Extra field migration with multiple URLs

dstillman

This discussion was created from comments split from: multiple URLs?.

qqbb

I have added URL: http://... to the Extra field for storing additional URLs. Would this create problems when Zotero moves fields in Extra to real fields? It would be undesirable if Zotero would overwrite the primary URL field with the value in Extra.

dstillman

Existing real fields won't be overwritten by values in Extra. The Extra lines will be left in place.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't add these as attached links, though, so that they can have appropriate descriptions and be opened by double-click.

qqbb

Existing real fields won't be overwritten by values in Extra. The Extra lines will be left in place.

Ok, thanks! That's good to know.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't add these as attached links, though, so that they can have appropriate descriptions and be opened by double-click.

I'm also using attached links for URLs that I might want to access again quickly. My URLs in Extra are typically not links that I need to click again. I just store them for completeness in cases a secondary source came up in a literature search. The URL in Extra might, e.g., show me that I already checked that link. I prefer to see the link in the same view as the primary URL.

If Zotero would get an option to add an additional URL to the "Info" pane, I would be happy to use it. E.g., right-clicking "URL" might give the option to add an "URL2" field below "URL". (Similar to a secondary phone number in a contacts list.) But using Extra will also do it for me.

bwiernik

In that case still, I would recommend storing them as attached links. The URL field really should be used only for a URL that might be included in a citation.

qqbb

Yes, you are probably right. I'm aware that this is not the officially recommended way of storing secondary URLs.