iPad zotero app not synching pdfs & other updates

As above; changes to zotero on my ipad are not synching - new pdfs are not uploaded, and changes made to zotero on other devices (e.g. adding items to folders) are not updated on the iPad. Having no problems synching with iOS on a laptop to same account. This is also not consistent - sometimes it works for a day or two, and then glitches.

Error code on last attempted synch was D100971021
  • edited May 4, 2023
    See Changes Not Syncing for what to check and what we need. That debug output doesn't show anything relevant.
  • Hi there, I already worked through the "Changes not Syncing" page and was unable to fix the problem. logging out and back in seems to have temporarily fixed this issue, but it reoccurs every few days so I was hoping to find an actual cause to prevent it...
  • Right, but the page explains what we need in the debug output in order to help you. We can only debug a given sync not transferring changes, not something that happened previously.
  • Sorry, I don't understand. I synced, while recording for debugging, several things did not sync (one item moved, one pdf added) and then I got the debug ID that I reported here. This fault has occured before, but this error ID was during a new, live fault.
  • The debug output has to capture your making a change and the sync that happens immediately after. Your debug output doesn't show any local or remote changes.
  • edited May 5, 2023
    >Your debug output doesn't show any local or remote changes.

    OK then that's a problem because there definitely were local and remote changes. I guess I'll just have to wait until it happens again & try for another output.
  • But the point is that you can't wait for it to happen again and then generate output, because the relevant sync will have already happened. The debug output needs to show the change and the sync that immediately follows. So you'd have to either leave debug output logging running (clearing it periodically to keep the log size manageable) or, better yet, figure out steps to reliably reproduce the problem.
  • That is what I was doing, but I've given it another go.

    I started the debug output logging running, have encountered an error (pdf added to ipad zotero; the record itself uploaded to the cloud, and downloaded to desktop zotero, but the associated file did not & I'm getting the error The attached file could not be found at the following path: /Users/Vanessa/Zotero/storage/7HYGTE49/Eskimo ookofknkwledge-toprocess.pdf).

    The debug ID is D1975038047
  • That file has been uploaded to your online library and would be accessible there, so, as per the Files Not Syncing page, the iPad isn't relevant.
  • edited May 6, 2023
    (Also, though, it's a fairly large file — 125 MB — so it's possible you just checked too soon, while the file was still being uploaded. The iPad debug output shows the upload in progress.)
  • Ok, this is infuriating. No, the file did *not* upload. Not quickly, not slowly. Not on that sync, not on any sync. Nor did any other changes sync to the iPad. It just got stuck, failing to update but not reporting any problems.

    As a test, I ended up airdropping it to myself, renaming it, adding it to my laptop zotero, where it transferred just fine to the cloud and then on to the iPad in seconds on the same network connection.

    It seems, though, that the debug info isn’t useful for identifying the actual problem!
  • edited May 6, 2023
    I mean, if you report a problem about a specific file, we're obviously going to check that file in your online account. How are we possibly supposed to know that you uploaded the file from somewhere else? Don't take other steps that we haven't discussed while we're in the middle of debugging a problem.

    It's still not clear what you're actually doing, though. The debug output shows the beginning of a sync. It doesn't show you actually saving anything. How did you create the item? We really need a Debug ID that includes you actually saving the item and file, followed by the next sync. And for a file that large, you should let the debug output run for at least 5 minutes.
  • If you're using "Start Logging on Next App Launch", don't do that — that will skip any save you're doing from the share extension. Just use "Start Logging", switch to the browser and save via the share extension, and then switch back to the Zotero app, wait a few minutes, and submit the output.
  • edited May 6, 2023
    > We really need a Debug ID that includes you actually saving the item and file, followed by the next sync

    This is what I did - like you said I used “start logging” long before the problem occurred and I let the debug run for 20 mins after the failure - where it claimed to have synced but actually transferred no data. I give up.
  • I'm not sure why you're reacting this way. I'm trying to help you here, but there's specific debug output we need to do so. If you want to work with us to provide that, we can do that, but you'll need to be a little patient — and not get bizarrely annoyed when we don't somehow divine that you've done confusing things on your own that we didn't say to do.

    You haven't even said yet how you're actually saving the file. I assume you're using the share extension from the browser, but your debug output doesn't show that happening, which it definitely should if you just start logging and switch to the browser to save.

    I also don't know what "used “start logging” long before the problem occurred" is supposed to mean. The debug output shows less than a minute of activity. Maybe something isn't being logged for you, but you'd have to take the time to describe exactly how you're reproducing the problem for us to determine that.

    If you want to take a screen recording, upload it somewhere (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), and either post a link or email a link to support@zotero.org with a link to this thread, that would probably help.

    My best guess here is that this is happening because you're trying to save a large (125 MB) file from the share extension and iOS is killing the background upload — iOS is very restrictive about letting background processes run. If that's the case, we'd have to see if there's anything we can do to fix that, but the first step would be determining if that's actually what's happening. No one else has reported this, so if you want it fixed, we'll need you to be a bit more patient and work with us to debug it properly.
  • > The debug output shows less than a minute of activity.

    Ok, then the debug isn’t working. I was logging output for considerably longer than a minute, during which multiple changes were made and more than one sync initiated.

    I’m finding it frustrating because you’re either saying I didn’t do something I did do, or adding in new requirements (e.g. now I have to say where I saved a pdf from). I’ve followed the problem solving page step by step and I’m being told I’m doing it wrong, not being patient, wrong about what’s happened, etc. that’s the frustration. I appreciate your time but I’ll find help elsewhere.
  • edited May 6, 2023
    adding in new requirements (e.g. now I have to say where I saved a pdf from)
    To be clear, explaining the actual steps to reproduce a problem is the basic thing we ask of everyone who posts to these forums. The page is literally titled "Reporting Zotero Problems".
    I appreciate your time but I’ll find help elsewhere.
    OK, but no one else is going to be able to help you with a problem with the Zotero iOS app. This is basic troubleshooting, and it can involve some back and forth. If you don't want to do it, that's fine, but if you actually want to fix it, you should respond to the detailed post I took the time to write suggesting specific things that would let us help you further, including determining if there's some problem with the debug logging.
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