Upgrade StorageMigrating PDF files from \Zotero\storage\8RNDCHRS\ to a \user\specified\folder
I am a new user assembling a library (about 900 entries so far) and am confused about the hows and whys concerning where on my hard drive my PDF files and other attachments are being stored. I want them to be stored in a DropBox folder so I can have access to them from other computers that sync to that DropBox folder (and that have stand-alone versions of Zotero installed).
I have learned that – whether due to default settings or my making incorrect guesses about settings – most of my initial importing created opaque 8-character folders (within my main “Zotera” folder) in which a single PDF file resides. So, for instance, when I request: Show Attachment Paths, I get “storage:LongTitle-Based-Filename.PDF” in the pop-up box.
My understanding is that the file “zotero.sqlite” is the master file that tells where everything is, and that the data in the storage folders (e.g., tons of PDFs) get uploaded/synced to one’s online library. This presumably is (a) the reason I get a caution after every sync that I’ve used up my free space, and (b) the reason I want to migrate my PDFs from “Zotero\storage:” [not in DropBox] to a folder called “Zotero PDFs” which is be DropBox-synced so I can have access to, and annotate, the PDFs from multiple sources.
My two questions are:
(1) How can I do such migration efficiently and
(2) How should I configure my settings so that this is the default way new items are entered or imported?
FYIs:
- I have Zotfile and Zulio add-ons and I’m using the PC standalone version in one location and Mac version in another (eventually want iPad access, too)
- I have been doing this with some success vie the Manage attachments > Rename attachments command, which, when it works, renames the child PDF file, changes it to or replaces it with a link to a copy of the PDF in a newly created folder in the desired target place Zotero PDFs (within DropBox). But, for unknown reasons, this does not always work (about 20% failure). Plus it is very tedious, and I don’t know whether it is moving or just copying from “storage:”. Obviously, if it’s leaving the original behind and just creating a copy, I’m not solving my size problem in spite of these gymnastics.
Your insights, explanations, and recommendations are very much appreciated.
Keith
I have learned that – whether due to default settings or my making incorrect guesses about settings – most of my initial importing created opaque 8-character folders (within my main “Zotera” folder) in which a single PDF file resides. So, for instance, when I request: Show Attachment Paths, I get “storage:LongTitle-Based-Filename.PDF” in the pop-up box.
My understanding is that the file “zotero.sqlite” is the master file that tells where everything is, and that the data in the storage folders (e.g., tons of PDFs) get uploaded/synced to one’s online library. This presumably is (a) the reason I get a caution after every sync that I’ve used up my free space, and (b) the reason I want to migrate my PDFs from “Zotero\storage:” [not in DropBox] to a folder called “Zotero PDFs” which is be DropBox-synced so I can have access to, and annotate, the PDFs from multiple sources.
My two questions are:
(1) How can I do such migration efficiently and
(2) How should I configure my settings so that this is the default way new items are entered or imported?
FYIs:
- I have Zotfile and Zulio add-ons and I’m using the PC standalone version in one location and Mac version in another (eventually want iPad access, too)
- I have been doing this with some success vie the Manage attachments > Rename attachments command, which, when it works, renames the child PDF file, changes it to or replaces it with a link to a copy of the PDF in a newly created folder in the desired target place Zotero PDFs (within DropBox). But, for unknown reasons, this does not always work (about 20% failure). Plus it is very tedious, and I don’t know whether it is moving or just copying from “storage:”. Obviously, if it’s leaving the original behind and just creating a copy, I’m not solving my size problem in spite of these gymnastics.
Your insights, explanations, and recommendations are very much appreciated.
Keith
If you do want to use Zotero with Dropbox, follow these steps:
1) In the Advanced pane of Zotero preferences, set the linked file base directory to the folder in Dropbox where you want your files stored (you need to do this on each computer).
2) Set the Zotfile plugin to rename and move attachments to this folder.
3) Select all items, right click, and choose Manage Attachments -> Rename Attachments. This will Move all Attachments (new Files will move automatically).
This removes files from ‘storage’. Note that the best way to manage storage with Zotero is to leave them in ‘storage’ and sync using Zotero Storage or WebDAV. Then, when you want to clear space on your computer, make sure you are fully synced, then open the storage folder, search for “*.pdf” and then delete the found files (from your operating system, not Zotero). This will leave the files in the cloud but not on your computer. Set your Sync settings to download attachment files “As needed”. They will redownload when you try to open them again.
Basically, you are letting Zotero manage the syncing using its built-in sync system. Zotero can either sync with its own storage servers (this is the easiest to set up, and the cost of Zotero storage is reasonable: https://zotero.org/storage). You can also have Zotero sync to another cloud storage provider that supports WebDAV (the web standard for accessing stored data on a remote server). The cloud providers you list don't support WebDAV (Box did until recently, but no longer), but many other providers do. Here is an incomplete list of providers that have been used successfully with Zotero by users: https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/webdav_services Of these, pCloud seems to be the most popular.
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