How do I copy attachments to a new library folder?

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DrJJWMac
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Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:04 am
Location: Alabama USA

How do I copy attachments to a new library folder?

Post by DrJJWMac »

I am generating a new library (to start a new publication). I would like to copy bibliography entries (drag + drop) and their attachments from across a scattering of other libraries into the new library. The bibliography entries copy with no problem. The attachments ... copy as well but remain resident at their original folder location.

How can I copy citations into the attachment folder of the newly built library? Here is the step by step:

* Select a bibliography entry
* If the bibliography entry has an attachment ...
--> If the attachment is NOT in the attachment folder designated for the library
----> COPY the attachment file to the denoted attachments folder for the library
----> link the bibliography entry to the newly copied attachment (rather than the source)
* Repeat for all (selected) bibliographies

Does a command exist for to make this a one-step process? Should I ask whether someone has an AppleScript to do this?

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JJW
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JJW
Jon
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Re: How do I copy attachments to a new library folder?

Post by Jon »

When you assign a particular attachment folder *subfolder* to a library, all subsequent attachments are moved there (if you tell Bookends to do that, of course), but existing attachments aren't.

The only built in function I can think of that is related may or may not be of use here. Look up Global Change -> Consolidate Attachments. It will take PDFs that are in ad hoc attachment folders and move them to the default folder. So if you temporarily changed the default folder to the db-specific folder, all ad hoc attachments would be moved to it. Then you could reset it to the default (or whatever you want).

The problem in you case is that it moves *add* ad hoc attachments to the folder, which may be more than you want. It also doesn't touch PDFs already in the default folder.

That's a long way of telling you I don't think there is a built in solution to this.

But an AppleScript could work, sure. If you don't know how to do that you could post this problem on the Bookends AppleScript forum, that's what it's for.

Jon
Sonny Software
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