Zotero lagging on Mac OS

jcmeunier
Hello,

I’m on Zotero 6.0.26, on Mac OS Monterey 12.6.7.

Recently, I have had an issue with Zotero lagging. This is annoying when filling in metadata and selecting documents, but most of all when reading pdfs, whatever the size of the pdf.

I was wondering if I should simply disable automatic syncing, as it is constantly syncing.

But now I have just received a message telling me to post my report ID on the forum, so perhaps there is another issue.

Here it is: 1070740282

Thank you for your help
  • jcmeunier
    Message received again, this time with the number:

    1748509412

    Not sure if this is useful or if it leads to the same issue.

    Will turn off Zotero for now...
  • jcmeunier
    Has anyone intervened on this?

    The issue seems to be solved, as far as I can observe.
  • dstillman
    We didn't do anything, no.
  • jcmeunier
    OK. Thank you. If it has fixed, that's perfect.

    Does the report indicated anything that I should be changing.

    I have a look at the report but I do not understand 10% of it, obviously. I did read "Invalid creator type 'performer' for type podcast", so I am thinking that may be something that I have done wrong.
  • dstillman
    Can you provide a Debug ID for a sync that produces that error?
  • jcmeunier
    I suppose that, in order to do this, I would need to reproduce this error, but now it is not lagging any more...

    On the other hand, I clicked on sync and got a warning, so I clicked on that, which led me here:
    https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/unknown_data_error

    I checked for updates and it said “no updates found”.

    Should I install the Zotero Beta?
    It says that it is "less stable", so I am not too sure... but then, do I have the choice?
    I mean, if I don't, I will keep getting this warning, I supposed, no?
  • dstillman
    We need a Debug ID for the sync.
  • jcmeunier
    Here it is: D144739440
  • dstillman
    "data": {
    "key": "AAWC8TLN"
    "version": 3644
    "itemType": "audioRecording"
    […]
    "creators": [
    "0": {
    "creatorType": "performer"
    […]
    }
    ]
    […]
    "date": "1971"
    […]
    "extra": "Type: broadcast"
    […]
    }

    (4)(+0000000): Beginning DB transaction ooXO1RMG

    (3)(+0000003): Item doesn't exist locally

    […]

    (1)(+0000016): Unknown item type 'broadcast'

    (1)(+0000010): Rolled back DB transaction ooXO1RMG

    (1)(+0000000): Invalid creator type 'performer' for type podcast

    (2)(+0000005): Invalid data error for item AAWC8TLN in My Library

    (2)(+0000002): Error: Invalid creator type 'performer' for type podcast
    We'll have to fix this, but for now, go to https://www.zotero.org/jcmeunier/items/AAWC8TLN/library, change the item type to Radio Broadcast (if that's what it is), and remove "Type: broadcast" from the Extra field.
  • jcmeunier
    Thank you.

    I have just removed “Type: broadcast”, but there is something I do not understand.

    In my desktop app, “Type: broadcast” does not appear, so I wonder why it does on the Zotero website.

    The item on the website say:
    Date Added: 22/03/2020 20:49:35
    Date Modified: 24/11/2020 20:55:31

    In the desktop app:
    Date Added: 16/04/2022, 12:06:12
    Modified: 16/04/2022, 12:06:38

    The item is just a record, a single (7”), so I need to keep “Audio Recording” as an item type.

    It is possible that I put “Type: broadcast” in the Extra field at some point for some reason, but then, if that was 2020, I wonder why it did not update in 2022.

    Normally, I suppose I should have exactly the same item in the desktop app and on the website.
  • dstillman
    Those aren't the same items — that's why they have different Date Added values.
  • jcmeunier
    OK. Sorry about the confusion.

    Yesterday morning, I could only find one in my desktop app, so I was confused.

    I had a look last night and both were there, so I must have done something wrong.

    I have just deleted the item anyway. I have no idea why I put “Type: broadcast” in 2020, but never mind.

    Thank you very much for your help.
  • jcmeunier
    Hello,

    As it is lagging again, I have produced a debug ID:

    D1250454136

    It is not only when scrolling pdfs, but just about any actions. It has been extremely slow lately, making it very difficult to work.

    I wonder if this is related to syncing, in which case I can turn off automatic syncing and just sync once a day, for example.

    Thank you.
  • dstillman
    That doesn't show any problems — that was just an instantaneous sync with no data to transfer. You should definitely leave auto-sync enabled.

    We'd want to see a Debug ID for Zotero startup, waiting 30 seconds or so for everything to settle, and then performing a single operation that was slow (e.g., changing a metadata field), using the "Restart with Logging Enabled…" option.

    But if this is just about the PDF reader, it would be most likely related to having a large PDF open with huge compressed images. Can you reproduce any problems with the PDF reader closed?

    You can also try the Zotero 7 beta, which should be much faster in general and particularly on Apple Silicon Macs, but what you describe certainly isn't normal in Zotero 6, so something else is going on for you.
  • jcmeunier
    Here it is:

    D1638535686

    It was still VERY slow before I closed Zotero, both with one or two pdf documents open and without.
    However, when I restarted, it was no longer slow, so perhaps it just needed a restart...

    I will see how it goes today.

    I have a 2017 Mac, not a Silicon. Moreover, I am finishing my PhD soon. Five years of work, and I have to hand it in at the end of September. Would you still recommend switching to Zotero 7 beta now? Or should I wait?

    Thanks for you help. Need to finish very soon, so I am really under pressure, and absolutely need Zotero to work at the moment...
  • dstillman
    I wouldn't recommend using the beta if you have a deadline soon, no.
  • b0c5
    Hi, I also experience constant lagging in Zotero 6. My library has ~2800 items. All operations lag (e.g., scrolling during reading a PDF, selecting text, searching the library, etc.).

    Looking forward to trying Zotero 7 (I have an Apple Silicon MacBook), hope things are resolved there.
  • danielborek
    @b0c5 overall z7 is much faster (I am also on Apple Sillicon), but in my case of library ~4000 items it become really slow and almost non-responsible when operating on item when there is some sync or re-sync in progress (it also depends from available RAM memory I think)
  • dstillman
    edited June 17, 2024
    @danielborek: That shouldn't be the case, so you should follow up in your original thread so we can actually debug this. We fixed a cause of that weeks ago.
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