Drag and drop not working from GDrive (Mac) ...

DaringFutures
Hi ...

I'm running Zotero 6.0.19 on a Mac Mini with Ventura 13.1 (22C65)>

As most of my documents are stored in GDrive I've setup Zotero to also use my GDrive, as described by Hasal Fernando in this Medium article - https://medium.com/@hasal98fernando/use-google-drive-to-store-pdfs-with-zotero-in-3-steps-c36135d53f86

I'm creating folders in my library OK, and can add references using the Chrome plug-in, the Finder drag-and-drop functionality doesn't work. i.e. I cannot drag a PDF from my Finder window into Zotero.

To be clear, Finder is looking at PDF files stored in my GDrive, but I don't believe this should be an issue.

Is there a config setting that I'm missing somewhere?
  • DaringFutures
    Hi,

    After my last message, I restarted Zotero with logging enabled and saw the following error when I tried to drag-and-drop a PDF file from my GDrive in the Mac Finder window.

    [JavaScript Error: "Component returned failure code: 0x80004005 (NS_ERROR_FAILURE) [nsIFile.copyToFollowingLinks]" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/file.js" line: 1002}]

    [JavaScript Error: "Failed importing file /Users/[username]/Library/CloudStorage/GoogleDrive-[GmailAddress]/My Drive/Psychology/Self-determination Theory/Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.pdf"]

    [JavaScript Error: "item.isRegularItem is not a function" {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/retractions.js" line: 839}]

    version => 6.0.19, platform => MacIntel, oscpu => Intel Mac OS X 10.16, locale => en-GB, appName => Zotero, appVersion => 6.0.19, extensions => ZotFile (5.1.2, extension), Zotero LibreOffice Integration (6.0.3.SA.6.0.19, extension), Zotero Word for Mac Integration (6.0.4.SA.6.0.19, extension)

    Does anyone know why this is failing?
  • dstillman
    Can you provide a Debug ID for an attempt that fails?

    Does it work if you drag from another folder (e.g., your desktop)?
  • DaringFutures
    Here's the top of the debug output I provided above:

    Submitted with Debug ID D908037685

    >Does it work if you drag from another folder (e.g., your desktop)?

    Yes.

    I've just tested some other files and noticed something.

    The file I was testing had a long file name which included a comma. "Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.pdf"

    I removed the comma, and drag-and-drop worked. It is odd that the Mac OS allows a comma in a file name at all.

    I hope this helps someone else.
  • emilianoeheyns
    A comma isn't more special than the letter a in a filename: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_File_System
    Allowed characters in filenames: Unicode 9.0 encoded in UTF-8
  • DaringFutures
    True. But bad things happen if the DB code doesn't handle (parse) those characters correctly.
  • emilianoeheyns
    The DB code shouldn't have to parse those characters at all, unless they're doing query building using string assembly of user input rather than using parameters. I haven't yet come across such code in Zotero.

    Not saying that what you are seeing is not happening, but it's not an APFS limitation, and it should not be a db-use problem.
  • dstillman
    Yes, the comma wouldn't be a problem in Zotero.

    But @DaringFutures, you have your data directory in a cloud storage folder, where it absolutely cannot be, and we can't provide any further support as long as that's the case.
  • DaringFutures
    Happy to move it to another location @dstillman ... Are you able to point me to the instructions detailing how I do this?
  • dstillman
    You configured this originally, in the Advanced → Files and Folders pane of the Zotero preferences. You'd have to change it back to the default configuration and move your files.
  • DaringFutures
    Does your cloud storage folder guidance extend to iCloud?

    If so, do you have specific instructions for Mac users explaining how to create the required folder structure outside of the iCloud storage service, please?
  • dstillman
    edited January 4, 2023
    iCloud is a cloud storage folder. The default Zotero data directory location isn't synced by iCloud.

    Everything you've done here is non-standard. The default configuration of Zotero just works, and it's the only configuration we support. These things are in the Advanced pane of the preferences for a reason.
  • DaringFutures
    This is great to know. I'm feeling my way into the application and exploring its features, as I don't want to waste my time investing in a resource that will collapse at some point in the future.

    You've rightly flagged the data corruption risks, which I certainly want to avoid. So I thank you for that.

    As a matter of personal integrity, I own licenses for all of the software I use, and as an ex-developer with >40 years of delivery experience, this matters to me.

    I'm unfamiliar with the configuration of Zotero, so if you can point me to the relevant documentation that describes what I need to do to move my modest database back to where it needs to be, that would be helpful.
  • dstillman
    https://www.zotero.org/support/preferences/advanced#files_and_folders
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