correctly sync two computers

federico.bertoletti
i want to use zotero on two different pc's, but i want to remove a doubt i have:
i use the first computer, i add some new data and it automatically syncs with the online library. then i open zotero on the second computer, that still has the old library without the new data. how can i be sure that zotero correctly brings the new data on the pc, and not deletes them from the online library, erroneously thinking that the one on the pc is the new version?
the problem is also that, when a data item is lost from the online library, i can see no way to retrieve it!
sorry if you have already talked about this, but i wasn't able to find an answer.
and sorry for my english.
thanks
f.
  • adamsmith
    how can i be sure that zotero correctly brings the new data on the pc, and not deletes them from the online library, erroneously thinking that the one on the pc is the new version?
    This works reliably - there is no reason to worry - it doesn't seem like you care about the technical details, but generally speaking syncing is something that computers do pretty well - I'm not 100% sure how Zotero does this, but I'd imagine that Zotero only deletes an item (on the server and then on your other computer) if an explicit delete command is sent - i.e. if you delete it on one of your computers. New items are just added.
    the problem is also that, when a data item is lost from the online library, i can see no way to retrieve it!
    data isn't just "lost" from the online library. In the highly, highly unlikely case that it is, Zotero has a function that allows you to restore the online library from a local copy of the database, but it's not very likely you'll ever need that.
  • dstillman
    I'm not 100% sure how Zotero does this, but I'd imagine that Zotero only deletes an item (on the server and then on your other computer) if an explicit delete command is sent
    That is correct.
  • federico.bertoletti
    thankyou for your replies!
    my reason to worry is that i have tried to do the following procedure: i save a new item; zotero automatically syncs with the online library (i have selected "sync automatically" in the sync settings); now the item is on my pc AND online. i delete it from zotero on my pc; i restart firefox; now, the item is only online. i open zotero. it automatically syncs again, and deletes the item from the online library.

    in this situation there was an item online and not on my pc, and the sync has deleted it from the library. this is similar to the situation i was wondering about: on the new computer there wouldn't be data that are in the online library, and i fear that zotero would sync them deleting them from the library.
  • dstillman
    You're overthinking this. It's just a delete you made on your computer being propagated from your computer to the server when you sync.
  • dstillman
    And since there are no deletes—or changes of any kind—to propagate from an empty library, it won't make any changes on the server.
  • mcsugarfree
    {You're overthinking this. It's just a delete you made on your computer being propagated from your computer to the server when you sync.}

    @Dan: i'm having this problem, too. I have two laptops that i move between regularly, and i keep losing records in the sync process (in exactly the manner described above). when i add record R in computer A and sync it with the server, and then open computer B (which does not have record R in its library) and computer B syncs automatically, it appears that record R disappears from my library on the server. maybe i'm just wrong about this, but i'm _definitely_ losing records!

    is there a way to more carefully regulate which library is the master and which is the slave in the syncing process between server and computer? i often open computer B and want it to incorporate the changes uploaded to the server previously from computer A. Instead, the sync seems to undo the work I did on computer A by re-syncing with the unmodified records in computer B.

    am i crazy?
  • dstillman
    mcsugarfree: Given your other post, I'm going to assume you've figured this out?
  • mazhar157
    Dear!
    I am working on zotero and I had found more than 60 articles on Zotero. It was synchronized online. One day I lost all my data from my hard disk. After installing my window, when I synchronized my computer with zotero server. I found no trace of my data online. It seems that it watches current condition of data at your local drive and then make relative changes at server. Thats why my data is not available. I am not sure about this thing. But it happened to me recently.
  • dstillman
    edited December 30, 2011
    mazhar157: No, that's not what happened. Only explicit deletions are synced with the server. Just syncing an empty Zotero library doesn't have any effect on the server. If your online library is empty now, either it was always empty or you did a "Restore to Zotero Server" from an empty library. If you remember having data on the server, make sure you're using the right account—your current account is only a little over a month old.

    If you have further questions, please start a new thread.
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