Can't create file

pbinkley
I am trying to sync from my Windows workstation, and I'm getting this error:

Error: 'The file 'FU6QNXT9/Zorbaugh - 1929 - Sex in Civilization. by Calverton Schmallhausen.
.pdf' could not be created in the Zotero 'storage' directory.' when calling method: [nsIWebProgressListener::onStateChange] = NS_ERROR_XPC_JS_THREW_STRING


I have deleted the offending pdf and the item that contains it from my Mac, where it was initially added, and I've synced from there. The item no longer appears in my online library. The Windows box, though, still insists on trying to create it. I think the problem may be that there's an actual carriage return in the file name.

I've tried restoring my db from the server on the Windows box, and I've tried copying zotero.sqlite from the Mac to the Windows box, but it still reports this error on a now non-existent file.

So, how do I get Zotero to forget all about that file and never try to create it again?
  • adamsmith
    have you emptied your Zotero trash before syncing? If not, do that - preventing this from coming back:this is the second equivalent error we're seeing today which is a bit worrying - where did you get that file from, do you remember?
  • pbinkley
    I'll try the trash trick now. The file came from JSTOR but was renamed from the parent metadata, and the title field was populated by copying and pasting. This is a book review, which always come out untitled in JSTOR (very annoying), so I pasted in the list of reviewed books - so it would be easy to have carriage returns in the pasted text. I'll recreate it when I've got the syncing working and post details.
  • adamsmith
    ah thanks - that should help the devs to prevent this - obviously you shouldn't have a /CR in your title field, but Zotero shouldn't create any filenames that don't work.
  • pbinkley
    Emptying the trash did the trick! Thanks very much for the solution.

    The item in question is here: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2960835

    I imported it (clicked the icon in the location bar), then clicked "View citation" and copied and pasted the list of reviewed books into the title field. The carriage returns do indeed survive the pasting. If I then try to rename the pdf from parent metadata on the Windows box, nothing happens. When I sync it over to the Mac and rename from parent metadata there, though, it ends up with a filename that appears to contain a carriage return. Using ls -B shows a \012 in the filename.
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