Solving a Sync Problem

JVCSJ
In order to solve a sync problem (ID: 502320031), is it safe to make copy past of the storage in the computer where Zotero is in good order to the computer in which zotero needs to be updated? Thanks for your help.
  • adamsmith
    I would recommend against doing anything -- just report the sync problem itself (what exactly is/isn't happening? What error message are you getting?) and let's take it from there.
  • dstillman
    Cannot move collection "[…]" into one of its own descendents
    This isn't supposed to happen, but it's possible it could if you moved collections in conflicting ways on two different computers between syncs. You can look at the collection name in the error report to see the collection in question. If you manually adjust the placement of that collection to reflect its location in your online library (or other computers), this should go away.

    (We'll also put in a proper fix for this, but that will take a bit longer.)
  • JVCSJ
    Thank you. I think that what I did was the following: in my secondary computer, I adjusted collections and changed some names. When I came back I ativated the synchronization with the primary computer. Indeed, the message that I get is the following:

    [JavaScript Error: "can't assign to properties of (new String("Cannot move collection \"a_BOOKS TO READ/CHECK-OUT/BUY\" into one of its own descendents")): not an object" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/sync/syncRunner.js" line: 998}]

    [JavaScript Error: "Cannot move collection "a_BOOKS TO READ/CHECK-OUT/BUY" into one of its own descendents"]

    I then proceeded to change in my secondary computer the name of the Collection I assumed was causing the problem. Once I did that I deleted in the primary computer the same Collection in the hope that it would then synchronize. But it does not.

    I am seriously concerned now. And I have two questions:

    1. Is there any chance of remotly solving this problem?
    2. If I keep manually pressing the button for synchronization is it possible that the problem gets solved? Any time I press that button, the green icon turns a few times and then stops...

    Please, help again. Thank you!
  • dstillman
    This is about the hierarchy, not the name. You rearranged collections on the two computers in conflicting ways, such that the collection was a descendent on one computer of a collection it was a parent of on the other. As I say, Zotero should ideally recover from that automatically, but it doesn't at the moment.

    But you can just create a new collection, drag the items from "a_BOOKS TO READ/CHECK-OUT/BUY" into it, and then make sure the old collection is deleted on both computers.
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