Upgrade StorageInconsistent "Save to Zotero" button functionality - Zotero Connnector for Firefox [solved]
Hi. I'm a research scientist and use Zotero to collect references, including article PDFs. I use the Zotero Connector extension in Firefox, integrated with the Zotero Desktop application for Linux. For a long time now, my Zotero Connector fails to work consistently.
The Save to Zotero toolbar button (with default save action) seems to generally work on open-access articles -- the bibliographic data are properly retrieved and article PDF is downloaded. As examples, the Save to Zotero button works perfectly with articles from arXiv.org and from quantum-journal.org.
The button consistently fails when I want to use it on university-proxied article pages. Similar to another forum post [1], when I click on the Save to Zotero button, the connector opens the 'Saving to My Library' window, but nothing actually happens. Often, I can right-click the button and choose alternate save actions [e.g. Save to Zetro (Embedded Metadata)] and those actions will work, but that is not retrieving all the desired data.
The broken Save to Zotero functionality is not strictly limited to university proxy situations, however. I can find an Amazon book [2] for which the button's default action fails to do anything. This web page was mentioned in the forum post [1].
Please help me get Zotero Connector working properly again so I can restore my old workflow.
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[1] https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/101492/firefox-connector-not-working-for-amazon/p1
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Clicking-Clients-Marketing-Practice-Therapists/dp/1532844557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1461641556&sr=8-1&keywords=clicking+with+clients&linkCode=sl1&tag=impyousocski-20&linkId=b8f85baeeb14ac485a14d2b91c965a9a
The Save to Zotero toolbar button (with default save action) seems to generally work on open-access articles -- the bibliographic data are properly retrieved and article PDF is downloaded. As examples, the Save to Zotero button works perfectly with articles from arXiv.org and from quantum-journal.org.
The button consistently fails when I want to use it on university-proxied article pages. Similar to another forum post [1], when I click on the Save to Zotero button, the connector opens the 'Saving to My Library' window, but nothing actually happens. Often, I can right-click the button and choose alternate save actions [e.g. Save to Zetro (Embedded Metadata)] and those actions will work, but that is not retrieving all the desired data.
The broken Save to Zotero functionality is not strictly limited to university proxy situations, however. I can find an Amazon book [2] for which the button's default action fails to do anything. This web page was mentioned in the forum post [1].
Please help me get Zotero Connector working properly again so I can restore my old workflow.
--
[1] https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/101492/firefox-connector-not-working-for-amazon/p1
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Clicking-Clients-Marketing-Practice-Therapists/dp/1532844557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1461641556&sr=8-1&keywords=clicking+with+clients&linkCode=sl1&tag=impyousocski-20&linkId=b8f85baeeb14ac485a14d2b91c965a9a
If you're seeing issues more broadly for proxied pages, we'd need some examples (i.e. URLs) of that.
(more generally, see https://www.zotero.org/support/troubleshooting_translator_issues and make sure you run through all other steps, especially if you're seeing issues across multiple sites)
[1a] https://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.106.064310
[1b] https://journals-aps-org.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.106.064310
For [1a], without the proxy, the Save to Zotero button works aside from a failure to download the PDF.
For [1b], with the proxy, clicking the button has no effect in My Library.
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[2a] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP12(2012)119
[2b] https://link-springer-com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/article/10.1007/JHEP12(2012)119
[3a] https://www.nature.com/articles/nature18318
[3b] https://www-nature-com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/articles/nature18318
For both [2a] and [3a], without the proxy, the Save to Zotero button is functional but instead of retrieving the published article it downloads the (open-access) submitted version.
For [2b], with the proxy, the Save to Zotero button has no effect, like with [1b].
For [3b], with the proxy, the button is functional but still retrieves the submitted version instead of what should be the final published version.
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For debug purpose I'll use [1b]:
When I hover over the button, the tooltip reads "Save to Zotero (APS)".
When I click the button, the pop-up says "Saving to My Library".
Debug ID: D891715904
D1288543495
D1522825833
I found that if I completely removed Firefox and all setting files and then reinstalled Firefox, then Zotero connector worked properly up until I logged into my Firefox sync account. After that, the failed-PDF-download problem returned.
I'm not positive what about my Firefox account is causing the problem, but it may have to do with synced add-ons and some kind of interaction between Zotero connector and the other add-ons.
Now that I've narrowed down the source of the problem, I will mark this thread as solved.