error report 864305337

error report 864305337
After refreshing Firefox I had to reinstall the Zotero add-on. Once Zotero was installed I tried to sync to get all my bibliography onto my computer and kept getting a red exclamation mark. At one point a message said 'this._leftpane.ref.getField is not a function'. Subsequently it looks as if my data has arrived in Zotero on my computer, but it is still trying to sync and keeps saying 'A file synch error occurred. Please try syncing again.' I have tried restarting firefox and the computer but this has not helped.
many thanks.
  • edited January 14, 2016
    Good chance it was just a transient error. If you're still having trouble, provide a Debug ID for a sync attempt that fails.
  • The debug ID is D1281456236
    many thanks,
    Sophie
  • I don't see an error in there...
  • I have been using Zotero as normal for around an hour and it seems to be working fine, although the sync arrow has not stopped turning.
    thanks again for your help.
  • Hi, I have tried to use Zotero this morning and it is constantly trying to sync. I can't enter any information (I am trying to write notes attached to an entry). Every time I try to type anything a loading symbol appears, and firefox hangs. Firefox is working fine without Zotero.
    thanks,
    Sophie
  • In a pinch you can always temporarily disable auto-sync in the Sync pane of the preferences (though we recommend normally keeping it enabled). When you have time, you should try just letting it finish instead of force-quitting it (if that's what you're doing now).
  • edited January 18, 2016
    From your other thread:
    The sync arrow is either turning or stuck with a symbol of how far it has got.
    I'm not sure what you mean here. What "symbol" are you referring to?
  • Thanks- I don't think I can just let it finish as twice in the last hour it has stopped and said 'A file sync error occurred', the first of which prompted me to send you the error message.
    By sync arrow I mean the green symbol on the right when Zotero is open, that usually spins when syncing. That was spinning and then stopped, now it is stopped with another symbol to the left which is an exclamation mark in a red circle.
  • I'm confused — you say that Firefox hangs, but that's not the same as a file sync error. Most file sync errors can be ignored.
  • To respond to youre email- firefox hangs and then an error appears after around half an hour. I just restarted firefox to check. However this time the error message was different so I sent a report with this id: 1061341113.
    I will try disabling security to see if this helps.
  • I have had a try at disabling webroot and k9 which is an internet security system for children. The same thing happened both times.
  • edited January 18, 2016
    OK, but see the linked page — if you have a lot of files to sync, intermittent errors don't necessarily indicate a problem. You'd have to explain the problem again within the context of the info on the linked page (progress bar, etc.).
  • Basically, I'm still not understanding 1) how long it's hanging for and 2) how much progress is shown in the address bar and how many files are being synced each time.
  • Yesterday progress was 100%, 270 of 271 files, so I left it running overnight and by morning it displayed error again. Today it has a progress bar less than half full and the sync arrow is not turning. Firefox is intermittently not responding but I did get the following: 'Progress 38%, My Library Downloads: 0.6MB remaining (72/192 files) Uploads: none. Should I just keep trying? It is very disruptive as I can't use Zotero normally while it is not responding. Thanks!
  • edited January 20, 2016
    Can you provide a Debug ID for a sync attempt that hangs? To be clear, you'll need to start debug output logging, start the sync, let the sync run until it either stalls or hangs, and then submit the output (after a few seconds in the case of a stall or after you regain control in the case of a hang).
  • The first time I tried to provide a debug ID Zotero seemed to work perfectly, but later in the day it has started trying and failing to sync again and showing the error message. I have submitted debug report D292130918. The debug report ran from me clicking on the sync arrow, until this stopped turning, the red exclamation mark appeared and 'firefox not responding' came at the top of the page. I waited until firefox did respond (at least an hour) then sent the report. I'm not sure of the difference between a stall and a hang.
  • I just had a different error message, and have filed error report 334455707.
  • Hmm, backing up, I realized I overlooked a detail in your initial post. If you just reset Firefox, you should have your entire previous Zotero data directory on your desktop that you can and should just move back into place. See Restore After Firefox Reset. The other problems you're seeing would continue to be an issue afterward, but it'd be better to start with your previous data, particularly since you're missing some files that also aren't on the server (which it's trying to sync each time).

    Beyond that, are you running any sort of security software? If so, I'd try temporarily disabling it — you're getting extremely slow processing of downloaded files, which we've never seen before and which suggests that either your computer is heavily loaded with some other work or security software on your computer is interfering in a serious way.
  • I have refreshed Firefox again and followed the instructions on 'Restore after Firefox Reset', using the zotero.sqlite file from 14th Jan, i.e. before the current problem. I also moved the storage file. However when I start Zotero in firefox my data is not there.
  • edited January 21, 2016
    That means you either didn't move it to the right location or that wasn't the database you were using previously. An empty Zotero database is about 1 MB — one with data would be larger. How large is the zotero.sqlite file you're moving?
  • OK, I have tried again and the data has appeared. Had I chosen the wrong level in the file hierarchy? It is now in 'Mozilla >Firefox> Profiles>7wkfu4uh.default-1453368913712>zotero>zotero' I am confused about where I put the storage folder. How would I tell if I had done this part correctly? Also, do I need to delete the folder that I moved to the wrong place? I'm not sure how to tell which one it is.
  • edited January 22, 2016
    If you follow the instructions precisely, it will work. We can't really say them more clearly than on that page.

    Note that, unless you've changed your Zotero data directory location, 7wkfu4uh.default-1453368913712 > zotero > zotero is not correct. By default it would be 7wkfu4uh.default-1453368913712 > zotero > zotero.sqlite and 7wkfu4uh.default-1453368913712 > zotero > storage.

    Also note that an empty Zotero database is about 1 MB, so if you see that, that's not the database file that contains your data.
  • I enlisted the assistance of a friend who was able to follow the instructions and all is now well. I used Zotero all day yesterday with no problems. Thank you for your patient assistance- this is the first time I have used a forum and will be happy to do so in the future.
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