Replicating folders structure in Google Drive to Zotero

The main idea is to locate the bibliography not in one single folder in my Google drive but to replicate the structure already created in Google Drive
I haven't found this, yet. I am not sure if this is possible, I have been suggested to use groups but I don't see how groups could be useful for me.
Should I create a different group for a different folder and then linked them to the google drive folder where the PDFs are stored?
Thanks in advance, I am pretty new user to Zotero
  • @JavierHerRe, have you tried this plugin that imports folders an its content to Zotero (https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-folder-import)?
  • But is this plugin to let me the pdfs in the google drive? It looks like for me as a tool to import folders. What I am trying to achieve is using Zotfile keeping the structuro fo the folders, but doing the rename and move option in Zotfile preferences
  • edited March 20, 2024
    If you want to keep the PDFs in Google Drive rather than under Zotero\storage (the default) they will need to be as linked PDF files. Linked files have some limitations - they don't get file-synced across computers via Zotero servers (but Google Drive can do that), they don't work with Groups, and they don't work in Zotero mobile or the Zotero web library. Those are 'deal killers' for some people (although there are some work-arounds, albeit more tedious).
    https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#linked_files

    To create the links to your existing PDFs in their existing sub-folders in Google Drive, you can select a PDF and drag into Zotero, holding down Ctrl+Shift (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option (Mac) while dropping. Zotero will take a moment to read the PDF's metadata (and look online for more) and will create a parent item if it finds the data to do so. And save the link to the PDF.
    https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#adding_files_via_the_zotero_window

    Maintaining a linked file structure in hierarchical folders moving forward is somewhat difficult (I haven't done it, so others may have some better tips). You could just save new PDFs to the Google Drive sub-folder you want (ie without Zotero), and then repeat the drag & drop into Zotero as above. But that defeats most of what Zotero is designed to make easy (auto-downloading/adding PDFs). The Zotfile plugin is able to save linked PDF attachments downloaded via the Zotero web Connector; it has an option for PDFs to be saved to a sub-folder (under its Custom Location folder) that matches the Zotero collection that you nominated to save the PDF in, at download time (but that's an advanced user config, and there's no guarantee that it will be available under Zotero v7 AFAIK, where Zotfile will be replaced by other plugins). You would set up your Zotero collections to mimic your sub-folder structure.
    https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/zotero/zotfile

    It is simpler to work with your linked PDFs files in a single folder. In which case you would set that up from the start, rather than creating links to PDFs in the sub-folder hierarchy as described above. Zotfile (Zotero v6) and attanger/zotmoov (Zotero v7) would manage PDF rename/move.


  • Thank you very much for clarifying some aspects of the structure.

    As far as I understand, "Linked files have some limitations - they don't get file-synced across computers via Zotero servers", but as you said, if I save all the files in Google Drive, even if I work from different computers, I have access to the same online/ cloud service, there shouldn't be any problem, shoud there?
    Which utility gives Zotero web over Zotero app regarding this topic?

    According the Berkeley guide: If you plan to sync across multiple devices, in Zotero you will need to set up relative paths in the "Linked Attachment Base Directory." Go to Zotero preferences > Advanced > Files and Folders and set Linked Attachment Base Directory to the folder you created in your cloud syncing app. You will have to do this on each of the computers on which you want to access the files.
    Let say I want to use a single folder (which is going to be my choice), using 3 different computers but the same folder to save articles, this structure should be correct:

    Zotero preferences

    Base directory: G:\Otros ordenadores\PC1\IMIM\Bibliografía\Zotero PDFs.
    Data directory location: Default (different for each computer)

    Zotfile preferences:

    Source folder for attaching new files: G:\Otros ordenadores\PC1\IMIM\Bibliografía\Zotero PDFs.
    Custom location: G:\Otros ordenadores\PC1\IMIM\Bibliografía\Zotero PDFs.



    Regarding the Ctrl shift shortcut, thank you, but I guess you just jump the part of rename and move

    According hierarchical structure, well, I guess it shouldn't be that hard to accomplish but, somehow is not possible. This is a major disadvantage from Zotero


    So now, I have created a new folder with the intention of storing all the references, that in fact, I already have, sorted in different folders in GDrive. Should be rename and move the best way to link the PDFs to GDrive folder?
    I am working with Zotero 6.0.36. When it get updated, does the whole system get corrupted? Or getting the attanger plugin in for v.7 will automatically set up?

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