"The following item has been changed in multiple locations"

thomasmichaelgoebel
Hello,
I have a syncing problem. I am using zotero on two computers, one Mac, one PC, and I sync regularly. Recently, when syncing on the Mac, I get the following message about 126 times:
"The following item has been changed in multiple locations". I am forced to chose one version, normally the merged one, and confirm OK 126 times. In the end I get an error message, which however refers to storage limits (can't see how the two problems are connected; I guess the storage shouldn't be an issue here). Anyway, I reported the error (ID: 2045664216).
When I sync anew, I again get the error message about the 126 items that have been changed in multiple locations.
Not sure whether related to this: the syncing appears to be incomplete, because when for example adding tags to an item (one that is not among the 126 ones about which I get the message) the new tags don't appear in the zotero online library after syncing.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Michael
  • dstillman
    First, to understand why you're seeing the same conflicts over and over, read this: http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/repeated_conflicts
    [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80630003 (NS_ERROR_STORAGE_CONSTRAINT) [mozIStorageStatement.execute]" nsresult: "0x80630003 (NS_ERROR_STORAGE_CONSTRAINT)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/db.js :: :: line 140" data: no] [QUERY: DELETE FROM creatorData WHERE creatorDataID=?] [ERROR: delete on table "creatorData" violates foreign key constraint "fkd_creators_creatorDataID_creatorData_creatorDataID"]
    This doesn't refer to Zotero File Storage. It's a data syncing error, and one we haven't seen before.

    First, make sure your database passes the integrity check in the Advanced pane of the Zotero preferences. If it does, provide a Debug ID for the error, starting right before you accept the last conflict and stopping right after you get the error.
  • thomasmichaelgoebel
    Thanks!

    1. As you suggested read http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/repeated_conflicts
    I'm pretty sure I didn't cancel the conflict resolution process. However, contrary to what it says on that page about repeated conflicts, I don't have a Next/Finish button regardless of how much I enlarge the window (working on a 13" Mac here. Instead I have the options "Go Back" or "Continue" after choosing whether I prefer the local or the remote version of the conflicted item. I choose one, then click "Continue" - all the way through the 126 items.

    2. Then did the integrity check. Result: all fine.

    3. Then went on to get the Debug ID, as you said.
    Normally, when clicking "Submit to Zotero Server" under "Debug Output Logging" in the Advanced Preferences - just before accepting the last conflict - I get an error response that says "Invalid Response from Server". Third time I tried, for some reason I did get a debug ID, though:
    D716941404
  • dstillman
    No, the relevant point is that you're getting a sync error. As long as you get a sync error, you'll continue to get the conflicts each time you sync.

    Unfortunately the error seems to have occurred before the start of that debug output. Since you're on a Mac, you can generate real-time debug output for the whole sync process, from the beginning of the sync. Then press Cmd-S in Terminal and save the complete output to a text file, Control-click on the file and compress it, and e-mail the resulting zip file to support@zot....org with a link to this thread. (You'll have to go through the conflicts again, I'm afraid.)
  • thomasmichaelgoebel
    Hi Dan,
    Thanks so much. I just sent the zip file. I hope I did this right. Am a bit of a novice to this higher IT science, as you can see.
    Probably irrelevant: I am using zotero standalone on the Mac, but the Firefox-integrated version on the PC.
  • dstillman
    That's debug output, but that doesn't appear to show syncing at all (or it's cut off). Be sure to clear the Terminal with Cmd-K immediately before beginning syncing, as the instructions note.
  • thomasmichaelgoebel
    Sorry. Ok, tried again. Hope it works now.
  • dstillman
    edited November 25, 2011
    Got it, thanks. Could you upload your database to the DB Repair Tool and e-mail the Upload ID to support? You can ignore the download link the tool provides for now—not worth it for you to go through the conflicts again until I run some more tests. Don't post your Upload ID publicly.
  • thomasmichaelgoebel
    OK, uploaded it and sent the e-mail to support. Thanks!
  • dstillman
    I'm not able to reproduce this, but try deleting the local versions of the two items—in two of your libraries—with the author I sent to you via e-mail. Be sure to empty the trash afterwards. There's some edge case here involving the changes made to that creator across libraries in multiple locations.

    Those items will probably be recreated during conflict resolution. Otherwise you can add them again once you've synced.
  • thomasmichaelgoebel
    Thanks so much, that actually did the trick!
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