The entry editor
Opened from main window by double-clicking on the leftmost column of an entry, or
by pressing CTRL-D.
In this window you can specify all relevant information on a single entry.
The entry editor checks the type of your entry, and lists all the fields that
are required, and the ones that are optional, for referring the entry
with bibtex. In addition, there are several fields termed General
fields, that are common to all entry types. The general fields are ignored
by bibtex, but may be useful to you for other reasons.
For information about how the fields should be filled out, see Bibtex help.
The entry editor's panels
The entry editor contains four panels, required fields,
optional fields, general fields and bibtex
source. Inside the three first panels, TAB and SHIFT-TAB are used
to switch focus between the text fields.
Switch panels by clicking on the tabs, or navigate to the panel to
the left or right by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-LEFT or CTRL-SHIFT-RIGHT.
The bibtex source panel shows how the entry will appear
when the database is saved in bibtex format. Two items in the
Preferences dialog relate to this panel.
- If Enable source editing is checked, you can edit
the source directly in this panel. When you move to a different panel,
press CTRL-S or close the entry editor, JabRef will try to parse
the contents of the source panel. If there are problems, you will be
notified, and given the option to edit your entry further, or to
revert to the former contents.
- If Show source by default is checked, the source
panel will be the one shown each time you open the entry editor. If
you prefer editing the source rather than using the other three
panels, you should check this option.
Tip: If your database contains fields unknown to
JabRef, these will be visible in the source panel. Also, if you
want to add your own custom fields, you can do this in the source
panel once source editing is turned on.
Field consistency checking
When the contents of a field is changed, JabRef checks if the new contents
are compatible with the field type. For instance, the year field must
contain a number. The contents are also checked with respect to the use of the
'#' character. The hash symbol is only to be used in pairs, wrapping
the name of a bibtex string that is referenced. Note that JabRef
does not check if the referenced string actually exists (this is not possible,
since the bibtex style you use can define an arbitrary set of strings
unknown to JabRef).
If the contents are not accepted, the field will turn red,
indicating an error. In this case the change will not be stored.
Word/name autocompletion
The entry editor offers autocompletion of words. In the Preferences dialog
you can enable or disable autocompletion, and choose for which fields
autocompletion is active.
With autocompletion, JabRef records all words that appear in
each of the chosen fields throughout your database. Whenever you write
the beginning of one of these words, it will be suggested visually. To
ignore the suggestion, simply write on. To accept the suggestion,
either press ENTER or use your arrow keys or other keys to
remove the selection box around the suggested characters.
Note: the words considered for suggestion are only the ones
appearing in the same field in entries of the same database as the one you
are editing. There are many ways to realise this kind of feature, and if you feel
it should have been implemented differently, we'd like to hear your suggestions!
Copy bibtex key
Pressing CTRL-K or the 'key' button causes the bibtex key for your entry
to be copied to the clipboard.
Autogenerate bibtex key
Press CTRL-G or the 'gen key' button to autogenerate a bibtex key for your entry
based on the contents of its required fields.