Can't add/edit citations in old Word document

Frabs
I had to get a new laptop, and moved my documents and Zotero library there (I installed the standalone version 5.0.23). Unfortunately, when I now open an old Word document that I composed with the old Zotero in an edited style, it gives me the following error message:

"The style you have selected does not appear to be valid. If you have created this style, please ensure that it passes validation as described at https://github.com/citation-style-language/styles/wiki/Validation. Alternatively, try selecting another style."

I have two particular problems here:

1) Is there any way I can restore the edited style/import it into my new Zotero in order to solve this? (I did make a local backup of my old Zotero)

2) If that is not the case, I would also be okay with selecting another style/editing it again. However, I can't click on any of the Zotero Word plugin buttons without receiving this message, so I can't even simply select another style or access preferences. What can I do to circumvent this error message, access settings and change the style regardless?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
  • adomasven
    Could you submit a Debug ID for pressing the document preferences and dismissing the dialog? If the dialog has multiple options, please press the preferences button multiple times and click each option once.
  • Frabs
    Thank you for the quick reply.

    Here is the Debug ID for:

    ...pressing the document preferences: D626429431

    ...dismissing the dialogue: D21198515

  • adomasven
    Could you submit this as a single debug ID? No need to stop and enable again for the prompt.
  • Frabs
    Apologies. Here you are: D1376024003
  • adomasven
    Right. This is a bug we'll fix, but in the meantime, you can make it work by following these steps:
    1. Go to your data directory/styles
    2. Make a copy of apa.csl named apa-edited.csl
    3. Edit apa-edited.csl with a text editor (like notepad) and change the line <id>http://www.zotero.org/styles/apa</id> with a line <id>http://www.zotero.org/styles/apa/edited</id>
    4. Restart Zotero
  • adamsmith
    that line should be
    <id>http://www.zotero.org/styles/apa-edited</id>
  • adamsmith
    Alternatively, you should be able to find your old style in the styles directory of your old Zotero (the styles directory is in the data folder of your old Zotero)

    and just place that into the new styles directory and that should fix this, too.
  • adomasven
    edited October 24, 2017
    that line should be
    <id>http://www.zotero.org/styles/apa-edited</id>
    I got the steps right. The issue is specifically caused by the previously edited APA style id having been set to http://www.zotero.org/styles/apa/edited

    (Zotero attempts to download a missing style if the ID is from zotero.org or citationstyles.org and styles/apa/[anything] actually resolves to apa.csl, which is what is causing this)
  • adamsmith
    oops, sorry & thanks for the explanation.
  • Frabs
    Thank you so much! That fixed it. It's working perfectly now.
Sign In or Register to comment.