Renaming files from parent meta data is not updating the displayed file name in Zotero

tare2
When renaming stored files from parent metadata, the actual file in the Zotero directory tree gets renamed correctly, but the displayed file name in the Zotero application does not change. This is very annoying as you cannot see if the file has been renamed. Please fix this because it is highly irritating.
Basically: Whenever you perform an automatic file name rename, copy the file name into the attachments title field. This is how the previous Zotero version worked. Or at least make an actionable button or command to do this.
  • adamsmith
    https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/attachment_title_vs_filename
  • tare2
    Well, I disagree. Seeing a Title attribute such as "PDF" or "Full Text" in the Title field is not very meaningful and semantically empty. I sometimes attach more than one PDF of some kind to an item, such as a review article on the item, a response, etc., all of which might - under your new way of doing this - end up looking like "PDF" or "Full Text" or whatever non-descript value that Title field becomes by default now. I would have several "PDF" files in the list showing, and would not know which is what.

    The old system at least populated that Title field with something visible in the list that had meaning. It showed what the actual file name looked like automatically.
    I would suggest that you add that functionality back into the "Rename File from Parent Metadata" action.
  • dstillman
    I sometimes attach more than one PDF of some kind to an item, such as a review article on the item, a response, etc., all of which might - under your new way of doing this - end up looking like "PDF" or "Full Text" or whatever non-descript value that Title field becomes by default now.
    No, that's not the case. From the page:

    "Subsequent files added to an item from the filesystem will still get titles named after the filename (without the file extension), since those are likely to be supplementary files and the filename may be informative."
    The old system at least populated that Title field with something visible in the list that had meaning. It showed what the actual file name looked like automatically.
    No, it did not. Zotero has always used simple attachment titles by default. Read the page to better understand what actually changed.
  • tare2
    Let me clarify: In the past, the user action "Rename File from Parent Metadata" changed the file AND populated the Title field in the list with the file name.
    My ask is: Bring back that functionality.
    I always did that so that the Title in the list was identical to the file name, which as descriptive of the file.
  • dstillman
    edited 17 days ago
    Right, and as explained, that was a bug that caused people to pointlessly run Rename File from Parent Metadata on every new item they added to their library:
    Prior to Zotero 7, if you manually ran Rename File from Parent Metadata, the attachment title was changed to match the new filename. This was a bug that led many people to believe that files weren't being automatically renamed and that it was necessary to run Rename File from Parent Metadata on every new attachment. In Zotero 7, the title is no longer changed, and titles remain as “PDF”, “ScienceDirect Full Text PDF”, or whatever they were set to originally. Files are still renamed as always, as you can see if you click on the attachment item and look in the item pane.
    And the title was not "descriptive of the file" — it was just repeating the metadata that you already have in the parent item row above.

    We're planning to add an option to just show filenames in the items list for people who really prefer that, but we encourage people to try just using the simpler titles that Zotero has always saved by default. And in any case, you certainly shouldn't have to manually run a command on every new file — that's an absurd waste of time.
  • tare2
    Rethink what the "simpler titles" actually mean? What is the semantic content of "PDF" or "Full Text"? Pretty much none.
    If you only have one PDF attached to an item, then this might work. But if you, as I often do, attach more than one file to one item, then this becomes meaningless.
    What you automatically generate for the Title field matters. At the moment, the Title field is used by you as per your automatic, as more like a category descriptor of the item: Full Text, or PDF.
    But, as I said, if you have multiple such files on your list, then this is meaning less.
  • dstillman
    edited 17 days ago
    It's the primary PDF for the item — its full-text representation. The vast majority of the time, "PDF"/"Full Text"/etc. is sufficient to describe the attachment, and just repeating the metadata that's in the row above is just unnecessary noise that doesn't provide any additional useful info.
    But, as I said, if you have multiple such files on your list, then this is meaning less.
    I addressed this above. If you have additional attachments, they'll get titles based on the filename. They do not get "PDF" titles like you claimed.
  • adamsmith
    Do you actually have a single item with multiple attachments titled "PDF"? You keep saying that but as dstillman notes, that's not how this is supposed to work so it's well possible something is going wrong.
  • debhurn
    I agree with Tare2. I think this is the wrong decision by Zotero programmers. I am disappointed with the inability to Rename File from Parent Data. I also often attach more than one pdf to an item, and I like the main text to be visible as author-date-title. Now I cannot right click and choose 'rename', but have to select the file and manually type the details in the title field. I thought it was a bug and let it go for a while hoping for an update, then came on here to find you guys saying it is a feature?! I now have over 4000 references with visibly named pdf attachments, and 100 or so which just display as 'pdf'.
  • dstillman
    edited 12 days ago
    @debhurn: There's no "inability" to Rename File from Parent Metadata — Zotero has always renamed files automatically, and you can still rename files from the parent metadata after changes (and in Zotero 8, it will automatically update the filenames after edits). It has also always saved simple attachment titles by default, so the only decision here was to make the behavior more consistent. The exact change here is described in detail on the linked page.
    I now have over 4000 references with visibly named pdf attachments, and 100 or so which just display as 'pdf'
    We provide a script to convert any existing titles that were previously changed to match the filename:

    https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/attachment_title_vs_filename#updating_titles_changed_before_zotero_7
  • debhurn
    edited 12 days ago
    DS: "you can still rename files from the parent metadata after changes (and in Zotero 8, it will automatically update the filenames after edits)"
    What does "after changes" mean? Which changes?
    And what does "after edits" mean? Which edits?
    I gather these updated file names will not be visible.
    As for renaming the *visible* names of my 4000 attachments to "Pdf", why would I do that when I prefer to see which of my attachments is the main file? From now on, I will probably select the file and manually type the details in the title field. I am in an academic field where most details for references have to be typed into the fields anyway. It is labour intensive to maintain a high reference standard (all fields filled)... so this will be one more typing job.
  • dstillman
    What does "after changes" mean? Which changes?
    After you change item metadata. Again, you have never needed to run Rename File from Parent
    Metadata except after you manually changed item metadata — people just thought that was necessary because it also changed the attachment title. Files you add to Zotero are always renamed automatically. You can see the filename in the right-hand pane. But you really don’t need to spend time looking at it — I promise you your files are being renamed.
    As for renaming the *visible* names of my 4000 attachments to "Pdf", why would I do that when I prefer to see which of my attachments is the main file?
    I mean, you could just tell yourself that “PDF” or similar is the main attachment — that’s the point of the simpler titles. I’m not sure why you would want a long filename that duplicates the metadata in the row above that you have to look at closely to determine if it’s the main file. (But also, you can just double-click the parent item to open the main file.)

    We plan to add an option to just show filenames instead of attachment titles in the items list for people who really prefer that for some reason, so you absolutely should not waste time manually retyping item metadata. But I would encourage you to give the new behavior a chance.
  • franz47
    I also agree with debhurn and tare2, just wanted to enter this as a question. Yes, one can look up the file name in the right column, but why should one be forced to do so, if the bug was what one lived with perfectly.
    Would it be possible to rather display the filename in the middle column with the entries? Or a choice between filename and "title"? Or just renaming also the "title" and not only the filename?
  • dstillman
    @franz47: Why do you need to “look up” the filename, though?

    1) Filenames match the parent item metadata, which you can see in the row above.

    2) If you want to copy the exact filename, you need to do that in the right-hand pane anyway.

    3) If you want to do something with the file, you just right-click → Show File / Show in Finder and do it from the file manager.
  • adamsmith
    But also from right above your post
    We plan to add an option to just show filenames instead of attachment titles in the items list for people who really prefer that for some reason
Sign In or Register to comment.