Newbie:Installed Firefox. Need help in geting it to work with Zotero

katie.w
Following the start guide video I see there is a square shaped box representing Zoltero next to the star in the Firefox browser. I cant browse and add to my Zoltero library. There is no connection and I dont see this <Click the Zotero icon in the bottom-right corner of your browser window to open your Zotero library.> I have pinned both Zotero and Firefox to my task bar using icons. Is this what they mean?

There seems to be a step missing. Do I need to customise firefox? I have all my passwords, favouites in explorer and there is no toolbar in firefox. Do I need to make it my home page and if so will I retain all my customisation of explorer?

How do I get started please? I want to go online and add my libraries etc. It is a pain if I cant get to my passwords because I need them to browse libraries. Sorry never used anything else but explorer and it is set up to my requirements.
  • adamsmith
    Do you see the icon next to the star here?
    http://www.amazon.com/The-Wealth-Nations-Modern-Library/dp/0679424733
    It won't appear on every page.

    The other question I'm not sure I understand - but no, you don't need to do anything in Firefox except install Zotero for it to work.
  • katie.w
    No I cant see it Adam. This is the same page in the start guide video and in the video and it is different. There are some round buttons on the top and next to the browser url search box there is a big " Z" in the video.
    Do I go to the browser once in Zotero? I cant see how to do this?
    many thanks
  • fbennett
    edited April 23, 2012
    I have pinned both Zotero and Firefox to my task bar using icons.
    Do I go to the browser once in Zotero?
    From these parts of your posts, it sounds like you have installed Firefox and Zotero Standalone, and are having trouble because Standalone looks different from what you see in the video (which shows Zotero operating as part of the browser -- and you don't see a browser anywhere in Zotero). Is that a near description of your situation? (I'll save the explanation that follows for later, in case I've misread what you've written.)
  • adamsmith
    I really have a hard time telling what you're doing and seeing - since it sounds like you're using Zotero after having it recommended to you by someone, it would be _much_ easier if you could find someone (that person?) who could spend 5mins showing you the ropes in person.

    If that's really not possible we can try to help you here, but for that we would need you to write more structured posts, describing step-by-step what you have done so far and what you're doing.
  • katie.w
    Sorry Adam. No one recommended it to me as I knew it existed and looked it up. I don't know anyone else who uses it.


    To fBennet. Yes that is what I am saying in a nutshell thanks, although
    I am only guessing that the video appears to be showing the browser operating inside Zotero. It is the only explanation I can think of.
    kind regards
  • fbennett
    edited April 23, 2012
    That's all clear then. We can see the source of your difficulties, and it should be pretty simple to get you going.

    First, uninstall Standalone Zotero. You may return to it later (it is used to connect browsers other than Firefox to the Zotero database), but we want to keep things simple at the start.

    Next, close down the Firefox browser if you have it running, and then start it up again.

    Next, visit http://zotero.org, click on the big red Download Now button, and scroll down to where it says Zotero for Firefox. Click on the link that says "Zotero 3.0.3 for Firefox" (the version number it says there goes up from time to time, but that's what it says now). Say OK to the popups, and Zotero will be installed inside your Firefox browser.

    Now you can browse the Web in Firefox, and the little square icon will turn up in the address bar, just as advertised. :)
  • katie.w
    Thank you very much. Have to close down for several hours so will set it up again later. I wondered if that was the solution. I just hope I can set up my passwords - but once it is working I will troubleshoot Firefox and familiarise myself with it.
    Once again thanks for your time.

    regards
    Kaye
  • katie.w
    fbennett

    I uninstalled Firefox and downloaded the file as you stated but I couldn't open it with windows. I couldn't find a solution.

    Error
    <Compressed archive of primary file installation components � used by the Mozilla installer script to setup and install various applications. You may search the following Web site for related software and information>: I had previously downloaded freox for windows.

    regards
  • adamsmith
    you need to read more carefully - if something isn't clear, better ask for clarification:

    Frank (fbennett) told you to de-install Zotero Standalone, you should not have de-installed Firefox.
    The easiest for now will be for you to just re-install Firefox.
    When you download the file Frank guided you too _with Firefox_ it will automatically ask you whether you want to install the Zotero add-on and, if you click OK, install Zotero.
  • katie.w
    Sorry I meant I had reinstalled Zotero not firefox as stated and used the link.

    However when I go to open it I got that message. I tried again and found the window where I can open by browsing. Although Firefox wasn't in my options to open because it wasn't installed I eventually found it and it is now installed. I can see the icon when I go into library.

    Thank you for your assistance.
  • katie.w
    I am really sorry but I used Zotero once it was in firefox and managed to get a book into my library. But when I sent to do another search
    I had to start firefox again. There is no short cut option to be able to pin it to the task bar so had to search for it. I opened it again and it wanted to install and restart firefox. I have firefox open but I cant get Zotero into firefox again. It keeps repeating the same pattern.

    How do I keep it there. Sorry but never used firfox before. Should I make it my default browser? I have to go away for an hour or two.
    I di appreciate help in getting this going.
  • adamsmith
    Zotero will only work as long as you're using Firefox. It's part of the Firefox browser.
    You can pin any program to the taskbar in Windows:
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Pin-a-program-to-the-taskbar
    you don't need any shortcut for that.

    I'm not sure what you mean by "I can't get Zotero into Firefox again"
    Do you see Zotero listed under "Tools" in Firefox?
  • katie.w
    I am an advanced user and have installed hundreds of programmes over 15 years. I know how to pin shortcuts. There is no option to pin this file to my desktop toolbar. My problem is that my installation is still in downloads and everytime I open it it wants to install and it has done this 5 times, and then has to restart but nothing changes. It is only located in downloads and it is not an application file. .... Downloads/zotero-3.o.3.xpi. I have never downloaded anything that is not an exe file so this xpi file is a new one for me.
    As for Firefox file menu I don't have a firefox toolbar so no I can't see "file". I have a google search box, bookmark and home button for firefox. That is all there is in firefox

    I have only dealt with exe files(applications) so not sure how I can change this business of wanting to install.The only place I can open it from is in downloads and I open with firefox. Then the installation starts over again. I am just going around in circles.

    So sorry if I appear dumb but I cant solve this. I have a website I maintain and other advanced programmes yet I cant solve this problem.
  • katie.w
    edited April 24, 2012
    Ok I think I have got it working for the time being. I don't know what it will be like when I close and open again. I managed to install toolbar. Hopefully all is ok now.
  • fbennett
    You don't need to click on the XPI file again. Once you click on it in Firefox and install the Zotero plugin, Zotero is installed. The XPI file is just the installer; you can delete it after using it once (in fact you could run it over the wire to install, without saving it as a file locally).

    To access Zotero, just run Firefox again; the plugin will be there waiting.
  • katie.w
    Thanks Frank

    I seem to have the gist of it now. I can see the Zotero in the right hand corner and I have added to my library and set up the sync.and it is working.

    Good to know I will never lose my citations again. I was about to give up on this. I just need to add my favourites etc into Firefox and make it my default.

    kind regards
  • fbennett
    Great to hear. Now to explain what Zotero Standalone is for ...

    The simplest Zotero configuration is the "bundle" of Firefox with the Zotero plugin inside it. Some people prefer other browsers, and it has recently become possible to use "Standalone Zotero" to access your same Zotero database, without using Firefox. In that configuration, you run two applications: Standalone Zotero (that is, Zotero without the Firefox browser); and a browser such as Google Chrome, with a Zotero "connector" plugin. The two programs (Standalone Zotero and the non-Firefox browser) communicate with one another to provide the same service as Zotero running as a Firefox plugin.

    There are no special advantages to using Standalone, and as far as I know it doesn't yet work with Internet Explorer. If you have things installed now and are happy with the way things are working, there is no need to change things around. But I thought it might be useful to fill out the picture.
  • katie.w
    Thank you frank

    Yes if I had google chrome already installed it would be useful. But I am happy now and because I cant export my favourites I am rebuilding bookmarks. It is easy enough to switch between them as I have taken explorer off as the default.

    The person whom I have engaged to redo everything uses endnotes so she should be able to take it from here and I will gradually learn it.

    Unfortunately the state repositories cant be accessed in either programme so it is back to manual. I was hoping for an easy way out.
    Glad I didn't spend $400 on endnote and find it couldn't get my citations.
    kind regards
  • fbennett
    Unfortunately the state repositories cant be accessed in either programme so it is back to manual.
    I'm curious what you mean by this. Can you provide a sample URL?
  • katie.w
    Yes I have an easy one.
    Go into http://aeon.sro.wa.gov.au/Investigator/investigator.htm

    use "simple search" and put in Edward Bufton
    There is only one entry.

    It is part of the State Library and this sort of record could just as well be a will, probate, bankrupcy etc. This just happens to be part of a different series but it is one of the databases I use a lot.
    I will be interested to see what you get.
  • Gracile
    That's because there is no translator for this library at the moment.
  • katie.w
    That is interesting. I had a look at the link. Just about all my research comes from the records office and they are not online. These are the only records that are online and they are still being compiled.

    I am interested to know if creating a translator is an easy job for a govt office. Is it a bit behind the times?
    cheers
  • Gracile
    In this case, at first glance, that seems easy. What kind of (zotero) items they are? Bill?
  • adamsmith
    these are archival documents - I think in Zotero I would treat them as Document or Manuscript - it's perfectly doable to write a translator for this, but it requires the person who does this to familiarize her/himself with Zotero translators and know some javascript.
    http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/translators/coding

    If you have an experienced coder around, s/he'll be able to do this in half a day or so, but for a regular user with no coding experience that's probably too difficult.

    Alternatively you can try to find someone here - there's a small chance someone would do it for free, but more likely you'd have to contract it out for a couple of hundred US$.
  • katie.w
    I am going to get in touch with the Sate library to see if they can put it on their site. It should be there.

    regards
  • fbennett
    @katie.w: A site translator would be bundled with Zotero itself, once it has been prepared; there is no need to distribute it through other channels. Someone just needs to offer a small sum of money to encourage a developer to write the code. After that, the translator will be available to everyone who installs Zotero and visits the site.
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