two features:

1 - I wish Zotero would allow me to move collections and subcollections both within and among different libraries without leaving the copied collection behind. It would be great if Zotero had a function similar to Word's right-click/drag function which gives me the option to choose between copying and moving. This feature should apply for individual items as well as collections.

2 - I have 3 different computers that I use Zotero on. And 5 different members in each of the two group libraries that I manage. When I try to sync, all of these libraries are trying to sync at the same time, which becomes very time consuming and also causes a lot of problems. For example, when there's been a lot of activity and updates on one of the group libraries I sync more than a thousand items there so I chose "update remote object" option. But when I do this, all my other libraries are also updated to sybc with remote objects, which brings back some of the items that I had deleted on another library. So, is it possible for Zotero to have a feature that will allow me to sync selectively: It would be great if I can choose what library or even what collection to sync. If such an option is available, I am not aware of it. In any case, it would be great if such a window would pop when I hit the sync button that would allow me to select what part of my libraries I want to sync.

Thanks

dstillman

1) Within a library, you can move items instead of copying by holding Cmd on OS X or Shift on Windows/Linux while dragging. I don't think we'd support this between libraries, because when you're removing an item from a collection, you can either remove the item from the collection or delete it from the library, and it wouldn't be clear which was happening when dragging between libraries. (In theory it could work from the library root, but that might still be a little confusing, since it would remove it from all collections in that library, which is a little less explicit than when you're deleting.) Similar problem with collections — when deleting a collection, you can either delete just the collection or the items within as well. So I think these are safer and more straightforward as two separate actions.

2) Selective library syncing will be available in the upcoming Zotero 5.0.

alevcinar

Thanks, this is most helpful