Sonny Software

I'm putting a PDF file of an article into my watch folder (also tried drag and drop on the application icon with same result) and Bookends is repeatedly attaching the file to an existing reference which already has a PDF file. The one it's attaching shares nothing in common that I can find with the reference it's attaching to. I had a similar issue today where I put 5 PDFs in my watch folder and ALL FIVE were attached by Bookends to the same reference. So, one reference now with SIX attachments. The original file that belonged there and the other five it added. When I drop the file on the application icon and get the import window, no combination of checking and unchecking of boxes seems to fix this. The import window insists the reference is already in my library (which it is not) and will constantly attach to the reference as mentioned above. What's going on and how to manually add this PDF and force Bookends to treat it as a new reference?

UPDATE: I have discovered yet more PDF articles that Bookends insists on attaching to the same reference above. So it's not just one article/PDF it's erroneously assigning to an existing reference, but multiple.

What version of Bookends?

Jon
Sonny Software

13.5.5, which is same version I've been using for same process without any previous similar incident. ie; I didn't just install 13.5.5 and find this issue the first time I used it.

Then something must have changed on your system. Have you tried Rebuilding the library?

Jon
Sonny Software

I've had similar issues happening for the last couple of months.
I don't use a watch folder but:

- Drag a pdf to the bookends icon on the dock. Bookends attaches it to the currently selected reference, even if I choose the new reference tick box. Happens often.
- Drag a pdf to the desired reference row in the bookends window. Bookends will attach it to the currently selected reference, instead of the reference in the dragged row. Happens always.
- Drag a pdf to bookends, and bookends sees that it has a doi and offers to autofill. It gets attached to the currently selected reference instead of creating a new reference. Happens sometimes.

Can't remember at what version this started to happen, but it was in the last two months maybe.

It would be useful if when dragging a pdf to bookends, if what bookends thinks the target reference will be already has an attachment, it would present the option of creating a new reference instead of adding to the existing one.

You didn't say if you did a Rebuild or not.

The option to create a new reference instead of adding to the existing one was added in Bookends 14.

I have two suggestions:

1. Try with a fresh new library.

If you can reproduce this with a new library, then

2. Download the Bookends 14 demo and try it with that new library (not your existing library).

Jon
Sonny Software

Jon wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:08 am You didn't say if you did a Rebuild or not.

I didn't. I only ever do a verify. Is there any risk with a rebuild or repair?

None at all.

Jon
Sonny Software

Seems to be working now following a rebuild

Jon wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 3:48 pm Then something must have changed on your system. Have you tried Rebuilding the library?

Jon
Sonny Software

Jon, I performed a repair and then rebuild. The same behavior persists. The PDF dropped on Bookends insists that it should be assigned and renamed with the name of the currently highlighted reference. If I drop it in the Watch Folder it assigns to other, sometimes incorrect, existing reference. No way to force it to create a new reference. I made a video, but unclear how to insert or attach it.

Please try my advice to Joao above:

I have two suggestions:

1. Try with a fresh new library.

If you can reproduce this with a new library, then

2. Download the Bookends 14 demo and try it with that new library (not your existing library).

Jon
Sonny Software

Jon wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 12:58 pm Please try my advice to Joao above:

I have two suggestions:

1. Try with a fresh new library.

If you can reproduce this with a new library, then

2. Download the Bookends 14 demo and try it with that new library (not your existing library).

Jon
Sonny Software

Nervously, I just updated to v 14.0 and used the option to create a new reference with one of the particularly troublesome PDFs. That worked, though it didn't match the right item. But, I was able to quickly able to use Autocomplete Paper to find the right one on Google Scholar and Import the correct reference to associated with the PDF. The Watch folder seems to be creating new references for all the items I've added today (about 10) rather than adding erroneously to existing references. Hopefully that persists. But, also good to have added the option to force any manually imported PDFs to a new reference.

Hello,
I have the same problem - I cannot drag and drop a pdf into Bookends and have it create a new reference. Instead, it will automatically attach the file to whatever I happen to have selected in my library at the time. I have tried doing a library rebuild and I tried it with a new blank library as well, with no luck. I also downloaded the Bookends 14 demo and tried it with a new blank library and it did not work there either. What is the next step I can try?
Thanks

Please contact tech support at support@sonnysoftware.com

And send ONE example PDF and the attach dialog you see when you drop it on a library window.

Jon
Sonny Software

Jon wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:07 am Please contact tech support at support@sonnysoftware.com

And send ONE example PDF and the attach dialog you see when you drop it on a library window.

Jon
Sonny Software

Jon, I have noticed that Bookends continues to occasionally attach a pdf to an existing reference that is totally unrelated when they are pulled in from the Watch Folder. When I drag and drop on the app I always have selected to create a new reference. But, with the watch folder errors, I'm forced to export all the attachments, find the one that actually belongs and delete that one from the export location, then manually import all the ones that were erroneously attached to the existing reference. Frustrating. The ones that are added erroneously have absolutely nothing in common with the reference to which they were attached as far as I can tell. They don't share DIO, author, title, nothing. Presumably the watch folder is a place someone is putting new items, so I'm not clear why the default behavior isn't to simply create a new reference from anything pulled in from the watch folder.

I'd much rather have two occurrences of the same reference then have a PDF erroneously connected to an existing reference, which is essentially a lost resource unless I am constantly keeping an eye on my database and scanning for these problems. Two of something is better than none of something because a duplicate means you have access to the content and then just simply ignore the duplicate which has basically no impact on work but if your important PDF is lost because it's connected to the wrong reference and you don't notice it then the content is inaccessible, which is actually a problem. I would suspect most people would feel the same. Also one has the option to use the remove duplicates periodically to get rid of them en masse if needed.

Is there a setting somewhere I can force this behavior so that I can stop having PDFs erroneously attached to existing references? If not, can you add such a feature so that those of us having this problem don't have to monitor our database for these problems and then go through all the steps of fixing it each time it occurs?