Upgrade StorageZotero says "item no longer exists in your database" after hitting "insert citation" icon
I get this error message immediately upon hitting the "insert citation" icon in my Word 2007 document:
"This item no longer exists in your Zotero database. Do you want to select a substitute?"
I haven't selected an item; in fact, Zotero won't let me get that far. All I've done is tried to insert a citation in my document. As soon as I get this error message, Zotero jumps to and highlights the first citation in the document. I am using Zotero 2.0.3 and Winword integration 3.0a4.
"This item no longer exists in your Zotero database. Do you want to select a substitute?"
I haven't selected an item; in fact, Zotero won't let me get that far. All I've done is tried to insert a citation in my document. As soon as I get this error message, Zotero jumps to and highlights the first citation in the document. I am using Zotero 2.0.3 and Winword integration 3.0a4.
this sounds similar to the problem I'm experiencing (see "Citing on different computers"). Are you also working on different computers or did that problem occur when working with only one computer? Was the file you are working with edited only on that computer or was it moved between different computers?
Take care!
What I want to know is if Zotero is not finding _any_ of your citations or just not the first one in your document. If it's the latter, just replace the first citation and continue working - you probably just deleted the wrong duplicate in Zotero. If it's the latter we'll need to figure out what's going on.
The reason this comes up when you try inserting a citation is that Zotero updates your document every time you insert a citation.
Two possiblities - something is wrong with your Zotero database or something is wrong with that document.
Do you have another old document you created with Zotero?
If so - could you make a copy of it and try inserting a citation?
Also, in the advanced tab of the Zotero preferences (i.e. not in the word plugin but in the main Zotero) could you check database integrity?
Anything you've done recently that could have triggered this? Back-ups, imports-exports etc.?
If this isn't the case across documents, try this:
http://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#debugging_broken_documents
As for your Addendum - that doesn't mean much - what would be relevant is to see how Zotero sees old citations.
1576671972.
So far, both copying the file itslef and copying and pasting the contents has not worked. The suggestion that I delete the bibliography did not work either as I got the same error message when I tried to change the output format from full Chicago with bibliography to note without bibliography. So, I am still stumped.
See the warning on the 2.0 page (which is also on the plugin installation page):
When I refresh the citations, many of my citations cause the same error message to occur: "This item no longer exists..." If I toggle the field code, there is one difference that tracks with those that throw the error and those citations that do not. The internal "uri" in the field code of error-causing citations gives a URL that begins "http://zotero.org/users/...." as opposed to "http://zotero.org/groups/..."
This can occur when the user cites from their personal "My Library" rather than the "Group Library" - but Zotero should clearly be able to figure this out and point itself to the correct resource. Seems like a MAJOR bug to me.
If I am collaborating on a document via a shared group library, and the collaborator makes a citation in the document from their personal library, rather than the group library (even though it is present in both), then that citation will not be found ("Item 1 no longer exists....") when I load up the document and refresh the citations, even though the citation in question exists in the Group Library.
It seems that Zotero, having not found it in the User library, should be able to find it in the Group Library. Otherwise, the only workaround is to copy and share the local zotero library, or worse, go back and find and change every "user" citation and change it to the proper "group" citation.
Another way to fix this would be to have zotero realize at the time of citation that the reference exists in both the User and Group libraries, and so it could query the user whether the citation should be made from the User side or the Group side.
So while I understand you're not happy with that, what you're describing is not a bug. It's current intended functionality.
I believe when you move something to a group library the two items remain linked somehow, but currently that feature isn't used. The solution you suggest also raises all types of issues: What if someone modifies the item either in the group or in the private library, for example? What type of modifications should count? I think this should be possible to solve in the future - but it's non-trivial.
(the user query idea I don't think is desirable at all - that's just going to drive people crazy).
I'm using the latest version of Zotero, although I'm not sure what version I was using when the document was created or worked on a month or so ago.
Thanks,
Jon
I opened a chapter I've been working on, and attempted to modify a citation. I received an "item no longer exists" error. I canceled out of the dialog and attempted to alter other citations--no luck. So all of the citations appear to be removed from their links to my zotero database. I tried to change the style for the document, but this initiated the "no longer exists" dialog again. I also tried other approaches from
http://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#debugging_broken_documents without success.
Thanks again,
Jon
EDIT: I started manually working my way through the entries that came up in the dialog. After fixing a couple, the rest of the entries were re-connected. So I must have deleted or somehow altered those records in the past month or two... Anyway, problem solved, I think.