How to not sync file links?
I have file syncing turned off. All my PDFs are on device A. Then I installed Zotero on device B and synced. Device B now has none of my PDFs, as expected. But it still has all the file attachment metadata, which is just broken links. Zotero doesn't give the option on right-click to find the PDFs on device B unless I first delete the "attachment" (that is, the broken link). But the act of deletion IS synced, so now I've lost the PDF on device A.
Is there a simple way to maintain libraries on two devices, with linked PDFs separately downloaded on each device, without needing to have all the PDFs stored in the cloud?
Is there a simple way to maintain libraries on two devices, with linked PDFs separately downloaded on each device, without needing to have all the PDFs stored in the cloud?
https://www.zotero.org/support/preferences/advanced
"External disks: While keeping your data directory on an external disk is usually safe, your database could become corrupted if, say, the disk becomes unmounted while Zotero is open."
A linked-file strategy with a cloud-mirrored folder for those linked PDF files would also work, with data syncing (only) via Zotero servers (free). Although linked files preclude full use of the iOS/Android app or using groups.