Zotero makes Firefox unable to use my library's databases--all of them

ustaza cassie

I'm able to access my university's (Indiana University) catalog and databases using Firefox. Installing Zotero does not seem to change that.However, when I reinstalled my saved Zotero data files (the sqlite file and storage folder) so I can access my library in Zotero, I am no longer able to use any of the library's databases. When trying to access the university catalog, I get an error: "Session cookie error, unable to send a cookie to your browser." All of the other databases I've tried (MLA, ERIC, Academic Search, WorldCat) give me an error message saying I don't have access. I've fussed with the cookie settings endlessly, but I can't get it to work when my library files are in the default zotero location.

Are there any cookies saved within those files, or something that I can change without losing my library? Is there a way to recover my library in a new, unproblematic file??

In case it's relevant, I sent this error report through Zotero:
Error Report ID: 308568008

This seemed to start yesterday after the most recent Firefox update, but I'm worried that my Zotero library is the culprit.
Eager to get help with this issue!
Cassie

Simon

Try opening Zotero, selecting Preferences, clicking Proxies, and unchecking "Automatically remember proxied resources," and let us know if that fixes the problem.

ustaza cassie

No, that didn't change anything. I closed and restarted Firefox after unchecking "automatically remember proxied.." but I still get the cookie error message.

Simon

If that's the case, you can try disabling Zotero in Tools->Add-ons and seeing if it makes a difference, although this issue probably isn't related to Zotero. You might want to try deleting your cookies.

Simon

Ah, I forgot—you will also want to click the hostnames in the list in the "Proxies" tab of the Zotero preferences and press the minus icon to delete each of them.

ustaza cassie

Yes! I just tried that after reading your page on help with proxies...deleting all of them individually is what did the trick. I guess those are saved along with the library? It was working just fine when I had a fresh installation of Firefox and Zotero, with an empty library. It was when I copied my library back into Zotero's folders that the problem came back.
Anyway, thanks! this seems to have corrected the problem and I'm back to using Firefox instead of IE.
Cassie

Simon

Yes, the proxy entries are saved along with the library, which explains why restoring your old library caused these issues. Glad to hear the problem is fixed.

cjheinz

I also had this problem recently. I kept getting error messages with databases that others had no problem accessing. I finally determined that the problem had to do with Zotero using an out of date proxy URL. Does anyone know if Zotero is meant to keep up with changes in proxy URLs somehow?

adamsmith

oh - so this sounds like you want to keep the actual proxy up to date?
The way to do this is to either delete the old one (and then the new one will be added automatically) or to manually edit the old one.
I think doing that automatically may be problematic even if it were feasible - some people may use several proxies, for example .

cjheinz

adamsmith: Yep, this clever feature is smart enough to prompt me to save the url when I navigate to a proxied resource for the first time, but I wish there was something that would help me keep it current, short of deleting or modifying. I resolved an issue with Ebsco's FSSW, Ovid's PsycInfo, and Engineering Village's Inspec by deleting the Multi-Site that was saved in Zotero (I could have edited each one individually if I cared to keep the rest that was saved in there.) I wish I could share that example with you. The only thing I have left is a screenshot from the PsycInfo URL change. I think they recently added the requirement of a page parameter.

adamsmith

I'm still confused what exactly happened. If you look at the structure of the proxy setting, a change in URLs shouldn't actually break database access. Without seeing the specific case I can't tell you anything more.

What would break it is a change in the proxy - that's what happened to ustaza.
The fix is really quite simple and those changes should be very rare (and are in most cases). Without a more detailed description of what happened in your case I fear that's as far as we're going to get.