[solved] How to install LibreOffice plugin with Java in a custom path

leonardof · June 23, 2017

I don't have admin rights in this computer. The Zotero installer handles that easily, and LibreOffice was already installed; now I want to install the LibreOffice integration plugin.

There was no Java on the computer, so I downloaded the tar.gz file, unzipped it to a folder I own, and set my user account's environment variables: CLASSPATH as %JAVA_HOME%\lib; JAVA_HOME as C:\Users\[MyUsername]\Documents\jre1.8.0_131; and PATH as %JAVA_HOME%\bin.

That was good enough for LibreOffice, which recognizes I have a JRE installed. But that was not good enough for Zotero, which complains I don't have Java installed when I ask Zotero to install the LibreOffice plugin. How can I convince Zotero that Java is installed?

Thanks!

adomasven · June 23, 2017

You can install the plugin into LO directly. See https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_manual_installation#libreoffice

leonardof · June 23, 2017

Thanks, @adomasven!

It took me a while to find the URL to download the LibreOffice plugin (https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/comment/277270/#Comment_277270) and even longer to discover the plugin inside the Zotero Standalone folder (C:\Users\[MyUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Zotero\Zotero\Profiles\[MyProfile]\extensions\zoteroOpenOfficeIntegration@zotero.org\install\Zotero_OpenOffice_Integration.oxt).

Then I tried to install the plugin, and got the "Could not create java implementation loader" message (https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#could_not_create_java_implementation_loader). Apparently, I needed JRE 32 bit, not 64 bits as I had installed (https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/18072/does-lo-support-java-x64/?answer=18113#post-id-18113).

After installing JRE 32 bits, I was finally able to install Zotero's plugin for LibreOffice!