
JabRef 1.7 beta 2
-----------------


Introduction:

JabRef is a graphical Java application for editing bibtex (.bib)
databases. JabRef lets you organize your entries into overlapping
logical groups, and with a single click limit your view to a single
group or an intersection or union of several groups. You can customize
the entry information shown in the main window, and sort by any of the
standard Bibtex fields. JabRef can autogenerate bibtex keys for your
entries. JabRef also lets you easily link to PDF or web sources for your
reference entries.

JabRef can import from and export to several formats, and you can
customize export filters. JabRef can be run as a command line application
to convert from any import format to any export format.


License:
JabRef is free open source software, distributed under the GNU General
Public Licence. See the enclosed text file 'gpl.txt', or the About
dialog, for details about the GPL.

JabRef also uses libraries distributed by other porties; see the About
box for details.


Requirements:
JabRef runs on any system equipped with the Java Virtual Machine
(1.4.2 or newer), which can be downloaded at no cost from
http://java.sun.com. If you do not plan to compile JabRef, the Java
Runtime Environment may be a better choice than the Java Development
Kit.


Installing and running, Windows:
JabRef is available in Windows Installer (.msi) format. To install,
double-click the .msi file. A shortcut to JabRef will be added to your
start menu.

The Windows installation was made by Dale Visser, using the following open-source tools:
JSmooth (.exe wrapper for Java apps), available at http://jsmooth.sf.net/
Wix (tool for compiling MSI files from an XML specification), available at http://wix.sf.net/


Installing and running, general:
JabRef can be downloaded as an executable .jar file. Run the
program as follows:
If you are using the Java Development Kit:
     java -jar <path to jar>
or, if you are using the Java Runtime Environment:
     jre -new -jar <path to jar> or
     jrew -new -jar <path to jar>

We recommend running JabRef under the Java 5.0 JRE. If you do, you should add
the option "-Dswing.aatext=true" before the "-jar" option, to activate
antialiased text throughout the application.


The jar file containing JabRef can be unpacked with the command:
    jar xf <path to jar>
or  jar xf <path to jar> <list of files to extract>
Unpacking the jar file is not necessary to run the program.



Building JabRef from source:
If you have downloaded the source for JabRef, we recommend that you
build with Ant.  Ant is open source and freely available from
http://ant.apache.org. The default build target builds JabRef and
creates the executable jabref.jar in the directory build/lib. The
jar file requires access to JGoodies Looks 1.2.2 and Antlr 2.7.4
in your classpath. These are distributed with JabRef in the lib/
directory, and you can optionally have these unpacked into the JabRef
jar by running "ant compile unjarlib jars" instead of the default target.


Documentation:
JabRef comes with an online help function, accessed by presing F1 or
clicking on a question mark icon. The help files are probably not
exhaustive enough to satisfy everyone yet, but they should help sort
out the most important issues about using the program. The help files
can also be viewed outside the program with a standard HTML browser.
If you choose languages other than English, some or all help pages may
appear in your chosen languages.

Change log:
1.7b2:  - Made side pane resizable.
        - Replaced entry customization dialog with improved interface.
        - Added standard entry type "conference", similar to "inproceedings".
        - Added "default" label pattern to avoid the need to set similar patterns manually.
        - Added line wrapping to metadata in saved .bib file to avoid long lines.
        - Added "bibtexkey" as implicit fourth sort criterion, to minimize problem with almost
          similar entries swapping places.
        - Added OpenOffice.org Calc export filter that exports spreadsheet compatible with the 
          OpenOffice.org bibliography feature.
        - Added a couple of previously unsupported publication types in SciFinder.
        - Added extra shortcuts CTRL-+ and CTRL-- for switching tabs in entry editor, since 
          original shortcuts CTRL[-SHIFT]-TAB is used by some window managers.
        - Updated Endnote export filter.
        - Fixed focus and key binding problems for switching tabs/entries in entry editor
        - Fixed bug that prevented required fields tab from appearing for entries with only bibtex key
          as required field.
        - Fixed bug that prevented the user from changing the default encoding.
        - Fixed bugs in RIS import.
        - Fixed bug 1112050; freeze when reading certain author fields with mismatched braces.
1.7b:	- Changed routine for rearranging author names (Lastname, Firstname) so bracketed
  	  expressions are treated as units.
        - Grouping controls now allow group hierarchies, and now allow explicit and search
          expression groups as well as keyword groups.
        - Added full customization of general fields tabs
        - Added option to preserve formatting for non-BibTeX fields.
        - Added integrity check for database.
        - Added export filters EndNote and Harvard RTF.
	- Added automatic import format chooser for import (same as wildcard import below).
	- Added wildcard (*) option for command-line import, to try to automatically
	  determine the correct format.
	- Improved layout of Preferences dialog.
        - Improved several import filters.
	- Added authIniN/edtrIniN key formatters.
        - Marked entries now float to the top when no searching or grouping reordering is active.
	- Fixed problem with opening file dialog on Win NT - AWT dialog is now opened if
	  Swing dialog fails.
1.6:    - Improved handling of entry selection in various ways. E.g. selected entry is now scrolled
          into view when opening entry editor and entry is kept selected when importing CiteSeer
          fields.
        - Fixed update bug between autogenerated bibtex key and source panel.
        - Fixed missing . at the end of last author name in RIS import.
        - Fixed NullPointerException on certain special characters when exporting to BibTeXML.
        - Fixed bug that sometimes prevented the unmarking of entries.
        - Fixed problem with formatting one-name authors.
1.6b:	- Added mnemonic keys to menus and menu items.
        - Added MODS and tab-separated file export
        - Added facility for detecting and handling external changes to open bib files.
        - Added scan option for exact duplicates with automatic removal.
        - Bibtex strings are now sorted automatically.
        - Bibtex strings are now resolved when exporting database.
        - Fixed problem with field content selector getting too wide. Limited width.
        - Fixed PDF/PS view routine to remove problems with filenames
          containing spaces.
        - Fixed bug that interfered with Fetch Medline by ID, and fixed
          parsing problem with certain Medline entries.
        - Fixed bug that interfered with Push to WinEdt.
        - Fixed HTML output so \c{c} is handled correctly.
        - command line option for generating a sub-database from LaTex aux file
          entries
        - simple copy/paste menu in entry editor
        - experimental: text-input-area with underlying infotext in plaintext import dialog
1.55:	- Made method for opening PDF files robust with regard to file separators (/ and \),
          so bib files can easier be used across platforms.
        - Improved Medline fetcher. Can now fetch entries based on a search expression.
        - Added features for fetching fields and referring publications from the CiteSeer
          database.
        - Added option to always save database ordered by author/editor/year, and made this
          the default setting.
        - When a single entry is selected, right-click menu now shows a checkbox menu for group
          memberships instead of the regular "Add to" and "Remove from" menus.
        - Improved [shorttitle] and [veryshorttitle] special key pattern fields.
        - Added dialog box for conveniently setting the fields of an entry from a
          plain text description.
        - Added formatter "ResolvePDF" to create correct PDF/PS links in HTML export when
          relative file names are used.
        - Added Abstract panel in entry editor.
        - Added alternate preview with abstract, and made both previews configurable.
        - Added the option to create a subset of a database based on an .aux file.
        - Added 'Cancel' button to duplicate resolver dialog, so the process can be stopped.
        - Added check for spaces in custom entry type names.
        - Added several new key pattern markers.
        - Added toolbar buttons for Mark/Unmark to improve discoverability.
        - Fixed bug that made export filters ignore the chosen character encoding.
        - Fixed bug that interfered with author name formatting.
        - Fixed various bugs in import filters.
        - Fixed bug that prevented confirmation dialog when deleting entry from the entry editor.
        - Fixed bug that made the next entry be opened instead of the current, when pressing
          Enter in table.
        - Fixed bug that made it possible to leave a source edit when the source didn't validate
          properly. Also made it impossible to change table selection until source validates.
1.5:	- Enabled selection of default encoding, and started storing encoding information in
          saved .bib files, which is used when reopening.
        - Added Highlight and select options to the group interface, and made it possible
            to change the number of visible lines in the list.
              - Added option to allow or disallow direct table editing.
        - Added optional confirmation dialog for deleting entries.
              - Added optional warning dialog for duplicate BibTeX keys.
        - Added warnings to bibtex parser, and prevented failure to load files with
          duplicate string definitions.
              - Added JStor import filter.
        - Changed the look and feel to JGoodies Forms on non-Macintosh platforms.
        - Optimized performance in several areas.
        - Numerous usability improvements.
        - Fixed RIS import bug caused by short lines.
              - Fixed bug in SciFinder import.
              - Fixed bug that made entire field get cleared when removing from group.
1.4:	- Added advanced search feature.
        - Added facility for using custom export formats.
        - Added command line options for importing/exporting files, importing/exporting
          user preferences, loading session and for suppressing the GUI (using RitOpt for
          parsing options).
        - Added automatic stripping of \url{} when opening url.
        - Improved export filters.
        - Fixed focus bug which sometimes interfered with cut/copy/paste.
1.3.1:	- Bugfix.
1.3:	- Added entry preview.
        - Added detection of duplicate entries.
              - Added possibility to mark entries persistently.
        - Added import filter for Sixpack and Biblioscape Tag files.
              - Added option to use a standard directory for PDFs. PDFs placed in or below this directory
          and named after an entry's BibTeX key can be automatically found.
            - Added optional columns showing clickable icons for pdf/ps and url/doi links.
        - Added menu and toolbar actions for open pdf/ps and url/doi.
        - Added web lookup of DOI.
        - Added several new special field markers to the key autogenerator.
              - Added BibTeXML and simple HTML export.
              - Changed browsing of entries. Entry editor now shows the selected entry.
              - Improved HTML export for several entry types.
              - Improved compatibility with Mac OS X.
        - Made it possible to set custom secondary and tertiary sort fields.
        - Made the entry number column width customizable.
              - Fixed bug that caused database to always be marked as changed after viewing source.
               - Fixed bug in selector word removal.
               - Fixed	bug that made the file chooser unable to interpret Mac OS X aliases.
1.2:	- Replaced the icon set.
        - Added support for French language.
        - Added customization of key generation.
        - Improved HTML export.
        - Added Replace string feature.
            - Made a couple of adaptations for Mac OS X users.
        - Added option in Table Preferences to set current column widths as default.
            - Added import filter for BibTeXML.
        - Fixed bug that allowed non-lowercase grouping field, leading to problems.
        - Fixed bug that made selector words added in the dialog to be lowercased.
        - Fixed bug relating to translated help files.
1.19:	- Entry editor is now opened for an entry that causes an error when saving.
        - Added options to display names in harmonised format in the main table.
        - Added Docbook and (experimental) HTML export.
        - Enabled 'doi' and 'pii' fields for Medline import.
        - Enabled antialiasing fonts.
        - Added the Kunststoff look&feel to give a more pleasant user interface.
        - Added font selector for the main table.
        - Improved table column customization.
        - Added word selector feature for selected fields (keywords, journal).
        - Added support for German and Norwegian language.
        - Generalized copy cite key features for multiple entries.
        - Added quick load/save session feature.
        - Fixed issue/number bug in ISI import.
        - Added "Open pdf/ps" item in right-click menu.
        - Fixed bug causing external viewer to only work in General fields.
        - Added functionality for using Browse buttons for file-related fields
          (ps, pdf, etc.).
        - Added Browse buttons to External programs tab in Preferences.
        - Fixed bug related to Save database and Source field which caused changes
          to disappear.
1.1:	- Added bibtex key uniqueness checking, and prevented autogeneration
          from generating non-unique keys.
        - Added command line option to load file on startup.
        - Fixed problem with autogeneration creating invalid keys.
        - Improved Refer/Endnote import.
        - Added feature for importing entries and/or strings and/or group
          definitions from another BibTeX database.
        - Added menu choices to import into open database.
              - Added toolbar button for closing current database.
              - Fixed shortcut key for "Store field" in entry editor, and fixed
                problem that made shortcut for "Save database" unavailable from
          entry editor.
        - Added option to fetch Medline entries automatically by
          ID, based on a patch submitted by Mike Smoot.
        - Fixed bug in RIS import.
        - Added options to copy key and copy "\cite{key}" to right-click menu.
        - Fixed bug that caused some General fields not to get displayed.
        - Enabled customization of General fields.
        - Enabled customization of existing entry types, and definition of
          new types.
1.0:	First release.


Bug reports, suggestions, other feedback:
We are thankful for any bug reports or other feedback. If there are
features you want included in JabRef, tell us!


JabRef homepage:
http://jabref.sourceforge.net

You can always get the very latest version of the program from our CVS
repository; instructions for downloading are found on the
homepage. Note that the CVS version may contain untested features, or
have other stability issues. Unless you're feeling extremely lucky, go
for the version in the HEAD branch of the module 'jabref'.


Bug submission and Open Discussions and Help forums are found at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/jabref


Corresponding authors:
mortenalver _ users.sourceforge.net
nbatada _ users.sourceforge.net
