[help-texinfo] Re: bibtex?

[Aaron S. Hawley]

On Thu, 3 Jul 2004, Karl Berry wrote:

       i want to write an annotated bibliography using references stored
       in a bibtex database.  Is there an example of how to do this with
       texinfo?

   There is no "real" support for this yet (another long-term TODO item).
   When I wrote the Web2c manual, I kludged up some stuff.  As far as I
   know that's still the only extant example.

   http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/systems/web2c



I've created crude bibliography sytem for Texinfo using the macro system.
Susceptible to the repeating scenario for Texinfo macros, my system
doesn't compile in TeX, even with the -E option.  Seems like it could be
fixable in texinfo.tex, or maybe my macros could use some fixing.  I'm
using Debian Gnu/Linux package version 4.7-2.2 of Texinfo

Regardless of how broken it is, this could be taken as a prototype
proposal on how references could operate and be rendered in Texinfo.

The macros are below and attached.
/a

PS. I hacked my way through Texinfo problems, including using macros "in
the line" when the expansion has elements that must be on their own lines.
But I was only able find mention about the restriction of @value{} in
nodes in a mailing list's web archives, and not in the Texinfo manual.
Perhaps, a xref should be made to the node "Pointer Validation" from the
bottom of the "address@hidden' and address@hidden'" node.

\input texinfo   @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %% my-bib-macros.texi --- Texinfo macros providing a crude
@c %% bibliography and citation capability.

@c % Copyright (C) 2004  Aaron S. Hawley

@c % Author: Aaron S. Hawley <address@hidden>
@c % Keywords: docs, texinfo, extensions, bib

@c % This file is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
@c % it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@c % the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
@c % any later version.

@c % This file is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
@c % but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
@c % MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
@c % GNU General Public License for more details.

@c % You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
@c % along with GNU Emacs; see the file COPYING.  If not, write to
@c % the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
@c % Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.

@c %% Commentary:

@c %%% Introduction

@c %% Creates references to a ``Bibliography'' or ``References''
@c %% section of a Texinfo document, using Texinfo's
@c %% macro system.  Although not as terse a way to cite systems as is
@c %% found in document systems like TeX, the format is simpler and
@c %% the rendering  is easier for non-academic readers.

@c %

@c %%% Usage

@c %% References to cited works can be put in any section of a document.
@c %% The cited works must be put in either a Texinfo table (for
@c %% instance with address@hidden @asis ... @end table'') or within a
@c %% Texinfo list (something like address@hidden ... @end enumerate''
@c %% or address@hidden @bullet ... @end itemize'').  They are created
@c %% with the command address@hidden''.  To cite a reference
@c %% with a @mybibitem use address@hidden''.

@c %% The beginning of a document must include (using the @include
@c %% command) the file my-bib-macros.texi, which should be made
@c %% available in the current directory of the parent file.  A single
@c %% call should be made to choose to use a list or a table.  The
@c %% command to chose is called @mybibuselist{NODE}, where NODE is
@c %% the node containing the location where the references are listed.

@c %

@c %%% Example

@c %% \input texinfo   @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %% @comment %**start of header
@c %% @setfilename my-file-with-bib.info
@c %% @settitle Texinfo with a Bibliography and References
@c %%
@c %% @include my-bib-macros.texi
@c %% @mybibuselist{References}
@c %%
@c %% @comment %**end of header
@c %%
@c %% @node Top
@c %% @top Top
@c %%
@c %% @menu
@c %% * Introduction::
@c %% * @mybibnode{}::
@c %%
@c %% @end menu
@c %%
@c %% @node Introduction
@c %% @chapter Introduction
@c %%
@c %% The ability of a documentation format to make cross references to a
@c %% bibliography, a feature of LaTeX @mybibcite{LaTeX2e}, isn't
@c %% currently supported in Texinfo.
@c %%
@c %% @node @mybibnode{}
@c %% @chapter References
@c %%
@c %% @itemize @asis
@c %%
@c %% @mybibitem{LaTeX2e} Leslie Lamport, LaTeX User's Guide and
@c %% Reference Manual, 2nd edition, Addison-Wesley, Reading,
@c %% Massachusetts, 1994.
@c %%
@c %% @end itemize
@c %%
@c %% @bye

@c %%

@c %% This example produces (in Info):

@c %%       1 Introduction
@c %%       **************
@c %%
@c %%       The ability of a documentation format to make cross
@c %%       references to a bibliography, a feature of LaTeX (See item
@c %%       [LaTeX2e] in *Note LaTeX2e: References.), is not currently
@c %%       supported in Texinfo.
@c %%
@c %%
@c %%       2 References
@c %%       ************
@c %%
@c %%       [LaTeX2e] Leslie Lamport, LaTeX User's Guide and Reference
@c %%       Manual, 2nd edition, Addison-Wesley, Reading,
@c %%       Massachusetts, 1994.

@c %% and (in printed output):

@c %%       1 Introduction
@c %%       **************
@c %%
@c %%       The ability of a documentation format to make cross
@c %%       references to a bibliography, a feature of LaTeX (See item
@c %%       [LaTeX2e] in Chapter 2 [References], page 3.), is not
@c %%       currently supported in Texinfo.
@c %%
@c %%
@c %%       2 References
@c %%       ************
@c %%
@c %%       [LaTeX2e] Leslie Lamport, LaTeX User's Guide and Reference
@c %%       Manual, 2nd edition, Addison-Wesley, Reading,
@c %%       Massachusetts, 1994.

@c %

@c %%% Notes

@c %% The pointers to references will be functional in hypertext
@c %% documentation (info, HTML, XML and others) and properly rendered
@c %% in print documents, because they are implemented with Texinfo's
@c %% cross referencing capabilities (using @anchor and @ref).  Failures
@c %% by an author to make proper references with ``my-bib-macros'' in
@c %% their document will give cross referencing errors by Texinfo
@c %% conversion tools.

@c %% Only one ``Reference'' section is allowed per document.

@c %% An improvement of this system would create cross references
@c %% (with @xref) at each cited work to all the originating cross
@c %% refererences.

@c %

@c %% Code:

@c % Configuration Options

@c %% @mybibsetrefnode : Defines the name of the node to contain
@c %% references.

@macro mybibsetrefnode{node}
@set mybibrefnode \node\
@end macro

@c %% @mybibnode{} : Macro to be placed at node containing references
@c %% and calls to @mybibcite{}

@macro mybibnode{}
@value{mybibrefnode}
@end macro

@c %% @mybibusetable : Whether each @mybibitem will be put in a
@c %% table.

@macro mybibusetable{node}
@set mybibtable true
@ifset mybiblist
@clear mybiblist
@end ifset
@mybibsetrefnode{\node\}
@end macro

@c %% @mybibuselist : Whether each @mybibitem will be put in a
@c %% list.

@macro mybibuselist{node}
@set mybiblist true
@ifset mybibtable
@clear mybibtable
@end ifset
@mybibsetrefnode{\node\}
@end macro


@c %% @mybibcite{REF} : Cites the cross reference REF.

@macro mybibcite{ref}
@ifclear mybibrefnode
@mybibmakeref{mybibsetrefnode was not used, \ref\}
@end ifclear
@c %**else if
@ifset mybibrefnode
@address@hidden, \ref\}
@end ifset

@end macro

@macro mybibmakeref{node, ref}
(See item [\ref\] in @ref{\node\, \ref\}.)
@end macro

@c %% @mybibcite{REF} : Creates a cross referenced citation REF.

@macro mybibitem{ref}
@ifclear mybiblist
@ifclear mybibtable
@set mybiblist true
@end ifclear
@end ifclear
@ifset mybiblist
@item
@anchor{\ref\}[\ref\]
@end ifset
@c %**else if
@ifset mybibtable
@item @anchor{\ref\}[\ref\]
@end ifset

@end macro

@c %% my-bib-macros.texi ends here

my-bib-macros.texi
Description: Text document