Zotero experiencing an error updating my document everytime

mohanadyoussef
I keep receiving an error when I get to cite more than 2 references. Very rarely, it works. Even happens in a new document. Tried deleting references and saving them again, deleting Zotero but still facing the issue. I'm using IOS MAC.
  • adomasven
    Please provide full version number for macOS and Word (like 16.44), also submit a Report ID.
  • mohanadyoussef
    Mac oS Catalina 10.15.6 and word 16.59
  • dstillman
    Start by updating to the latest version of Word. We also still need a Report ID.
  • mohanadyoussef
    I can't report ID ON IOS. I ALREADY UPDATED TO THE LASTEST VERSION
  • dstillman
    Please don't use all-caps.

    You're using macOS, not iOS. You can always provide a Report ID. And 16.59 is not the latest version of Word.
  • mohanadyoussef
    caps was turned on by mistake while typing.

    sorry, I updated Microsoft word this morning to 16.64. nothing changed. How can I provide a report ID through mac
  • mohanadyoussef
    Report ID: 1044012065
  • dstillman
    I linked to instructions above.

    We'll also want exact steps to reproduce the problem in a new document.
  • mohanadyoussef
    I have tried citing again in a new document

    Report ID: 897695255
  • mohanadyoussef
    I have closed Zotero and tried citing these specific papers again and reported the error. Report ID; 1001547613
  • adomasven
    Can you consistently reproduce this in a new document? If so, what are the steps you take in a new document to cause this error?
  • mohanadyoussef
    It keeps happening. I just do regular steps citing using word plug on. Weird thing when i get to cite just 4 references it works if I cited the 4 separately or even 2 then 2
  • adomasven
    You will really need to answer these questions properly, otherwise we cannot help you. Can you reproduce this in a new document? Multiple times, performing the same steps? Does it matter which items you cite? Which citation style you use? What are the steps to reproduce it in a new document?
  • mohanadyoussef
    No, I can't reproduce it in a new document. I face the same error. I'm using Diabetes. care style. I'm not sure I understand your question. I normally create a new word document and I have Zotero plug adds on in my word and I press on add citation and when I get to cite as I said earlier more than 2. I get the error. You should be able to help me with my reports ID.
  • mohanadyoussef
    I would appreciate if someone helped out here.
  • aborel
    edited September 1, 2022
    People are trying to help you, but first they need to analyze the problem. This is why they are asking these precise and sometimes technical questions.
    There seems to be some difficulty with the "new document" question. What is asked is the following: if you start new documents (not just one), are you experiencing the same problem with these new documents?
  • DWL-SDCA
    I am confused, as are the others who are trying to help, and I don't understand exactly what you mean by, "cite just 4 references it works if I cited the 4 separately or even 2 then 2." Please try to explain the nature of your problem, step-by-step.

    No one will be able to help until we thoroughly understand what you are experiencing. You need to explain in orderly detail exactly what you have experienced before the problem occurred, and provide a detailed description of exactly the issue with inserting citations.

    Allow me to guess what is happening and you should then correct my likely misunderstanding--

    1) You are typing and complete a statement that needs a single citation. 2) You click the 'insert citation' button and a citation appears. 3) you type additional text and you insert another citation and another citation appears. 4) you are able to do this two more times successfully but additional attempts to cite then fail.

    Or are you saying that you want to cite more than one reference (at the same time) so that your statement is supported by several sources. You are able to successfully cite two sources but your attempts to include more than two fail.

    Or do you have some other problem?

    If Zotero is working properly for you in a new document [ you can add the references that you could not add in the existing document] confirm that. (If everything works as expected in a new document, this indicates that your existing document has been damaged in some yet unknown way. There is an easy process by which you can identify and repair the problem to fix your document.)

    If you encounter the same problem with inserting the _exact same references_ when typing in the new document confirm that (if inserting the same references in a new document cause the same problem; that is essential information.)



  • mohanadyoussef
    Or are you saying that you want to cite more than one reference (at the same time) so that your statement is supported by several sources. You are able to successfully cite two sources but your attempts to include more than two fail.

    that's exactly what I am facing.

    I tried to work on several new documents but it doesn't work. Same error keeps coming up.
  • dstillman
    We need precise steps to reproduce this in a new document. See Steps to Reproduce for the kind of description we need. We can't help you without that.
  • mohanadyoussef
    The Debug ID is D398372094
  • mohanadyoussef
    Just to mention when I sent the document to my friend using windows. He is able to cite more than two references at the same time. I believe it's a Mac issue
  • mohanadyoussef
    I have responded to every question and for the past 2 days, I didn't even get a real solution to my technical issue!!
  • mohanadyoussef
    I also don't receive any error if I tried using google document
  • DWL-SDCA
    Everyone here is trying to be patient and cajole you to provide the details need to help you. Your impatience has now bordered on rudeness to those of us trying to help you.

    Please take a breath and step back.

    You are communicating with the lead developer of Zotero (Stillman), other key Zotero staff, and volunteers who are eager to help you. You do not seem to understand that you are not yet fully communicating your problems in a way that can be useful to solving your problem. While you think that you have responded to "every question" you have in reality not fully responded to the requests for "precise steps to reproduce this in a new document". While I got you to clarify that the problem is with adding multiple citations at the same time, you haven't said enough about how step-by-step you are adding multiple citations. You mentioned that you are using a Mac and that a friend is able to have success with a Windows machine. I (and the Zotero developers) use a Mac. I am able to, at the same time, add multiple citations -- I tested this by adding 6 of them with my Mac using Mac Word and also to a LibreOffice document.

    There are several different things that could be unique to your system and your documents. Each of these require different actions to resolve your problem and taking the wrong action could only further harm your document.

  • mohanadyoussef
    Report ID:1703494851

    When trying to cite more than two references at a time so several sources support my statement. I received an error saying Zotero experienced an error updating your document. would you like to view the troubleshooting experience.

    My steps:

    1- I use the Zotero insert citation in word.
    2- Zotero search bar shows up and I start searching for references that have been added to the library
    3- Press ok
    4- Zotero navigates me to the word document and an error shows up.


    That's precisely what I am experiencing.

    I appreciate your help
  • mohanadyoussef
    I hope this time I answered your question
  • mohanadyoussef
    Can someone please help me out? I answered all questions needed and submitted reports and debugging ID
  • dstillman
    edited September 2, 2022
    No, I'm afraid that's just not enough. Obviously just inserting two items in a new document doesn't cause this in general, so we need the exact steps we would have to take on our computers to reproduce the problem — creating a new Word document, saving specific items to Zotero from specific URLs, clicking Add/Edit Citation, choosing a specific style, searching for those items in a specific order, inserting them one by one…literally everything you're typing and clicking on your screen until the error occurs.

    We'd also want a Debug ID for inserting the citation and getting the error. You provided a Debug ID just for Zotero startup, not for this error occurring.
  • dstillman
    edited September 2, 2022
    And I'm still unclear whether you can reproduce it in a completely new document. You've said both that you can and that you can't, and your steps to reproduce don't say whether you're trying this in a new document.

    If you can't reproduce this in a new document, then you would need to follow Troubleshooting Problems Saving to Zotero for the existing document where you're getting an error.

    If you can, tell us exactly how you're doing it in a way that will let us reproduce it ourselves.
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