Bug report : Zotero freezes and closes with Better Bibtex Extension

[kgongit]

Debug log ID

D1961826856

What happened?

Hello, Zotero freezes and closes when the Better Bibtex extension for Zotero is activated. This problem does not occur when I manage to deactivate the extension. This problem did not occur before, I observed slowness of execution but no freeze and closing of Zotero. I can't figure out whether this happens after an update or after I've made unusual demands on the extension, with new content for example. Thank you for your attention. Best regards

[github-actions[bot]]

Hello @kgongit,

@retorquere is ready to assist you with Better BibTeX. In order to do so efficiently, a debug log is generally required. The information it containst is key to him understanding, replicating, and resolving your issue.

Here’s how you can share your debug log:

1. If your issue involves specific references, citekey generation, or exports, right-click on the relevant item(s) and select "Better BibTeX -> Submit Better BibTeX debug log" from the menu.
2. For issues where items do not play a role, follow these steps:
   • Restart Zotero with debugging enabled (Help -> Debug Output Logging -> Restart with logging enabled).
   • Reproduce the problem.
   • Choose "Send Better BibTeX debug report..." from the help menu.

After these steps, you will receive debug ID displayed in red. Please share this ID with @retorquere in this issue thread. If your query is about an export, include both the actually exported result and your expected/desired outcome.

Sharing your debug log gives @retorquere a view of your Better BibTeX configuration and the elements contributing to the issue. This helps him address your concerns more efficiently.

Thank you.

PS: If the Debug Log menu is not available, or if it fails to send the debug log, you can use the option under “Help” > “Send debug log to file.io”.

[kgongit]

The following numbers may be useful :

D1840618955

VVL9L5RS-fio-ZRd9K5aIy0hG

Thanks if anyone can take a look, Best,

[retorquere]

There's nothing in VVL9L5RS-fio-ZRd9K5aIy0hG, and I can't access D<number> logs. I cannot replicate this freeze. Can you disable all other 3rd party plugins to see if they interfere with BBT?

[kgongit]

I've deactivated all the other extensions and the result is the same, which suggests that there's no interference.

I notice one thing though; Zotero always seems to stop at a certain point in the execution of Better BibTeX queued tasks as soon as zotero is launched, often:

“better bibtex: in preparation Better BibLaTeX +3”

[retorquere]

Can you copy the full log that that is part of? None of that is in the fio log.

The zotero profile wouldn't happen to be on Dropbox, a network drive or an usb drive?

[kgongit]

Thanks for your quick feedback.

I am almost certain that with my setup, none of the Zotero files are on a cloud, network drive, or USB, as I have installed Zotero with a storage directory on my faster main drive to maximize performance.

Could you please tell me where I can find the right log files to send to you?

[retorquere]

From Help => Debug output logging => View. Select all, copy, paste into notepad, save and attach here.

Where did you find the text

“better bibtex: in preparation Better BibLaTeX +3”

you posted earlier? I thought you would have gotten that from the debug log viewer.

[kgongit]

I can see the message “Better BibTeX: en préparation Better BibLaTeX +3” (french in my setup) directly on my Zotero interface when it is loading with the Better BibTeX extension activated. It seems to be the line dedicated to notifications about the current tasks being queued and executed.

Here is the debug output log attached.

log.txt

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7067 ("New Crowdin updates (#2997)\n\n New translations better-bibtex.ftl (French)\r\n\r\n New translations better-bibtex.ftl (German)\r\n\r\n New translations better-bibtex.ftl (Italian)\r\n\r\n New translations better-bibtex.ftl (Chinese Simplified)\r\n\r\n* New translations better-bibtex.ftl (Portuguese, Brazilian)")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7067, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[retorquere]

New log from build 7067 please. Does the regular log submission not work? I prefer those over attached txt files.

[kgongit]

Here are some log file codes;

D670937995 D394245597 1501483668 994FYPNE-euc/6.7.236-6

Maybe the last one will be the most useful to you.

[retorquere]

D670937995 D394245597

Again, I cannot access D<number> logs. They go to the Zotero team. I am not part of the Zotero team. There is no point in sending these.

1501483668

Don't know what this is

994FYPNE-euc/6.7.236-6

This is not from build 7067.

[kgongit]

Ok, thanks, I see.

Here is a new log file :

ZJXVXHWC-fio-sGU2WTibiwbx

[retorquere]

That log is from 6.7.236, not from debug version 6.7.236.7067. Please install that, reproduce, and send a new log.

[kgongit]

Sorry. This one should be good :

MPPIVZQC-fio-LjEW7teDCLv8

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7076 ("no transactions during startup?")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7076, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[retorquere]

same procedure please on 7076

[kgongit]

Here it is :

B6SLKWYE-fio-XIzJ7arHMPfA

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7078 ("limit wait time for auto-export migration")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7078, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[kgongit]

UMIISMIT-fio-1sbku8xBTK7z

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7079 ("late-start of auto-export")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7079, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[retorquere]

New log please from 7079.

[kgongit]

GUHRZUTR-fio-Yd3EyxB6RO8R

[retorquere]

How many items are in your library?

New build incoming, same procedure please.

[kgongit]

70k

[retorquere]

Ignore this build, a new one is coming.

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7082 ("orchestrator ping")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7082, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[retorquere]

You know the drill.

[kgongit]

KJ9P8DF4-fio-KHN8sgHtBFGv

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7084 ("log key generation activity")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7084, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[kgongit]

P758C5L3-fio-yU1xUqkQILAC

[kgongit]

Again, several consecutive IDs were generated (extra click by mistake when I was waiting for the first one) if you can access them. I couldn't paste the last one because it disappeared prematurely from my clipboard, but I'd be curious to know if the consecutive IDs/logs have different numbers of lines, because each time I just have time to get the logs before Zotero's unwanted shutdown.

[retorquere]

In P758C5L3-fio-yU1xUqkQILAC Zotero seems to be stuck on a problem with their sync infrastructure, because it's simply not allowing BBT to start, and I see errors relating to faults their servers throw.

if you can access them

not without the ID, no. Without the ID, no one can.

before Zotero's unwanted shutdown

wait I was focusing on the freeze aspect and had missed the close aspect. Zotero is closing without user interaction?!

[kgongit]

OK. If you access information we can assume that the other logs would have been identical.

But yes indeed, since the ticket was created, Zotero's behavior has been broadly the same: it seems to run a few tasks, then at some point it crashes and Zotero closes down pretty quickly for no apparent reason.

As a result, I've had my doubts about the content of the logs, as I can barely manage to make the number of clicks required to obtain them before Zotero closes.

[retorquere]

man, I'm sorry I missed that.

Unfortunately Zotero for Windows is really hard to debug; you will have to follow the steps for Windows outlined here (the -ZoteroDebug variant; the -ZoteroDebugText variant, which is what we actually want, does not work, I've just reported this to Zotero); this will start up Zotero with debug logging and the debug log viewer open; I'm hoping you can see the last error that occurs there.

I've started Zotero 6 with an 15k library and while Zotero remains responsive, first-start for BBT is taking forever -- it is currently regenerating keys and expects to need a full hour to do this. I haven't yet tested how Zotero 7 is on windows but the Zotero 6 test on Linux takes a minute, maybe two? And something similar on MacOS. Zotero 6 on Windows is not built for large libraries. I'm letting it run to see if it will crash. Good thing I just bought this new debug box, no idea how long it would have taken on the one I just replaced.

[retorquere]

I'm using snipping tool to record the log screen so I don't have to sit there and watch to wait for it to die.

[retorquere]

Oh it's only so slow because of the console window that's open. I have something for that lined up, that will probably land tomorrow.

[retorquere]

Please do the following:

• install https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-debug-log/releases/tag/v2.0.23
• quit Zotero
• open a cmd shell
• cd into your Downloads folder (usually just cd Downloads)
• type SET ZOTERO_DEBUG_LOG=.
• type "C:\Program Files (x86)\Zotero\zotero.exe"

Zotero will start and it will generate a log named zotero-<timestamp>.txt. After it crashes, please attach that file here.

[retorquere]

BTW with 15k items I cannot reproduce either the slowdown or the crash, so I will have to keep relying on these logfiles you create. With the debug log plugin you won't have to race to the menu to create one -- it will generate the log file as above until Zotero stops.

[kgongit]

No problem, thanks for your help.

The new txt log (58MB) is larger than the file size limit (25MB). Into a simple zip it comes out at just 1.3 MB

zotero-log.zip

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.236.7086 ("bulk load items for export")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.236.7086, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[kgongit]

zotero-2024-09-26T15.14.33.180.txt

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.238.7094 ("move bulk load")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.238.7094, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[kgongit]

zotero-2024-09-27T18.23.08.373.txt.zip

[github-actions[bot]]

:robot: this is your friendly neighborhood build bot announcing test build 6.7.238.7097 ("one-by-one?")

This update may name other issues, but the build just dropped here is for you; it just means problems already fixed in other issues have been folded into the work we are doing here. Install in Zotero by downloading test build 6.7.238.7097, opening the Zotero "Tools" menu, selecting "Add-ons", open the gear menu in the top right, and select "Install Add-on From File...".

[kgongit]

The 7097 version no longer causes Zotero to shut down unexpectedly. However, processes continue to run endlessly (for now), with an apparent saturation of Zotero, even though my hardware resources are largely underutilized. I will get back to you if the ongoing processes eventually finish, but I cannot yet say that it is fully satisfactory, as tasks are running continuously while my machine could potentially handle them faster.

[kgongit]

The attached logs result from Zotero running with the latest version of BBT, a process I intentionally interrupted after a few minutes. Since the size is still too large, I am forced to provide them to you as a zip file again.

Downloads.zip

[retorquere]

Zip files are fine, no worries.

[kgongit]

zotero-2024-10-01T21.59.44.991.zip

[retorquere]

It looks like I'm overwhelming Zotero with data requests because it's not bulk-loading the data. The Zotero crew unfortunately has not responded to my queries.