java.lang.NullPointerException fields is null error

Britland
Hi everyone,

I am using windows xp and open office and have been unable to insert any citations because the following error comes up:
java.lang.NullPointerException...followed by a number of other things
then...zotero experienced an error updating your document...fields is null

I have all the latest versions of firefox, zotero, open office, and java (installed today- June 8).

I have searched through the forums and tried all suggestions. I have followed the debugging documents protocol but to no success. Copying and pasting from one document allowed me to input 5 references before the same error came up again.

I am writing my PhD thesis and really need this to work. Copying and pasting the document meant that I would have to reinput all of my references again which was not ideal but I was willing to do it if it had worked...sadly it didn't.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am going to be adding a couple of hundred references to this document and I am on a deadline.

Thanks,

Paul
  • Simon
    Can you take a screenshot of the full java.lang.NullPointerException error and email it to support@zot...org? Thanks.
  • Britland
    Simon,

    Just checking to see whether you received the screenshot yesterday?

    Thanks,

    Paul
  • dstillman
    We did not receive an e-mail from you.
  • Britland
    I just resent the email. Hopefully it works this time.
  • dstillman
    You're sending to the zotero.org e-mail address above?
  • Britland
    edited June 9, 2010
    I sent it to support@zot[... — D.S.].org. Is that correct?
  • dstillman
    The point is not to post the full e-mail address here, but yes, that is it. We're not getting your e-mails, though. Are you getting bounces?
  • Britland
    My apologies.

    No I am not getting any bounces. Checking back to yesterday it looks like messed up the address? The last email was sent to the correct address. Sometimes the server here takes a little while to send emails. Hopefully it will come soon.

    Thanks
  • Britland
    Did my email arrive yet?
  • dstillman
    We got it.
  • Britland
    Excellent
  • Simon
    Do you have any references in tables, or anywhere but the main text body and footnotes? The error you are getting suggests that OpenOffice.org isn't properly identifying where the text is, which, as I recall, is a known issue with OOo tables. If not, would you feel comfortable sending your entire document to support@zot...org so that we can try to figure out what's going on?
  • Britland
    There are no tables or anything attached yet. The document itself has only 35 or so references at the moment with the intention of adding a lot more. I have no problem sending you the document to figure it out. I will send it right away.
  • Britland
    Have you been able to figure out how to fix the document?

    Thanks
  • gradstudentin
    Hello Paul,

    it sounds easy, but it might fix your problem: go to 'set document preferences' in your OO add on. Change between 'reference marks' and 'book marks' which you can do in some reference styles. Then see if you need to save the document as doc or docx or as odt.

    Good luck with it.
    Caroline
  • Britland
    Thanks for the suggestion Caroline. Unfortunately, the error comes up when I click "set document preferences" as well.
  • gradstudentin
    Try to save the document as odt or doc (depending on what you are using now). I got the same error message and it worked for me.
  • Britland
    Still no. I just get a different error. I am going to have to delete my references from the bibliography and in text citations, copy and paste, and start again I think.
  • Simon
    edited June 12, 2010
    On page 36 of your document, delete and reinsert the reference following "Furthermore, as was previously observed by others", and the document should work again.

    This seems to be a document corruption issue—we'll try to develop a workaround for it, but it looks like there are two adjacent, identical ReferenceMarks in your document, which is not supposed to happen, and which is confusing OpenOffice.org. If by some chance you ever come up with a reliable way to introduce this error into a document, let us know and we'll forward it on to the OpenOffice.org folks.
  • Britland
    Thank you so much. Deleting that references fixes the problem.
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