Upgrade StorageExported library with files imports on 2nd computer with links
I have a collection of some 250+ articles, organized into sub-collections, that I've tried to export from one local installation of Zotero, and then import to a second local installation on a different computer. Due to work/home security issues, I am unable to have them sync to a common space.
The problem is that while the original collection exports including attached PDF files (that is, I see the rtf file and then subfolders with the PDF attachments properly included), when I import that collection to the second instance nearly all the attachments are unavailable and have been substituted for links to the online sources (which, of course, do not have my annotations). The collection also imports differently in that all the references show in the root folder of the collection, and none of them show the colored tags that exist in the export. Bottom line, the collection is only borderline useful on the second instance, and I can't figure out how to get it correct.
Both computers are running the 64-bit Zotero 7.0.11 on Windows 11.
The problem is that while the original collection exports including attached PDF files (that is, I see the rtf file and then subfolders with the PDF attachments properly included), when I import that collection to the second instance nearly all the attachments are unavailable and have been substituted for links to the online sources (which, of course, do not have my annotations). The collection also imports differently in that all the references show in the root folder of the collection, and none of them show the colored tags that exist in the export. Bottom line, the collection is only borderline useful on the second instance, and I can't figure out how to get it correct.
Both computers are running the 64-bit Zotero 7.0.11 on Windows 11.
https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/transferring_a_library
Especially if the PDFs were annotated, Zotero 7.0.13 contained important bugfixes and you'd have to update to the most recent version (7.0.15) on both, but especially the exporting, machine) before we'd troubleshoot this further.
First, here's the original collection in the library of the first computer. Note the relatively few references in the root folder (most are in sub-collection folders) and the colored tags on three of the citations. Note also the PDF contents of nearly all of that list.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7844995/nsgb9yekl9wo78hn3czw.jpg
Now note the same collection imported into the new computer. Obviously the color scheme is different, but note the huge collection in the root folder and no tags (this'll be clearer in the next set, but still):
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7844995/c0crkn0equa3crrm7br1.jpg
Next, here's the "Anthro" sub-collection. Note tags on nearly every citation on this list, plus the fact that every one of them has an attached PDF:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7844995/5b991gnbgud8un3r68x5.jpg
Same collection, new machine. Note lack of tags, and PDF attachments on fewer than half of the citations.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7844995/4akfyxax65cdtpce33gj.jpg
Finally, here's an example of a single citation with its annotated PDF in the first instance:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7844995/yvksc3qoo3id4jukcp91.jpg
And here's that same citation in the new instance, attachment converted to a link and annotations lost. Note that this did not happen for all attached PDFs, as some did transfer, but I'd guesstimate only about half of them.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u7844995/wwqrr49dcqa6zo7flnwt.jpg
1. You have "Show items from subcollections" enabled in Library 2 but not Library 1, which makes it look like all items from subcollections are in the top level collections when you're just looking at a display difference.
2. Exporting a large number of PDFs with annotations takes time and there's no progress indicator. You should have let your export run longer on Library 1.
3. Colored tags are not exported as colored tags, just as regular tags. If you assign a color to the 'cited-in-dissertation' tag in Library 2, I'd expect the colored tags to show up there, too.
Second, it appears my export issue wasn't Zotero's 'fault' at all. I started comparing the files under the "files" subfolder of the exported package, and they were all there on the old machine but a bunch were missing on the new machine. Further investigation turned up that, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, my old machine failed to include some (but not all) PDFs in the ZIP archive I created to transfer the exported package. Transferring the folder in its entirety using a thumb drive fixed that problem.
Third, thanks for that pointer on tags, I never would've guessed it, but that worked.
Only problem left is that "Show items from subcollections" menu option. It appears to be off by default in my new installation (second computer), but turning it on (checked) and off again (unchecked) appears to have no effect on the display.
This turns out to be true on my old computer as well, so I'm thinking this may be a bug in 7.0.15. Any thoughts?
Please open a new thread about the annotation colors with screenshots since that sounds unrelated to export/import.
(For the zip issue, my guess would be that you zipped before Zotero had completed the export -- then you let it run in the background and next time you checked, all files where indeed there)