Using zotero connector to save PDF fails

I'm trying to use Zotero connector (5.0.57) to save a PDF that I am viewing in Firefox's (68.0.2 64-bit) default PDF viewer. The Zotero instance running on the background is version 5.0.74. All of this is running under MacOS Mojave 10.14.5. Upon clicking "Save to Zotero (PDF)" I get a brief spinning circle followed by a red x and the text: "Saving failed. Is Zotero running?". It is of course running and it is receiving html snapshots from the connector fine, just not PDF. The only steps I have tried so far to correct the problem are restarting both the browser and Zotero, with no luck. Any help is appreciated.

Report ID: 365671759
Debug ID: D1224026077
  • That PDF is behind HTTP authentication. File downloads happen from Zotero itself, which doesn't have access to the HTTP auth credentials from the browser, so Zotero won't have access to the file.

    HTTP authentication isn't something that is or will be supported. (I'm not sure a browser extension can even get access to it.) It's also extremely rare. The vast majority of the time, when Zotero users encounter gated PDFs, the PDFs are behind cookie-based authentication (e.g., web-based library proxies), which the Connector passes to Zotero.

    You'll need to just save that PDF from the browser and drag it to Zotero.
  • That makes perfect sense, thanks for the reply. As my credentials were cached for that site, I long since forgot that it required authentication. Easy enough to work around.
Sign In or Register to comment.