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External attachments from cloud storage
Hi. I'm new to Zotero. I've spent the past few days reading through the book, and today I installed Zotero and am playing around with it. I have questions....
First, on page 50, it mentions cloud storage options for external attachments, and that this allows the attachments to be reviewed remotely. I'm having problems with understanding how this works.
I set up a base directory following the directions on page 52, to a folder on my hard drive that is in my iCloud folder (I'm on a Mac). Everything works great on the laptop, but I'm not able to open files from the web browser or my iPad. Is there something I should be doing that I missed?
Thanks for the help!
Donna, please correct me if I am wrong. I believe you need to download the actual Zotero application to each device to view the documents on your cloud storage. And then set the base directory on each installation.
Hi, illinimom. I don't have an iPad so can't test it. I will roll the question to the main forum. But tell me what you see. Do you click with no response? If you right-click, does it do anything? Or holding the cursor down on the attachment link? I'll see what I can find out. Thanks!
Donna
illinimom, here is a paper someone has written about using an iPad and Zotero, in case it's of help.
https://appademic.tech/referencing-on-ipad-zotero/
I suspect there are a number of limitations in using the Zotero app on an iPad. Do let us know how it goes....
Quote from Donna Cox Baker on April 9, 2019, 10:40 pmHi, illinimom. I don't have an iPad so can't test it. I will roll the question to the main forum. But tell me what you see. Do you click with no response? If you right-click, does it do anything? Or holding the cursor down on the attachment link? I'll see what I can find out. Thanks!
Donna
I think it is a combination of my not understanding exactly what I am trying to do, and that iCloud is not cooperative. When I am in the Zotero app on my laptop, the attached link to the file on my laptop opens fine. However, when I am accessing Zotero in the browser, whether on the laptop or my iPad, when I click on the link, it only open and empty white browser window with 'GONE' in very small font at the upper left. I think maybe it just doesn't work the way I thought it did.
Quote from Donna Cox Baker on April 9, 2019, 10:51 pmillinimom, here is a paper someone has written about using an iPad and Zotero, in case it's of help.
https://appademic.tech/referencing-on-ipad-zotero/
I suspect there are a number of limitations in using the Zotero app on an iPad. Do let us know how it goes....
Thanks! I read through that, and I think it is mostly referring to adding citations when publishing, which isn't a big concern of mine. I was looking more for portability; if I have my iPad at the library and not my laptop, could I still access a birth certificate or other document. It appears not, but it is not really a big deal. It DOES make all my source citations portable, and many of those are links to Ancestry or Family Search. I click and signing into will retrieve the document in most cases. I think I mentioned elsewhere that my main interest in Zotero is to organize and keep track of my sources so that I can find them easily and to not replicate what I already have. I think this will work fine on the iPad, even if I can't access the actual document. And if I start storing them all in the cloud, either on Google Drive or iCloud, it shouldn't be too hard to retrieve them on the iPad on the rate occasion that I feel I need to see the actual document.
You can use external links to attachments you're storing in a cloud--whatever cloud you use. (I use SugarSync.) The link won't take you there, if you're away from your own computer. But if you organize your attachment files the same way you do your Zotero data, it's easy to find the images or documents you're storing outside of Zotero in a cloud. That's what I do. That should work on an iPad.
Quote from Donna Cox Baker on April 10, 2019, 3:17 pmYou can use external links to attachments you're storing in a cloud--whatever cloud you use. (I use SugarSync.) The link won't take you there, if you're away from your own computer. But if you organize your attachment files the same way you do your Zotero data, it's easy to find the images or documents you're storing outside of Zotero in a cloud. That's what I do. That should work on an iPad.
Thanks! It looks like I just didn't understand how it was supposed to work. iCloud should work fine for me. As you said, I can always sign in to my account in the cloud and find what I need.
illinimom,
I am curious if you tried downloading the Zotero app to your ipad?
I primarily use my desktop with Zotero loaded. My desktop has a drive specifically for data and Zotero is pointed to the Genealogy folder on that drive. I back that drive up to a portable hard drive.
I got Zotero to work on my surface pro by downloading the application and installing it on the surface pro, plugged in my portable hard drive pointed Zotero to the Genealogy Folder on the portable hard drive and everything worked.
I am wondering if you downloaded the application to your ipad and pointed it to your cloud storage if that would work?
I've not downloaded an app to my iPad. I did some looking yesterday and couldn't find a Zotero app for the iPad. I did however, come across someone referring to Zotero hiring someone to develop and app for iOS, so hopefully that will be coming.
