Show autolink-matching files in the linked files column when the file field is empty

[Viech]

Is your suggestion for improvement related to a problem? Please describe. I would like to share (via git) a bibtex file with colleagues while not sharing the folder containing associated PDF files. As the PDF files follow local naming conventions, it would not seem appropriate to populate the file field in the shared bibtex file with their names. Still, it would be convenient to have the PDF associated with the entry within JabRef, specifically for opening it with one click from the entry table.

Describe the solution you'd like If a file (uniquely) matches the autolink condition for an entry, and the file field of that entry is not populated, then the matching file should be treated as linked to the entry and be displayed in the "Linked files" column.

Additional context This feature could be optional and default-off in case other users only want to display files that are explicitly linked. Alternatively, the same functionality could be provided through an additonal column in the entry field (e.g. "Found files").

[koppor]

According to https://docs.jabref.org/finding-sorting-and-cleaning-entries/filelinks#auto-linking-files, this should already work? Did it stop working in the last time?

[Viech]

According to https://docs.jabref.org/finding-sorting-and-cleaning-entries/filelinks#auto-linking-files, this should already work?

This describes the feature I suggest to improve, not the suggested improvement.

To clarify, the document describes a way to populate the file field of an entry. My suggestion revolves specifically around leaving the file field empty.