m-bib questions/remarks

m-bib questions/remarks

[Eckhart Guthöhrlein]

Hi,

I just started to use the bib module for accessing my existing bibtex 
databases. I have some remarks/questions. First, my minimal input file:

\usemodule[bib]
\setupbibtex[database=test,sort=no]
\starttext
	\cite[a], \cite[b], \cite[c]
	\completelistofpublications
\stoptext

1. The first TeX run works fine, and so does running BibTeX. But in the 
subsequent TeX run, I get an error message because of an undefined control 
sequence \etalchar. This seems to be used for the short labels. I do not 
need them, so I said \def\etalchar#1{#1} as workaround, but I do not think 
that everything is as it should be now.

2. If I omit "sort=no" from the setup (since it is the default), TeX 
complains about \@@pbsort being undefined during the first run, probably an 
internal problem of the module.

3. I am unable to change the citation format. 
\setuppublications[refcommand=authoryears] has no effect, nor has 
\setupcite[author][]. However, \cite[authoryears][a] works fine, so a 
workaround is not difficult to do.

4. If there are abbreviations used only in titles in the list of 
publications, they won't make their way into the list of abbreviations. I 
guess I have to take care of them myself? I have noticed the same if you 
use another abbreviations in the full text for an abbreviation, and if this 
the only occurence of the second abbreviation, so that it is called only in 
the list of abbreviations. My workaround is "{\setbox0{\hbox{\EXMPL}}}" in 
the text, any better suggestions?

If these problems are my fault, please tell me, if they are due to the beta 
stage of the module, please consider this a bug-report (1-3) or feature 
suggestion (4).

Bye,
Eckhart

Re: m-bib questions/remarks

[Taco Hoekwater]

Eckhart Guthöhrlein wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I just started to use the bib module for accessing my existing bibtex
> databases. I have some remarks/questions. First, my minimal input file:
> 
> \usemodule[bib]
> \setupbibtex[database=test,sort=no]
> \starttext
>         \cite[a], \cite[b], \cite[c]
>         \completelistofpublications
> \stoptext
> 
> 1. The first TeX run works fine, and so does running BibTeX. But in the
> subsequent TeX run, I get an error message because of an undefined control
> sequence \etalchar. This seems to be used for the short labels. I do not
> need them, so I said \def\etalchar#1{#1} as workaround, but I do not think
> that everything is as it should be now.
> 
> 2. If I omit "sort=no" from the setup (since it is the default), TeX
> complains about \@@pbsort being undefined during the first run, probably an
> internal problem of the module.
> 
> 3. I am unable to change the citation format.
> \setuppublications[refcommand=authoryears] has no effect, nor has
> \setupcite[author][]. However, \cite[authoryears][a] works fine, so a
> workaround is not difficult to do.
> 
> 4. If there are abbreviations used only in titles in the list of
> publications, they won't make their way into the list of abbreviations. I
> guess I have to take care of them myself? I have noticed the same if you
> use another abbreviations in the full text for an abbreviation, and if this
> the only occurence of the second abbreviation, so that it is called only in
> the list of abbreviations. My workaround is "{\setbox0{\hbox{\EXMPL}}}" in
> the text, any better suggestions?
> 
> If these problems are my fault, please tell me, if they are due to the beta
> stage of the module, please consider this a bug-report (1-3) or feature
> suggestion (4).

1. is definately a bug.
2. is probably an incompatibility with your context, it does not appear
   in mine.
3. is also a bug.

4. I don't understand why it doesn't work. (It should, I think).

Thanks for the report, I'll look into them soon.
-- 
groeten,

Taco

Re: m-bib questions/remarks

[Eckhart Guthöhrlein]

At 11:15 25.06.2001 +0200, you wrote:
>2. is probably an incompatibility with your context, it does not appear
>    in mine.

I used the normal (not the beta) downloaded two weeks ago. I have just 
downloaded and installed the beta version and replaced the format files, 
but the problem remains.

>4. I don't understand why it doesn't work. (It should, I think).

No change here, either.

Two more points I have forgotten yesterday:

5. When I try to reference an item not present in my .bbl file via 
\cite[unknown], there is no warning. But there is a number showing up in 
the text ([4], for example) and an empty entry in the list of references 
(also numbered 'correctly' if numbering is turned on).

6. The list head does not adapt to german. Just a typo, you said 
\setupheadtext[du][pubs=Literatur] instead of [de].

Greetings,

Eckhart

Re: m-bib questions/remarks

[Taco Hoekwater]

Eckhart Guthöhrlein wrote:
> 
> At 11:15 25.06.2001 +0200, you wrote:
> >2. is probably an incompatibility with your context, it does not appear
> >    in mine.
> 
> I used the normal (not the beta) downloaded two weeks ago. I have just
> downloaded and installed the beta version and replaced the format files,
> but the problem remains.

Allright, found it.

> >4. I don't understand why it doesn't work. (It should, I think).

I just uploaded a new version of the module:
	http://www.elvenkind.com/~taco/bibmod/m-bib.zip
which solves problems 1-3 and 5-6. Problem 4. is related to context
utility 
file handling and I don know how to fix it -> Let hope Hans can sort
that one
out.

-- 
groeten,

Taco

Re: m-bib questions/remarks

[Taco Hoekwater]

Eckhart Guthöhrlein wrote:
> 
> problem 5 is only partially fixed: a reference (Xxxxxxx,0000) is generated
> for authoryears, but the empty entry in the list of publications remains.
> With refcommand=num, there is still a number for the unknown citation
> instead of [??]. 

These (I found them) are rather hard to fix, so I cannot do them 'on the
spot'.
Expect a fix later this week. A rather fundamental design issue, I just
never
expected people to make mistakes ;-).

> authoryears seems to be the default now - on purpose?

Yes, this is as it *should* have been all along.

> Problem 6 is unchanged.
> New bug: \cite[a,b] leads to 'Undefined control sequence' \bivariant, guess
> this sould be \bibvariant.

Typo's .... grrrrrrr. I *think* I got them this time. 
Yet another new version is now on Elvenkind WWW.

Greetings, Taco