OSX: LibreOffice 5.1 freeze with Zotero plugin + Java 1.8

gagarine

Hello,

I installed the zotero plugin for LibreOffice 5.1. Icon bar show up in LibreOffice but if I click on a icon libreoffice freeze. I can only insert citation (but it feel a bit buggy) but all other actions fail.

My LibreOffice 5.1 is a x86_64 build that is supposed to work with java 8. I checked in preference -> advanced, java 1.8.0_25 is selected.

Java version
➜ ~ java -version
java version "1.8.0_05"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_05-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.5-b02, mixed mode)

Zotero in standalone without any browser plugin.

Regards

gagarine

Someone has success installing the plugin on OSX with the latest LibreOffice? I'm the only one with those problems?

adamsmith

If you can insert citations, this would seem to work in general -- going by past experience, either communication works or it doesn't. In what way do other options fail? What type of issues make inserting citations feel buggy?

gagarine

I have the following problems among others:

# Case 1
1 Launch LibreOffice
2 Click on "add a citation"

=> LibreOffice lose the focus and nothing append. LibreOffice don't respond. Need to force quit LibreOffice.

# Case 2
1 Launch ZoteroStandalone
2 Launch LibreOffice
3 Click to "add a citation"

=> Preference Open
4 Click "ok" on the preference
5 Click "add a citation" again

=> Zotero show up in front off libreOffice (it should stay in the back)
=> The search box show up
6 Search and Select a citation

=> Citation is correctly inserted

7 Put the cursor on the right off the citation number
8 Click "edit the citation"

=> LibreOffice lose the focus and nothing append. LibreOffice don't respond. Need to force quit LibreOffice.


# Case 3
1 Launch ZoteroStandalone
2 Launch LibreOffice
3 Click "edit document preferences"
=> ZoteroStandalone bounce
=> LibreOffice lose the focus and nothing append. LibreOffice don't respond. Need to force quit LibreOffice.


I can make infinite number of cases... Most of the actions of the plugin make LibreOffice crash.

adamsmith

That's not good. Zotero runs very limited code in LibreOffice (the main part happens in Standalone), so the fact that LibreOffice crashes is likely a problem on their end (it doesn't seem to me like LO for Mac is particularly reliable overall), but it's also the case that I don't currently know anyone who is testing LO/Zotero on Mac extensively, so anyone with more insights would be very welcome to chime in.

gagarine

I was finally able to make it kind of works. The things is as soon you do somethings the "wrong" way LibreOffice freeze.

If Zotero is not running and you try to use the LibreOffice plugin -> libreOffice freeze. So this should of course not append, the user don't know it has to run Zotero first.

=> workaround: Launch Zotero first.

I was able to edit the citation by being on the right of the citation index in the text. But if you click one "edit citation" and you text cursor is not on a citation in the footer libreOffice freeze.

=> workaround: click in the citation on the footer


It feel like LibreOffice is "waiting" on somethings but never receive the information back because the information was not send correctly it and wait for ever.

joris.muller

Hello,

I have the same bug that gagarine describes on one of my two zotero libraries. One of my zotero library has this bug and not the other one.

I tested the buggy zotero library
- On Ubuntu Linux and everything works fine.
- on another Mac (with everything up to date) and I have still the bugs
- With Word: I still have the bug but with an error message. When I select a citation and try to edit it, I have a message "You have to select a citation if you want to edit it" (translated from French).
- with zotero Firefox and Zotero standalone: same problem

My config:

- Libreoffice 5.0.4.2
- Zotero firefox 4.0.29.4
- Zotero standalone 4.0.29.4
- Word 15.19.1
- OSX 10.11.3
- Ubuntu 15.10

Any idea?

adamsmith

"The same bug" isn't really clear here, since Gagarine describes a range of behaviors under different conditions. It seems like the main issue is that any type of error message from the Zotero add-on freezes LibreOffice (insteada of just displaying the error message).

As for Word -- that's obviously an entirely different issue, but have you tried selecting the whole citation rather than just placing your cursor into it? And I take it that's with bookmarks rather than fields? I'd start a new thread for the Word issue if you want to follow up on that. Let's keep this one on LibreOffice for Mac.

joris.muller

I agree with you, it's not clear. I just wanted to do a quick feedback with different tries. If I have time, I will describe this bug clearly.

Letterus

I am experiencing the same issues (those using the combination of LO and Zotero). Any ideas on this?

Letterus

Reading https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting I detected the problem: Those citations causing problems were within a table. Zotero/the word processor plugin cannot handle that.

adamsmith

(FWIW, I don't think we can do much about this, because it's related to how LO handles reference marks in tables. This is based on recollection, not re-checking, though, so anyone should feel free to take a closer look).

gagarine

To be honest, I end up using Microsoft Word (I was eligible for a free license) because LO+Zotero was way to unstable for serious works. But I feel sad than an open source project "force me" to use a closed source one...

Perhaps guys from LO can help.

adamsmith

Yeah, I've given up on LibreOffice for serious writing. Too many issues, many unrelated to Zotero.

gagarine

Agree. I wish we can see more integration in tools like lyx, manuscript app, textedit, ... lyx is almost perfect for me but miss a good outliner and integration with Antidote (external corrector) and Zotero and it's heavy. So I end up using word :/.

Every couple of months I feel like starting an text editor, but after I remind myself I have better things todo and it's always easy to start but become quickly harder...

manuscript was promising, but it's closed source, very unstable, and again no integration with external tools.

jakobpersson

I hope this helps some people:

Using citations inside tables is a major NO NO when using the LibreOffice plugin to create a bibliography. I got rid of the one citation that was inside a table cell and then it suddenly worked. My ODT was compiled from Scrivener.