Because of the 2010 issue, my company is going to have to make a quick transition to EndNote X3 (from EndNote 9). We are on Windows XP and Word 2003 (supposedly we’re switching to Word 2007 soon, but they’ve been saying that for 6 months!).
Since I’m the EndNote “expert” here, I downloaded the trial version to try it out learn what I can before the switch. What I’m finding is that it’s extremely buggy. Every time I try to open a library (housed on a shared drive, not a local one), I get a “member not found” error (I get that one at other times, too). I also typically get a “file can’t be found” error, even though I am not trying to open from within EndNote with File/Open, but just double-clicking the icon for the .enl file on the shared drive. After that error, the library does open. In addition, the entire program crashed on me 3 times yesterday.
I’d hate to think that every user here (there’s more than 40 of them) will also experience these issues once we upgrade. What’s going on with X3? Is it the trial version? And what is that “member not found” error?
IMO, Endnote isn’t designed very well to handle files put on servers, unless you build the scheme like Leanne does. As long as I keep my library in local HD, EN X3 (registered version) is very stable (Win XP Pro 32bit SP3, Win Vista Ultimate 64bit, MS Office 2003 and Ooo 3.1). Do you see your “file not found” error all the time, or sometimes? Do you see the same message if you have your library is placed in local? Is your error tied to your library carried from EN9? These things help for troubleshooting.
Anyway, I would keep Word 2003 as long as possible. I don’t see any enhancement or improvement from 2003 to 2007, in terms of writing functions with EN. Besides, MS is going to release Office 2010 soon. I don’t know how good it is or not. Meanwhile, I’m out of MS’s office. I’ll stick with Ooo for a while.
I just double-clicked a library (created in X3 in the last 5 minutes) on my desktop. I got a “file not found” error. Dismissed that and got the “this is a trial version” message that I get every time I open the demo version. (That part obviously isn’t a problem, just reporting exactly what happened.) Then the program opened and I got the “member not found” error. Dismissed that, and EndNote was open, but not the library. Then I went to File/Open from within the program and opened that same library that way without a problem. I’m pretty sure I get that “file not found” error every time I try to open a library by double-clicking (and yes, most of the ones I’m trying to open were from version 9… I’m the only one who has the new version, so I can’t convert them).
If it were my decision, I’d hold off on Word 2007, too, but unfortunately it’s not up to me!
I find those kind of errors appear when there are still pointers to the old version of endnote, including old toolbars, etc. Try uninstalling the old version before installing X3.
So, it does happen with local and newly created library, and everytime, right?
But it doesn’t happen when you use File/Open menu.
I did some quick test in my Vista machine and trial version, and I also got the same “file not found” error. It happened when I double clicked a library without EN running. Once I clicked OK a couple of times, EN runs with a blank window, and double clicking a library opened it fine. So, it appears that “Trial” message is interrupting the file open sequence.
The “Trial” message will go away in the registered version, and double clicking a library works just fine, so you shouldn’t be worried about this.
Leanne, I did uninstall version 9, but I somehow still have a toolbar from that version. Not sure why. I can try uninstalling again. Do you think the “member not found” error is a result of that?
It’s interesting that the free trial message might be interfering with the opening process. I surely hope that’s the case. Using File/Open from within the program does work, of course, but people are used to double-clicking the library and you shouldn’t have to find a workaround for something so basic. I’m going to hope that goes away in the non-trial version. If you all don’t know about it happening in the full version, it probably is just the demo.
Also, a question about file locations. In the past (with v9), we have had a central file with all the output style files, and then each user has a copy of that file on their local drive that EndNote used to format documents. Not a perfect system, but we found that EndNote was too slow if the styles weren’t stored locally. Are we going to be able to duplicate that system with X3? (It would be even better if we could point EndNote to the master shared file, of course, but there would probably be slowness issues… we have almost 7000 styles.) I noticed that the new version seems to be kind of picky where things are located.
I don’t recommend pointing EN to 7000 styles in the server. it’s going to take minutes to start.
I’m one of the people who strongly insisted the styles installed in the default folder should be minimized for X3, when X2 experienced very slow startup. As a result X3 starts very quickly. Besides, I don’t believe 7000 styles are necessary all the time.
Having a single master library in the sever is probably the best to share the database, but EN doesn’t allow multiple user access. You need a “manager” for the library, and a routine that makes a “read-only” copy of the master library for the access by “fellows”. Leanne has a better grip on it. I said, well, EN library is a personal resource.
We actually have about 100 separate libraries, too. There’s no way one person could manage all of that, and I certainly don’t want to be the one to do it. It ends up working out OK (for the most part).
We probably don’t need 7000 styles all the time, but we do need a lot of them from time to time. We submit things constantly to journals in many different therapeutic areas. By the way, where are the styles housed? When I go to the Style Manager and attempt to change a style, I get an endless “save as” loop, with the word “copy” added to the file name each time. I might be saving something, but it doesn’t tell me where I’m saving it, nor does it give me the opportunity to change the location.
smidgebean wrote: Leanne, I did uninstall version 9, but I somehow still have a toolbar from that version. Not sure why. I can try uninstalling again. Do you think the “member not found” error is a result of that?
Absolutely-- search for the EN10CWYW, dot, EN10Cwyw.wll and possibly ENWebCwyn.dot files and remove them and any other files relating to endnote in those folders. They usually get installed in users “document and settings” startup folders I seem to remember. X2 and X3 deal with these differently, so you shouldn’t have to worry about deleting some thing the newer programs need. Our IT’s installation script now includes this prior to installing X2 on any computer.
smidgebean wrote: Also, a question about file locations. In the past (with v9), we have had a central file with all the output style files, and then each user has a copy of that file on their local drive that EndNote used to format documents. Not a perfect system, but we found that EndNote was too slow if the styles weren’t stored locally. Are we going to be able to duplicate that system with X3? (It would be even better if we could point EndNote to the master shared file, of course, but there would probably be slowness issues… we have almost 7000 styles.) I noticed that the new version seems to be kind of picky where things are located.
As myoshigi says, you don’t want those 7000 styles in a folder accessed directly by Endnote. I believe the developers are working on a better way to handle the multiple styles. As a part of our script, we also install just 300 or so selected styles that members of our institute tend to use. The others are available in another folder on our network which they can open and “save as” to their local preferences file. Endnote X2 and X3, install a “read-only” set in the program folder ENDNOTE folder, styles. The 100 installed as default are a set that tries to please everyone, and ends up pleasing no one. If you edit a style, and “save as” it saves it to the preferences defined location (default in My Documents/Endnote/Styles, which it will create if it isn’t already there). I like the fact that users can now edit and save styles without messing up a shared folder set, but get frustrated when a style needs to be changed and there is no easy way to distribute it to our institute’s users. – and perhaps I will put in a suggestion to that effect.
And finally, I have no problem clicking on a library and opening it? (Win XP pro, 32 byte, word 2003). As an institution, we are skipping MS Office 2007 and planning on waiting for the next edition!
I got rid of those files… we’ll see how it goes. Thanks!
For the styles management here, we have one person in charge of all the styles, and no one else has permission to edit styles in the master set. Then we have EndNote point to a local folder on each machine when it needs to use the style. Each user was responsible for updating their styles regularly. Which, as you can imagine, they never did and kept saying that styles were wrong or missing. Then we had our IT dept write a script that automatically copies any styles modified on the master set to each person’s local drive on startup every week or so. That works OK, but of course we’ll have to update that now… I don’t suppose that we could change that style location if we wanted to? Does it absolutely have to be the H drive?
By the way, where are the styles housed? When I go to the Style Manager and attempt to change a style, I get an endless “save as” loop, with the word “copy” added to the file name each time. I might be saving something, but it doesn’t tell me where I’m saving it, nor does it give me the opportunity to change the location.
Vista and I assume the newer Windows operating system do not allow users write access to the Program Folder folders, so if your preferences point there, you can’t “save as”. You need another folder for the edited files to reside.
We have Windows XP. I checked the preferences, and they’re on my H drive, which here is actually “My Documents,” so I ought to be able to edit things in there. But I can’t. I just get the Save As loop, with Style X Copy Copy Copy, etc.
I said DLL files but I think the files you want to look for to remove ENX’s toolbars are EN10CWYW, dot, EN10Cwyw.wll and possibly ENWebCwyn.dot. I will also correct my post earlier.
The styles are definitelyresiding in H/EndNote/Styles. If I open one (double-click from that location), I can edit and get it saved by closing out of it and making it prompt me to save it. It also tells me I am saving it outside my Style Manager, which tells me that the change I made would not be reflected if I tried to reformat a document now.
If I do exactly the same style opening process, and then go to File/Save As to save it, I get the endless loop and no option to change the location.
Then what is in the preferences is not what you think it is – are you missing the :? (as you are in your message?) Make sure you select the folder, via the button in preferences. That will ensure it is exactly correct.
