Now available: Zotero 5.0

dstillman
edited July 11, 2017
Zotero 5.0 is now available for download! See the 5.0 blog post for more details.

If you use Zotero for Firefox, note that Zotero 5.0 runs only as a standalone application, which you'll need to install to access your library locally going forward.

Finally, we've recently made some improvements to the Zotero Connectors for Chrome and Safari to go along with Zotero 5.0.
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  • Gracile
    Congratulations!
  • LiborA
    Great message.
  • smith_jn
    Thanks for all of the great work.
    My Beta 5 installation updated to 5.0.2-beta.2. I want to go to the stable release. Do I have to reinstall?
  • adamsmith
    @smith_jn -- yes, but just re-installing is all you need to do -- it'll leave your database in place.
  • trinabarton
    Why doesn't the Zotero 5.0 toolbar icon open the library pane at the bottom of the webpage anymore? It appears as a file-type icon and saves directly to the library rather than allowing me to manipulate the library in the pane prior to saving.
  • dstillman
    @trinabarton: See the blog post I linked to above.
  • adamsmith
    (you also misunderstand how the Firefox add-on worked previously. It has always saved directly to the library).
  • lauragayle
    YAY! Looking forward to using 5.0! Congrats!
  • trinabarton
    @dstillman thanks, it's helpful to know the browser pane is simply gone rather than something I'm running obstructing the connector etc... I'm bummed I can't use the separate pane to navigate the library, but I'll get over it;)
  • uluc9
    I used to be able to work with two different Zotero libraries simultaneously by using both Zotero Standalone and Zotero for Firefox at the same time. Is there a way to do it with this new system since Zotero for Firefox is now gone?
  • lreyesrojas
    Thanks! what about the standalone version for ubuntu 16.04? any guide?
  • uluc9
    ... to clarify further: I divided my growing database into two databases - each of which is already getting large again - Database A and Database B. I used Database A with Zotero for Firefox and Database B with Zotero Standalone. This allowed me to use two large databases simultaneously. Can I use both databases simultaneously under this new system? (Each time I have to use the other database, I have to go to Zotero Preferences - Advanded - Files and Folders and change the data directory location under Custom: which is an absolute inconvenience and loss of time.)
  • adamsmith
    @uluc9 -- not really. You can use profiles in Zotero, but you can't actually run two at the same time, no.

    @lreyesrojas https://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide#how_do_i_install_it
  • dstillman
    edited July 14, 2017
    You can use profiles in Zotero, but you can't actually run two at the same time, no.
    You can — you just can't use the connector or word processor integration with more than one at a time.

    Technically you could have two different connectors pointing at different local ports, though. It's already configurable in Zotero, and we can make it configurable in the connector. I've created an issue for that.

    Word processor integration is trickier, but that wouldn't have worked with Firefox before either.
  • Rui.Maciel
    I've decided to try out Zotero 5 connector on firefox 45.9.0 (the official version of Debian 8) and apparently it's broken and unusable. In fact, Zotero's entry in Firefox's add-on list doesn't even show a "preferences" button.

    Thew worse part is that apparently Zotero 4 is not available anymore, and it isn't possible to revert back to the working version of Zotero.

    This is really horrible. Does anyone know where I can get my hands in zotero 4.0?
  • aserhatkaraduman
    edited July 16, 2017
    You can download Zotero 4.29.17 standalone version. https://www.zotero.org/download/
    You'll find the title "looking for Zotero 4.0?" title in that page.
  • bwiernik
    @Rui.Marcel That behavior definitely isn’t normal or expected. If you start a new thread and clearly describe exactly what is happening, someone here will be glad to help.
  • adamsmith
    Well, the 45 ESR version of Firefox is no longer supported by mozilla and shouldn't be used anymore (support ran out on June 13th -- are you sure Debian is still using that?) and I think I remember Adomas saying that Zotero is no longer compatible with it. You can get to all older versions of Zotero but you really shouldn't use an unsafe version of Firefox.
  • dstillman
    edited July 16, 2017
    I think I remember Adomas saying that Zotero is no longer compatible with it
    Yes, WebExtensions were only considered stable in Firefox 48, so you need Firefox 52 ESR or higher (including the current release version, 54). This would apply to any WebExtension, not just the Zotero Connector. (A few simple WebExtensions might work in 45.)
  • Rui.Maciel
    @aserhatkaraduman you are absolutely right. Silly me, the link was there all along. I've just installed Zotero 4.0 and everything is working again.

    Thanks for the help.
  • Rui.Maciel
    edited July 16, 2017
    @adamsmith Debian 8 still uses Firefox 45.9.0, although it does support 52.2.0 for some architectures. Yet, users/sysadmins need to manually install 52.2.0 to upgrade from 45.9.0. You can check yourself in Debian's site (scroll to the bottom of the page).

    https://packages.debian.org/jessie/firefox-esr
  • adamsmith
    @dstillman any idea why https://github.com/zotero/zotero-connectors/blob/master/scripts/firefox/update_manifest#L42 isn't preventing this from installing on FF 45? Obviously people shouldn't be running outdated browser versions, but I don't understand why this wouldn't have just prevented an install.
  • dstillman
    edited July 17, 2017
    That script is actually just for the update manifest. Looks like we weren't setting the min version in the install manifest. That's fixed now in 5.0.9, so it should refuse to install in older Firefox versions from now on. Thanks for catching that.
  • anderbeck
    Congratulations. I'm grateful for your helpful work.
    I have 3 issues with the new version. One is out of your hands, which is that the Zotfile extension is not (yet) compatible. I rely on that heavily. The other two, both of which have to do with managing screen real estate:
    1) I used to be able to hide group libraries and now can't (I can minimize them but not hide them);
    2) My tag list on the left shows up as a larger font, so I can't view them all on one screen anymore, forcing me to scroll. And I don't see any option to change the tag font size (the font size options do not affect the tags).
    OTOH I see (at least) one improvement re. real estate, which is that Zotero now remembers how I sized the various windows.
  • adamsmith
    I´m assuming 1) was changed because this was an endless source of confusion with people not finding groups they had joined because groups were hidden. Not sure if there´s a happy middle for this, I´m afraid.
  • bwiernik
    Also, Zotfile has a 5.0 version out: Zotfile.com
  • Joaosilveira
    I’m not sure why you decided Zotero 5.0 should only run as a standalone application, but that is not practical at all!

    I used to be able to access my library and see the content of a given file with just one window open. This is no longer possible. So now I must have one window for Zotero Standalone plus another window to see the content of the files. When I’m using two screens that is OK, but with just one screen you just turned a very practical application, into a less practical one.

    Will it be possible in a 5.1 version to be able to access the library directly from Firefox?
  • adamsmith
    I’m not sure why you decided Zotero 5.0 should only run as a standalone application
    The first posts in the thread links to a blogpost explaining why and why this isn't going to change. https://www.zotero.org/blog/a-unified-zotero-experience
  • Gurdas_Sandhu
    edited July 19, 2017
    @Joaosilveira From my own experience I can say that you will come to like the 5.0 Standalone even more than the old Firefox version. The new platform brings a few new features already, BUT the important thing is that it is forward looking and crafted such that going forward new features can be added easily.

    On the one versus two window work flow, you can reduce the Zotero window size to look like the horizontal bar at the bottom of a Firefox tab. And open your other application and let it sit on top of the Zotero window. Yes, it is still two windows, but you don't have to switch between them. Zotero remembers its window size and location, so when you open it next time, it will look exactly the way you set it last time. Not perfect, but workable.
  • Joaosilveira
    @adamsmith @gurdas thanks for your replies
This discussion has been closed.