Import Files via Drag and Drop on Mac

manfredkloeppel

Dear Zotero-Community,

I use Zotero 4 as standalone on both Windows and Mac. The Zotero-DB is synced via Zotero, attachments via Dropbox (relative path setting). I have the extension ZotFile installed.

On Windows I import a PDF by drag and drop into the Zotero main window and the file is automatically moved to the Dropbox folder.
On Mac OS Sierra instead, when I drag and drop the file for import it is stored in the local Zotero-DB folder. If I now try to rename the file by ZotFile, it cannot be found. Only if I create an item and then manually attach the PDF, the file is moved to the correct location.

Is this behaviour intentional? Would be nice, if importing the file on Mac could be as easy as it is currently in Windows. I'm also not sure, if this is an issue of Zotero or ZotFile?

Best regards,
Manfred

adamsmith

This should work the same way on Mac. Could you start by describing your set-up a bit more? You should absolutely not sync your Zotero database with Dropbox, but from your description I'm not sure if you actually are doing that or just syncing the files linked to the database by ZotFile via Dropbox (which is fine).

What is the exact error message you get when you're trying to rename the file using ZotFile?

manfredkloeppel

Dear Adam,
I'm not syncing the Zotero DB with dropbox :) only the linked attachments are synced via Dropbox.

The ZotFile error message is something like "File skipped, because file is own object or snapshot or because file does not exist." (Translated from German).

The ZotFile extension is set up to move newly imported items automatically to Dropbox. On Windows it works just by drag'n drop the file in the main Zotero window.
On Mac I need first to manually create a parent item and then manually add the attachment for it to work. Just dropping the file in the main window on Mac makes Zotero store the file in its internal folder structure, putting the file in a folder with a name of random numbers/characters.

Please let me know, if you need any further information. Appreciate your help! :)

adamsmith

I don't think ZotFile has ever been able to move files not attached to a Zotero item, or at least it's was never supposed to: it's always moved attachments (and that's what's the error message is about. In English it's "Attachment skipped because it is top-level item, Snapshot, or file does not exist". )

Are you sure this works on Windows and you're not just dragging files under an existing Zotero item there?

manfredkloeppel

You are absolutely right. I misinterpreted the behavior of Zotero/ZotFile.

On drag-drop the PDFs are saved to Zoteros internal folder structure. Even if they are dragged under an existing item.
It is with the renaming of the file using ZotFile, when the file is getting moved by ZotFile to the Dropbox location. On my windows machine automatic renaming was enabled in ZotFile compared to my Mac setup, so this was part of the confusion.

Thank you a lot for the heads-up!