"Zotero fields cannot be inserted here"

ahankin

Actually, it seems Zotero fields cannot be inserted anywhere...

I'm using Zotero 3.0.7 on a Mac, with the Zotero Word for Mac integration 3.5.4, and each time I try to 'add citation' in Word (running Word 2008 for Mac), I get the above error. I've tried updating everything and the same problem remains.

I used to love Zotero with all my heart, but this is just driving me batty.

adamsmith

Is that the case for a new Word document, too? (also 3.0.8 just came out, so do try that).

ahankin

Alas, yes. I get the same error message even if I start a new word document.

I'll try 3.0.8; fingers crossed! I really want to love Zotero again.

pmgibert

I have exactly the same problem with Word 2008 for mac and the last versions of firefox (13.0.1) and zotero ( 3.0.8). If anyone could help, it would be great ! thanks in advance....

Simon

Do you have the latest of Zotero Word for Mac Integration (3.5.5) and Word 2008 (12.3.3)? I can't reproduce this.

pmgibert

I have Zotero Word for Mac Integration 3.5.5 and Word 2008 for mac 12.0.0

Simon

Sorry, that should have read Word 2008 12.3.3, not 13.3.3. In any case, 12.0.0 is the original release version and probably has quite a few bugs.

Open Word, choose "Check for Updates" from the Help menu, and follow the steps to install the update. Repeat until there are no more updates to install, and then see if Zotero works.

pmgibert

Thank you very much for your help !
It works with the version 12.3.3.

ahankin

I'm glad to hear pmgilbert's problem is solved. Unfortunately, I am still in the same place. I have updated Zotero and Word to the most recent versions, but I *still* get exactly the same error message. Any other ideas? :(

pmgibert

Sorry to hear that !

Check that your folder "zotero" is well placed in your "Microsoft user data" folder ( and inside the " Word script menu items").

A friend of mine who had the same problem solved it by replacing her zotero folder at this right place.

Good luck !

ahankin

pmg - Thanks for you advice. It seems that the Zotero file wasn't in the right place, it now is, but I'm *still* having the same issue. Is the universe telling me that it's time to use Quosa?

eamoone

I would be curious to see if anyone has a solution for this problem. Thanks.

JBR

Have the same problem.
Tried everything that was suggested, but did not result.
Any other ideas?

The best,
Joana

Simon

I have tried to reproduce this on several systems and have not managed to do so. Can you open a new document in Word, then open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app and type (or copy/paste) the following:

export AEDebugSends=1 AEDebugReceives=1
osascript -e 'tell app "Microsoft Word" to story type of selection'

Then press return. Many lines should appear on your screen. Save the output to a text file, either by selecting "Export Text As..." from the Shell menu in Terminal or by copying and pasting it into a TextEdit document. Send the document to support@zotero.org with a link to this thread.

Simon

Just to confirm, you got the output you sent with a document open in Word, and the cursor is in the document? If so, it seems like Word is doing something strange, and I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about it. You could try deleting the OLE registration database as described here and see if that helps.

Simon

We don't need anyone to send me the output from the above code anymore. I have received the relevant output from several users, all it appears to confirm is that Word is not functioning properly. When Zotero asks Word what part of the document the cursor is in, Word returns "missing value." This is why Zotero reports that "Zotero fields cannot be inserted here."

I don't have any idea where to start with this, particularly since everything works fine on all of my test systems (with Word 2008 12.3.3 and OS X 10.5-10.8). It seems as though there is something specific to your Word installations that breaks things, but I have no leads on what it is.

FWIW, there don't appear to be any reports of issues with Word 2011.

jbrodrigues

Dear Simon,

Sorry for the absence - I was on vacation.
I have already solved the problem.
I uninstalled Office and Zotero (instead of substituting them)and then reinstalled them all.
I think that one of the problems I was also facing was related to the Standalone version to which I was not used to.

Thanks a lot for all the support.

Best Regards,
Joana

colinmackay15

Hi I am also experiencing this problem and was just wondering if anyone had found a solution that didn't involve re-installing Word. I have the most up to date versions of Firefox, Word, and Zotero.

Gracile

colinmackay15: Since the last posts, Word 2008 "12.3.4" was released: did that change anything?

colinmackay15

Unfortunately not