Ok, Dan, I find a shortcut. I'll just import everything and leave it copying all the pdf files. After import, I delete all the files in storage folder. Because the file paths are in the URL and it can link to the original pdf file and I can open files that way.
Please let me know if there's a more elegant way so that I can click the button "View PDF" and open the file.
Anyway, the import error itself seems to be solved. Thank you so much for all your help!
doh! not the first time this happens, should have occurred to me.
And obviously you'd be the only person to get that error, since those files don't exist for the rest of us, so the filepath can't be too long.
I'd suggest you re-consider using files stored in Zotero as an option again. They have a bunch of advantages - simple URL links won't give you full-text indexing&search in Zotero and you won't be able to sync the files.
Also, as you keep working with Zotero, it's very convenient to just have your imported files stored in Zotero (which is what Zotero does by default).
well - kind of:
- If you search, e.g., for "this is a search phrase" in Zotero, Zotero will find all pdfs containing that phrase (provided they have a text-layer/ocrd text), but most pdfs do by now). There are different search settings in the quick search - the default one just searches for titles and authors, the "everywhere" setting also includes attachments, i.e. pdfs and webpages. There is also an option to specifically search attachment content in the advanced search. So yes in that sense.
but:
- Zotero won't be able to take you to the search result within the pdf, so no in that sense. (though it's a longstanding plan to show the context of a found word/phrase in the search results, but that might not happy for a while).
Also, if you really want to keep your file structure as it is, there is the option to link to a file from Zotero - that does allow indexing (though you still have the issue with files imported by the translator) and I don't know how you would import your Endnote attached files as links - I don't think that's currently possible (though I might be wrong).
There are a number of tools that allow you to export files out of the zotero storage folder into a more "human-readable" format - check the two scripts mentioned here
http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/23050/how-to-copy-several-pdf-in-library-to-file-manager/#Item_19
as well as Zotfile (which definitely runs on windows - the other two might be unix only)
Zotero isn't designed to support multiple libraries, no. Since it's organizing features are more powerful than Endnote's there isn't really a reason.
If you really want to, you can use the Firefox profile manager (which I _think_ you can use with Zotero Standalone as well) to create separate profiles, but that's not super elegant and I don't think you can open them simultaneously.
You can also work with group libraries - they function as de-facto separate libraries. The only downside I can think of with that is that group libraries don't allow you to sync attached files using any other method than Zotero storage.
and I don't think you can open them simultaneously.
You can (with "-no-remote") but there are important downsides (e.g. word processor plugin won't be usable, etc.). Definitely not a good solution here, I think, beyond testing purposes.
Merry Xmas!
I just started using Zotero, 4th day.
While trying to import a RIS txt file (about 2500 references), received the same error message:
"An error occurred while trying to import the selected file. Please ensure that the file is valid and try again."
It appears after importing 26 references. Same happens on a Windows 7 machine and on an iMac.
Following advices from the forum, I copied and used Import from Clipboard : imported ok.
I am however uncomfortable, would appreciate explanation, is this something to worry about or not.
Thanks,
Vincent
There's something wrong with the way file paths are entered in the RIS file, which is probably why it fails. This doesn't affect imports from clipboard because file attachments are not imported from clipboard.
We would need to see the RIS file (at least one entry with a file path; i.e. entry with an L1 line) to say more.
The first entry with an L1 line is (it matches where the import stopped):
TY - BOOK
ID - 1228
T1 - Memoires de l'Academie Royale de Chirurgie. Tome deuxieme.
A1 - Academie Royale de Chirurgie
Y1 - 1855///
RP - NOT IN FILE
CY - Paris
There is something funny. I copy-pasted the above from Notepad. Several characters that are viewed in Notepad are missing.
The missing characters are "Box Drawings" characters U+2534, U+2524, etc... I looked up and paste them using Windows' Character Map:
yeah, that would mess things up - how was that RIS created? You can probably try to clean this up somehow - a good text editor may be able to, as would search&replace.
The RIS was exported from Reference Manager 12 demo. But the original references were created with RefMan 11.
Clean up with a text editor: yes, I just tried reading the RIS file with Open Office's Writer, the extraneous characters are converted into #, makes it quite easy to search and replace.
On some further thought, we should probably not crash import if the file paths are messed up. Probably just log an error, ignore the attachment, and proceed. The only problem is that we don't have a good way to notify the user of such an error.
Upgrade Storage
Please let me know if there's a more elegant way so that I can click the button "View PDF" and open the file.
Anyway, the import error itself seems to be solved. Thank you so much for all your help!
Best,
Charles
And obviously you'd be the only person to get that error, since those files don't exist for the rest of us, so the filepath can't be too long.
I'd suggest you re-consider using files stored in Zotero as an option again. They have a bunch of advantages - simple URL links won't give you full-text indexing&search in Zotero and you won't be able to sync the files.
Also, as you keep working with Zotero, it's very convenient to just have your imported files stored in Zotero (which is what Zotero does by default).
- If you search, e.g., for "this is a search phrase" in Zotero, Zotero will find all pdfs containing that phrase (provided they have a text-layer/ocrd text), but most pdfs do by now). There are different search settings in the quick search - the default one just searches for titles and authors, the "everywhere" setting also includes attachments, i.e. pdfs and webpages. There is also an option to specifically search attachment content in the advanced search. So yes in that sense.
but:
- Zotero won't be able to take you to the search result within the pdf, so no in that sense. (though it's a longstanding plan to show the context of a found word/phrase in the search results, but that might not happy for a while).
Also, if you really want to keep your file structure as it is, there is the option to link to a file from Zotero - that does allow indexing (though you still have the issue with files imported by the translator) and I don't know how you would import your Endnote attached files as links - I don't think that's currently possible (though I might be wrong).
There are a number of tools that allow you to export files out of the zotero storage folder into a more "human-readable" format - check the two scripts mentioned here
http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/23050/how-to-copy-several-pdf-in-library-to-file-manager/#Item_19
as well as Zotfile (which definitely runs on windows - the other two might be unix only)
If you really want to, you can use the Firefox profile manager (which I _think_ you can use with Zotero Standalone as well) to create separate profiles, but that's not super elegant and I don't think you can open them simultaneously.
You can also work with group libraries - they function as de-facto separate libraries. The only downside I can think of with that is that group libraries don't allow you to sync attached files using any other method than Zotero storage.
I just started using Zotero, 4th day.
While trying to import a RIS txt file (about 2500 references), received the same error message:
"An error occurred while trying to import the selected file. Please ensure that the file is valid and try again."
It appears after importing 26 references. Same happens on a Windows 7 machine and on an iMac.
Following advices from the forum, I copied and used Import from Clipboard : imported ok.
I am however uncomfortable, would appreciate explanation, is this something to worry about or not.
Thanks,
Vincent
http://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_bugs
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[JavaScript Error: "Component returned failure code: 0x80520001 (NS_ERROR_FILE_UNRECOGNIZED_PATH) [nsILocalFile.initWithPath]" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/translation/translate_item.js" line: 306}]
[JavaScript Error: "'tmp' must be a file in Zotero.Attachments.importFromFile()"]
[JavaScript Error: "'tmp' must be a file in Zotero.Attachments.importFromFile()"]
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[JavaScript Error: "Component returned failure code: 0x80520001 (NS_ERROR_FILE_UNRECOGNIZED_PATH) [nsIFile.append]" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/translation/translate_item.js" line: 319}]
[JavaScript Error: "Component returned failure code: 0x80520001 (NS_ERROR_FILE_UNRECOGNIZED_PATH) [nsIFileURL.file]" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/translation/translate_item.js" line: 292}]
[JavaScript Error: "Component returned failure code: 0x80520001 (NS_ERROR_FILE_UNRECOGNIZED_PATH) [nsILocalFile.initWithPath]" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/translation/translate_item.js" line: 306}]
[JavaScript Error: "'tmp' must be a file in Zotero.Attachments.importFromFile()"]
[JavaScript Error: "Error: No transaction in progress"]
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[JavaScript Error: "Error: No transaction in progress"]
We would need to see the RIS file (at least one entry with a file path; i.e. entry with an L1 line) to say more.
TY - BOOK
ID - 1228
T1 - Memoires de l'Academie Royale de Chirurgie. Tome deuxieme.
A1 - Academie Royale de Chirurgie
Y1 - 1855///
RP - NOT IN FILE
CY - Paris
PB - Adolphe Delahaye
L1 - file://G:\xrt\reprints\history\gallica\acadChir1855t2.pdf
ER -
There is something funny. I copy-pasted the above from Notepad. Several characters that are viewed in Notepad are missing.
The missing characters are "Box Drawings" characters U+2534, U+2524, etc... I looked up and paste them using Windows' Character Map:
CY - Paris┴┤
L1 - ┴file://G:\xrt\reprints\history\gallica\acadChir1855t2.pdf┤┐┴┘┤
You can probably try to clean this up somehow - a good text editor may be able to, as would search&replace.
Clean up with a text editor: yes, I just tried reading the RIS file with Open Office's Writer, the extraneous characters are converted into #, makes it quite easy to search and replace.
I'm glad understanding, Thank you all ! -)