zotero experienced an error updating your document blob.formatter undefined

Bonnie

I'm experiencing a problem with my MS Word plug in. I have a Mac but am working with a colleague who has a PC and is experiencing the same thing. Both of us use the Firefox Zotero plugin.

First we got the error about an item in citation no longer existing. From other forum docs I've read, I assume that was due to multiple people in a group editing the doc and someone pulling it from their personal library instead of the group library. So, we answered yes and replaced the problem cite with one from the group library.

Then we get another error that says Zotero experienced an error updating your document blob.formatter is undefined. What does this mean? I don't see any other references to a blob.formatter in the forum.

I can't paste in my error log below because it exceeds the character limit. Can someone help?

Simon

Provide a report ID after re-triggering the error.

Bonnie

Here is the id
1944200980

Simon

There are no Zotero errors in that report because one of your extensions is generating a lot of spurious debug output. Try disabling all extensions except for Zotero and Zotero Word for Mac Integration, then restart Firefox, re-trigger the error, and generate another report ID.

fbennett

The "blob.formatter" message is coming from the citation processor. It's possible that it's triggered by your input from the document.

@Bonnie: To avoid confusion I'll let Simon finish before jumping in. When he gives the word (and if the problem has not been solved yet) I may have some questions for you.

Bonnie

Ok - I disabled all extensions except the two that you noted. Here is the new report id #1215324065

Thanks

Bonnie

Any progress? I'm working on this issue for one of our professors and he is pressed for time.

Bonnie

Any more word on the blob.formatter issue?

Simon

Would you mind sending the document to support@zotero.org?

Bonnie

I just sent it. Thanks

Simon

Bonnie: I'm not sure if it will help, but try installing the 4.0 branch XPI. If it doesn't, your fastest course of action may be the steps at http://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#debugging_broken_documents, if you haven't already tried them.

Frank: While I did find a bug in the way I was handling missing items, I don't think it's causing this. I can't really debug this, since the document doesn't have the references stored in it, but the error is:

"blob.formatter is undefined" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/citeproc.js" line: 2961}]"

in citeproc-js 1.0.460 with http://www.zotero.org/styles/bluebook2

fbennett

@Simon: Great, I'll take it from here.

@Bonnie: I should be able to provide you with a plugin that will step past the problem. But before that, could you check whether the manuscript contains any parallel citations. The error is triggered by a weird fragment of non-text lurking in the output that it's trying to handle as a number (which is isn't, so it crashes). It's just speculation, but there is a possibility that adjustments made in a parallel citation might cause that to happen. If that's the problem, I'd like to fix it properly. Failing that, I should still be able to get you going again soon.

Let me know what you find. If there are parallel citations in there, please export them as Bibliontology RDF, paste the exported code to http://gist.github.com, save it as a Public Gist, and post the URL back here. If there aren't any, just let me know and I'll brew up a fix to get past the error.

Bonnie

I'm not quite sure what you mean by parallel citations. Can you explain?

I'm at a conference and have only my ipad with me so I don't actually have access to Zotero at the moment. I do have a word processor (Pages) so I can view the manuscript with that.

Thanks for the help

fbennett

Parallel citations would be like:
State v. Brennan, 126 N.M. 389, 970 P.2d 161 (1998).
(That would be AALL?)

Bonnie

OK - thanks FB. That kind of parallel cite I know. I wasn't sure if you were referring to something different.

I only see one - it's note 74 which reads "See, e.g. Apex Financial Corp.  v.  Brown, 7 S.W.3d 820, 829 (Tex. App. 1999); Louisville Title Co. v. Ramsey, 258 Ky. 183, 79 S.W.2d 693 (Ky. Ct. App. 1935)."

note 45, as well as some other notes, have some duplication - It reads "26 U.S.C.A.§§ 1031§ 1031 (2008). 26 U.S.C.A., §§ 1031§ 1031 (2008)." Might that be a problem?

Yes, I'm at AALL - are you by any chance?

Bonnie

I'm not sure what you mean about exporting the parallel citations with Bibliontology RDF. In any event, I don't have access to my mac with Zotero at the moment. Is this something that will need to wait until I get back Thurs?

fbennett

We should wait until you can send the actual data for those refs. The statutory references look like they might be the culprits, but it's hard to know without testing.

To export the items, select them in the center column, then right-click and choose "Export". That will open a popup with a pull-down selection list of formats. Choose "Bibliontology RDF" from the list. The export will save the items to a file in that format.

Going forward (for subsequent projects, not this one), your author would probably be better off moving to MLZ (after backing up). Installing MLZ will change the database format, making it incompatible with Zotero Standalone, but the Bluebook styles in Zotero proper aren't under active development, and have some flaws that can't be addressed without extensions to the CSL language that are available only in MLZ. The MLZ book is out now, so it's not a completely blind leap.

I'm not at AALL13, unfortunately. Give my regards to Seattle -- I've only been there once, but enjoyed the visit.

Bonnie

I tried exporting the items as you suggested but I got an error when I tried to do it. It said "[Javascript Application] An error occurred while trying to export the selected data"

Also, if I'm able to successfully export eventually, how should I get the data to you?

Gracile

Maybe you can try to export them in multiple chunks ?

If there are parallel citations in there, please export them as Bibliontology RDF, paste the exported code to http://gist.github.com, save it as a Public Gist, and post the URL back here.

(above)

Bonnie

I tried exporting small batches but keep getting the same error.

fbennett

This is starting to sound like there might be a problem with the local database on Bonnie's PC. I've send a private message, we'll see what we can discover.