PDFs should be attached with paths relative to a user-configurable base path
If it would be possilbe to specify a document base path, all linked PDF paths could be specified relative to this base path. JabRef has similar functionality.
One of the advantages is that one can then move easily between different machines (not migrate, but e.g. work on one during the day and another during the evening), synchronising PDF directories by means of a tool such as unison or other file synchronisation, and mendeley would keep finding all attachments, as they would be at the same relative paths.
This is especially useful if the different computers are running different operating systems. Fo rexample:
Windows: C:\documents\articles\Smith1998.pdf
(doc basepath is c:\documents\articles)
Linux:
/home/me/documents/articles/Smith1998.pdf
(doc basepath is /home/me/documents/articles)
Mendeley can easily find Smith1998 on both machines.
cpbotha
shared this idea
125 comments
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Tao
commented
After checking the library bibtex file, I think Mendeley find the PDF files according to the 'file' field in the .bib file. So if the directory is changed, Mendeley can not find them any more. But there is an naming rule for locating directory on different OSs in the bib file:
• Linux/Mac: [ /home/me/documents/articles ] -> [ home/me/documents/articles ]
• Windows: [ D:\folder1\folder2\…\papers\ ] -> [ D$\backslash$:/folder1/folder2/…/papers/ ]You can modify a copy of the library.bib with the new directory according the rule, then import it to relink the database and pdf folder.
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Christian
commented
While this has not yet been implemented, I've found that keeping my Mendeley data "portable" on an USB device works just fine for me. I'm using Mendeley on at least three different PCs, all of them relying on the same library folder on my USB stick. As yet, I haven't run into any problems.
That said, this feature as proposed above would nevertheless be of benefit for a lot of users. -
Dan
commented
Maybe the business model discourages such practices, as it competes with the paid cloud space ....
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J. Wang
commented
I strongly second the idea of using "relative path" instead of the "absolute path" in the database. Right now, I am struggling with syncing pdf files between my Mac and ubuntu systems which does not share same prefixes in the path folder. Mac has "/Users/usrname/" but ubuntu has "/home/usrname". I don't see there will be any difficulty for developers. An alternative way is to add "seach folder" options to search the pdf file with the same name among several folders if the original link is broken.
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rpavlik
commented
In a very unsanctioned and probably dangerous way, I did a one-time update of the mendeley database to merge location data from the "organizing" computer, with necessary modifications, into the database of the "non-organizing" computer. This is what I did: https://gist.github.com/103787d6ad3600950c8a
Had to copy the databases, make sure everything was closed, etc.
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rpavlik
commented
In a very unsanctioned and probably dangerous way, I did a one-time update of the mendeley database to merge location data from the "organizing" computer, with necessary modifications, into the database of the "non-organizing" computer. This is what I did: https://gist.github.com/103787d6ad3600950c8a
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Laszlo Koczy commented
I think another, higher ranked suggestion would solve this problem, too: http://feedback.mendeley.com/forums/4941-mendeley-feedback/suggestions/301592-pdfs-should-be-attached-with-paths-relative-to-a-u
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Graham Poulter commented
I've moved my .sqlite file into Dropbox, and used "mklink" from the console to create a file symlink from the original location to the dropbox location.
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I've moved my .sqlite file into Dropbox, and used "mklink" from the console to create a file symlink from the original location to the dropbox location.
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AdminMendeley
(Admin, Mendeley)
commented
Michele - If you do that you need to be careful not to run Mendeley Desktop at the same time on different systems.
Regarding Dropbox / Google Drive etc. - Please read http://support.mendeley.com/customer/portal/questions/176775-file-storage-organization-with-cloud-folders
Hello Douglas,
> Can we at least have a forthright comment about why this has not been implemented?
Yes - other things have taken priority. Simple as that. We do pay attention to votes on this forum, but it is one of several sources of input. I do think the idea makes sense, and the wider issue of making Mendeley play nicely with Dropbox. That requires more than just changing how Mendeley stores its file paths though.
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michele.pasin
commented
I agree this feature is very important and we need it!
In the meantime, I managed to trick Mendeley into thinking that two computers are the same by symlinking the Mendeley database folder inside Dropbox... it's been working just fine till now.
I posted a step by step recipe here: http://goo.gl/5eMjI -
Francisco Rodriguez
commented
I would really appreciate this functionality.
I am a PhD student and we regularly have to move to other universities as research visitors. Now, on my new university computer I have all my pdf library folder, on the same external hard drive that I used for Mendeley in my other computer, with the same drive letter. But... my references here have all lost their link to the pdfs! Importing the pdf's just creates duplicates which I then have to sort out and merge, and linking them one by one would be very tedious, only to loose all the work again when moving back to my original computer after my visit.
I think that this suggestion of relative paths, stored in my online library, not locally in my Mendeley software, would completely solve this. Alternatively, the suggestion of attaching the metadata to the pdf files themselves would also work, because then we could very easily (and without duplicates) import the folder again!
Thank you!
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Anil
commented
Once the library becomes large and if you do not want to keep all of it on server while you want to access the attached files from which ever computer you are working on, this is an essential feature.
I assumed it to be present in the system and synced my article directory on the laptop (from where I usually sync with Mendeley) with my desktop. Only to realize that I can see the references but cannot access the atachments (though they are on the computer with same relative path).
Was going to ask for this feature but found it already on the list.
An essential feature which should have high priority.
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Agnese Morettini commented
sooooo much needed!!! this should be one of your very top priorities!
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LJ
commented
The method described by skip works perfectly for me on Windows Vista and Windows 7 PCs as well:
-Copy the Mendeley database directory (item a from skip) to Dropbox and on each computer, edit the registry key 'dataDirectory' to point to the database directory on Dropbox (item c from skip)
-In Dropbox, create a directory where you want to store your PDFs. Your Dropbox directory should be in the same location on every PC, e.g. D:\Dropbox\Mendeley. Tell Mendeley Desktop once to store copies of your PDFs in this location.
-If your Dropbox directory is in different locations on different PCs, you can try using a symlink (didn't work for me), or add a registry key to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\DOS Devices, for example with name D: and data \??\E:\\ if you want to make drive E: accessible from D: as well.
With these steps, PDFs from Dropbox are available in Mendeley Desktop on each PC, including annotations. I haven't tried, but I guess that your Watched Folders, if needed, should be in your Dropbox as well, but obviously in a different directory from where your PDF copies are kept.
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Simon Durrant
commented
Absolutely agree. Reliability is the most important thing when so many work hours are required to create and maintain a large library. The thought that if something crashes, or I reorganise my hard drive, or I switch to another computer or even another account on the same computer, that the library no longer works and I have to start again, is a huge deterrent to bothering to create the library in the first place.
This should not be considered a bonus feature or optional extra in some way. This is central to Mendeley being usable on a long-term basis, and the fact that there is not so much as a response from the developers on this crucial issue says to me that they don't intend to be in it for the long-term.
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Douglas N Arnold
commented
The fact that Mendeley has chosen not to implement this, despite the fact that it has over 1000 votes over three years and would be a trivial matter to implement raises questions about their commitment to helping their users. This is an issue that is pushing me to seek out alternative reference managers. I know people who have left Mendeley because of this issue. Can we at least have a forthright comment about why this has not been implemented?
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lxg
commented
support, good idea
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sgrover
commented
Using hardlinks has a benificial (possibly unintended) side effect, i.e. if files are renamed or moved around on the computer, mendeley still points to the right place.
I use this quite a lot. Basically, then there are two ways of accessing the library - through mendeley and through the file manager.
I would like this functionality to be preserved(possibly by creating checksums of pdf files etc) even if mendeley switches to using pathnames in its database.
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skip
commented
Syncing Mendeley database via dropbox (per comment from Anonymous, below) seems to be working for me in Windows XP. Some tips:
a) default location of Mendeley database is C:\Documents and Settings\«Your Name»\Local Settings\Application Data\Mendeley Ltd\Mendeley Desktop\ in Windows XP.
b) once you have moved the directory to your dropbox, simply creating a shortcut to the moved directory won't work; when I launched Mendeley, it created a new directory called "Mendeley Desktop" in the default location
c) you can get Mendeley to look for the database in the new location by creating a registry key called 'dataDirectory' in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Mendeley Ltd/Mendeley Desktop with the value set to the desired path.
