"Automatically rename attachment files" not renaming files

dstillman Zotero Team
This discussion was created from comments split from: renaming pdfs question.
  • aliakhavan89
    Sorry, I did not find a better thread to ask this. There is this feature called "Automatically rename attachment files using parent metadata" in the preferences; despite being activated when I add items to the library using Zotero Connector for Chrome, it almost never rename the PDF files. I really do not know how to report this or explain how to replicate this behavior. I mean, the procedure is straightforward of replicating the bug, however, this might be only a problem of mine or it might be that I am missing something.

    Sorry for being too long.
  • aliakhavan89
    Sorry again. I found that the file name is changed every time in the OS but Zotero does not refresh the list for whatever reason that I do not know.
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    The attachment title and the filename are different things. When Zotero renames the file, it doesn't change the attachment title, which can provide additional information on the source of the file (e.g., "Submitted Version" for a preprint).
  • jeremygordon
    I know this is an old thread, but as far as I can tell Zotero's behavior on this changed at some point. Previously both the attachment and the filename were named as per source metadata (when this option was selected in settings), and now it seems the file is renamed but not the attachment.

    It sounds like perhaps this is expected behavior, but it would be great to have an option to rename the attachment consistent with the filename automatically, rather than requiring users to use the "Rename file from parent metadata" context option each time. This option adds to the confusion, anyway, since the action in fact renames the attachment (not only the underlying filename).
  • adamsmith
    why do you want to rename the attachment in the first place? Just makes it harder to search for.
  • jeremygordon
    Why is it harder to search for after being renamed?

    I think I have two reasons:
    1) Since, as far as I can tell, it was default Zotero behavior to rename attachments when imported via connector (e.g. Chrome extension), most of my archive is organized by this pattern, with PDF attachments matching the naming of the filename. The switch to "Full Text PDF" has introduced heterogeneity.
    2) Perhaps this is specific to PDF attachments, but for attachments that are direct links to files on disk, it's helpful for me to instantly see what the file is named from the attachment label without clicking on the attachment.

    This is obviously not a major pain point, was just trying to understand if a setting existed to smooth this out already.
  • adamsmith
    edited May 4, 2023
    No, Full Text PDF (or, earlier, sometimes including the database name) has been the default since the beginning. There's no setting, but if you use ZotFile (which you might have in the past?) it will automatically change the attachment title when renaming the attached file.

    The reason 2) doesn't make sense to me is that you have the title of the metadata item right above the PDF, no? What's the use in repeating it for the attachment title, rather than specifying its funciton in case, e.g. you also attach a PDF with supplementary material or so.
  • jeremygordon
    Ah, ok so ZotFile explains the difference. Thanks for your responses.
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