can't erase server data and overwrite with local and sync times

Peggy Ostrom
Good afternoon.

I want to erase all server data and overwrite my library (on zotero.org) with my local zotero library (on my pc). I have tried this several times and when I hover over the sync error see that it says "accepting local data". When sync is finished, I see that my server library has not changes (i.e. it has citations that are not in the local pc library). I have tried this several times and even restarted firefox a few times... no luck. I have read various feeds on sync and I can't seem to find one that helps.

Also, in trying these actions sync times were on the order of 2-4 hours e.g. on Sat morning (10AM) and Sat afternoon (10pm). This morning sync times were faster (only tried once) m aybe this has to do with your update of the server.

thanks for your assistance, Peggy Ostrom
  • fcheslack
    Is this with a library that was started with a fresh install and you are using "Restore to Zotero Server" or did you delete items from an existing library?
    If the latter did you empty your Zotero trash after deleting the items (and before syncing)?
  • Peggy Ostrom
    I installed Zotero a week or so ago. Created a library on my pc and sync'd with Zotero web site. Lets call this original library. Because the original library has multiple copies of references and other reasons, I want to replace original library with a new library from my PC. Lets call this new library. The new library is a subset of "original library" (contains fewer references and no duplicates". I went to sync> Reset>and chose erase all server data and overwrite with local zotero data then I clicked reset. The "original library" exists in MY LIBRARY on the Zotero web site and then "new library" exists on my PC.

    Ultimately, I would like to sync multiple computers to the same version of MY LIBRARY on the Zotero web site. If I can't get the correct version of MY LIBRARY on the Zotero web site, I won;t be able to do this.

    By the way, I do not know anything about emptying Zotero trash. Do you mean on my PC or in my library on the Zotero web site. I don't see an option for it on either the Zotero log in page or on the Zotero screen (the one that comes up with ctrl alt z) Perhaps this is the issue
  • fcheslack
    Open the Zotero pane, at the bottom of your collections is the Zotero trash. If you click on the trash and there are items in it that is probably the problem. Right click -> empty trash and sync again. If that is the problem a normal sync should do.
  • Peggy Ostrom
    I'll give this a try. However, the "old library" contains a reference that not in the trash. I emptied the trash and will sync again now and let you know how this goes
    thanks!
  • Peggy Ostrom
    After emptying the trash, I now have another problem. I see that the "new library" meaning the one on my pc has multiple copies of every reference (say 5 copies of every reference). I certainly don't want all of these either in my local library (new library on pc) or the zotero library that I will use to sync computers . Why did emptying the trash so many copies and how do I recover from this error? Do i need to delete every multiple...this will mean thousands of clicks as there must be a thousand multiples now.
  • Peggy Ostrom
    I still don't understand why multiple copies of my citations were made when I emptied the trash. I spent the time to delete all the extra copies (sometimes up to 7), emptied the trash, the reset as I mentioned above and ALL IS FINE! The library on the PC Zotero pane and the Library on the Zotero web site under my login match. Phew. I was also able to sync this library to another PC. To top it off, the sync time was under 10 minutes. Yahoo.
    I certainly would like to understand all of this but right now I am just happy its all working.

    This all started because I ALWAYS was getting multiple copies of references
    I suspect this arises when you auto sync. So, I am going to manually sync. Its not difficult and shouldn't take too long but deleting references and mucking around like I did this weekend took hours! Hope these comments are helpful to someone.
  • ajlyon
    edited October 24, 2010
    This all started because I ALWAYS was getting multiple copies of references
    I suspect this arises when you auto sync.
    It doesn't. Something else was afoot, and it would be worthwhile for you to keep using autosync. If you don't trust it after this escapade, make a backup (http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#how_do_i_back_up_my_zotero_library) of your clean data and try using autosync for a day. See if it creates duplicates -- if it does, revert to your backup.
  • dstillman
    The only way you should get duplicates is if you sync separate Zotero libraries, where separate means created via export/import or upgrading independently from Zotero 1.0.
  • clachapelle
    I am having quite similar problems. I started with a set of references on the server that I uploaded some time ago (old library). I had been using Endnote in the meantime for a variety of reasons, but then wanted to try to switch back to zotero. First I uploaded my new library. Then I realized that merging duplicates was taking me about 15-20 seconds per duplicate, and as I had well over 2 thousand duplicates, that was not going to work. (BTW, why is there no option to "do this for all duplicates"?)

    So, I tried to delete everything from my library and re-import. I was able to delete from my local library after a few false starts (delete, reinstate library from trash, delete all again, finally manage to clear all records from trash) which doubled the size of my library from about 7000 to about 14000--not sure how that happened-- but now I have a new problem. When I try to sync so I can start fresh, it appears to want me to INDIVIDUALLY choose which copy of each record to keep: the deleted or the old copy. Only the old copy has a button for "keep this". There is no way to do only part of the choosing at a time. When I cancel the sync, I find I have to start over again when I re-sync. I can find no way to "choose all old" or "choose all deleted" and get this over with. It's taking me about 2 seconds to go through each record. Even if I were confident that It's doing what I want each time (there's no button for choosing "deleted") it will still take me about 7 hours to clean the library out this way!

    So, I tried going on the web. Unfortunately I seem to only be able to clean out 25 records at a time through that interface, and they're still in the trash, and I can't see a way to empty the trash (no right click available).

    Help?
  • adamsmith
    edited March 16, 2012
    So if I understand you correctly, you want to overwrite anything that's on the server with the local version of your library?

    If that's correct (and really only if it is) - go into the Zotero preferences --> sync -->Reset --> Restore to Zotero server (careful! - the default is the opposite) and click the Reset button.

    Edit: The reason to not allow "merge all duplicate" is that the duplicate feature is _much_ too imprecise for that. In a typical library that would merge a large number of items that aren't duplicates.
  • clachapelle
    Ah, excellent, it worked! Thanks.
  • biermam
    I can confirm that "Restore to Zotero" server works.
    I started Zotero and switch off autosync. Then I shut Zotero down.
    I deleted the empty local library directory, then I started local Zotero again. My library contained only the "Zotero Quick Start Guide".
    Then I pressed "Restore to Zotero Server" from Preferences/Sync/ subtab "Reset", ignored the warning, and bingo! my library on the server was zapped down to just the "Zotero Quick Start Guide".
    This may not always work - verify through the web interface that the libray data on the server are really gone.
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