synching of edits in pdf files fails, access from different computers

landscape3000
hi there,

I use Zotero on my macbook from home and from my computer at University, we have a group library from my institution with unlimited storage. I noticed that edits I did on PDF Files, like text marks and bookmarks are not saved, resp. synched properly. For instance I added some files to Zotero from my macbook at home yesterday. When using Zotero from my University computer today, the files are there but all the edits are missing! This is a big hindrance of my work flow. The synch symbol shows synching has worked. Any ideas are much appreciated.

Kind regards
  • dstillman
    What PDF reader are you using? If the files are syncing correctly, the PDF reader you're using may be saving the annotations to a separate file rather than to the PDF file itself. The annotations need to be saved to the file itself to sync via Zotero.
  • landscape3000
    Thanks for your answer!
    I am using Acrobat on both computers. When I open the files through Zotero with my macbook, all the edits are there, but if I access them through Zotero from the other computer the edits are not there. The other computer is Windows if thats relevant. Both Zotero versions seems to be the latest update. I saw there was another post today with the same issue!

    https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/81774/trouble-syncing-edited-modified-pdf#latest
  • dstillman
    Can you provide a Debug ID for the first sync after making local changes to the file?
  • dstillman
    @landscape3000: Well, actually, do you see the annotations when you access the file in the online library? If you do, then we'd want a Debug ID for the first sync on another computer where you're not seeing the annotations (noting that it may sync automatically as soon as the first computer syncs).
  • landscape3000
    ID is D1137151202
    it is from the "second" computer that doesn't show the edits I did on the "first" computer. (I don't dare to change the files on second computer now because I don't want to loose those I did on the first computer.)
    Thanks for helping!
  • landscape3000
    I am not entirely sure what you mean with annotation, when I look up the original file it says it was last saved yesterday - when I added the file with first computer. So second computer must have synced the file but not the edits.
  • dstillman
    edited March 6, 2020
    Actually, I think I know what you're seeing here. Are you using download "as needed" mode instead of "at sync time"? I believe there's a flaw in the current behavior where the updated file won't be downloaded due to the local file already existing, when it should instead re-download the file (as long as Zotero has synced and received notification of the change). We'll fix that soon, but for now the fix would be to either 1) use "at sync time" mode or 2) right-click on the file, choose "Show File", and delete the file, and then double-click on the item to download it again, which should give you the updated version.
  • landscape3000
    About your first solution 1) "at sync time": My version is German so I hope I get that right! In my preferences the following is activated: something like "Automatically synchronize" and also the second box about "content synchronize" - so should I change one of these options?
    Second solution: Honestly I am bit worried to lo lose my edited file that way
  • landscape3000
    I just dared to try the second solution but it didn't work unfortunately!
  • dstillman
    No, this is in the File Syncing section at the bottom of that dialog. The German text for "as needed" is "bei Aufruf", and for "at sync time" it's "beim Synchronisieren".
    Honestly I am bit worried to lo lose my edited file that way
    You shouldn't be. You're just deleting the old version of the file on disk. You're not making a change in Zotero. It's as if you simply didn't have the file locally, so Zotero will download the version from the online library as it would normally.
  • dstillman
    edited March 6, 2020
    What do you mean by "didn't work"?

    If the file doesn't exist locally, Zotero will download the version from the online library — there's nothing else it can do. You need to check the online library to see what version of the file is there.
  • dstillman
    "annotations" is referring to the edits we're discussing — highlights and notes you make in the file. You need to check the online version to see whether those changes are being uploaded properly from the other computer. That's the only way to know whether the problem is with the upload from the other computer or the download to this one.
  • landscape3000
    I see! Thank you! Than the first computer seems to have the problem, because you're right, the edits also don't show in the online library, so I must have had a problem with uploading my files. Will check that again when at home.
  • landscape3000
    edited March 6, 2020
    Hi, so I logged in from first computer (macbook), an my edits are there. I checked the online libary again and this time the files seems to have been uploaded properly (at least the ones I checked). For complete documentation another ID protocol from this computer: D203125284.
    Kind regards
  • dstillman
    OK, so then it's almost certainly just the issue I describe above with "as needed" mode.
  • landscape3000
    Unfortunately I don't think thats the case, because its actually set at "beim Synchronisieren" on this computer (I now found that setting)
  • dstillman
    On which computer? The question is what it's set to on the computer where it's not downloading the modified file from the online library. That setting makes no difference on the uploading computer.
  • landscape3000
    I had checked the uploading computer. Will check the downloading computer next time I'll use it.
  • landscape3000
    Hi there! so also on downloading computer it says "beim Synchronisieren". I checked on particular pdf file with bookmars, which has not been synchronized on this computer, edits were missing. I checked the online libary and edits were there. I did what you recommended an deleted the local file on this computer, it than downloaded the most recent, edited file. Thanks for providing the workaround and I would be very glad if the "flaw" could be solved soon.
  • dstillman
    That's weird, but I've made a few improvements to file downloading in the latest Zotero beta. If you want, you can try that and see if you're still experiencing any problems.
  • landscape3000
    thanks again! have a good day
  • landscape3000
    hi, update on this issue, I am having the same troubles again. All my edited files from today's work at university have not be uploaded. The PDF and .odt files I added today are there, but not the edits. Edits are also not saved in the online library, so it must be an issue with the uploading computer at university. Will have access to said computer only next week again and check the settings.
  • landscape3000
    ok, so at the Uni computer it says "at sync time". I can see that edits I did on home computer are synched now.
    How can I make sure, that edits I am making at Uni computer are saved properly?
  • dstillman
    Make sure that when you make an annotation on the PDF, the modification time of the file (as show via right-click → Show File) changes. If it does, provide a Debug ID for the next sync attempt after annotating a file.
  • landscape3000
    thank you! so at Uni computer, a file I added yesterday from home computer was available but without edits as well. Deleting the file did the trick. But I think its strange that the file was not downloaded properly in the first place.

    I did a restart with logging, edited a file on home computer, which did not synch on Uni computer (library FG..). I noticed extended synching time with another shared library (7440 -...), maybe thats an issue.

    Debug ID D1043268922
  • landscape3000
    edited January 27, 2021
    the file I had just edited from home computer did not synch to the web library. maybe its an issue that i have zotero running on two computers at the same time?
  • landscape3000
    had another notice for an error
    181737421
  • dstillman
    Sorry for the delay. If you're not seeing annotations online after making them locally and syncing, the relevant thing would be just a Debug ID for the next sync immediately after you save an annotation locally.
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