Word 2011 osx lion crash when Zotero standalone running

jjloose
I'm getting regular Word 2011 crashes when Zotero standalone is running on OSX lion (macbook pro 2010). The crash occurs when my display changes. So, when plug or unplug a second monitor, or when the machine returns from standby. I'm deciding between Zotero and Papers, and I need to sort this out to run with Zotero.

J
  • Simon
    edited April 6, 2012
    Unless you are using the functionality in the Zotero toolbar, Zotero does not communicate with Word at all, so it shouldn't crash it. In any case, the first thing I would try is installing the latest Word update (14.1.4 as of this writing).
  • jjloose
    edited April 6, 2012
    Thanks for that. Turns out I'm on the latest version of word already, and the crashing only occurs when zotero is running. I've also installed the word plugin and using the toolbar, so I assume there must be some sort of interaction going on?
  • jjloose
    edited April 6, 2012
    I've run a couple of tests to confirm the issue. So:

    (1) Create new document in Word 2011. Change screen resolution via "Detect Displays" then switch back. Word unaffected. All fine.

    (2) Run zotero standalone. Change screen resolution via "Detect Displays" then switch back. Word unaffected. All fine.

    (3) Insert first citation into new document created in Word. Select MHRA, footnote style, search for citation and insert. Change screen resolution via "Detect Displays".
    **Word immediately crashes.**

    I've never had a Word crash without Zotero, but this happens reliably whenever the screen resolution is changed (usually when I plug / unplug an external monitor). Note that if the display is not changed, then Zotero/Word work fine together (and better than any other software, which is why I want to sort this out and keep Zotero!)

    J
  • Simon
    Can you still reproduce this if you close Zotero Standalone after inserting the citation?
  • jjloose
    OK. Tried it again. New document, run Zotero, insert first citation, close Zotero, switch resolution... Word crashed. So it seems th problem occurs whether or not Zotero is running, but a citation must have been inserted in the document prior to the display change.

    J
  • Simon
    If this happens without Zotero running, then I'm almost certain that this is a Word bug that's somehow triggered by inserting a citation. If you create a new document and insert a footnote from within Word (not using Zotero) can you reproduce this? How about if you create a footnote and then insert a field (of any kind) using Insert->Field?
  • jjloose
    OK. Tried that. No problem with Word footnotes, even if they contain Fields, so that's not the problem. I know this seems odd, but it really feels like a zotero-related issue. If there were a generic Word/resolution switch issue I'm guessing it would be really well known.

    I'm appreciating your rapid help with this.

    J
  • Simon
    If it happens with Zotero closed, Word is crashing because of something that Zotero told it to insert. Theoretically, this shouldn't happen. The things that Zotero inserts shouldn't make Word crash, and Word shouldn't let Zotero insert things that would make it crash. However, I'm curious about what's causing this, and it's possible we can find a workaround.

    Can you try each of the following and see if you can reproduce the crash (sorry for the long list):

    • Inserting a citation using Zotero in a non-footnote style (e.g. APA)

    • Inserting a citation, saving the document, closing Word, and opening the document again

    • Inserting a citation, copying and pasting it to a new document, and then closing the original document

    • Switching to Draft view if you were using Print Layout using the View menu, or switching to Print Layout if you were using Draft view

    I will also see if I can reproduce this when I have a chance to test with an external display, but that won't be for a couple days.
  • jjloose
    OK. I've tried all four of those, switching screen resolution after doing each.

    Using APA made no difference. Still crashed.

    Saving/closing word and re-opening worked. No crash when subsequently changing resolution.

    Inserting citation into new doc 1, copy and paste to new doc 2, close new doc 1. No difference. Still crashed.

    Again, with draft view, still crashed.

    Thanks for looking into this.
  • Simon
    I tried to reproduce this but I was unable to.

    I'm running out of ideas, but can you test whether it makes a difference if you close the Zotero toolbar and access the scripts from the script menu?

This is an old discussion that has not been active in a long time. Before commenting here, you should strongly consider starting a new discussion instead. If you think the content of this discussion is still relevant, you can link to it from your new discussion.

Sign In or Register to comment.