Re: m-bib, xml, etc.

[Taco Hoekwater <taco@elvenkind.com>]

Hi all,

See the questions by Bruce included below. Before I get to actually
doing something with it, I think it is best to outline my plans with
the bibliography module.

1. I intend to switch to using XML as input format, using the 
bibteXML DTD (loose format) as definition file. 

See http://bibtexml.sourceforge.net for details of this project. 

A big advantage of using this is that we can run piggyback on
their bibtex/marc conversion tool :)

I'm not sure whether to keep the current syntax. Advantage:
easy backward compatibily. Downside: more complex code and
possible confusion. Personally, I prefer to drop the support 
for the old syntax altogether (perhaps providing a conversion
script?)

2. Add support for citations with tagged data as requested
by Bruce (and previously by other people). 

3. At the same time, drop support for latex \cite syntax.
(At that time it is no longer needed), and go for a more
standard context syntax using 

	\cite[<id>][<type> or <option=value>]

4. create a bibl-XXX definition wizard (same functionality
   as makebst)

On Thu, 18 Jul 2002 22:56:12 -0400 (EDT), Bruce wrote:

> 
> Hi Taco,
> 
> I've been searching for information about m-bib as I'm trying to get it 
> working, and came across this very interesting post of yours regarding 
> your plans to replace bibtex with an xml-based system.  First, though, 
> two simple questions:
> 
> 1) Is it now possible to have a citation in the form (see Smith, 1990, 
> page 34)?
> 2) I was led to believe I can use any bst I would use with LaTeX with 
> ConTeXt.  But reading the m-bib doc suggests this isn't the case. Can 
> you please explain?  One of the nice things of the BibTeX world is 
> makebst, and I'd like to be able to use bsts generated with it.
> 
> Now to the bigger question regarding the below.  Any update on the 
> status of this shift to xml?
> 
> I ask because I currently use Word and Endnote.  Because I am in the 
> social sciences, no publisher will accept docs in TeX, so I want to 
> find a simple way that I can use bib data and documents to produce pdf 
> via LaTeX and/or ConTeXt and something that Word can understand (html 
> and/or rtf; but am told Word can read xml, but don't know what this 
> means in practice).  I still can't figure out how to do this though.  
> Any thoughts/updates/ideas would be much appreciated!
> 
> Bruce
> 
> 
> From: Taco Hoekwater <taco@elvenkind.com> 
> Subject: Re: m-bib: passing extra information to \cite 
> Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2001 14:48:06 +0200 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> 
> Hans Hagen wrote:
> > 
> > \definecomplexorsimple\cite
> > 
> > now \cite[bla] and \cite{bla} both work (but i favor the [] only 
> approach).
> 
> Roughly speaking, this is what happens now. But soon we will probably 
> have
> calling conventions like \cite[...][...][..=..] or \cite 
> {..}[..][..]{..}
> (more or less the same as for \in), and supporting the latex syntax is
> getting problematic. Besides that, there is usually other stuff wrong
> with bibtex (latex) databases, like commands that are defined in the
> preamble using \newcommand; \text... commands in the text; etc.
> 
> Eventually, I plan to phase out bibtex alltogether, and replace it with
> an XML input filter (with a formalized DTD).
> 
> -- 
> groeten,
> 
> Taco
> 
> 

-- 
groeten,

Taco