I wouldn't think the VBA error would be related to the other reports, which just involved Word being closed when using any Zotero plugin function.

Does this go away if you switch back to Zotero 6.0.26 from the download page?

@jhimmelreich: Any follow-up on this? The 6.0.27 plugin uses a new mechanism for communicating with Word for macOS Sonoma compatibility, and some security software or policy restriction in Word on your computer is likely blocking the new method. With CrowdStrike, that resulted in a Word crash. I assume this is something else for you, and we've gotten a couple other reports of this "Run-time error '5'" error, so it would be good to know what's causing it.

Specifically, you can tell your IT department that the 6.0.27 plugin uses curl to make an HTTP request to the Zotero app at 127.0.0.1:23119 (since Sonoma blocks the previous communication method). Hopefully they'll be able to figure out from that what on the system would be blocking that from running.

didn't manage to downgrade (yet). Error seems to persist with the pre-sonoma Zotero.dotm

Installed 6.0.26. Tried four combinations of app and plugin (dotm).

➡️ Using the .26 version of the dotm, inserting citations works both with the .26 and the .27 app version.

➡️ Using the .27 version of the dotm, inserting citations works with neither with the .26 and the .27 app version.

I also tried the alternative .dotm linked to in the other discussion. Behaves like .27 dotm, i.e., error in both Zotero app versions.

Using the .27 with the older .26 plugin generated the warning about the outdated plugin but it seemed to execute just fine.

Hope that helps
J

What is the current actual path to Word on your machine? Have you moved it from the default /Applications/Microsoft Word.app?

Would you try this Zotero.dotm file and check which line you get the Run-time error on?

In case it helps, when I run the following VBA I also get an error 5
Sub Test()
MacScript ("beep")
End Sub


The .26 version of the plugin also uses MacScript, so what you're seeing here is truly bizzare.

Does osascript command in the terminal to run AppleScript work for you?

@adomasven it is pretty strange. When I add MacScript ("beep") right in the first line after Sub CallZotero(func) I get the runtime error 5 even in Zotero .26 version of the add-in (which works otherwise). So why does the procedure not break elsewhere in the same VBA module?

@adomasven Now comparing the .26 add-in with the code of the add-in dotm that you linked to above (which was, I think, derivative of the .27 plugin?).

In the .27 derivative dotm, the error handling might be part of the issue.

One thought: The code following the catch: label in the dotm you linked to uses the MacScript procedure. That means that the code that is run in case of a runtime error includes a procedure call that likely causes the same runtime error. — As mentioned in previous post, both the .26 add-in and the .27 add-in encounter runtime error 5. The add-in of version .26 works despite the MacScript call not because of it (because the .26 error handling code provides the functionality).

Another thought: In the dotm you linked to, there are two error handlers in the same function. I don't think I fully get how VBA handles this. Could the first one On Error GoTo customUrlNotSet interfere with the second one On Error GoTo catch? Perhaps, because the first error handler is still active, the code block following the line label catch: is never executed although (on an "intuitive" reading of the code) you'd expect it would be on a runtime error in the immediately preceding block.

In sum, it seems to me that the main difference why the .26 add-in does work and the .27 (or the derivative version you sent) doesn't is that the .26 version uses the AppleScriptTask procedure following the catch: in case of an error.

Runtime error 5, first line that calls MacScript that is wordAppPath$ = Replace(MacScript("POSIX path of (path to current application)"), " ", "%20")

But I am not sure I got the right Zotero.dotm. It still uses AppleScriptTask nowhere, if that was the intention; and has two error handlers and uses MacScript even in catch: block.

Runtime error 5 in line 93
MacScript "try" & nl$ & "do shell script """ & httpShellScript$ & """" & nl$ & "on error" & nl$ & "display alert """ & onFailMessage$ & """ as critical" & nl$ & "end try"

The error handler doesn't seem to work. This line that causes the error comes right after On Error GoTo catchMacScriptHttp. Although there is a runtime error, VBA does not jump to catchMacScriptHttp:. See my comments above about the VBA trickiness of having more than one error handler within a Sub.

Hi,

Just a note to say I am also having this problem
Zotero 6.0.27
Word 16.77.1
macOS Ventura 13.3.1 (M1 Chip)

It seems like you are close to a solution? Would you mind posting a summary of the fix, if there is one?

@sam_passmore: I don't know what in that thread you're referring to. If you're talking about reverting to 6.0.26 (which is also mentioned here), that's not a fix — just a temporary workaround. You can't stay on an old version.

We're debugging this in this thread and should have a fix soon.

@adomasven: Same error, same line (93, first call of MacScript). Problem is still that the error handler doesn't work as it seems to be intended. It doesn't jump to catchMacScriptHttp: