"Primary" pdf of an item

sdx23
When an item has multiple pdfs associated, there seems to be one "primary" pdf which is the one opened by double-clicking the item. How is this primary file determined, and (how) can it be changed?

I frequently find the situation that I have added a preprint earlier and later find the pdf from the journal publication. Then, it'd be convenient to just drag&drop the pdf to that item and make it primary.
  • dstillman
    Do you need to keep the preprint? The easiest option is just to delete that.

    Zotero will automatically use the earliest PDF (and then some other rules if there are no PDFs), and there's not currently any way to change that.
  • sdx23
    Very well, thank you for the explanation. So I can either delete the preprint or possibly remove and add it again.
  • dstillman
    That's right.
  • LiborA
    For me, this request by sdx23 has two different backgrounds.

    The first is the same as sdx23 mentioned.
    Typicaly I imported interesting articles/preprints into the Zotero and add them tag "accepted". After few months I go through the items taged "accepted" and if I find that this article is involved in Issue then I import them again and merge duplicates. This my workflow has one big cons. I have twice PDF and I must delete one of them manually. I do not find any way to delete "old" PDF during merging proces; it should be great feature for me.

    The second is a litle bit different. A lot of articles has supplementary materials. In these cases it is very interesting to me mark one (parent article) as a primary document. (Supplementary documents are typically downloaded in the secons step so they are newest than the parent article)
  • Oby
    A workaround is to copy the PDF(s) you already have added to the item. Thereafter, add the PDF that you wish to have as the "primary" PDF first. Then add all other PDFs you wish to keep under that item.
  • adamprada
    I would also like to see the feature to select the primary PDF of an item. It has happened to me that the supplementary information becomes primary, which is annoying. (Having to remove the PDFs and add them again.)
  • mschro
    Removing one pdf is particularly annoying, when you already have annotations and marking in both pdfs.
Sign In or Register to comment.