stuck "Loading items..."

lukemac

I set up my zotero database on a synced Box folder on my hard drive. I've placed that link as the Source Folder for "Attaching New files" and for the "Location of Files" under "Custom Location".

This has been working well, but I updated Zotero and upon restart it shows a perpetual "Loading items..." but never actually loads (been over an hour).

Any help appreciated. I've tried to revert my custom location back to my original 'my documents' folder, but it has the same problem.

Thanks for your help,
Luke



Report ID: 1975907722

dstillman

database disk image is malformed

Your database is corrupted. Try the DB Repair Tool.

dstillman

Oh, well, and move your data directory out of the synced Box folder — that's how you corrupted this. The database absolutely can't be stored in a cloud folder.

crookfingerjake

Will cloud storage capability ever be a thing?

bwiernik

Syncing of Zotero data is automatically "cloud storage" through Zotero's servers and is always free.

Syncing attachment files can be done either using Zotero's servers (300 mb for free, additional storage available for purchase), a WebDAV-enabled cloud server (e.g., Box), or using linked attachments in combination with the Zotfile plugin in whatever cloud folder you prefer.

See here for details on different possible setups for syncing files.
https://www.zotero.org/support/sync

dstillman

@crookfingerjake: If you meant "compatibility" and are asking if it will ever be possible to store the Zotero data directory in a cloud storage folder without risking database corruption, then no, probably not.

crookfingerjake

@bwiernik Wow, thank you for all that info, you've handed me the research I likely should have done on my own.

@dstillman I suppose the nature of the db and cloud storage are at fault here, thanks for the input.

emilymkraemer

I have the same problem - I've also been storing my Zotero database on Box. It's worked for months and this issue arose yesterday... why the change? I'd really like to keep my database on Box.

fbennett

Nothing has changed in Zotero, but you enjoyed a run of good luck for several months. Zotero needs to have exclusive control over a single copy of the database file. That's just the way the database is designed to work. When the file is stored in a cloud folder, it is vulnerable to changes made by multiple instances of Zotero running at various times, and if Zotero finds the file in an unexpected state, it will freak out.