as a biblatex user, I would like to add a (probably marginal) comment on the list of the desired features.
One of the most interesting features of biblatex, for me, is the fact that "database" is detached from the actual printing command. Namely, once one adds a "bib" file to the document with the command \bibliography, it is possible to print also several different bibliographies e.g. one per section or one with only books and one with only articles. This can be done just adding several times the command \printbibliography with the appropriate arguments. My suggestion would be to use two different dialogs, one for the database (as suggested) and one for the \printbibliography command. This would also reduce the number of possible options in each dialog. A possibility can be to set \printbibliography by default from the database dialog, as suggested by Stefano, and introduce another command e.g. in Insert-> Bibliography->PrintBibliography to add further bibliographies in the text, but I think that detaching completely the two commands is more "in the spirit" of biblatex package. One could also keep the bibtex dialog, enriching it with biblatex features (as far as I know it is impossible to use both biblatex and bibtex in the same document). Thank you for proposing the bilblatex support, I am really happy if this project starts, and I would be glad to help. I can program in C++, but I've never used qt. However, I'd like to learn it. Best, Dimitri On Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 7:21 PM, stefano franchi <stefano.fran...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear devels, > > I am starting to look into biblatex support, with a long term project of > perhaps writing the required code or (what's more likely, given my poor > knowledge of C++) helping put together some general desiderata and > detailing the associated work. > > My understanding of the problem is the following: > > From a user's perspective, a minimally satisfactory support of biblatex > requires the following: > > 1. A biblatex dialog similar to the current bibtex's dialog, where users > can enter: > a. the list of files (not necessarily in bibtex format) containing the > references > b. the citation style to be used in-text > c. the reference style to be used in the references section > d. a list of additional biblatex's specific calling parameters > > This dialog box would insert in the document's preamble a call to > biblatex (with > the parameters at (d) passed verbatim) plus a > series of \addbibresource commands (one per reference file) > Additionally, it would insert a \printbibliography command at the > cursor location > (when it was opened), similarly to the current bibtex's dialog > > 2. A mechanism to insert citations in the text that takes advantage of > biblatex's more extensive set of citation commands (e.g. citeauthor, > citetitle, etc.) > > 1+2 would mimick LyX-bibtex's current behavior for biblatex. A natural way > to approach the biblatex issue would then be to replicate bibtex's > machinery and change what's needed > > Now, as a question to the developers: where is the magic for 1 and 2 > happening in LyX's codebase (for bibtex, I mean)? > > Warning: I am somewhat familiar with Qt 4, but only as used from python > through pyqt. My knowledge of C++ is rudimentary as best---please be > gentle! My fumbling search through the code has reached the following > preliminary conclusions: > > a. frontends/qt4/GuiBibtex.cpp defines the Bibtex dialog's class with all > the required signal/slot connections and associated methods. > > b. I don't quite understand where and how the widget itself is defined. I > am used to either define widget programmatically by creating (and possibly > nesting) layouts and then adding the widgets manually, or by creating them > by hand with QT Designer and then importing them into code. I can't see > either method used here. My ignorance of C++ is certainly to blame and > input would be welcome. > > I still have no clear idea of: > > c. where and how is the bibtex widget called. > > d. where is the machinery that's needed to insert citations into LyX. > Is it the src/insets/InsetBibtex.cpp class? (of which I confess I have > a very > dim understanding)? > > e. how the various cite commands are inserted in the insert inset pop-up > list. > > > Comments appreciated. > > Cheers, > > Stefano > > > -- > __________________________________________________ > Stefano Franchi > > stefano.fran...@gmail.com <stef...@tamu.edu> > http://stefano.cleinias.org >
