what happened to all my notes?

brubakerpa
I've been entering notes within my citations as I'm reading (for a big research paper), to take to writing. But just now, my notes all seem to be gone, including the ones I just entered a short time ago today, days and days of work!

I did not do anything weird, did not delete anything. And I am logged on to Zotero, here at least, on the online part where I post a question on a forum (how do I make sure I am "logged on" in my Zotero in Firefox? isn't that always "logged in" to me, whenever I have Firefox open?)

I'm using Zotero in Firefox (26)--on my laptop, all on this one computer only--auto syncing defaults on--but, not understanding that til now, I was also manually syncing with Zotero server regularly. Previous notes do not appear in my Firefox Zotero window, in my collection for this project in my library (all the citations are still there)--or when I look in the Zotero server library online (I created a group library and am checking there)--as least I think I'm checking there.

What is happening? Or, more to the point, help! How can I fix this, get these notes back?

(I've looked in your helps some, and this stuff is going beyond my computer understanding, it will take real work and time to work through some of those suggestions! Plus I'm afraid I'll mess up and really lose stuff... I have not backed up, on Windows XP don't know how to automatically back up, or how to back up just my Zotero files...)
  • adamsmith
    First thing would be to back up your Zotero library:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#backing_up_your_zotero_library
    As for the notes, so that we understand correctly - how did you add these notes exactly?
  • brubakerpa
    I enter them in the bottom half of my Firefox screen, the Zotero window that comes up when I click the Zotero button on the bottom right of my Firefox screen. I click the citation I want to take notes into in my "titles" (the middle section of Zotero), then in the right hand "info" window, I click "notes" and write notes in the window below--clicking "add" I guess. I've done it that way sometimes, and sometimes by clicking the "add note" button and then doing it that way. Usually after I've written an extensive note I click the "sych with Zotero server" button just above that notes window, even though it looked like it was syncing as I went.
  • adamsmith
    that sounds right.
    Have you made sure to back-up your library?
    Could you right click an item that used to have an attached note -->generate report from item --> and paste the URL you see - something like zotero://report/items/0_TNM8D6RK/html/report.html - here?
  • aurimas
    Did you type out all of these notes or did it involve copy-pasting? Any chance that you pasted images into the notes or some other weird content?

    Are the notes gone entirely or are they just empty? If they are empty, click on the "HTML" button (bottom row on the right) and see if you have any content there.
  • dstillman
    Are you sure you're not just looking in the wrong place? Was this in your personal library or your group?

    There's not really any way for notes to just disappear, and there's no indication of deleted items in your personal library. Your group does appear to have some notes, though.
  • brubakerpa
    adamsmith, I did backup my Zotero library as you suggested (the step-by-step from Northwestern Library was really helpful).

    Now I did what you asked; here's the address:
    zotero://report/items/0_PR8ZXZ28/html/report.html

    aurimas, I mostly typed out notes into here--today only did some pasting--but no images, only text. I'll send this post, and then try to do what you and Dan Stillman suggest.

    Thanks to all!
  • brubakerpa
    aurimas, I don't know if they are gone or just empty. But when I click the citation in my Firefox Zotero window, there are no longer any manila-colored boxes there--does that mean just gone? An example of that is the link I pasted above for adamsmith, Crossan the citation.

    Now this one still has the notes, that I re-added today, most recently:
    zotero://report/items/0_IIC75BAD/html/report.html
    I'm finding that in my Firefox Zotero window, bottom half of Firefox screen, when I click the icon for that citation in titles.
  • brubakerpa
    aurimas, "If they are empty, click on the "HTML" button (bottom row on the right) and see if you have any content there." I don't understand what you mean. I don't see any "HTML" button--and don't know what you mean by "bottom row on the right"--what bottom row? where? (I'm looking on my Firefox Zotero bottom half of screen window.)

    Thanks again!
  • brubakerpa
    Dan, "Are you sure you're not just looking in the wrong place? Was this in your personal library or your group?" --Again, I'm not sure--I'm so new to Zotero. I'm looking in my personal library, with Firefox open, Zotero button clicked so I see Zotero window on bottom half of my screen. That's my library I'm looking at, and my collection--I click on it, and all 43 of my citations show up in the middle window. So that's my personal library, right? That's where I was doing notes to, I think. But when I sync, doesn't that sync the same collection in my group library too? I'll check that library, see if they're there. (I thought I was checking that from Zotero's online server, going to there via Firefox--but I'll check from this open window on the bottom of my screen too.)
  • brubakerpa
    Dan, Adam, aurimas,

    I found my old ones--and new--there, in my group library! But how do I sync this with/to my personal library too?
  • adamsmith
    you can probably just drag individual notes over (in Zotero for Firefox, i.e. where you've been looking all the time). The group is listed at the bottom of the left hand panel. For 43 items that should be pretty quick.
  • brubakerpa
    But doesn't it automatically sync between my personal library and my group, the same collection?

    And how do I have both personal library collection version and group library version both open at the same time so I can drag over from group to personal?

    Thank you for your patience with my learning!
  • brubakerpa
    adamsmith, and the backup I did: was that my personal library only, or my group library too?
  • adamsmith
    But doesn't it automatically sync between my personal library and my group, the same collection?
    no, it doesn't.
    And how do I have both personal library collection version and group library version both open at the same time so I can drag over from group to personal?
    If you do this in the Zotero for Firefox version - i.e. the ones with three panels that opens at the bottom of your browser that should be straightforwar. You can just open one in the left-hand panel without closing the other.

    adamsmith, and the backup I did: was that my personal library only, or my group library too?
    both.
  • brubakerpa
    adamsmith, "And how do I have both personal library collection version and group library version both open at the same time so I can drag over from group to personal?"

    Your answer:
    "If you do this in the Zotero for Firefox version - i.e. the ones with three panels that opens at the bottom of your browser that should be straightforwar. You can just open one in the left-hand panel without closing the other."
    --But I don't get how to do this at all. So I click either my collection in my library (the one without the notes) or my collection in group libraries (where the notes connected to individual citations are). But I can't figure out how to open the other in the left-hand panel without the middle and right panel changing (and my notes--or not notes--disappearing). It looks like whatever collection I choose opens that one, closing the other.
    Could you explain again how to do this?

    And--how can I print these notes? (I'm trying this way to write, but finding I'm not used to this way of working--and think I will be better off for this paper to have hard copy of notes in front of me.)

    Zotero looks great--or like it will be great once I learn how to use it, get past the initial learning hump...

    Thanks,again.
  • fcheslack
    You don't need them both open at the same time. Open the collection with the notes, select the notes you want to move, then drag them over the new collection (in the left pane) and drop them there.
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