You need to copy the code into an ascii-editor (nano for example, or vi for the brave), save as *txt (i.e. zotero.txt) and then click one of the zotero-icons in ooo3.0. When the macro- window opens, select everything from
' Gets a tag from the document properties
to
End Function
and then click the "open folder" symbol (Insert BASIC). Choose "show all files", select your *txt file and it will be inserted. Initially there will be some three or four error messages popping up, complaining about wrong CRLF's. You will have to delete those CRLF's, which may lead to re-wrapping of the lines, and will have to add spaces where necessary.
Finally, save the macro and, hey presto, suddenly it works. At least for me :-)
I second the URGENT need for a working integration of Zotero into OpenOffice 3. I didn't know that I should not update OpenOffice as an extension doesn't work ! As I am finishing an important text with quite a number of citations I urgently need a working OOo Zotero extension.
I am no macro editor. Wouldn't it be possible that a technically more fit person manually patches the Openoffice extension and post it somewhere ?
An ugly workaround that works TODAY is better than an elegant solution in a week (or later).
I don't understand why the Zotero team seems to be focusing their efforts on what strike me as non-crucial features (like maintaining your citation database online) when the OpenOffice plugin, which is absolutely crucial functionality, is so badly broken.
OO.o 3 was released yesterday. What is the point in complaining so irately that there's no official extension for it when it has been out for less than a day?
Further, it is not even "so badly broken:" there is a simple work-around to use the legacy plugin with 3.0 if you are (for who knows what reason) unable to use OO.o 2.4 anymore.
And the Zotero devs are hardly "focusing their efforts" on things like an online citation database (which others have specifically called "crucial," mind you) and are ignoring the OO.o extensions--a new python extension has been in active development (as have a few other much-lobbied-for features) for some time now.
bgeer: We appreciate your concerns, but the issues of online access and OOo 3 are in fact linked. Zotero 1.5 has a completely rewritten plugin for OOo 3, which is complete, but the overall development schedule for 1.5 is dependent on syncing, our most important immediate milestone.
I have some sympathy for bgeer and others, though. The workaround maybe simple, if you know what you're doing. But not everybody does! Also, precisely because the workaround is so simple, it should not have been too much of a problem to provide OO.o.3 users with a usable plugin in the interim.
@noksagt - the final version may have been released only yesterday, but OO.o.3 has actually been with us for quite a while longer. A lot of people, who would otherwise have stayed with 2.41, have made use of it since the release of RC1 because of its significantly improved handling of PDF. Thus the problem with the plugin has been known for a while and it has become increasingly urgent over the past few weeks.
OOo 3 arrived yesterday but in fact it's a RC4. So there has been some time to "digest" the new version.
As I see that there will be no rapid error treating today I tried to install the previous OOo version, 2.4.1. But to no avail : OOo said I already installed a more recent version of 2.4 (which is wrong, it's a 3.0) and demanded to deinstall it before continuing.
So, the idea to install an older version in parallel to the most recent one doesn't work, and my large citation base which is the BASIS of my current professional work is just unavailable.
This tarnishes the reputation of Zotero as a responsible academic project.
Do the developpers understand that we don't use Zotero as a gadget, but as a tool for WORK ?
What does Zotero propose that I tell my colleagues : that my delay in producing the text with the citations integrated is based on bad judgement, that I use a citation prog that doesn't work and whose developers don't intend to correct the error ?
This tarnishes the reputation of Zotero as a responsible academic project.... Do the developpers understand that we don't use Zotero as a gadget, but as a tool for WORK ?
I realize you're frustrated, but this is out of line. Please stop this sort of rhetoric.
As for the immediate issue, if you were so concerned with this, you really shouldn't have upgraded OOo without first checking where things stood with Zotero. New versions of any software can introduce compatibility issues, and as a user, you need to be vigilant about that. So the fault is partly your's.
But, Zotero team, it'd be nice if you could fine a solution to this. I realize the rewritten plugin seems to rely on 1.5, and so you need to be careful with how you roll that out, but is it feasible to release an upgrade to the old version to at least have it work with OOo 3?
If the rewritten plugin is finished, but relies on sync 1.5, could it at least be made available to those of us who are trying the preview version of 1.5?
Yes, the development of OO.o 3 has been open--I, myself, have been using DEV300 milestone builds for some time now (in order to get the better commenting display). The fix for the legacy extension was documented in May--during the first beta period & well before release candidates. And the new python/zotero-1.5 integration has been developed with OO.o 3 in mind.
I suspect that no third parties are offering up their versions of the extension partly not to step on the toes of the Zotero team, but also because they don't want to provide support or take the blame for people who decided to upgrade their core software before an important deadline & are now stressed. That being said, I am willing to email the modified version of the legacy plugin caveat emptor to people who contact me off-list. I offer no guarantee other than "it works for me" (but I also keep documents in version control & can call back an old version if something breaks & I also am willing to put up with delays in production if something needs to be fixed). If your document breaks, you should have followed my advice: continue using 2.4 if it works for you and are unable to tolerate the risk of new software showing new bugs.
The workaround is linked to at the top of this thread, and it's discussed in various other threads as well.
However, while I haven't tried the workaround, I suspect you won't be able to use it on OS X. Python support is, as far as we can tell, completely broken in OOo 3 on the Mac, and even the old VBA version of the plugin required a small amount of Python in OOo. There's an OOo ticket for the issue (currently inaccessible while the rest of the OOo site is down) that indicates that the fix is targeted for 3.0.1.
[Please see Dan Stillman's post below before attempting this. -DS]
What follows is offered without any warranty etc. It may work. That's all I promise. Don't do it to anything you are not prepared to lose. Remember this is a hint you got from some random guy on the internet and worth every penny you paid for it. With those caveats ....
The workaround just replaces one function in the existing Zotero module. It works. But applying it is complicated by two things: there is a bug in OOo which prevents pasting it directly into the existing macro because the Zotero module is too long; and the code, as given, doesn't work. However, I have managed to get a fixed version working at least in Windows with version 3. Here's how.
First, we make a new module to hold the fixed function
1) Open up the Zotero Macro library in OOo (tools ->macro->edit->basic->zotero) 2) down at the bottom of the code window is a tab that says "zotero" 3) right-click on this; choose "Insert -> New Bsic Module" 4) the new module will appear as a new tab called "Module1" 5) for tidiness, right-click on that, and rename it "Overspill" 6) left-click on the overspill tab to open it up 7) move the cursor to the end of the last line, which says "End sub" 8) hit return a couple of times. YOu are now ready to paste in the code
Then we paste in the working code, which follows here.
==== ' Gets a tag from the document properties Function fnGetProperty(sProperty As String) As String Dim sPropertyName As String, i As Integer, sPropertyValue As String i = 0
While (True) i = i + 1 sPropertyName = sProperty & "_" & i if not thisComponent.DocumentInfo.PropertySetInfo.HasPropertyByName(sPropertyName)then thisComponent.DocumentInfo.AddProperty(sPropertyName,0,"") endif sPropertyValue = thisComponent.DocumentInfo.getPropertyValue(sPropertyName) If sPropertyValue = "" Then GoTo EndOfFunction End If fnGetProperty = fnGetProperty & sPropertyValue Wend EndOfFunction: Exit Function End Function ===
Copying and pasting in the basic editor is agonisingly slow on my machine. I don't know if this is a general problem. If there are two lines which end with open brackets they need to be joined with the fragments that immediately follow them. Just press delete after the bracket
Finally, we modify the old zotero module to call our new, fixed function rather than the version in the old file:
1) left-click on the "Zotero" module tab 2) ctrl-F to get the find and replace dialogue 3) fill in "fnGetProperty" in find and 4) "overspill.fnGetProperty" in the replace box 6) replace all 7) Do not accept the offer to start again at the beginning of the library
That's it. Not all that simple, but not impossibly complicated, and it does work, and make Zotero function with OOo VBersion 3. I have only tested it on sync preview 1.5 v2, but the code is from May, and so should work with 1.03
We're testing the patch from the dev list now, and, assuming it works, we'll release a patched version later today that works with OOo 3 (on Windows/Linux—Mac users are out of luck for reasons mentioned above). I'd recommend holding off on trying the various (overly complex) suggestions posted here for a few hours.
(If you want to try the workaround yourself, just unzip the oxt, edit Zotero.xba (which is a plaintext file), and rezip it. Tip: You need to convert the ampersands to & entities.)
There is a development Python version of Zotero for Open Office that I have been using successfully for several months now with OO3 versions. It may not yet be fully functional (but I haven't personally found anything broken), and it has been sufficiently stable that I have been using it for writing. It requires no modification. I am not on the development team and I would think that anyone using this should consider themselves only a tester. I make no representations on behalf of those who are working to complete this version, but I do offer them my sincere thanks.
https://www.zotero.org/trac/browser/integration
Drill to: root/integration/python/trunk/OpenOffice/Packaging and download .oxt
A patched version of the Windows/Linux OOo-VBA plugin, version 1.0b4, is now available from the download page. There are no changes from the old version other than a three-line compatibility fix for OOo 3. Thanks to mmorandi from the dev list for the patch.
Test releases of the new all-Python versions will be available in the next few days along with a new Sync Preview build. The all-Python versions only work with 1.5, and saved documents will no longer be compatible with the previous versions of the plugins. The more adventurous are welcome to grab the latest build from SVN or Trac, as described by Hiller above, with absolutely no guarantees.
As mentioned above, there is currently no support for OOo 3 on OS X with any version of the plugin due to broken Python support in the Mac version of OOo 3.
Dan,
Thanks for publishing the patched version. It works like it should ! You solve a great problem here.
I understand that the developer team prefers to maintain the project planning, but customer orientation is what makes a project strong. And in a world without marketing budgets like yours customer satisfaction and the buzz it produces is the best (and only) way of getting and maintaining a strong reputation - and more users.
So, diverting a developer to repair the extension was really in the best interest of both Zotero and its users.
wonderful - if I remember correctly, endnote took months to work "properly" (if that can ever be said of endnote) after the vista release. So big thumbs up to the dev team.
Could there be any problem if I leave OO.o 2.4 installed as well as the Zotero expansion for it?
I installed OO.o 3 in another folder and without deleting any of the old versions use the expansion on the download page (which by the way is 1.03b and not 1.04b according to what it says on the download page).
I should have described the circumstances: I tried to insert a reference in a note. (You know, the "new" feature that comes up on ctrl+alt+n)
Apparently this is one of the places where Zotero still does not work. And why should it? The reference will not show up in the final text anyway. However, the error message is somehwat confusing.
Upgrade Storage
Please allow us to at least test this soon :-)
http://groups.google.com/group/zotero-dev/browse_thread/thread/b136f0182192233e/6194ed926d1906f1
You need to copy the code into an ascii-editor (nano for example, or vi for the brave), save as *txt (i.e. zotero.txt) and then click one of the zotero-icons in ooo3.0. When the macro- window opens, select everything from
' Gets a tag from the document properties
to
End Function
and then click the "open folder" symbol (Insert BASIC). Choose "show all files", select your *txt file and it will be inserted. Initially there will be some three or four error messages popping up, complaining about wrong CRLF's. You will have to delete those CRLF's, which may lead to re-wrapping of the lines, and will have to add spaces where necessary.
Finally, save the macro and, hey presto, suddenly it works. At least for me :-)
I am no macro editor. Wouldn't it be possible that a technically more fit person manually patches the Openoffice extension and post it somewhere ?
An ugly workaround that works TODAY is better than an elegant solution in a week (or later).
Thanks,
ft
Further, it is not even "so badly broken:" there is a simple work-around to use the legacy plugin with 3.0 if you are (for who knows what reason) unable to use OO.o 2.4 anymore.
And the Zotero devs are hardly "focusing their efforts" on things like an online citation database (which others have specifically called "crucial," mind you) and are ignoring the OO.o extensions--a new python extension has been in active development (as have a few other much-lobbied-for features) for some time now.
@noksagt - the final version may have been released only yesterday, but OO.o.3 has actually been with us for quite a while longer. A lot of people, who would otherwise have stayed with 2.41, have made use of it since the release of RC1 because of its significantly improved handling of PDF. Thus the problem with the plugin has been known for a while and it has become increasingly urgent over the past few weeks.
As I see that there will be no rapid error treating today I tried to install the previous OOo version, 2.4.1. But to no avail : OOo said I already installed a more recent version of 2.4 (which is wrong, it's a 3.0) and demanded to deinstall it before continuing.
So, the idea to install an older version in parallel to the most recent one doesn't work, and my large citation base which is the BASIS of my current professional work is just unavailable.
This tarnishes the reputation of Zotero as a responsible academic project.
Do the developpers understand that we don't use Zotero as a gadget, but as a tool for WORK ?
What does Zotero propose that I tell my colleagues : that my delay in producing the text with the citations integrated is based on bad judgement, that I use a citation prog that doesn't work and whose developers don't intend to correct the error ?
- ft
As for the immediate issue, if you were so concerned with this, you really shouldn't have upgraded OOo without first checking where things stood with Zotero. New versions of any software can introduce compatibility issues, and as a user, you need to be vigilant about that. So the fault is partly your's.
But, Zotero team, it'd be nice if you could fine a solution to this. I realize the rewritten plugin seems to rely on 1.5, and so you need to be careful with how you roll that out, but is it feasible to release an upgrade to the old version to at least have it work with OOo 3?
I suspect that no third parties are offering up their versions of the extension partly not to step on the toes of the Zotero team, but also because they don't want to provide support or take the blame for people who decided to upgrade their core software before an important deadline & are now stressed. That being said, I am willing to email the modified version of the legacy plugin caveat emptor to people who contact me off-list. I offer no guarantee other than "it works for me" (but I also keep documents in version control & can call back an old version if something breaks & I also am willing to put up with delays in production if something needs to be fixed). If your document breaks, you should have followed my advice: continue using 2.4 if it works for you and are unable to tolerate the risk of new software showing new bugs.
However, while I haven't tried the workaround, I suspect you won't be able to use it on OS X. Python support is, as far as we can tell, completely broken in OOo 3 on the Mac, and even the old VBA version of the plugin required a small amount of Python in OOo. There's an OOo ticket for the issue (currently inaccessible while the rest of the OOo site is down) that indicates that the fix is targeted for 3.0.1.
What follows is offered without any warranty etc. It may work. That's all I promise. Don't do it to anything you are not prepared to lose. Remember this is a hint you got from some random guy on the internet and worth every penny you paid for it. With those caveats ....
The workaround just replaces one function in the existing Zotero module. It works. But applying it is complicated by two things: there is a bug in OOo which prevents pasting it directly into the existing macro because the Zotero module is too long; and the code, as given, doesn't work. However, I have managed to get a fixed version working at least in Windows with version 3. Here's how.
First, we make a new module to hold the fixed function
1) Open up the Zotero Macro library in OOo (tools ->macro->edit->basic->zotero)
2) down at the bottom of the code window is a tab that says "zotero"
3) right-click on this; choose "Insert -> New Bsic Module"
4) the new module will appear as a new tab called "Module1"
5) for tidiness, right-click on that, and rename it "Overspill"
6) left-click on the overspill tab to open it up
7) move the cursor to the end of the last line, which says "End sub"
8) hit return a couple of times. YOu are now ready to paste in the code
Then we paste in the working code, which follows here.
====
' Gets a tag from the document properties
Function fnGetProperty(sProperty As String) As String
Dim sPropertyName As String, i As Integer, sPropertyValue As String
i = 0
While (True)
i = i + 1
sPropertyName = sProperty & "_" & i
if not thisComponent.DocumentInfo.PropertySetInfo.HasPropertyByName(sPropertyName)then
thisComponent.DocumentInfo.AddProperty(sPropertyName,0,"")
endif
sPropertyValue = thisComponent.DocumentInfo.getPropertyValue(sPropertyName)
If sPropertyValue = "" Then
GoTo EndOfFunction
End If
fnGetProperty = fnGetProperty & sPropertyValue
Wend
EndOfFunction:
Exit Function
End Function
===
Copying and pasting in the basic editor is agonisingly slow on my machine. I don't know if this is a general problem.
If there are two lines which end with open brackets they need to be joined with the fragments that immediately follow them. Just press delete after the bracket
Finally, we modify the old zotero module to call our new, fixed function rather than the version in the old file:
1) left-click on the "Zotero" module tab
2) ctrl-F to get the find and replace dialogue
3) fill in "fnGetProperty" in find and
4) "overspill.fnGetProperty" in the replace box
6) replace all
7) Do not accept the offer to start again at the beginning of the library
That's it. Not all that simple, but not impossibly complicated, and it does work, and make Zotero function with OOo VBersion 3. I have only tested it on sync preview 1.5 v2, but the code is from May, and so should work with 1.03
(If you want to try the workaround yourself, just unzip the oxt, edit Zotero.xba (which is a plaintext file), and rezip it. Tip: You need to convert the ampersands to & entities.)
https://www.zotero.org/trac/browser/integration
Drill to: root/integration/python/trunk/OpenOffice/Packaging and download .oxt
Test releases of the new all-Python versions will be available in the next few days along with a new Sync Preview build. The all-Python versions only work with 1.5, and saved documents will no longer be compatible with the previous versions of the plugins. The more adventurous are welcome to grab the latest build from SVN or Trac, as described by Hiller above, with absolutely no guarantees.
As mentioned above, there is currently no support for OOo 3 on OS X with any version of the plugin due to broken Python support in the Mac version of OOo 3.
This has been my approach so that I can play with OOo 3.0 yet still have a package available to edit documents that require references.
Much easier than the hoops I suggested people follow me through :-)
I'm off to try the Python version anyway.
Thanks for publishing the patched version. It works like it should ! You solve a great problem here.
I understand that the developer team prefers to maintain the project planning, but customer orientation is what makes a project strong. And in a world without marketing budgets like yours customer satisfaction and the buzz it produces is the best (and only) way of getting and maintaining a strong reputation - and more users.
So, diverting a developer to repair the extension was really in the best interest of both Zotero and its users.
Thanks again,
ft
A turn around time of about 2 days for implementing a working fix after OOo 3.0 was released is very acceptable! Thank you.
I'm still looking forward to the new (and improved) plugin, but at least now I can do some work :-).
Again, thanks.
I installed OO.o 3 in another folder and without deleting any of the old versions use the expansion on the download page (which by the way is 1.03b and not 1.04b according to what it says on the download page).
I should have described the circumstances: I tried to insert a reference in a note. (You know, the "new" feature that comes up on ctrl+alt+n)
Apparently this is one of the places where Zotero still does not work. And why should it? The reference will not show up in the final text anyway. However, the error message is somehwat confusing.
In normal text, however, it works just fine.