Upgrade StorageQuestion about the stability of the itemKey identifier
I tried searching and didn't find exact info about this.
So the only stable key in Zotero database that links to an item is the itemKey, as citekeys and itemID are not. Maybe the library id and user id are also added to that, but for a single item, the itemKey being the uid here.
How stable is it, over a long period? As many others, I like to use other software integrated with Zotero. For this, I need some ID in the Zotero database that stays stable over time.
Is the itemKey something that the devs plan to keep stable, "forever"? Also some specific questions:
- do any modifications of the item (type, attachments, anything) affect the itemKey?
- moving between folders/collections?
- how are merges handled?
- is the item creation date unchanged also?
- what if delete and retrieve an item?
For the latter case for example if I have linked to the two unmerged items, will one link die with the merge?
Thanks. I'd much rather prefer unique zotero id to DOI/title/citation etc.
So the only stable key in Zotero database that links to an item is the itemKey, as citekeys and itemID are not. Maybe the library id and user id are also added to that, but for a single item, the itemKey being the uid here.
How stable is it, over a long period? As many others, I like to use other software integrated with Zotero. For this, I need some ID in the Zotero database that stays stable over time.
Is the itemKey something that the devs plan to keep stable, "forever"? Also some specific questions:
- do any modifications of the item (type, attachments, anything) affect the itemKey?
- moving between folders/collections?
- how are merges handled?
- is the item creation date unchanged also?
- what if delete and retrieve an item?
For the latter case for example if I have linked to the two unmerged items, will one link die with the merge?
Thanks. I'd much rather prefer unique zotero id to DOI/title/citation etc.
The default format could conceivably change in the future, but existing keys wouldn't change.
Merges keep one of the items and create itemRelations entries pointing to the deleted items. We use that relation to preserve links in some cases (e.g., citations in word processor documents).
Date Added doesn't change.
"what if delete and retrieve an item?" — Not sure what you mean by this. Moving to the trash is just an item modification and doesn't affect the key.