Upgrade StorageMerging double instances
I recently performed two or three hundred merges. I have a full library.
I had numerous instances of "can't merge, items of different types". Usually it was the same material, once as a website, once as a pdf. Why can't these two types be merged? It has a check box to prioritize one type over another, and if there is a field with different information in each type, let the one prevail over the other (you want to see the pdf online, or you want the hard copy journal citation, but why not both?), or use both. If a given data-fields configuration needs to be used, usually the need is to have a webpage listed. Frequently I input a webpage into Zotero, and it has a snapshot and the pdf, So why can't I merge these types when I created them separately?
Sometimes there are duplicates which are actually different. These need to be flagged, the data that is being matched needs to be modified, and the document needs to be dismissed from the "merge duplicates" page. ( I had a case of this because I snapshotted two emails. I don't know but I assumed they are different.)
In many other cases, there are files which supposedly have a duplicate - because they're displayed on this page - but just sit there unresolved. Speak up or go home! What are they matching, why? Select "done".
I had numerous instances of "can't merge, items of different types". Usually it was the same material, once as a website, once as a pdf. Why can't these two types be merged? It has a check box to prioritize one type over another, and if there is a field with different information in each type, let the one prevail over the other (you want to see the pdf online, or you want the hard copy journal citation, but why not both?), or use both. If a given data-fields configuration needs to be used, usually the need is to have a webpage listed. Frequently I input a webpage into Zotero, and it has a snapshot and the pdf, So why can't I merge these types when I created them separately?
Sometimes there are duplicates which are actually different. These need to be flagged, the data that is being matched needs to be modified, and the document needs to be dismissed from the "merge duplicates" page. ( I had a case of this because I snapshotted two emails. I don't know but I assumed they are different.)
In many other cases, there are files which supposedly have a duplicate - because they're displayed on this page - but just sit there unresolved. Speak up or go home! What are they matching, why? Select "done".
But I can create a parent page, select "Manual", and then merge the two items. This extra step is a workaround, but why not just mush them together? If needed, a parent item could be created at the selection of "merge" and then if there are any differences between the items, they can be duly noted.
Frankly, I don't know why every item doesn't have a "parent page", which may or may not be populated. Given a choice I'd use Zotero for my academic photo album.... But none of my stuff has a DOI on it!
I also find that "duplicates" aren't always duplicates. They can have the same title, maybe even the same DOI, but one is a journal article, while the other is a book section. the book section thing is really annoying, but a topic for elsewhere. Anyway, these are different items and I can see allowing them to remain. Or, a single title could contain both item types. Why not?
I would prefer to keep the item saved as an article as it produces a better references in bibliographies. I don't mind loosing the arxiv data. Would you be able to suggest any way of making this happen? Best would be if its a mostly automated way.
I am a user of the awesome plugin arxiv workflow for zotero https://github.com/AllanChain/zotero-arxiv-workflow, but sometimes I add the published article not realizing that I already had it as a preprint item in my library, which leads to the problem described above.
Thanks
Paweł