PDF downloads not working via VPN

  • M B
    Similar problems with ScienceDirect PDF auto-downloads (though I can succesfully download PDF manually). Example article URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763414003492 . I use acces to article via VPN. I use Zotero 4.0.29.16 Firefox connector in Firefox 50.1.0 in combination with Zotero Standalone 4.0.29.10 with up-to-date translators.
  • adamsmith
    you mean actual VPN that affects all internet connections (e.g. via the Cisco VPN Client or similar software) on your computer or some in-browser solution? Because with the former this really should work, but with the latter we'd expect this when running Standalone.
  • M B
    edited January 13, 2017
    I use Cisco VPN program, that affects all internet connections.
    I just also tested Zotero 5 beta (todays build 5.0-beta.109+12de046) with corresponding Zotero Connector 4.999.5 in VirtualBox (to avoid interference with stable installation): here PDF auto downloading works from same URL.
    Strange, that same translator work with development version, but not with stable Zotero (Standalone/Connector) version.
  • niki
    Same as MB I use a Cisco VPN connection that affects all internet connections. That was no problem with the integrated zotero version, it downloaded PDFs just fine. Ever since the (forced) change to the standalone (due to the firefox upgrade), no pdf downloads automatically no matter what journal or service I use.
    It really makes things much more cumbersome than before. Any help on this?
  • dstillman
    @niki: Is Zotero able to connect to the internet generally? I.e., are you able to submit an error report, use Add Item by Identifier, and sync? If not, see Connection Error.
  • niki
    Now you mention it: the "add item by identifier" actually does not work either, but Zotero does download the metadata correctly so I assume that the connection to the internet is not the issue per se? (I do not sync so I can't report on that).
  • dstillman
    edited December 11, 2017
    No, metadata is downloaded in your browser via the connector. But PDFs are downloaded directly from Zotero, so it needs a working internet connection for that. If Add Item by Identifier isn't working, that's almost certainly the issue for you. (The next version of Zotero will warn when a proxy is configured but not working.)
  • Emil Åsegård
    I'm not very good on zotero but i recognize the same problem as niki. when i'm on firefox trying to save an article by pressing the Save to Zotero-icon, the meta-data is saved correctly, showing a working progress window down to the right. However, when it comes to the pdf, a red X is shown, indicating some problem. I work via a university-login and can always download the pdf separately, but that takes a lot of extra time.
    Strangest thing is that yesterday during av short period of maybe 15 minutes, the zotero program DID save down the pdf. before and after this, without changing anything deliberatly, it stopped downloading again. Could it have to do with any setting?
    I use the free version of zotero, and my internet-based storage is since long full. Could that have something to do with it?

    Thank you by the way for this fantastic tool and for your work and help.
  • Emil Åsegård
    By the way, I have also have this problem on Science direct/elsevier, whereas it seems to work on Jstor.
  • niki
    Hi Dan, sorry for the delay: I tried the recommendations from the link you sent (disabled the firewall and the antivirus software, changed the proxy settings) but none of them worked. Any more thoughts on this? Thanks!
  • niki
    Hi there, unfortunately I'm still stuck with that problem and I'd be very grateful for any new suggestions how to enable the automatic PDF download in the standalone version. Thanks!
  • LiborA
    Can you provide problematic URL?
  • niki
    I have this problem with every single URL since I switched to the standalone version (due to the new firefox) but here is an example:
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393217302440?via=ihub

    I don't know what kind of open access paper I can give you as an example. It never worked for the open access journals Frontiers and PLoSOne even with the old in-built version of zotero that otherwise did a fine job of downloading PDFs. So here's an example from a different journal, but I could not say whether it used to download from here with the in-built version: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-20676-8
  • LiborA
    Science direct is problematic in the most cases, especially if the download is available in two steps as in your example. This is nothing linked to the Standalone version, that is a problem of connector and html code of Science direct page. (This problem should be in the old Zotero for firefox too).
    @zuphilip can you look on the Nature translator?

  • adamsmith
    The translators are fine; both of these should import with PDF and do for me.

    I think this is a good test as per Dan:
    If Add Item by Identifier isn't working, that's almost certainly the issue for you. (The next version of Zotero will warn when a proxy is configured but not working.)
    If you try add by identifier e.g. using 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.06.031 and it doesn't work the problem is that Zotero can't connect to the internet. If you're connecting through a proxy, that's almost certainly the reason.

  • dstillman
    @niki: There's not much more we can suggest beyond what's on Connection Error, but if you generate debug output for Zotero startup using Help -> Debug Output Logging -> "Restart with Logging Enabled…" and then copy the output and email it to support@zotero.org with a link to this thread, we can take a look. (You could try to submit the output and provide a Debug ID, but that likely won't work, since I suspect you just don't have a working internet connection in Zotero.)
  • niki
    edited March 13, 2018
    Thanks for the suggestion and sorry; that message caught me during a very busy time so I never tried it. But great news are: since yesterday everything is back to normal, i.e. PDFs download just fine no matter what journal! As I did not actively change anything, I suspect yesterday's zotero update? Whether it was an intended or unintended fix of a still mysterious problem - thank you! It's simply great to have the old functionality back again!

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