Zotero 7 and Zotfile
Hello,
When I was using Zotero version 6, all the plugins were working perfectly, but yesterday, August 9th, I updated Zotero to version 7. It's very nice and functional, but all my plugins were disabled. I tried to reactivate them but it didn't work. So I removed them and when I reinstalled the Zotfile plugin (version zotfile-5.1.2-fx.xpi) I got a message that this plugin is incompatible with Zotero 7. Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there an alternative to Zotfile?
When I was using Zotero version 6, all the plugins were working perfectly, but yesterday, August 9th, I updated Zotero to version 7. It's very nice and functional, but all my plugins were disabled. I tried to reactivate them but it didn't work. So I removed them and when I reinstalled the Zotfile plugin (version zotfile-5.1.2-fx.xpi) I got a message that this plugin is incompatible with Zotero 7. Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there an alternative to Zotfile?
https://github.com/wileyyugioh/zotmoov
https://github.com/MuiseDestiny/zotero-attanger
https://www.zotero.org/support/file_renaming#customizing_the_filename_format
Edit: OK I've added the Zotmoov plugin, and see that I can select a file and "Move to Selected Directory", which is useful - but is there any way to "retrieve" that file document once I've finished reading it and it gets added back to the right location within my Zotero library, and adds a note of the annotations I made on the document? This was a wonderful feature of Zotfile, it's a pity it's not replicated here.
Those PDF files were saved by Zotfile (before Zotero v7) as *linked* attachment files (which do not work with Groups, or the online web library, or the Zotero mobile apps) - Zotmoov annd Attanger do the same. That folder is typically a cloud-mirrored folder, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Onedrive.
https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#linked_files
So of course if your cloud folder is accessible on your mobile device, you can open a linked PDF file stored there into any *other* PDF reader on you mobile device, and annotate it (you just can't load a linked PDF into the Zotero mobile app). You would *not* see any annotations that have already been added within Zotero, as they are not embedded in PDFs (unless you exported them to the PDF). Then, back in Zotero on your computer, you would see the new annotations you added on you device (as 'locked' annotations), and you could import them into Zotero if you wish.
The other way I can see of doing a manual version of Zotfiles' "Send To Tablet" for linked files - but which allows you to use the Zotero mobile app - would be to temporarily convert linked PDFs you want to work with on your mobile device to Zotero's standard *stored* files. You could have a collection named _Tablet_Items for example, to keep track of PDFs for use on your mobile device. You would keep in that collection any items whose PDFs you wished to work with in the Zotero mobile app (they would of course also remain in any other collections to which they belong). All items in that collection would be maintained as stored files (ie under Zotero\storage), using Zotero desktop's Tools\Manage Attachments\Convert Linked Files to Stored Files, for as long as you need to use them on your mobile device. You would have Zotero File syncing turned ON. So - as long as you are *under* your online file storage quota - Zotero would make those PDFs available in the online web library and also in the Zotero mobile app. When you finish working with a PDF, you would use zotmoov or attanger (right-click menu) to move it back to its linked file folder location. You would then remove the item from the _Tablet_Items collection.
I don't know the last time you tried the app, but I would strongly recommend you try it again.
I use both the iOS and Android Zotero apps daily, and to be honest, never had any issues, especially with the iOS version since it has been officially released. It may be worth to give it a try again and see if the issues you had in the past are resolved. This way you will not have to deal with any potential alternative path to achieve what you are trying.
In the first method (2nd last para), your linked-file PDF attachment remains in its cloud folder all along, so it is still accessible there from Zotero desktop after use in an external PDF reader on your mobile device.
In the second method (last para), converting a PDF from Zotero storage back to a linked PDF in Zotero desktop is described in that para. With zotmoov, you would use its right-click menu option below (similar to Zotfile's right-click Rename&Move). You would then use Zotero's right-click Remove Item From Collection to remove it from your _Tablet_Items folder (or whatever you called it), since you no longer need to keep track of it that way.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u5906489/jfqmxycr6odhq5wki98s.png
I used to use Zotfile to create an attachment file in Onedrive. Now I cannot use it as zotfile not available anymore. From our recommendations, ZotMoov also seems a good option. But my problem is
if I download Zootmoov will I need to rearrange all the files one by one or
will it automatically bring the same directory?
also when Zotfile will be available again?
Under Zotero v7, you simply need a (new) plugin that will store *new* PDFs as linked files to that same folder. That plugin can be zotmoov or attanger, as mentioned above.
See also:
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/comment/470754/#Comment_470754
Do I need to re-link the files back to the original Zotero storage so that I can access them on iOS and the website? If so, how do I do that?
Does work with the iOS app.
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/112490/ios-with-webdav
Does not work with the web library.
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/111546/will-the-web-library-support-webdav
Will work with the Android app before v1.0 is released.
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/comment/451980/#Comment_451980
Does not support Groups.
https://www.zotero.org/support/sync#webdav
I tried create a new base directory and relink same attachments to this new directory it still shows errors. I think I mess up little bit. because I found many many dublicates in same file.
btw, I use onedrive as a cloud service.
How can I relink all my attachment in new base directory and delete the old one.
i search online and some people mention zutilo as addon to help relink attachment but it does not work with zotero 7.
any suggestion to solve the problem.
Did you have everything working correctly under Zotero 6 (with Zotfile) for the exact PDF file(s) that is not being found now ?
If it was working under Zotero 6, there should never be a need to re-link any files as long as the actual locations of those linked files that worked with Zotero 6 is the same as their location now with Zotero 7. Those linked locations were stored in Zotero's database at the time those files were added. You could have removed Zotfile or Zotmoov, and Zotero would still find those files - that does not require any plugin to be present.
If you have changed any of those linked file locations, it's possible that your problem is now more complicated.
But the gist if the issue will be where Zotero *thinks* a linked file is (either its original explicit-path location stored in the Zotero database, or the LABD location set on that computer) and then - because it can't find that file - the location where that file is actually located on that computer.
Take a single PDF that Zotero can't find and write those locations down for each computer. Including the LABD set on each computer (if any). Post them here if you can't figure out the solution.
https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-file
It seems to me that it is not mentioned here. Has anyone tried it, do you know how it goes? And, furthermore, how should it be installed? -I couldn't find it with the translator-
the new zotero 7 is impressive. Thanks you
Attanger or Zotmoov are the current plugins that reproduce most of Zotfile's functionality in Zotero v7.
https://github.com/wileyyugioh/zotmoov
https://github.com/MuiseDestiny/zotero-attanger
https://github.com/wileyyugioh/zotmoov/issues/44#issuecomment-2337502061 where I made a feature request, authors seem to be listing.