Linked vs attached pdfs

Keith

I store my pdfs outside Zotero on my OneDrive and link them to their Zotero entries. That is, I link my pdfs rather than attaching them. However, the Zotero interface doesn't seem to offer a clear visual indication of whether an associated pdf is linked or attached -- and this makes things a little stressful when deleting entries and pdfs within Zotero. How can I tell whether I'm deleting a link to a pdf or the pdf itself? Would I be right in thinking that Zotero will never delete a file that is stored outside its own data directory? Can anyone advise me, please?

adamsmith

Linked attachments have a small link (chain link) icon in their icon

Keith

Ah, thanks. I hadn't noticed that -- perhaps because all my files have it. Am I right in thinking that when using Zotero I can't accidently delete files stored outside the Zotero data directory?

adamsmith

Correct. Some people find this inconvenient, but Zotero won't delete linked files, even if you delete them in Zotero

Keith

Thank you. I think that's a very good policy. People like me, who use Zotero to catalogue files rather than store them, will want to have independent control over the way their files are organized on disk.