Bibliography (auto-)refreshment does not work after zotero update.

knuttutgut
Hi,

I am using Zotero + Word 2016 for MacOS for my thesis.

Today, Zotero ran and auto-update that also made me update Word2016 to the latest version.

Since these updates, I'm encountering the following problem:

As soon as I insert a new citation, my bibliography at the end of the document becomes "regular text" (before, it is a "functional field") and the new citations do not get added to bibliography anymore. If I insert a new bibliography, this one includes all references, but still, the new bibliography is plain text and thus new citations won't get added....

Does someone else have this problem or know how to solve it?

Much appreciated!!
  • adomasven
    Does it work correctly in a new document?
  • adamsmith
    That's quite odd -- so clicking refresh doesn't update the bibliography?
    Is this also true in a new document?

    But also, how critical is this for you? You can still just add the final, actualized bibliography, correct?
  • knuttutgut
    It also doesn't work in a new document - and true, refresh won't update the bibliography, but it will update citatins (e.g. if I change styles).

    What's also really odd: when I insert a formerly cited citation, it keeps the field formatting and refreshes. If I the re-cite that same formerly cited citation a second time, the problem occurs.... So with an "old citation" it works correctly one time, then fails at a second attempt.

    If I insert a new citation (not formerly cited) right away, it already fails during the first attempt.

    really, really weird.....

    @adamsmith, you're right, it's not super critical, as I can add the finaal bib when I'm done writing. But it's still kind of a pain, not seeing it automatically get larger, and also it's just really weird that it is happenig at all....
  • adomasven
    What style are you using and what specific version of Word is it (e.g. 16.18)? What are the exact steps to reproduce it in a fresh document?
  • knuttutgut
    I am using my university's custom style (which has worked well before the updates) and my version of Word is 16.16.3.

    Steps to reproduce are:
    - open fresh document
    - write a few lines
    - insert citation that has worked before (noteably, from former zotero collection)
    - add bibliography
    ---> bibliography shows up as plain text right away

    I supposse I could and will also try a new zotero collection.
  • adomasven
    Does the bibliography break with other styles too? If you press the Add/Edit Bibliography button again, is the bibliography inserted in plaintext again or do you get the bibliography editor?
  • knuttutgut
    edited November 5, 2018
    Yep, breaks with other style, e.g. Nature, too. And pressing add/edit bibl. again inserts plaintext again with no bibl. editor showing up.

    Also, opening a new zotero library doesn't work either, but apparently libraries don't really matter to inserts of citations in word anyways, at it scans all libraries?
  • knuttutgut
    I wonder, if it all has to do with the Word2016 rather than the Zotero update. The Microsoft Auto-Updater automatically rewrote my former Normal.dotm, and that it auto-saved a copy of my old Normal.dotm.

    Unfortunately, it didn't say where it saved that copy, and I'm not able to find it, even with the help of other (MS Office-related) forum.

    Can someone here help where to find that Normal.dotm backup? I would be really curious if resetting it to the old one would help get rid of this bibliography problem.
  • knuttutgut
    UPDATE:

    today, Zotero ran an auto-update on startup again, and now bibliography refreshment seems to work just fine again.

    Seems like it was a problem with the previous Zotero update after all..
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