attached file(s could not be found, but are on the zotero server

Bill A
Hi, can anyone point to a thread or suggest what might help figure out why an attached file cannot be found, yet is available in my library on the zotero server?

I have several attached .pdfs that lead to: "The attached file could not be found. It may have been moved or deleted outside of Zotero." when I try to access them from my browser on the harddrive. Yet all attachments seem to be alive and well on the zotero server.

I synch automatically all the time, and have been using zotero for 6 years across many generations of home and work computers. Is there a way to get a comprehensive synch?
  • adamsmith
    http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/files_not_syncing
  • kdebrab
    edited April 9, 2013
    I experienced exactly the same issue (currently Zotero 4.0.4, but the issue was also present in Zotero 3.0): not being able to open some of the pdf attachments in Zotero Standalone, with the same error message as above. These files are present on the zotero server though.

    http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/files_not_syncing did not help in my case, but the following work-around did: Go to Tools - Options... and change the file syncing settings to download files 'as needed' instead of 'at sync time'. Once the attachment has been downloaded, the attachment remains accessible and one can change the sync setting back to 'at sync time' (if desired).
  • dstillman
    kdebrab: If on-demand download works, Reset File Sync History (mentioned as a last resort—or, failing that, a final debug step—on the Files Not Syncing page) should too.
  • kdebrab
    Reset File Sync History does not work for me. So, I did the final debug step. The Debug ID is D495616202. The QBMXJZ5B folder (mentioned in the debug report) does not exist on my local drive. After that, I did the on-demand download (which worked), and, indeed, now the folder has been created.
  • dstillman
    The Debug ID would have to cover the sync immediately following the Reset File Sync History.

    Can you delete that folder and generate another Debug ID for a sync after Reset File Sync History?
  • dstillman
    And, obviously, make sure that you have it set to "at sync time" for the sync after Reset File Sync History.
  • devash
    I'm experiencing the same behavior after upgrading to Zotero 4.*: The *.zip files of the attachments are stored on the storage provider, but they don't get downloaded when synching.

    This happens in both directions of synching computer a and b (both running under Win 7 and FF20) and did not happen prior to upgrading to 4.*.

    Setting "download files" to "as needed" downloads the files so that's the workaround for me for the time being.

    My storage provider is cloudme.com, maybe that's of interest. The lastsync file in the storage is zero bytes long - maybe that should not be the case?

    As additional info, I tried to download the complete bibliography to a computer freshly setup with Ubuntu 12.10. Zotero downloaded the bibliography, but none of the attachments, so the workaround for that computer is a little bit cumbersome at least.

    If I can help in any way, please let me now.
  • kdebrab
    Dan, I very much appreciate your quick reaction and follow-up!

    I did the following:
    *ensured sync setting "at sync time"
    *resetted file sync history
    *enabled debug output logging
    *clicked on the 'Sync with Zotero Server' arrow button
    *after the status bar disappeared, I tried to open a pdf attachment (which did not work)
    *submitted to zotero Server

    The Debug ID is D783789580. I Hope this is useful.
  • dstillman
    edited April 11, 2013
    There's a bug in 4.0.4 that's preventing some file sync errors from showing up, so you're both likely getting an error from another file that's cancelling the sync without showing the error icon. But since the file you're then trying to download in on-demand mode isn't the problematic file, that one works. (In a future version we might be able to make it more forgiving if only some files in a library fail to transfer. 4.0 at least limits this to individual libraries instead of having a file sync error block file syncing in all libraries.)

    For the underlying error, this tends to happen on Windows systems due to either a too-long filename or a Windows alias making its way into one of the 'storage' directories. I believe I've fixed the problem that was preventing the errors from showing up in the latest 4.0 Branch dev XPI, so if you install that and try again you'll hopefully get a more informative error about the file in question. You'll still need to take manual steps to correct it, probably by deleting the file.

    Let me know how things go with the dev XPI, and we can take it from there.
  • rfilc
    I'm having the same problem and don't know how to fix it, have tried all the above.

    I open a journal article and use the Firefox addon to Save to Zotero. It retrieves the Meta Data and updates my file library on my computer.

    The file itself is not saved though, the little blue bubble on the far right is empty and the link and actual file are missing.

    The problem only started 2 days ago, I had automatic updates checked off. Is there a way to revert to a previous version of Zotero that worked properly?

    The Debug ID is D1304382072.
  • rfilc
    Additionally, the most recent storage folders (ie DX96TQRM) don't have the actual PDF file but they have the .zotero-ft-cache file.
  • adamsmith
    to begin with, you'll want to start a new thread -- even if it looks similar, your issue is definitely not the same as that fixed 3 years ago.

    The file is definitely saved if Zotero is able to retrieve metadata (it can only do that with the PDF saved locally) but the question is what happens then. My first try would be to disable all other Firefox add-ons (in particular, but not only, Zotero-related ones) and see if it persist.

    But as I say, any follow-ups please put in a new thread.
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