Automatic Export not working

[owenhdiba]

Trying to get automatic exports working for bibtex files. When I export a collection and tick the "keep updated" box occasionally an error message will pop up informing me that it failed to start background exports. Sometimes no message comes up. In both cases, zotero fails to update the file when i make changes to the collection. If i navigate to the "automatic export" bar of the BBT settings and manually request that the file is updated it does successfully update the file. Running Mac OS 11.6 and have ztoero fully updated. Have tried reinstalling both zotero and BBT to no avail.

[github-actions[bot]]

It looks like you did not upload an support log. The support log is important; it gives @retorquere your current BBT settings and a copy of the problematic reference as a test case so he can best replicate your problem. Without it, @retorquere is effectively blind. Support logs are useful for both analysis and for enhancement requests; in the case of export enhancements, @retorquere needs the copy of the references you have in mind.

If you did try to submit a support log, but the ID looked like D<number>, that is a Zotero debug report, which @retorquere cannot access. Please re-submit a BBT debug log by one of the methods below. BBT support log IDs end in -apse or -euc. Support logs that include sample references will end in -refs-apse or -refs-euc; these are the type @retorquere needs for export or citekey issues.

This request is much more likely than not to apply to you, too, even if you think it unlikely, and even if it does not, there's no harm in sending a debug log that turns out to be unnecessary. @retorquere will usually just end up saying "please send a debug log first". Let's just skip over the unnecesary delay this entails. Sending a debug log is very easy, depending on your situation, follow one of these procedures:

1. If your issue relates to how BBT behaves around a specific reference(s), such as citekey generation or export, select at least one of the problematic reference(s), right-click it, and submit an BBT support log from that popup menu. If the problem is with export, please do include a sample of what you see exported, and what you expected to see exported for these references, either by pasting it in a comment here (if it is small) or attaching it as a .txt file (if it's large). These logs will have an ID that ends in -refs-apse or -refs-euc.

2. If the issue does not relate to references and is of a more general nature, generate an support log by restarting Zotero with debugging enabled (Help -> Debug Output Logging -> Restart with logging enabled), reproducing your problem, and selecting Send Better BibTeX debug report... from the help menu.

Once done, you will see a support log ID in red. Please post that support log id in an issue comment here.

Thank you!

[retorquere]

I don't know why this happens so often... It obviously works for me or I'd already be fixing it, and it passes my test suite, so I can have absolutely no idea why it doesn't work on your system. That's what the log does. It gives me a peek into what zotero is doing on your system.

[owenhdiba]

Apologies, I've never submitted a support log before. In this case what would it be best to follow the 1st or 2nd procedure in the guide for submitting a support log. Presumably the second, but not really sure how to replicate the issue? By adding something to the collection that has auto export enabled?

Support log ID:

[retorquere]

2nd option, and yes, adding or changing an item that should trigger an export.

[owenhdiba]

thanks. The issue is that when I have the error and restart with logging enabled the auto-export starts working and i can't replicate the problem!! Had this the last few times when the issue occured. I will try to keep zotero running logging enabled for a while so im ready next time the issue arises

Support log ID:

[retorquere]

You can start Zotero using

/Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/MacOS/zotero -ZoteroDebugText > ~/1958.log &

and it will log everything it does in ~/1958.log; you don't specifically need to keep Zotero running, if you just start Zotero this way and you experience the problem, you can upload 1958.log (or whatever you choose for the log file name).

[owenhdiba]

HG3DU239-euc

[retorquere]

There isn't anything in HG3DU239-euc except messages about your storage quota having run out. Did you experience the problem again? What scenario did you go through that gave you HG3DU239-euc?

[vin047]

I'm having the same issue as @owenhdiba. After some testing, i've discovered that it occurs only after the Zotero window is closed; if you don't close the Zotero window, auto export works fine. It stays broken even if you reopen the window later – you have to restart Zotero to get auto export working again. Also the issue only occurs after the Zotero window has been closed for some time (unsure how long exactly but at least 30 mins, possibly sooner). And it occurs regardless of whether debug logs are enabled or not.

I tried generating the Better BibTeX debug report but got this error message: [Exception... "Component not initialized" nsresult: "0xc1f30001 (NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://zotero-better-bibtex/content/better-bibtex.js :: node_modules/jszip/dist/jszip.min.js/</<[54]</e.exports< :: line 72751" data: no] (MVZVF4PR-euc, references: false)

Not sure if it's because I use Firefox, not Chrome...

So I tried following your advice here:

You can start Zotero using

/Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/MacOS/zotero -ZoteroDebugText > ~/1958.log &

and it will log everything it does in ~/1958.log; you don't specifically need to keep Zotero running, if you just start Zotero this way and you experience the problem, you can upload 1958.log (or whatever you choose for the log file name).

I ran two tests in debug mode:

1. saving a webpage sometime after starting Zotero, without closing the Zotero window.
2. saving a webpage sometime after starting Zotero, with the window having been closed during this time.

Each time, I started zotero with the command you specified, then after waiting period, navigated to the site in Firefox and saved it with the extension. (After each test, I quit Zotero, launched it normally, removed the saved site, then restarted with command you specified, to try and use the same site for both tests and run from similar starting state). Auto export worked in test 1 but not in test 2. Attached the debug log for both tests below.

Used https://www.nickseitz.com/writing/take-less-stupid-notes as the test site.

test1-site-saved-at-9.15pm.log test2-site-saved-at-11.06pm.log

OS: macOS Big Sur 11.6 (20G165)

[retorquere]

Thanks -- this means it likely has to do with the fact that MacOS programs keep running even when all of their windows have closed. This has caused problems before, maybe these logs can give me a hint on what to do.

This behavior of MacOS is such a pain. I'm on MacOS myself, in the balance I find it the most useful OS for me, but this is one of the parts I really dislike.

[champagnealexandre]

Having the same problem — I see the awaiting-user-feedback tag was added back to this issue, do you need any log/anything else @retorquere ?

OS: MacOS Monterey 12.0.1 (21A559)

[retorquere]

No, I just forgot to remove the tag that was automatically added. I'm working on fixing this, but it's slow going, I need to redo my bundling stack for it.

[champagnealexandre]

okay no worries, bbt is still functional and the workaround is to quit/reopen zotero so it’s not that critical

thanks!

[owenhdiba]

There isn't anything in HG3DU239-euc except messages about your storage quota having run out. Did you experience the problem again? What scenario did you go through that gave you HG3DU239-euc?

Hi sorry for the slow reply. The scenario was: I added something to a collection with auto export enabled, noticed that it had failed and then generated the support log. I'm not sure why nothing showed up.

If it's helpful, i've noticed that if I right click on the collection with auto-export and select "automatic export" in the context menu it comes up with a little empty panel which seems odd. If I click it the bibtex file still doesn't update.

If i navigate to the zotero preferences and then auto-update from there it does update the file. Occasionally when i do this it does actually pop with an error message in the zotero window saying something like "background export failed to start after 5 attempts"

[retorquere]

Can each of you edit your first message here to add the operating system in use?

[tim-hilde]

Maybe to add to this, I have the same issues and I am using macOS 12.1. Hope this helps fixing the issue

[egrefen]

I have this issue on both OS X 10.15.7 (19H1606) on my home iMac, and OS X 12.1 (21C52) on my work mac. Both off fresh installs of Zotero (checkted that it was the latest version), with Better Bibtex up to date. The library is pulled via sync with my zotero account. Automatic export next works, although forcing it does (but throws up the following error box):

[retorquere]

@egrefen you are experiencing a different error.

[egrefen]

@egrefen you are experiencing a different error.

Sorry (although this is what I get when I try to force export after noting that automatic export doesn't work, which it doesn't on either mac). Is there another issue I should be following, or should I raise a new one, @retorquere?

[retorquere]

A new issue please

[bfbraum]

I'm also experiencing a failure to export issue... sort of. I've been using automatic export for around a year now, on group libraries, so that my research team can add references to a group library, trigger Zotero on my desktop (late 2013 Mac Pro, currently running OS 12.4, which I leave running for this reason), and have an updated .bib file in our shared Overleaf directory, all usually in under 10 seconds. Slick system when it works, but I've just realized that it's not. I'm on Zotero 6.0.9, and I deleted and reinstalled BetterBibTeX, to no effect.

The weird thing, which I just noticed and confirmed as I was writing this, is that Zotero does export the group library... eventually. Twice, now, I've updated the library and found that the .bib file is updated 8 minutes later. The first time, it was set to automatic export on change; the second time, when idle. Both updated 8 minutes after I made the change. So this might be a separate issue, or it might be that other people who have this problem aren't waiting 8 minutes.

I generated a support log (for one of the attempts when I didn't wait 8 minutes): QXPJYSVP-euc.

[retorquere]

Can you try turning off zotero sync and see if the problem goes away?

[bfbraum]

On the contrary, I'm afraid. Unclicking all four boxes under Preferences/Sync prevents it from exporting at all (elapsed time 16 minutes).

[bfbraum]

...hm. Weirdly, re-clicking all four boxes and restarting Zotero doesn't seem to have changed anything. Now it either isn't exporting at all or is taking a lot longer than 8 minutes. (Update: It still works, but this time it took 20 minutes.)

[grahamannett]

I've been having this issue lately. was working and then stopped at some point and not entirely sure why. restarting zotero with better bibtex logging (from help menu) enabled and seems like it's fixed now. no errors listed in the debug log so not entirely sure how it could have fixed it but who knows.

very odd but might help someone else to just enable logging and restart.

[laras126]

Thanks @grahamannett - my exported library was not updating when I added new citations, and enabling the debugging log from the help menu and it has started working now.

[choc96208]

The thing that worked for me was to reset autoExportDelay to the default of 5 (see Preferences > Advanced > Config Editor). Previously it was 567 and the export wasn't working. I found this solution at Automatic export of Better BibTeX file is scheduled, but not executed.

[retorquere]

Export was working in your case. It was just delayed very long - by request. I can't help it if people set the delay to a long, non-standard duration.

[choc96208]

Yeah it probably was a separate issue. This was just one of search results I found. Thought if someone was having the same issue as me, it might be helpful. But I think I just spammed with an unrelated thing. Sorry about that.