Cannot move files to custom location with Zotfile

plantarum
Hi,

I have installed zotfile, and set it up to rename my pdfs and use a custom location. This includes:

Location of Files: set to custom location "/home/tws/nextcloud/zotpdf" (picked via the file browser, so I know this directory exists with no typos)

I'm not using subfolders.

I've set the renaming format to '%b' to use my BetterBibtex citation key, and unchecked the box "use Zotero to rename".

In Zotero preferences, I've set the Advanced: Files and Folders: "Linked attachment base directory" to use the same directory listed above.

Under sync I've unchecked the box for "Sync attachments in my library using Zotero".

After all this, I can rename all my pdfs as I want, via Manage Attachments: Rename Attachments. But they are not moved to the desired location. What have I missed?

I've tried with and without setting the Linked Attachment Base Directory setting, and a few other options without any success.

Zotero 5.0.89
Debian Linux

  • adamsmith
    That all sounds right. You've made sure those files are actually present locally (i.e. synced if you're using multiple devices), right?
    First thing I'd try is to go with a more standard renaming option (e.g. Zotero or ZotFile's default) and see if that works (just test with 1-2 items).

    FWIW, as far as I can tell, Debian linux is getting very little use with Zotero, so it's at least possible this is a distro-specific failure.
  • plantarum
    I can see the files on my local computer, under ~/Zotero/storage/..., so they have been synced properly.

    I don't need to put the files in the new location, but I would like to have all of my pdfs in the same directory. Is there another way to do that? I need this for integration with some other tools in my workflow.
  • adamsmith
    is a virtual folder/saved search an option? That'd be an efficient way to put them all in one folder.
  • plantarum
    I don't know what a virtual folder/saved search is
  • adamsmith
    It's typically implemented in the file browser, such as https://www.linuxtopia.org/online_books/linux_desktop_guides/gnome_2.14_user_guide/nautilus-searching.html
  • plantarum
    Ok, thanks.

    As it turns out I found another way to solve my problem, leaving the files in the directories they came from. Still not sure why it didn't work in the first place though.
  • qqbb
    @plantarum: The Zutilo add-on provides a "Show attachment paths" function that might be useful for troubleshooting your issue. It shows you the attachment path that is stored in the zotero.sqlite database, see here and here.

    Are you using the official Zotero tarball on Linux? If so, you could try the zotero-deb package: https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/linux_packaging.
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