Scroll down to see the Zotero Forum.
New User - Managing Conflicting Versions of Files on Tablet
Hi -
I've just started using Zotero for my research and am excited by what I've seen so far but I'm having a problem that I can't figure out. I'm using the add on Zotfile to send pdfs to my IPAD tablet for reading and annotating. I annotate in one of programs; PDF Expert or the native IOS program. My base folder is in Dropbox which is where I house all my files and more often then not, I attach files to the Zotero item rather than link. When I want to work on the file I send it to my tablet but the problem I'm having is when I'm working on the file, multiple "conflicting" versions of the file is being created. It appears the original file is not being updated as an annoyed file. Perhaps that is intended to keep the original clean but I would then like a single annoyed version as well.
The workaround would be to replace the original document with the most recent conflicting version - that seems to retain all annotations but perhaps I've missed a setting?
Thanks!
If I understand your process, the conflicting versions are being created in Dropbox where the original file is also located? If this is the case. There are similar questions in the Dropbox forum. The reply that probably applies to you is this: "A file is left open on another user’s computer, which Dropbox saves as a new edit—this is especially common when using applications with an auto-save feature". So, I would surmise that Zotero is still running while you are editing on your tablet and automatically syncing with each annotation, then sending that version to Dropbox with a conflicted copy being created. Try shutting down Zotero while you're annotating on your tablet, then restarting Zotero so it can sync with the annotated version from Dropbox. Zotfile should then be able to extract your annotations as Zotero notes.
Hi, LisaB. I have not used Zotfile or an iPad in many years, so I can't help. Perhaps someone else on this forum can. And this would be a good problem to broach on Zotero's forum at Zotero.org.
I do want to mention that Zotfile is being discontinued with Zotero 7, which is expected to be released very soon. The plugin's developer is not able to make the changes necessary to work with the improved architecture. I believe that I have heard Zotero is making changes in version 7 that make the Zotfile plugin unnecessary. If you post your question to their forum, and ask about that, one of their developers can tell you what is coming.
Zotero 7 is a great improvement (I am using the beta), so I hope it will give you all you need for working on your iPad.
Also this is in the Zotfile.com site's advance management for .pdfs and may help you check your settings.
****
Syncing PDF attachments with your iPad or Android tablet
To read and annotate PDF attachments on your mobile device, zotfile can sync PDFs from your Zotero library to your (mobile) PDF reader (e.g. an iPad, Android tablet, etc.). For this purpose, Zotfile sends files to a location on your PC or Mac that syncs with your PDF reader App (PDF Expert, iAnnotate, GoodReader etc.), and gets them back when you have finished reading them.
- Set up a folder on your PC or Mac that syncs with your tablet reader application. Files that are copied to this folder should automatically appear in your PDF reader application. One possibility is Dropbox, which is free for up to 2GB of space and works with most PDF reader apps. More detailed instructions as well as alternative options should be available on the website of your PDF reader App.
- Open the ‘Tablet Settings’ tab in the zotfile preference window and enable the option ‘Use ZotFile to send and get files from tablet’.
- Change the zotfile location for files on the tablet to the folder that syncs with your pdf reader app (‘Base Folder’ on the ‘Tablet Settings’ tab).
- (optional) Set up subfolders that make it easy to sort your files in the tablet folder so that you can easily find them on your tablet.
You can now start sending pdfs (or other files) to your tablet. Simply right-click on a zotero item and select ‘Send to Tablet’ under ‘Manage Attachments’.
When you are done reading and annotating your pdf, just get the file back from the tablet by clicking on ‘Get from Tablet’ under ‘Manage Attachments’. ZotFile will automatically remove the file from your tablet folder and extract the annotations from the pdf file to a zotero note.
ZotFile adds a saved search for modified files on tablet which updates automatically and can be used to sync attachment files that have been changed.
Linda - THANK YOU! I think you've solved it fro me - I definitely keep Zotero running in the background and didn't think to close that out.
Donna - If Zotero 7 can replace Zotfile to capture annotations as notes I'll be happy camper! In the past I used bookmarks and notes in the document but had to then copy those over to Zotero notes. I'm such a new user of Zotero for genealogy I feel like I discover something new every day!
It does, Lisa. It's wonderful.
Hi, I'm following up on my initial discussion now that I'm on Zotero 7 - happy to start a new post if you think that makes more sense.
With Zotero 7, it seems that linking to documents in any Cloud system (Dropbox, iCloud, gDrive, etc.) is the way to manage attachments so they can be accessed on a variety of devices. Previously I created a Zotero (base) library in Dropbox and used that to store any Zotero files. These files were copies that I could annotate but I would keep the "clean" file in my permanent family history folder which is just a different Dropbox folder. Since I am a new Zotero user and still developing my workflow and filing structure, I want a system that, to the extent possible, minimizes duplicate folders and files. At the same time, like all good researchers, I like having a backup - just in case things go south.
My question is this, if I already have files that I want to bring into Zotero (think census records) in a folder, should I make a copy of that folder and bring it into my Zotero base library or work from the permanent folder? I think the answer is to copy the permanent (and often poorly cited, just images) folder to the Zotero library and use Zotero to collect the citation information. If this is the case, I can see where the Zotero library will eventually be a duplicate of my permanent Dropbox folder so why not just use that and create a "File Name - ZotCopy" OR, just attach files rather than link but then I'll end up needing more storage as opposed to using the whatever number of terabytes I'm already paying for.
Maybe there's no right answer, just a consistent one, but I'm feeling a little analysis paralysis here and hope to get some advice.
Thanks!
Hi, Lisa. I understand the analysis paralysis. Been there. First, I must say that paying for unlimited storage and letting Zotero decide where to store things has been very liberating for me. I can work so much faster. It syncs everything between devices. It keeps a full copy of your hard drive and a snapshot of your entire database in Zotero Storage. Then I backup the Zotero data folder to Dropbox every night using Aomei Backupper.
Whether you're linking or storing the new material, you can drag and drop it in a batch or batches (holding down Shift and Ctrl while releasing if you want to link). I have never tried dragging in folder structures, so I don't know if that will work. Let me know if you do that successfully.
Zotero 7's Reader will annotate in layers on top of your PDFs, EPUBs or web snapshots, so the original document remains intact beneath the layers. If you open a PDF in external PDF editing software, the changes embed and change the original. The snapshots have to be stored in Zotero to be annotated. That was what first convinced me to buy unlimited storage. Being able to markup and extract notes from web pages without converting them to PDFs first was just too good to pass up.
You might want to post this as a new topic in the forum to see if some other advice surfaces. I would encourage you to ask yourself whether saving time or money matters most to you. There's no wrong answer. If money, linking is the best deal. If time, storage is worth it.
Hope that helps a bit. I know there is still a lot to consider.
Good luck!
Donna
