Can Zotero Connector save files to a different location?

eahuntley
I love using the Zotero connector to save files and citation information. However, I prefer to store my files on Box. Is there a way to change the download preferences in the Zotero connector so that it saves to a different location? It seems to default to Zotero's storage, which means that I have to go through and manually move items over to Box.
  • bwiernik
    For the best results, set up Box as a WebDAV server in Zotero's sync preferences:
    https://www.zotero.org/support/sync#webdav
    https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/webdav_services

    This way, Zotero will automatically use Box as the file storage location behind the scenes.


    If you are trying to make your files have a human-readable structure outside of Zotero, see here:
    https://www.zotero.org/support/sync#alternative_syncing_solutions

    Set up Zotfile to store files in Box.
  • lauracchavez
    This is helpful, thank you! I also want to save my pdf files in a different location. Is there a "Save where" prompt to ask how you'd like to name the file and where you'd like the file to be saved (desktop, Dropbox, Box)? I use both Dropbox and Box and sometimes also want a pdf in my desktop.

    I checked the link offered for "If you are trying to make your files have a human-readable structure outside of Zotero, see here:
    https://www.zotero.org/support/sync#alternative_syncing_solutions"
    But doesn't seem to address my question since it states it's about "syncing Zotero data" and I'm interested in how/where files (pdfs) are saved.
    Thanks!
  • adamsmith
    No, there's no reasonably easy way to save files to different locations. You can set up one single non-Zotero location via ZotFile, but choosing between different ones isn't possible.
  • eahuntley
    Hello all. Thank you for your answers! I have had to abandon Box, and I am trying to switch over to using Google drive for storage (via Backup and Sync). Within Zotfile, I have selected the source folder I would like to use to attach new files as [/Users/eahuntley/Google Drive/Zotero]. I have also sent the same Google Backup and Sync desktop location [/Users/eahuntley/Google Drive/Zotero] as for "Location preference" within Zotfile.

    However, when I save a file via Zotero Connector, it saves the file within Zotero's storage (I know this because when I click "show file", it is saved in Zotero -> storage -> randomly named folder with letters and numbers -> my saved file.

    Am I doing something wrong here? Thank you for your help!!!
  • bwiernik
    To be clear, you have the "Location of files" Zotfile preference set to "Custom location", not "Attach stored copy of files"?
  • irisdecastro
    Same problem here! I used a custom location in the Zotfile preferences.
  • paulgrassl
    Did anyone solve this problem?

    No one wants to manually move each file after download somewhere else..

    I think the problem is that we somehow can't choose where the zotero connector (I'm running it on macOS in Firefox) stores the pdf files. They just always go to the default storage folder (as described by @eahuntley). So it doesn't matter what locations we specify in zotfile preferences because the pdf coming from our browser are saved in the zotero default storage location. I even tried what happens when I set the source folder path in zotfile preferences to the zotero default storage location but also that doesn't work (possibly because each pdf get saved in a subfolder in the default storage location and zotfile can't handle that)
  • qqbb
    @paulgrassl: For troubleshooting your Zotfile issue, see here.
  • paulgrassl
    edited June 18, 2020
    Thanks a lot @qqbb it solved my issue!!
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