File syncing

balshemh

I'm not sure that I understand how file syncing is supposed to work. After I enabled file syncing to my webdav server I found a couple of dozen pairs of files on that server with 8-letter names, one of the pair having a .prop extension (10 byte files) the other having the same name but a .zip file. What are these files? I only expected that I'd find files that I had attached to items in my zotero library, but I can't find these files anywhere in my library. I using ver. 2.05b

Thanks for any insight into this. -- Howard

noksagt

http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/6381/what-are-prop-or-zip-files-in-webdav/

balshemh

Thanks for the remarkably quick response and for the pointer to the discussion. It really helped to clarify things. Still have one question (at least for now). I understand that the zip file names are the same as the folder names in the storage directory. But the folder names in the storage directories on my two computers have different names (I'm pretty sure that's true; I'll have to confirm tomorrow when I'm at the other computer). Assuming that's the case, what happens if I file sync from both computers. I'm assuming that the information on both computers (snapshots and files) are the same if they've been synced. Do I end up duplicating the files that are being synced with two sets of zip files on the webdav server one set with names from the storage folders on one computer and another set with the folder names from the second computer? Thanks again for your help in understanding this. -- Howard

noksagt

The folder names are the same if you have used syncing. If you started with two separate libraries & downloaded the same reference to each manually, syncing will result in you having duplicate items (zotero entries & files).

balshemh

So I may not be recalling correctly how I started using zotero, but I believe I built the library on the second computer by syncing with the first. I know I don't download the same reference to each library. With that as background, I started syncing files on one computer and then stopped when I didn't understand what was going on. So, now on my webdav server, I've got a set of zip files that do match the folders in the storage directory on the sync'd computer. However they are not the same names as the folders in the storage directory on the second computer even though the libraries I believe have always been maintained by syncing (and are definitely now being maintained by syncing). I may add different references to each library and then let them sync, but I never add the same reference to both libraries. There's no reason to -- the syncing does that for me. So given that, I'm still not clear why I've got different folders in my two storage directories, and am concerned that I'll end up with duplicated storage on my webdav server. If this is a situation that shouldn't have occurred, is there a way to fix it, or would it just be easier to completely delete the instance on one of the computers and rebuild it from scratch through data and file syncing.

Again, thanks for your patience and help in explaining all this. Zotero is an awesome product and I just want to make sure I'm using it properly and taking full advantage of it.

Thanks -- Howard

dstillman

You could also have folders with different names if you had two 1.0 libraries, synced them manually by copying the data directory over, and then upgraded each to 1.5/2.0.

would it just be easier to completely delete the instance on one of the computers and rebuild it from scratch through data and file syncing.

If you have everything you want on one side, you might as well.

balshemh

I know I upgraded my 1.0 libraries to 2.0, but I don't remember that I originally synced them by manually copying the data directory over. I think I always allowed the system to sync the two libraries. I think what I did do was originally have a library in a non-default location on one of the computers and then, after I started syncing the two computers, decided to just let it rebuild the library in the default folder on the first. That may be what created the new folders. In any case, I do have everything I want in one of the libraries, so I think I'll delete the second and start over.

Thanks, again for all your help. -- Howard

balshemh

Oh, P.S. Do you have any advice on the best way to start over? I'm thinking of uninstalling it from Firefox and then deleting the zotero folder. Then reinstalling it and syncing. Is there a better way?

dstillman

No need to uninstall. Close Firefox, delete the Zotero data directory, and restart Firefox.