Using Relative Paths

In a computer file system, a path shows the complete route to a file or folder.

These instructions only apply when using the Link the file, but don't move it (not recommended) option.

By default, Citavi uses absolute paths, which specify the absolute location of a file, independent of other files. For example, if you link a PDF file to a reference, the Location field of a local file might show a path like this: "C:\Users\Me\Documents\Projects\Thesis\Documents\ALA_Standards.pdf". However, on your office computer, the path might be different, for example: "V:\Team\Johnson\Thesis\Documents\ALA_Standards.pdf" If you work on two computers, this can lead to problems because files may not be found. Instead, you can choose to use relative paths, which show the location of a file relative to your project file. Select the Use relative paths option under Tools > Options > Folders. Citavi starts the relative path from the folder in which your project file is saved. A good practice is to create a folder for attachments in the same folder as the Citavi project. Then, any time you copy or move the project, just copy or move the attachments folder with it.

Important:

To use relative paths, the linked files must be on the same drive as a project file. You cannot use relative paths across drive letters, for example, if your Citavi project is saved on drive C but your attached files are saved on the drive V.

Please note that relative paths do not work on UNC paths (e.g. \\SERVERNAME\D$), unless the Citavi project also is opened via the UNC path and the linked files can be found on the same file share. They do not work if the project and files are on different file shares, such as \\SERVERNAME\citavi und \\SERVERNAME\pdfs, even if both paths refer to the same drive.