corrupted database! help!

treetag

I was creating a search (identifying items not in collections) and I got a message from zotero saying there has been an error please restart Firefox. I did. Now my database is gone! Since I restarted Firefox as per instructions, the backup is no good either. I do have a backup from yesterday but I put in hours and hours of work today updating and changing things and would hate to lose it all. I reported it from the Gear Menu. Help!

I think I will try re-installing zotero first. Any harm in that?

dstillman

Reinstalling Zotero wouldn't do any harm, but it probably wouldn't help much either.

First, make a backup of your entire Zotero data directory, if you haven't yet.

Next, could you elaborate on "Now my database is gone"? What happens when you start Zotero?

treetag

I can see my collection names but no items appear in them.

I do have full back up from yesterday and also just made another one.

dstillman

From the error report, it looks like you may have an inconsistent row in one of your database tables. The saved search you created is exposing the problem, and since Zotero automatically selects the last used collection/search, it's happening every time you start Zotero.

If you upload your database to the repair tool and e-mail support@zot....org the Upload ID, I'll fix the inconsistent row manually (and try to figure out where it came from—this might also just be a bug in the search infrastructure and not a problem in the database). Ignore the "repaired" database that the tool creates.

dstillman

And if you want to use Zotero while I'm looking into it, trying clearing the extensions.zotero.lastViewedFolder pref in about:config (right-click, Reset) and restarting Firefox, and don't reselect that saved search.

treetag

Thanks, will do now.

Yes, I can't get zotero to do anything... I am trying to manually delete the search, and that won't work either.

dstillman

You can't currently delete a collection through the interface without selecting it (which, admittedly, is a problem). I can manually remove that search when I look at your database.

treetag

Ok, sent the email. I did reset the lastviewedfolder pref, and I am now able to see my collection. I won't, however, do anything till I hear from you guys. Yes, please do delete that search, I will recreate it.

dstillman

OK, fixed a couple consistency problems. (Download URL sent via e-mail.)

These shouldn't happen, obviously. I'll look into making sure any bugs that caused them no longer exist and also try to make Zotero handle such problems more gracefully so they don't require manual fixing.

Thanks.

treetag

Just downloaded it and all seems well. Including my search.

Thanks for such a speedy response.

I've been thinking back on what I was doing before this happened and I think I had zotero open in two or three of my browser windows. I often do that because I have multiple pages open while browsing and I use zotero a lot. Never had a problem with that before, though.

dstillman

Opening multiple windows shouldn't matter.

One of the problems (row in the notes table that wasn't in the items table) might have been from an earlier database migration (1.0.0b4.r1 -> 1.0.0b4.r2, assuming you were using Zotero back in March).

The other was likely from deleting a collection referenced in the saved search. I thought we fixed that bug, but I guess it's back.

treetag

Most likely the latter. I renamed a few collections during the period that the error occurred. It seemed to work fine: the collection would appear in the search under its new name. I did a bunch of these. Might have deleted a collection too.