Sanity check: sync storage (not data) folder on two macs through iCloud

sewevo
There are tons of questions in the forum regarding syncing, but I can't seem to find the answer to my specific question – sorry to raise this probably yet again and thanks in advance!:

So I have been told in the past that it is a very bad idea to sync the zotero data folder through a cloud service like iCloud due to corruption of the database. I stopped doing that, thanks again for the advice back then!

I've seen in the documentation that storage folder can live in icloud, though, and I have set this up successfully (symlink zotero storage folder to one on icloud) so that I can edit/highlight PDFs on the go on my ipad with the app of my preference. I still use zotero data storage subscription for syncing another mac and for collaborating in groups.

This works well for me so far. However, changes on my other mac are currently synced through zotero storage back to my main mac and only from there to iCloud. I don't mind this, but it means that changes on that other mac are not available on my ipad until my main mac has completed the sync. That is not great and I'd like to change that.

I have backups, but before I stumble into a world of hurt, I wanted to double check:

Is it safe for me to symlink the storage folder (and only that) to a folder synced through iCloud on both macs? The folder stucture seems the same on both, but i guess the devil is in the detail.

PS: I have read that a new zotero app for the ipad is in beta, so maybe my question will soon be moot, but that will depend on the capabilities of the pdf editing in that app.

PPS: I also want to keep the zotero storage sync for other reasons, so linking files via zotero extensions is not really what i want to do.

Thanks!
  • adamsmith
    Symlinking as described e.g. here: https://seanmeyerdesign.com/using-zotero-with-box/ is generally safe, and it definitely won't cause the corruption issues you get when syncing the database itself, but most people do this to replace Zotero's file sync, so there may certainly be hick-ups along the way (essentially the two sync modes battling). I'd expect those to appear pretty quickly, though, so you could just test this out and be a bit mindful the first couple of days.
  • sewevo
    Thanks! I think i understand what you mean with the two sync options batteling. I’ll try and be vigilant, including my backups :)
  • dstillman
    iOS beta details, including a signup link, are here: https://www.zotero.org/support/ios_beta
  • nettra
    Hello, sorry for cross-posting,

    I have used a similar hack sync Zotero across PCs for years and have been quite happy. I used the symlink with GDrive.

    Now, I would like to switch to Zotero's cloud storage.

    Would you be able to suggest how to do so - moving all my references + files to Zotero's cloud service without creating duplicates?

    Thank you! And again sorry if you've seen my question somewhere else. I wasn't sure where to post it.
  • sewevo
    Not the expert here(!), and make sure you have a full backup, but if I understand it correctly, you currently don't have activated the sync within the Zotero settings at all, but simply sync the "local" folder through gdrive across two PCs? If yes:

    In principle, you should be able to move the folder offline by the following procedure: close the Zotero.app on both PCs, then, on the first PC, delete the symlink and copy your storage folder from gdrive back to its original place (make sure that the folder hierarchy fits: the new folders name should be storage, same as the symlink and the contents should then show as the 8 character/digits folders that contain the PDFs etc.

    Upon restarting Zotero, you shouldn't see any difference, everything should work as expected. Then activate the full Sync (including all attachments) in Zotero.

    One the sync has completed repeat with the second PC (alternatively, you could start fresh, there and have Zotero download everything through a sync. I'd probably do this, just to see if everything works fine, but it takes more time). Once you made sure that everything is working as expected and have tested that the two PCs sync ok, delete the old storage folder on gdrive.

  • nettra
    This makes a lot of sense! Thank you so much! I will try it after setting up backups :P
  • nettra
    Oh @sewevo - one point that may not have been clear...

    I wish to sync my library across two computers - on PC and one Mac. Anybody have experience doing that? Via Zotero, there should be no folder/directory mismatch issues, correct?
  • DWL-SDCA
    If you are using the @nettra account on both machines and are using the Zotero (automated) storage you should be able to maintain identical Libraries, Collections, and Groups across all of your machines.
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