Zotfile: attach new file function doesn't work

Dear all,
Zotfile's function "attach new file" doesn't work.
I have tried everything: I read different posts, I revised all the settings and preferences, and I even uninstalled/installed the plug several times. Still, it doesn't work.
If anyone can provide me with a hint to solve the problem, that would be extremely appreciated.
  • I had been using Zotfile for a while before I realized how Attach New File actually worked. The Attach New File operation is for attaching a PDF you have just saved (into a specified folder) to an existing, selected item in your library.

    In Tools\Zotfile Preferences\General Settings, you must have entered the folder name you want Zotfile to always look in for the PDF, under Source Folder for Attaching New Files. Then when you have a PDF that you want to attach to an item right now, you first save that PDF to that folder. Then, with the item selected, right click and select Add New File. Zotfile will then offer to save the latest PDF in that folder to that item as a linked file ... "Do you want to rename and attach/link the file to the currently selected Zotero item ?". If you select OK, the file will be copied across to your Zotfile Custom Location as a linked file of the selected item.

    It works fine for me under Windows 10/11. Of course I mostly save/move/link PDFs via the Zotero connector. But Attach New File is useful on the odd occasions when I acquire a PDF in another way. It basically does the same thing as Zotero's Add Attachment\Attach Stored Copy of File (which Zotfile also then moves/renames). Attach New File just does it with fewer required clicks.
  • Dear tim820: Thanks a lot for your time and your answer. I have meticulously followed all the steps you described.

    Everything seems to be fine, but, in my case the dialogue "Do you want to rename and attach/link the file to the currently selected Zotero item ?" doesn’t appear at all. I do right click, and nothing happens.

    As mentioned, the save/move/link PDFs via the Zotero connector is an alternative, but due to the type of work I do, Zotfile “Attach new file” really makes me save time.

    Any more ideas on how to solve this issue? Many thanks in advance to the whole community.
  • edited February 8, 2023
    I used Attach New File earlier today, so it's definitely still working for me in Windows 10/11 (Zotfile 5.1.2). So I can only suggest re-checking each setting:
    1. Under Tools\Zotfile Preferences\General Settings, that you have the exact folder name entered under Source Folder for Attaching New Files. It should have a green tick next to it, to signify a valid folder.
    2. That you have the item - that you want to attach the PDF to - already in your Library.
    3. You save the PDF you want to attach into the folder in 1. Note the description in the settings "Zotfile can add the *most recently modified file* from a folder such as the downloads folder or a user specified folder as a new attachment to the currently selected Zotero item." So the PDF file you put in the specified folder (from 1) must appear in that file's attributes as the 'most recently modified' in that folder.
    4. With the item in 2 selected in the main window, you right click on the item and select Attach New File. That 'should' get you the offer message to link the file.

    There may be other things that could trip things up. But I can't think of any.
  • I noticed that "Attach new file" does not work if it is still open in another application. Often I first download a pdf from the browser, start to read it and then decide to attach it in my zotero library. However, I first have to close it in my pdf reader application (Adobe Acrobat in my case), otherwise it will not be attached properly, properly because the file is locked when opened in Adobe Acrobat. It would be nice if Zotero would just make a local copy of the file in case a file is locked so that the file can still be attached. Or at least that Zotero gives a warning when a file is locked...
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