OK, sorry, I see it now. (There's auto-syncing happening in this debug output, so it's a little hard to read.)
So let's go back to my earlier question — can you confirm that when you're trying to save from the open/save window, you have the library root or a regular collection highlighted in the left pane, and not a search or virtual collection?
OK, thanks. (And in my testing, that shouldn't even matter.)
Could you install the latest 4.0 Beta and provide another Debug ID with that for trying to save to the group (unsuccessfully) from the open/save window? There may be an error here that's not showing up in the debug output in the release version.
That's right - it's an intermittent fault and I can't detect any systematic reason to suggest why it fails. It appears at the moment to be random. It does occur frequently though.
I shall switch to 4.0 beta and try to collect a debug log for a failed save.
Oh, you just haven't opened Zotero since you last started Firefox. If you want to save into something other than your personal library, you just need to open the Zotero pane once after restarting.
It may actually be a fluke that this isn't working, but in a number of places we purposely default to the personal library if the Zotero pane hasn't been updated since starting Firefox, since otherwise it's easy to mistakenly save to a place you didn't intend.
In all of the previous reported cases, Zotero was open as a tab in Firefox. In some cases, it may have been that the Zotero tab was reopened automatically by Firefox at startup.
However, I just opened Firefox afresh, then pressed the Zotero 'Z' to open a new Zotero tab, saw that a collection in my remote group was selected, and then reproduced the problem.
I can't reproduce that. I have Zotero set to load in a "Separate tab" in the General pane of the preferences, I have a group selected in Zotero, I have another non-Zotero Firefox tab open, and I restart Firefox. If the Zotero tab hasn't been loaded yet (because of the "Don't load tabs until selected" Firefox preference) and I try to download a PDF, I get the message. If I click on the Zotero tab once and then go back and try to download a PDF, I don't get the message.
Same thing if a Zotero tab isn't open upon restart. If I press the Z and the Zotero tab opens, and then I switch to another tab and download a PDF, I don't get the message.
It's a shame you can't reproduce the behaviour - thanks for trying. I'll keep monitoring to establish a clear method to recreate the problem or some reliable way I can work around it.
Last comment on this now: I think that Zotero SHOULD store/recall the last highlighted collection, and that it should allow the user to "save to zotero" into that collection whether or not there is a Zotero tab open in the current window.
If this change isn't made, then at the very least, I would update the error message:
"Attachments cannot be saved to the currently selected library. This item will be saved to your library instead"
To say something like:
"Can't save into the currently selected library, please open a Zotero tab in the current window to confirm the destination library".
I think that without some sort of change you'll lose users through this - I must say I was getting frustrated myself.
@Dan: This message [1] is not clear. Can you confirm that it relates to an attempt to save an item to a group library ? In this case, I think the error message should tell it explicitly, e.g. [2] (I let you adjust the exact and correct phrasing).
Thanks
[1] Attachments cannot be saved to the currently selected library. This item will be saved to your library instead.
[2] Attachments cannot be saved to the group library currently selected / you've selected. This item will be saved to "My Library" instead.
Upgrade Storage
So let's go back to my earlier question — can you confirm that when you're trying to save from the open/save window, you have the library root or a regular collection highlighted in the left pane, and not a search or virtual collection?
This shows what is supposed to happen.
In this case, the journal article WAS saved to the group collection successfully (though here the metadata could not be accessed).
I have restarted Firefox since the previous debug IDs. Restarting Firefox does not remove the symptoms in every case though!
Could you install the latest 4.0 Beta and provide another Debug ID with that for trying to save to the group (unsuccessfully) from the open/save window? There may be an error here that's not showing up in the debug output in the release version.
I shall switch to 4.0 beta and try to collect a debug log for a failed save.
I downloaded a PDF called "The Cortical Motor System", having highlighted a collection called "Reach" in my remote group "NoTremor".
This error message was shown between "Save to Zotero" and the "Retrieve Metadata for PDF" checkbox:
Attachments cannot be saved to the currently selected
library. This item will be saved to your library instead.
The item appeared in my local library root.
It's unlikely to be the problem, but can you also check your database integrity from the Advanced → Files and Folders pane of the Zotero preferences?
Here's another problem Debug ID, created with the latest beta: D1633505355.
It may actually be a fluke that this isn't working, but in a number of places we purposely default to the personal library if the Zotero pane hasn't been updated since starting Firefox, since otherwise it's easy to mistakenly save to a place you didn't intend.
In all of the previous reported cases, Zotero was open as a tab in Firefox. In some cases, it may have been that the Zotero tab was reopened automatically by Firefox at startup.
However, I just opened Firefox afresh, then pressed the Zotero 'Z' to open a new Zotero tab, saw that a collection in my remote group was selected, and then reproduced the problem.
"Oh, you just haven't opened Zotero since you last started Firefox. If you want to save into something..."
Is NOT the solution to this issue I'm seeing.
best regards,
Seb James
Same thing if a Zotero tab isn't open upon restart. If I press the Z and the Zotero tab opens, and then I switch to another tab and download a PDF, I don't get the message.
It's a shame you can't reproduce the behaviour - thanks for trying. I'll keep monitoring to establish a clear method to recreate the problem or some reliable way I can work around it.
Thanks for your help,
Seb
I found that I need to have a Zotero tab open _in the same Firefox window_ as the PDF I am about to download.
When I open a PDF in Firefox, it usually/often spawns a new window to display the PDF with the built-in Firefox PDF viewer.
Even though I had a Zotero tab open in the parent Firefox window, the new Window has no Zotero tab.
If I try to "save to zotero" at this point, I see the problem where I can't save it into my collection.
If I now open a Zotero tab in the child window, I can "save to Zotero", with the attachment saving into my collection as expected.
Please could you see if you can reproduce the problem if your PDF opens in a new window?
Last comment on this now: I think that Zotero SHOULD store/recall the last highlighted collection, and that it should allow the user to "save to zotero" into that collection whether or not there is a Zotero tab open in the current window.
If this change isn't made, then at the very least, I would update the error message:
"Attachments cannot be saved to the currently selected library. This item will be saved to your library instead"
To say something like:
"Can't save into the currently selected library, please open a Zotero tab in the current window to confirm the destination library".
I think that without some sort of change you'll lose users through this - I must say I was getting frustrated myself.
all the best,
Seb James
Thanks for the work you put in
Cheers
R
Seb
This message [1] is not clear. Can you confirm that it relates to an attempt to save an item to a group library ? In this case, I think the error message should tell it explicitly, e.g. [2] (I let you adjust the exact and correct phrasing).
Thanks
[1] Attachments cannot be saved to the currently selected library. This item will be saved to your library instead.
[2] Attachments cannot be saved to the group library currently selected / you've selected. This item will be saved to "My Library" instead.