I am really confused about file syncing

bkmackellar

I've been sifting through these forums, but am really lost. I am having trouble understanding what solution will accomplish what I need to do. I have a home iMac and a Windows laptop for work. I run Zotero2.0 on both platforms. I have library syncing, to Zotero, set up, but it only syncs the Zotero items, not the attached files. So when I try to look at one of my files, I constantly get a message that it can't be found (because it is on the other computer). I want my files to be synced too. Is this possible? I keep reading about webDAV and DropBox, but I don't know what these things are. I don't want my files to live just on some website - I want them duplicated on both computers and referenced correctly by Zotero. Is this possible? What do I need to do?

noksagt

WebDAV is the officially supported mechanism for file syncing:
http://www.zotero.org/support/sync#file_syncing
You must find a provider to use it.

DropBox is a commercial general syncing service that has a lot of free storage. People have had mixed success with it.

If you can't find an adequate free WebDAV service or do not want to pay for one, you have other options to keep data on both machines:
http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_portable_solutions

bkmackellar

How is DropBox different? From what I have read, it sounds like the files would end up on a website rather than on my local machines - is that true?

How do I find a WebDAV service? I did a web search, and only came up with entries on the protocol itself. I would pay (up to a reasonable amount) but I can't figure out where the services are. I would love to see reviews too.

bkmackellar

And no way do I want to hassle around with a portable USB drive :-)

noksagt

How do I find a WebDAV service?

From the documentation:
"Your employer or research institution may be able to provide it. Otherwise, there are third-party options, both free and paid (Apple iDisk, JungleDisk, BingoDisk). " See also:
http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/4559/which-webdav-service-for-zotero/

ves

I am using SwissDisk for WebDav. I set up my account with them, then followed the instructions in the Zotero documentation for setting up the WebDav. I have not tried syncing, however. The SwissDisk space also acts like a remote server for my computer. I can just open it like a Windows folder and drag files into it. I also looked at JungleDisk -- if I ever need enough space that I have to start paying for it, I like their pricing better.

Other nice solutions for just moving files from one machine to another are dropbox and drop.io. They won't help with Zotero syncing, but they are both great alternatives to hauling around a USB drive (always there online even if you lose/forget the drive).