Report - no print or save options

New to Zotero. Did a quick search in forums but could not find anyone with a similar problem.

I can generate a report, but there are no options for saving or printing. What can I do to change this. It seems that no one else is having this problem. I've even tried hotkeys and not working.

I use Windows Vista, PC - Dell Inspiron; typically use Chrome browser, but also Explorer (not sure what type of browser the report page is opening up in).
  • A bunch of threads on this - this isn't currently supported in Standalone, will be in the future
    http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/21677/how-to-print-or-save-a-report-using-standalone/
  • Ok thanks. Frustration got the best of me ... probably should have spent more time searching. So is this supported online?
  • No. Only in the Firefox client.
  • I have read through more posts and see that people do print from Firefox. I downloaded Firefox and opened up my Zotero.org acct in a Firefox browser. My library is synced, but I don't see any options for generating reports.
  • edited February 22, 2012
    There is a misunderstanding: you have to install zotero add-on for firefox (what fbennett called "the firefox client").
  • ok, i've downloaded and installed the add-on for firefox.

    I am not seeing any place to generate reports.

    I know there is a step-by-step page to print reports, but is there a step-by-step page on using the firefox client for zotero? Do I need to uninstall the standalone or something?
  • You don't need to un-install standalone, but you can't have them running at the same time if you want to use the report feature in FF.

    Then, you click on Zotero on the bottom right of your browser window, or in your Tools menu, and it will open. From there the generate report instructions should just apply.
  • Ok, I finally got it. I was not familiar enough with firefox (or add-ons?) to know how to access the add-on. I finally right clicked browser window and selected "Menu Bar." This allowed me to look under "Tools" and then select Zotero. I imported my library from the stand alone version ... and now I am finally able to save or print the report.
  • edited February 22, 2012
    I imported my library from the stand alone version
    What does that mean? You shouldn't need to "import" anything. By default Zotero for Firefox and Zotero Standalone will use the data directory of whichever you first installed, and you can switch back and forth between the two. You shouldn't have two separate copies of your data directory on your system.
  • Ok, well that might explain the fact that I have a duplicate of everything now.

    When I first opened it up, it was blank, so I thought that I would have to do the work manually.
  • edited February 22, 2012
    It shouldn't have been blank either unless you told it not to share the existing data directory. With the default settings, it should have just opened up your existing library. Also, even if you were using a different data directory, just syncing—which it sounds like you eventually did—would have been better than using import (though it's not recommended to sync between two installations on the same system).

    You can sort your library by Date Added, delete the imported items, and empty the trash.
  • See Zotero data directory for more on this. You probably want to make sure both Zotero Standalone and Zotero for Firefox are set to use the same data directory. (One will need to be set to a custom location within the other's profile directory.)
  • Dan - out of curiosity and to help other users: I know of course that ZSA prompts and defaults to sharing the data directory with an existing ZFF installation.
    But what happens when users install in the opposite order, i.e. as Jamie here first install ZSA and then install ZFF?
  • They should get a similar warning and default option.
  • I'm also interested in this function as I've been using the note section as a way of recording the location of books in various libraries that I want to read. I have downloaded FF as I was aware that this function isn't available for standalone yet but I've just read this thread and wondered if you could expand on the following quote below as I don't want to do anything that would threaten my library:

    Dan Stillman:"though it's not recommended to sync between two installations on the same system"
  • What Dan means is that if you're running both Standalone and Zotero for FF on the same system, you should have them share a data directory on your local hard-drive - that's the default option during install.

    You shouldn't use the online sync function to keep them the same - while I don't think it would do any damage, there's simply no reason to do that.
  • I'm also interested in this function as I've been using the note section as a way of recording the location of books in various libraries that I want to read. I have downloaded FF as I was aware that this function isn't available for standalone yet
    Not sure what you mean here. Zotero Standalone certainly supports note editing.
  • I assume Mark wants to print reports, which have the notes, to take along on library trips.
  • Thanks for the clarification, and apologies Dan for not being more specific, but yes Adamsmith is right that I wanted to use the report function so I could take this to the library. I'll download the FF add-on now and have a bit of a play around.
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