Old collections in a group library re-appearing after sync

Hello,

The Group Library I manage has around 15 members. Their frequency of syncing varies significantly; some sync several times a week, others a lot less, and some have not been active for a while. The group library has 4714 items.

I recently re-organized the whole group library by moving items between collections, creating new ones and then deleting multiple collections (not items) - I synced several times during and after the re-organizing.

Some members that did not sync before I re-organized the library have just now synced, and it seems like after that, some of the collections I already deleted or moved have re-appeared to their old location. How can that be? and is this something that will happen often if all members do not sync frequently?
  • I also just noticed that items I added to the Group Library last week have completely disappeared. Basically it's like the Standalone is like it was in mid-reorganizing last week.
  • The next major version of Zotero should handle conflicts much better, and will also handle collection-item membership differently to avoid creating conflicts at all. In the current architecture, though, item membership is a property of collections, and Zotero errs on the side of not deleting data, so if you delete a collection on one computer and another person adds or removes items to the collection before syncing, Zotero will choose the path of least destruction and restore the collection.

    If other people make local changes without syncing for a long time, you'll definitely run into trouble with the current sync architecture. The best way to avoid this for now is to make sure that everyone has auto-sync enabled and is syncing before making changes.
    I also just noticed that items I added to the Group Library last week have completely disappeared.
    Because of the way Zotero syncing works, it's extremely unlikely that items actually disappeared unless other people explicitly deleted them. Check in the library root, and sort by Date Added if necessary.
  • Thank you for your help! When will the next major version of Zotero be available?
  • If a member that has not been active for a very long time decides to sync - will another conflict occur and the collections in the Group Library go back to the way it was before?

    The changes I made in the Group Library collections are kind of major and I wonder if changing them back each time someone else syncs is something I will have to do repeatedly.
  • edited November 22, 2014
    If a member that has not been active for a very long time decides to sync - will another conflict occur and the collections in the Group Library go back to the way it was before?
    It's hard to say. If they haven't made any changes locally since the last sync, then no, it shouldn't. If they have, it could restore deleted collections or add removed items back to them, yes.
  • Regarding our comment: "If other people make local changes without syncing for a long time, you'll definitely run into trouble with the current sync architecture."

    If a member of a Group Library only views items and downloads attachments, does that apply to these "local changes," or does he/she actually have to move, delete, add data or attachments to be considered changes?
  • I'm not totally sure what you're asking. Is there a problem you're facing?
  • I manage a Group Library where members come and go every few months. Success in syncing varies and in some cases it has lead to consequences, which you mentioned above as Zotero's of path of least destruction. Keeping automatic syncing has not always worked due to bad wifi or other reasons.

    My question is related to a member that will most likely only view items and download attachments and might not be able to sync as often as the other members. I would like to know if only viewing is considered as making "changes" - therefore important the member syncs to avoid this "path of least destruction".
  • just viewing items wouldn't cause anything sync-relevant, no, so that should be fine. Just make sure s/he doesn't touch tags and/or collections.
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