Zotero download display buggy on new install

afrjc
Hi there,

I've been using Zotero on two computers for a few years now with great success and pleasure. But one recently died, and so I replaced it.

After installing the Zotero download on my new replacement computer, however, I'm having issues with its behavior. In particular:

** When I am making notes, and using the "Related" function within notes, after I have added a few new notes and/or related items, Zotero will cease to show the related items on the pop-up menu -- I will see simply a blank outline of the rectangle where the related items should appear. I can wait seemingly forever, and the outline never 'populates' with the related items.

The only "solution" I have found thus far is to restart Zotero and make a few more notes or relations before it becomes buggy again and I have to restart again.

Any ideas what may be causing this new problem? It isn't occurring on my other installation, on the computer that has been functioning throughout, so I don't believe it is related to a problem with the database.

Thanks!
  • dstillman
    Can you take a screenshot of that, upload it somewhere (e.g., Dropbox), and provide a link here, as well as a Report ID from after this occurs?
  • afrjc
    Hi, thanks for the quick reply.

    Here is a shareable link to a jpg of zotero when it stops working and it has a 'ghost' rectangle where the 'related' notes items should appear. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Du542JWGvPfvodzS8

    The report ID that came up when I ran the 'report errors' tool was: 919435018

    Thanks.

    I apologize if I'm not able to respond promptly on the computer having troubles, I'm off to work now and won't have access to the problematic computer again for about another 6 hours.
  • afrjc
    Hi there,

    Does anyone have any suggestions on this? I'm still having the same problems.

    Thanks again.
  • dstillman
    It shouldn't matter, but does this still happen if you restart Zotero and then leave the left-hand pane open?

    If so, can you provide a Debug ID (different from a Report ID) from Zotero startup through the problem, using the "Restart with Logging Enabled…" option?
  • afrjc
    I can try leaving the left hand pane open, and will run the report in about six hours (when I have a break from work) and send you a debug report then.

    Thanks for getting back in touch.
  • afrjc
    Hi there,

    So I used the program briefly after restarting with logging enabled. I've now submitted an output report: D2146431526

    Let me know if I've done this right or if I should try it again differently.

    Thanks again for your assistance.
  • dstillman
    edited February 5, 2019
    Did you trigger the bug in that debug output? It mostly shows an initial auto-sync. It's actually best if you can temporarily disable that in the Sync pane of the preferences, restart Zotero with debug output logging enabled, and then trigger this bug and submit the output. You can then turn auto-sync back on.
  • afrjc
    OK, I hadn't disabled the sync. I'll try it again this way.
  • afrjc
    Hi again,

    So I've been working on it, not relentlessly, but pretty regularly. By now it usually would have crashed many times over -- but it hasn't crashed with auto-sync turned off. So I'm beginning to wonder if it is something to do with with auto-sync.

    Either way, I'm going to have to stop my experiment for the morning and head to work. Thanks for your patience and help.

    Can we resume again later if you have further suggestions -- I'd like to have the program fully functioning again and not HAVE to manually sync.

    Rich
  • dstillman
    Is this also with the left-hand pane open? For a visual bug like this, I'd guess that that's more likely to be the culprit. I would try both separately.
  • afrjc
    Hi, no, I actually forgot to try it that way, so the left pane has been closed the whole time (both with auto-sync on and with it off). I can experiment with that when I get home tonight or again tomorrow morning, but again, won't have time immediately. I'll check back to this thread to remind myself where to start again.
  • afrjc
    Just for one more data-point though. I turned auto-sync back on, did a few more changes in my notes, and it almost immediately crashed for the first time in hours -- with the left pane still closed.
  • afrjc
    Hi again.

    OK. So, I opened up Zotero this morning, opened the left pane, shut off auto-sync, and re-started with the debug logging enabled and this time I did replicate the problem, so perhaps we're in luck. Here's the ID # for the report: D180868286

    Thanks so much again for your assistance and patience thus far.

    Rich
  • afrjc
    Well, it really is my lucky day. I replicated the problem again with the left pane closed this time and debug logging enabled. Here's another ID report: D1039080461
  • afrjc
    Hi there,

    I don't suppose you've had a chance to look at the debug logs I submitted yesterday? I'm still having the troubles.

    Thanks for your assistance.
  • dstillman
    Sorry, I'm not going to be able to review this until next week, but I haven't forgotten about it.

    Is the other computer where this isn't happening running the same OS?

    I'm also a bit confused by your screenshot. That seems to show the outline of a very large box, whereas by default the popup is just a few lines high. Is it just showing a random rectangle, or do you actually have dozens of related items linked to that note, causing the box to take up much of the window height? Does this only happen when once you've added a large number of related items?
  • afrjc
    Hi, thanks for getting back to me, and I'll look forward to hearing from you next week too. As to today's questions...

    The other computer is not running the same OS. The new computer is on Windows' latest OS. My other one is running Windows 7. But my previous home computer (the one that crashed, forcing me to buy a new one) was running the same latest Windows' OS (I'm not home right now and can't remember the numbering -- what is it, 10?).

    The screenshot: it is a very large box, there are lots of related items linked from lots of other note-items. My library is wildly inter-linked through the notes, it's one of the things I value using the program for! As far as I can tell it isn't happening only with items with large numbers of links, but then again, almost all of my notes have "large" (more than just a few) numbers of links, so I could easily be missing a pattern even if there is one.
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