[SOLVED] Zotero connector in Firefox suddenly ineffectual

Cbhihe
edited October 4, 2019
Hi This concerns report ID: 1862721160.

Basically when visiting the paywall protected page (https://dl-acm-org.recursos.biblioteca.upc.edu/citation.cfm?id=963776&preflayout=flat#) through my university library account the Zotero icon only permits saving to 'MyLibrary'. Nothing is saved to my local library which makes Zotero unusable in that case for me.

Note that connecting to an article of the NYT and trying the same works perfectly. I can save to my local Zotero app library.

I run Mozilla FF 69.0.1 (64bit) on up to date Arch Linux rollout.
FF connector version: 5.0.60
Zotero stand alone application version: 5.0.74
Zotero LO integration version: 5.0.20
---- this seems to correspond to the Zotero debug output
" version => 5.0.74, platform => Linux x86_64, oscpu => Linux x86_64, locale => en-US, appName => Zotero, appVersion => 5.0.74, extensions => Zotero LibreOffice Integration (5.0.20.SA.5.0.74, extension), Shockwave Flash (32.0.0.255, plugin) "
----

I have looked at both:
1/ https://www.zotero.org/support/troubleshooting_translator_issues
and
2/ https://www.zotero.org/support/known_translator_issues

Barring a lack of comprehension on my part, I see nothing obvious to me which could help me troubleshoot the issue.

EDIT: my troubleshooting included disabling all add-ons but Zotero, restarting FF and seeing that it makes no difference to Zotero whether my 5 add-ons are enabled or disabled.

Thanks.

-cedric
  • Cbhihe
    edited October 2, 2019
    Addendum:

    If on that specific ACM page, I right-click on the Firefox connector icon, I can select "Save to Zotero (embedded metadata)".
    The meta data is then correctly saved locally, except for the journal article abstract, which I must copy by hand.

    The same occurs with other pages for other journal articles on the same ACM web site.
  • adamsmith
    When you right-click on the connector icon, is embedded metadata the only optino you get under Save to Zotero?

    (There's also some misunderstanding about terminology "My Library" is your local Zotero library)
  • Cbhihe
    edited October 2, 2019
    When I right-click on the connector icon, I have 5 options:
    "Embedded metadata",
    "DOI",
    "ACM Digital Library",
    "Web page with snapshot",
    "Web page without snapshot".

    Effectively I was confused about the meaning of "My Library". Since clicking to save locally has no effect whatsoever and "My Library" appeared, I thought it was a reference to a remote library upload.
  • dstillman
    Since clicking to save locally has no effect whatsoever
    What do you mean by that? You're saying that clicking the icon doesn't cause anything at all to happen, but right-clicking and selecting an option (any option? only specific options? "ACM Digital Library"?) from the menu does?

    Also, is that really the order in which you see those options? ACM Digital Library should be at the top of the menu.

    In any case, the Troubleshooting Translator Errors instructions request more information that we'd need to debug this further.
  • Cbhihe
    edited October 3, 2019
    Formerly, left-clicking (right-handed user here) on the Zotero connector icon in FF had the effect of automatically saving the corresponding bib ref to the local library, provided the Zotero App was running. At that time one could see the new bibliographical entry appear in real time in the Zotero app main window.

    This does not happen with the ACM site anymore. Or better said and after some exploring it does not happen with that site the way it used to. Now I have to right-click on the connector icon and select "Save to Zotero" which gives me a sub-menu with 5 choices. The exact order of that submenu (if that is important) is:
    "ACM Digital Library",
    "Embedded metadata",
    "DOI",
    "Web page with snapshot",
    "Web page without snapshot"

    The one translator that works is the generic "Embedded metadata". As documented in Zotero's troubleshooting wikis, being generic that translator does not save the full metadata, in particular it misses language (if present) and abstract, which is a little more problematic.

    You say that you need more info from me reporting this, but I have gone through your troubleshooting guide three times and cannot see what info I may have omitted here. Please advise if you can.

    Do you think it is an ACM page problem ? a limited Zotero connector or translator problem ? a user (me) problem ?

    What else can I provide to help troubleshoot this ?

  • dstillman
    This does not happen with the ACM site anymore.
    But you still don't say what's actually happening — that's what we need to know.

    There should be no difference between clicking the button and selecting the top option in the menu. Are you saying that clicking the button doesn't cause anything at all to happen and selecting "ACM Digital Library" causes something different to happen? Nothing for both? Something (an error message?) for both?
    You say that you need more info from me reporting this, but I have gone through your troubleshooting guide three times and cannot see what info I may have omitted here.
    The final step on the page. You haven't provided a Debug ID, you haven't said whether you're getting a popup and what it says if so, and you haven't told us what it says when you hover over the icon.
  • Cbhihe
    I'm slightly confused. Is the debug ID not the same as the ID number I provided yesterday ? If it is the same, it's sitting at the top of this thread: 1862721160.

    1) Hovering over the connector icon in FF, makes a bubble appear which reads "Save to Zotero (Embedded metadata)". If I left-click on the icon there and then, nothing happens, except for a Popup, which in turn reads: "Saving to: My Library". If I select the menu-unfold triangle on that popup, indicating that My Library may be only one of many choices, I discover that it is the only choice. The unfolded submenu is empty, except for "My Library" sitting on top of it. I then click "Done". The popup closes and **nothing** happens, nothing is saved and the bib ref is nowhere to be found in my local Zotero app library.

    2) As described earlier, if I right-click on the connector icon and select "Save to Zotero", then I have a choice of 5 submenu-entries:
    "ACM Digital Library",
    "Embedded metadata",
    "DOI",
    "Web page with snapshot",
    "Web page without snapshot"

    3) I never talked about selecting "ACM Digital Library". In any case because you bring it up, I tried. Nothing at all happens, meaning that again the bib ref is nowhere to be found in my local Zotero app library.

    4) I always wrote about selecting "Embedded Metadata". I'll just quote my previous post:
    "The one translator that works is the generic "Embedded metadata". As documented in Zotero's troubleshooting wikis, being generic that translator does not save the full metadata, in particular it misses language (if present) and abstract, which is a little more problematic."

    HTH
  • dstillman
    That's a Report ID. We need a Debug ID — all mentions have been linked to instructions.
    If I left-click on the icon there and then, nothing happens, except for a Popup
    OK, just to be clear, that's not "nothing" happening. Nothing happening means you click the button and literally nothing changes on screen. If you're getting a popup, that's something happening, and we need to know that that in order to help you.
    Hovering over the connector icon in FF, makes a bubble appear which reads "Save to Zotero (Embedded metadata)".
    OK, so then you're not seeing the correct translator for the page, and we'd want to see a Debug ID for loading the page (not for saving).
  • Cbhihe
    ok, thanks for your patience and sorry for the confusion on my part.

    Debug ID from Zotero App: D452061273
    Debug ID from Zotero Connector: D1924153410

    I hope I did this right this time. I am not certain of it, because the precision of "Debug ID for _loading the page (not for saving)_ is lost on me.
  • dstillman
    Are you sure it says "Save to Zotero (ACM Digital Library)" in the tooltip when you're on the ACM page (and not, say, on this forums page)? Because based on your debug output, that shouldn't be the case, and it would be very weird if it said "Embedded Metadata" but then showed "ACM Digital Library" at the top of the menu.

    Anyhow, in your debug output, it's trying to save with the ACM translator and failing, and then falling back to Embedded Metadata and saving successfully. That also doesn't match your description, since you said that it wasn't saving at all when you just clicked the button, but it's quite clearly doing so here. Zotero automatically falls back to other translators in the list when a higher-priority one fails, and that's what's happening here. There shouldn't be any need to select Embedded Metadata from the menu manually. The only reason to use the menu is if a higher-priority translator is saving successfully but you want to use a lower-priority one that might have different metadata.

    In any case, the failure of the ACM translator for you was due to a complicated interaction between the site, the translator, and your institution's proxy server, and that should now be fixed in the latest version of the translator. Your Zotero Connector should auto-update within 24 hours, or you can update manually by clicking Update Translators in the Advanced pane of the Zotero Connector preferences. Let us know if it works for you after updating.
  • Cbhihe
    >> Are you sure it says "Save to Zotero (ACM Digital Library)" in the tooltip when you're on the ACM page (and not, say, on this forums page)?

    Yes, "Save to Zotero (ACM Digital Library)" is right. I'm positive, and have it right in front of me right now.
    On this forum page, the bubble tip when hovering over the connector icon reads: "Save to Zotero (Embedded Metadata)"

    >>in your debug output, it's trying to save with the ACM translator and failing, and then falling back to Embedded Metadata and saving successfully.

    Yes, that's exactly what I saw happening the one time. Don't know why it was different that time. Normally I must manually select menu item "Save to Zotero", followed by sub-menu item "Embedded Metadata", for the same to happen.

    >>That also doesn't match your description, since you said that it wasn't saving at all when you just clicked the button, but it's quite clearly doing so here.

    The only thing different this time was the _amount of time_ involved, as I was simultaneously consulting the page:
    https://www.zotero.org/support/debug_output#debug_output_logging
    making sure I was enabling debugging, producing the report, submitting it and disabling logging. To do this took me a pretty long time (maybe 20s to 30s) to get back to the ACM page on FF. And so during that time, I suppose the one left-click on the connector icon had plenty of time to work its magic the way it did. In my previous troubleshooting, I would click on it, wait 3s, look at my Zotero app on a different screen to see whether my local library was being updated in any way, then try something else (you must be thinking in "monkey-before-keyboard" fashion... fair enough.).

    I will now try to update the connector manually.

    In any case I do thank you for the expert help and again patience. This episode was a little confusing for me. To my defense, and to your credit, guys, Zotero seems to have quite a few moving part to contend with. Cheers.

  • dstillman
    edited October 3, 2019
    >> Are you sure it says "Save to Zotero (ACM Digital Library)" in the tooltip when you're on the ACM page (and not, say, on this forums page)?

    Yes, "Save to Zotero (ACM Digital Library)" is right. I'm positive, and have it right in front of me right now.
    Sorry, I meant to type "Save to Zotero (Embedded Metadata)" — that's what you originally claimed it was showing. "ACM Digital Library" is what it's actually showing, and what's correct. I think you were just checking while on the wrong page.
  • Cbhihe
    The Zotero connector now seems to work fine on ACM pages.
    Thank you for your trouble in remedying the issue.
    Cheers.
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