• ZoteRename is a Zotero extension that provides a few helpful additional features.
• Zotero tries to keep your PDF attachments intelligible by renaming them as they are downloaded (e.g, Author et al - 2009 - Title.pdf). This is particularly convenient when you have many PDF windows open and need to find the right one quickly. Unfortunately, this doesn't work in situations where you can't get the PDF right away and you have to drag/drop or import the PDF later.
  
• Note: Zotero 2.0b5 includes a right-click menu option to perform the same auto-renaming described above. However, read on for some additional features provided by ZoteRename that Zotero doesn't include (yet).

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Configuration
• Known Issues
• Contact

Features

• Auto-rename on import
• Additional renaming menu options
• Collapse search results
• List item collections [new in 1.2.4]
• Short-cut for dedicated Zotero window [Removed from 1.3 - use zotero://fullscreen]

• Auto-rename on import: With ZoteRename, any time you add a PDF into an empty listing (i.e., containing no other attachments yet), it will perform the same automatic renaming that Zotero should have done.
• Additional renaming menu options: If you right-click any attachment, you will see three additional menu items:
  • Auto-Rename Attachment: Rename according to its item data. (Author et al - 2009 - Title.pdf) - This menu item is hidden if you have installed Zotero 2.0b5 or higher, as it is redundant.
  • Rename Attachment: Choose your own filename.
  • Edit Attachment Title: Change the title that appears in Zotero for this attachment.

    Note that the attachment's title in Zotero will not changed when the file is renamed. Use "Edit Attachment Title" to change it.

  • Note: ZoteRename will not rename HTML files (e.g., Zotero snapshots).
  
  
  
• Collapse search results: Zotero quick-search results are often displayed in a format that makes it difficult to interpret for simple queries such as author names or titles. ZoteRename provides an option to automatically collapse all search results to make them easier to read:
  
  • Note: Without ZoteRename, you can still collapse search results manually by clicking somewhere in the results panel and typing "-". Similarly, if you wish to expand collapsed search results, type "+".
  
  
  
• List item collections: If you right click an item (or its children) and select the "Show Collections" menu option, it will display a popup window with the names of all of the collections and subcollections that item belongs to.
  • Note: Without ZoteRename, you can press Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac) to highlight the collections an item belongs to. However, I sometimes find it convenient to see all of the collections in a simple popup window.

Installation

• Install version 1.3.5 here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/zoterename/. (Be sure to install Zotero first)
• To add ZoteRename to Zotero Standalone, right click the link below and "Save As". In Zotero Standalone, go to the Tools menu and select Add-ons. Click the "gear" icon in the upper right corner of the window, select Install Add-on From File, and then select the .xpi file you just downloaded.
• If the above link does not work, you can download the plugin here.

Configuration

• ZoteRename can be configured by selecting "ZoteRename Preferences..." in the Zotero "Gear" menu:

  

Known Issues/Fixes

• Starting with version 1.3.5 (Sept 2016), ZoteRename is available as a signed Firefox add-on. This should avoid the errors many people were receiving when installing/updating. See https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/zoterename/
• Starting with version 1.3.4, you should be able to install ZoteRename as an add-on for Zotero Standalone as well as the Firefox extension.
• Version 1.3.3 should keep the plugin valid with new versions of Firefox (Sorry. They started changing versions much faster than I expected)
• Version 1.3.1 should fix the problem where renaming a file deleted its URL, access date, etc...
• Installing the "firefox-mac-pdf" plugin (link) can apparently disrupt ZoteRename's normal function. Uninstalling and reinstalling the firefox-mac-pdf plugin may solve the problem.
• Users sometimes get an error message reading "Reference error: Zotero is not defined". This seems to happen when the user opens multiple Firefox windows, then closes some of them. I may not be able to fix this in the near future, but you can avoid the problem by either disabling the ZoteRename plugin or making sure not to open extra Firefox windows. NOTE: While these error messages are annoying, the issue does not negatively affect any Zotero operations. Fixed in 1.3 (I think)

Contact

• Drop me an email at kjamison((at))umn((dot))edu with any bugs or suggestions.

free search engine submission service