Bug report: Cannot re-open Add-ons window after opening Homepage link

mjthoraval

I have characterized a bug with the Add-ons window. After clicking on a Homepage link in the Add-ons window -> more, and closing the Add-ons window, the Add-ons window will not re-open anymore. When closing Zotero with the top right cross (windows 10), Zotero will not completely close, but continue running in the background. To recover from the bug, I need to kill the Zotero process.

Steps to reproduce:
1) Open the Add-ons window from Tools menu.
2) Click on "More" from one of the plugins.
3) Click on the Homepage link.
4) Close the Add-ons window.
5) Try to re-open the Add-ons window.
At that stage, the Add-ons window (or the Debug Output window) cannot be opened anymore.

I have recorded the process when this is happening with the following Debug ID (tested with all plugins disabled), with the option "Restart with Logging Enabled...":
The Debug ID is D1423743892.
I did not get any error during that process.

In the testing process to track down the problem, I have also submitted a few other Debug IDs and Report IDs (in case they are useful):
The Debug ID is D412866604.
Report ID: 81085223
The Debug ID is D1352121067.

There was also an earlier error report (submitted, but I did not save the ID). I just remember the following keywords in it, if you can find it back: getSelectedCollection, itemPane, save to preferences too much data (or something like this)...
This may be an unrelated problem, but I haven't been able to repeat this error so far.

PS: Is it the expected behaviour that the Add-ons and Debug Output open in the same window?

mjthoraval

Can anyone reproduce this bug?
I still observe it in Zotero 6.0.14-beta.4+32b64b3cf on Windows 10.

This could be related to this problem reported earlier:
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/99193/close-zotero-but-the-process-still-there

Backlash

I was able to reproduce the bug exactly as you mentioned. Also your solution worked for me!

I'm running Zotero 6.0.16 on on Debian 10.

This bug also might cause your extensions to stop working. In my case, when re-opening zotero in your step 5, my column "Special tags" from the plugin ZoteroSpecialTagsColumn was missing and I couldn't add it again. Killing the processes and restarting zotero brought back the column and I was able to open the tools-window again.

poettli

I see the same with Zotero 6.0.17 on macOS Monterey.

Also, with the Add-ons Manager opened, every time I click on "Window" in the menu bar, "My Library - Zotero" and "Add-ons Manager" get repeated.

tim820

I can reproduce this bug in 6.0.16 (latest) under Windows 10:
Select Add-Ons via Tools menu.
Click on an Add-on's Homepage, and its URL opens in FF browser.
Close Add-Ons window.
Now Add-Ons window will no longer open when selected in Tools menu.
Exit from Zotero.
Re-start Zotero.
Add-Ons window still won't open when selected from Tools menu.
Exit Zotero.
Task Manager shows Zotero process still running. Kill it with End Task.
Start Zotero.
Now Add-Ons window can be opened again.

ville.aakko

I was hit by this bug on Arch Linux, too.

I can reproduce this with the steps in the original report.

I also got a similar problem with Zotfile preferences. Trying to open it does not open the preferences. But that could be a separate bug with the plugin - or perhaps related.

Either way, both bugs can be worked around by closing Zotero, finding there is a stray process and killing it.

dcocharro

I have the same issue and I noticed the following in the window menu (screenshot included).
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u3659862/uspo515mdz8kd362o16o.png

It seems like some window management leak, which stays open when the window is closed.

gaoyu19920914

Thanks to ville.aakko's comment (https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/comment/428291/#Comment_428291). I successfully solved this problem with your help.