[MLZ] Is the abbreviation filter plugin for Word working?

wonblee
With the latest MLZ, I don't think the abbreviation filter plugin for Word is working. The abbreviation pane from the Classic View is completely blank.
  • adamsmith
    you've worked with the plugin before? IIRC, only abbreviations actually used in a document are listed. (but I don't have a recent version of MLZ and the plugin running so this could very well be broke).
  • wonblee
    Yes, I've worked with the plugin before. This didn't happen before the MLZ major release, so maybe Prof. Bennett can chime in, although I understand he doesn't use MS Word.

    By the abbreviation pane being blank, I meant I don't even see the "references in the document + abbreviation" tabulation. That area is empty.
  • fbennett
    It was probably just blocking on your Firefox version. I've reset the version tolerance to accept up to Firefox 21. If you update the plugin, it should start working again. Sorry for the inconvenience.

    I've also released the 4.0-level version of MLZ. If you have installed MLZ recently, it should upgrade automatically. If not, you can install it from CitationStylist.

    Frank
  • wonblee
    Nope, something is still amiss. MLZ has been upgraded to 4.0m347, but the symptom persists. To be more specific, I see the abbreviation pane initially with all the references in the document and the abbreviation boxes next to them. But as soon as I import an abbreviations list (I use mlz-amlaw-names.json), the entire reference+abbreviation box area turns blank and never comes back. I have to re-start Word and Zotero to get the area back.
  • fbennett
    I've been unable to reproduce this so far (working with Linux Ubuntu and LibreOffice). With that version of MLZ and the latest Abbreviation Filter plugin, I've tried in my main account and in a clean install, with both Firefox 17 and Firefox 20. We'll need to explore a bit further. Here are a few questions.

    When you import with "Fill Gaps", does the import return immediately, or is there a pause? There should be a significant pause before the import completes. If not, the import itself is failing.

    After you restart, are the imported abbreviations available, or are all abbreviations undefined? (With that list, a cite to an article in "Vermont Law Review" should abbreviate automatically.)

    After triggering a failure, when you visit Firefox Tools -> Web Developer -> Error Console and select the Errors tab, what do you see?
  • wonblee
    I'm on Firefox 19.0.2, latest MLZ, and the latest abbrev. plugin 1.0.131. I don't know if it's the latest MLZ or the latest abbreviation plugin, but now all abbreviations available in the list are substituted from the start, even for a new document, even without ever bringing up the abbreviation plugin in the classic view. With that:

    * When I import, the import doesn't return immediately. There is a pause. When it comes back, nothing seems to have changed. As I indicated above, some of the abbreviation boxes are already filled to begin with. At this point, when I switch to another category (e.g., from journal to institutions), the screen goes blank. I'll send you a screen shot of it by email.

    * When I restart, some abbreviations are available, but these look like the ones that I had from the very beginning even before running the abbreviation plugin.

    * In the Error Console, I don't see anything noteworthy. There is a remark about some "Mutation Events", but I think it's unrelated based on its time stamp.

    On a related issue, it seems that journal names are abbreviated well by the abbreviation plugin, but institutions not as well. (e.g., "association" never truncates as "Ass'n", and I see the entry "association" in mlz-amlaw-names.json.) Do you know why?
  • fbennett
    edited April 4, 2013
    Thanks. Screenshots would be great.
    When I restart, some abbreviations are available, but these look like the ones that I had from the very beginning even before running the abbreviation plugin.
    The plugin runs immediately after Zotero when you start up Firefox, and your abbreviations will be applied whenever you edit a document in that style (with the abbreviation plugin active). So that's normal as far as it goes. Is the issue that abbreviations you add manually are not being remembered after a restart?
    (e.g., "association" never truncates as "Ass'n", and I see the entry "association" in mlz-amlaw-names.json.) Do you know why?
    The mlz-amlaw-names.json file contains abbreviations of entire titles. It won't pick up embedded words and phrases. If you install mlz-amlaw-phrases.json, it will suggest abbreviations of common words and phrases, including "Ass'n" for "Association" (or it's meant to do).
  • fbennett
    There we go, I've been able to reproduce the failure described in your first bullet-point above, and illustrated in the screenshot. I'll take a look tomorrow (it's late evening here), and hope to get a fix out within the day.
  • fbennett
    It appears to be just a display issue, at least at this end. After an import, switching to another list will show a blank pane as you describe. If the dialogs are closed and you do a refresh, then reopen the Classic View and the abbreviations display, do you find the abbreviations there? I see them there after Refresh. If you do too, it's the same display issue.

    The plugin should obviously not appear to break. I'll look into this, but if the description above is correct, it might take a few days to get to it.
  • wonblee
    edited April 4, 2013
    If the dialogs are closed and you do a refresh, then reopen the Classic View and the abbreviations display, do you find the abbreviations there?
    Yes.
    The plugin runs immediately after Zotero when you start up Firefox, and your abbreviations will be applied whenever you edit a document in that style (with the abbreviation plugin active). So that's normal as far as it goes. Is the issue that abbreviations you add manually are not being remembered after a restart?
    I didn't realize the abbreviations are applied automatically. Somehow I remember that you had to open the classic view, run the abbreviation plugin, and import the list. Maybe that's how the plugin used to work in an earlier version.

    Anyways, I don't have a problem other than the display issue, if it's a display issue. As long as I'm able to look at the abbreviations table and manually add, I have no issue.
  • fbennett
    Great! I have an idea how to fix things so that the lists do not disappear after an import, so that glitch will eventually go away.

    It's designed to store the abbreviation lists in a database file, separate from the main Zotero/MLZ data, but with the same technology. The database persists across sessions, and it can store very large volumes of data without slowing down. Only the abbreviations needed for the current document(s) are loaded into memory, so having huge separate lists for multiple styles is not a problem. Any edits that you do through the plugin dialog are stored in the database, and will apply to other documents as well, when the same style is used.

    It's certainly possible that database saves were broken at some point. I neglected the plugin code for awhile after first building it, but it's now a core partner to MLZ, and I'm watching it carefully.

    Documentation has been thin for this. I'm in the final throes of preparing a book on MLZ, which will include a section on the Abbreviation Filter that I hope will fill that gap.

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.