Unable to insert citations in LibreOffice 4.1.4.2

lincoln21

I had no problem inserting citations when I was using an older version of LibreOffice. This afternoon I installed the latest version (4.1.4.2). Now I can no longer insert citations. There is no response after I click the Insert Citation on the menu bar of LibreOffice.
I have successfully installed Zotero Standalone 4.0 for Mac (OS X 10.9.1), Zotero 4.0 for Firefox, and the Zotero LibreOffice Integration plugin for Zotero (version 3.5.8). [The "Cite" in Zotero states: The LibreOffice/openoffice.org/NeoOffice add-in is currently installed."
Please advise. Thank you.

aurimas

Try re-installing the LibreOffice plugin. If that doesn't help, provide a Debug ID for something that doesn't work (e.g. clicking on the button in LO with no response).

lincoln21

Thanks Aurimas. This happened when I tried to get a Debug ID: I clicked "Enable" under Debug Output Logging then clicked the "Insert Citation" button in LO, but the "Submit to Zotero Server" button is light-greyish (no response when clicked).

aurimas

If the "Submit to Zotero Server" button is grayed out, that means that there is no communication between LibreOffice and Zotero.

Did you try installing the LibreOffice plugin from the web page I linked above? Because it sounds exactly like this: http://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#libreoffice_4no_response_from_plugin

Edit: make sure LO is closed when you're re-installing

lincoln21

Hi again. The Debug ID is D252541530.

lincoln21

Hi Aurimas. There's an exclamation sign at the top right corner of the Zotero Standalone screen. This message appeared after I clicked the that sign: "First Name 'David T. Kaplan, Gregory B. Marino, Nancy F. Ward, Ae....' too long." I clicked "Report Error" and got Report ID 1619051501.

aurimas

Hi Aurimas. There's an exclamation sign at the top right corner of the Zotero Standalone screen. This message appeared after I clicked the that sign: "First Name 'David T. Kaplan, Gregory B. Marino, Nancy F. Ward, Ae....' too long." I clicked "Report Error" and got Report ID 1619051501.

That's an unrelated sync error, which you should address (search for that item and fix the author). If you imported that reference from a webpage, please post the URL of the source and the contents of Library Catalog field.

I'm still not clear on whether you tried installing the LO plugin from zotero.org.

lincoln21

I did try to install the LO plugin from zotero.org. However, I stopped after this message appeared: "A newer item named 'Zotero' already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the older one you're moving? Keep Both; Stop; Replace." I stopped and didn't complete the installation. I was also concerned that the installation would wipe out my entire library. Please advise. Thanks.

aurimas

Installing LO plugin (or even Zotero for that matter) will not delete your library, but you should always have a backup of your library anyway (http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#backing_up_your_zotero_library). You should go through the whole installation procedure (with LO closed).

Edit: Oh, sorry. You should choose "Replace"

lincoln21

Hi again. I followed your instructions exactly to install the LO plugin But I still cannot insert citations. I'm back to square one. The Debug ID is D1705160261.

lincoln21

Hi again. This message appears after I click Zotero>Preferences>Cite>Word Processors>Reinstall LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice add-in:
"Installation could not be completed because an error occurred. Please ensure that LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice is closed, and then restart Zotero." I'm not sure what to do because LO (the application) is closed. Please advise. Thanks.

aurimas

Have you tried restarting your computer and installing the extension immediately after restart (without opening LO)?

From your initial post,

I have successfully installed Zotero Standalone 4.0 for Mac

That's 4.0.17, correct?

I'll refrain from giving further troubleshooting directions and let Dan take care of this, since he is actually using MacOS X. He should be around shortly.

lincoln21

Hi Aurimas. You're correct. The Zotero version is 4.0.17. All your help is much much appreciated. I look forward to hearing from Dan.

lincoln21

I restarted my Mac as you recommended; opened Zotero; went to Preferences>Cite>Word Processors and noted this: "The LibreOffice/Open Office.org/NeoOffice add-in is currently installed." So I decided not to install the extension immediately after retart (without opening LO). I then opened LO. The menu bar has "Insert Citation," "Edit Citation," "Insert Bibliography," and "Edit Bibliography" instead of four icons like before I installed that newest version of LO. The add-in is still not working.

aurimas

I restarted my Mac as you recommended; opened Zotero; went to Preferences>Cite>Word Processors and noted this: "The LibreOffice/Open Office.org/NeoOffice add-in is currently installed." So I decided not to install the extension immediately after retart (without opening LO).

Since you're still experiencing issues, the next troubleshooting step would definitely be to re-install the LO add-in without errors.

lincoln21

Hi Aurimas. Thanks for your help. Now there are two issues. Issue #1: I restarted my Mac; did not open LO; and went to Zotero>Preferences>Cite>Word Processors. This appears: LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice. The LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice Add-In is currently installed. Reinstall LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice Add-In." This message appears after I click the Reinstall button: "Installation could not be completed because an error occurred. Please ensure that LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice is closed, and then restart Zotero." However, LO in my Mac is closed so I cannot figure out why this error message appears. Issue #2: I tried to reinstall by opening LO>Tools>Extension Manager. A screen appears: "Zotero LibreOffice Integration 3.5.8. Error=The status of this extension is unknown." I went ahead anyway and clicked "Add," but got this message: "Could not create Java implementation loader." The Zotero website states that this message appears due to an outdated version of LO. However, the LO in my Mac is the latest version. This is frustrating because I have an essay due in less than one week. I have not heard from Dan and appreciate your help.

aurimas

Open the LibreOffice options dialog by choosing LibreOffice→Preferences…. In the dialog, click LibreOffice→Advanced. Ensure that “Use a Java runtime environment” is checked, and that a JRE is selected in the list below. (It may take a few seconds to load.)

What JRE(s) do you have listed/selected?

adamsmith

(@aurimas - Simon does all word processor plugin troubleshooting)

aurimas

Indeed, but he's been quite busy lately, plus I'm sure Dan can provide better (edit: better than me that is) guidance for some more trivial troubleshooting. (I was going to direct lincoln21 to check some file permissions, but I have no idea where LO stores add-ons on Mac)

lincoln21

Hi Aurimas. I followed your instructions = selected "Apple.Inc. Version: 1.6.0_65" as JRE; restarted the Mac with LO closed then went to Zotero>Preferences>Word Processors>Install LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org/NeoOffice Add-in. Installation was successful! Restarted Mac with LO closed; opened LO; tried inserting a citation and creating a bibliography. Voila! Success! Thank you VERY MUCH for ALL your help - and patience. Have a great day wherever you are!

kl696

Hi I just wanted to thank you for the information here. I upgraded to Mavericks and it shot my system to hell . Of course, I shouldn't have done the upgrade while writing essays. I had to upload java 1.6 followed the instructions here and thoroughly did the trick. So many thanks to you!