Hi, I'm new to JabRef and could not figure out how to add a whole folder of my
pdf files to it. I'm coming from Mendeley so maybe I'm asking the wrong
question, do we have to add pdfs one by one? Or is this not pdf-centric, so
rather, you first create a ref and just attach a pdf file to it??? I'm
confused… Thanks!
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JabRef is more database centric. That is, it is built around a database which
is really a BibTeX bibliography file (which in my opinion makes it very
strong with LaTeX). You add entries to the database, either by importing them
from various formats or entering them manually. Afterwards, you can associate
one or more files to each entry in several different ways. You can manually
attach a file, use the 'auto' feature to attach a file with the name of the
entry found in the default file directory, drag'n'drop a file onto an entry,
or use the 'localcopy' plugin to fetch the pdf directly from the publisher's
database.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Thanks for the reply. Why I wanted to add pdf is so that it would
automatically extract metadata from them, so that I don't have to enter all
the fields myself each time. Is this not possible (I've not been able to find
how to do this)? And the most important thing is, I see there is a field for
keywords, but can use this field to tag documents and then recall only those
references which have a tag or set of tags? I understand the power of JabRef
lies in integration with latex, which I'm also keen on as I'm trying to
transition into LaTeX, but what I urgently need right now is a pdf-manager
with metadata extraction (or completion from online databases such as google
scholar, etc.) and tagging.
I've tried Referencer, it had the right idea but was buggy. Bibus was lacking
in some features I thought I'd like to have for the future. But I've been
finding it hard to navigate around it, I think it will take time to get used
to.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Thanks for the reply. Why I wanted to add pdf is so that it would
automatically extract metadata from them, so that I don't have to enter all
the fields myself each time. Is this not possible (I've not been able to find
how to do this)? And the most important thing is, I see there is a field for
keywords, but can use this field to tag documents and then recall only those
references which have a tag or set of tags? I understand the power of JabRef
lies in integration with latex, which I'm also keen on as I'm trying to
transition into LaTeX, but what I urgently need right now is a pdf-manager
with metadata extraction (or completion from online databases such as google
scholar, etc.) and tagging.
I've tried Referencer, it had the right idea but was buggy. Bibus was lacking
in some features I thought I'd like to have for the future. But I've been
finding it hard to navigate around it, I think it will take time to get used
to.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Hi,
You can use the .bib generated by Mendeley (turn on somewhere in options).
It's not perfect, some fields are not well imported in Jabref, but at least
you don't have to retype everything.
Unfortunately there is no metadata extraction from pdf in JabRef, its mostly
opposite. From a reference, Jabref search for a predefined name (set as you
wish in options) and attach this file to the entry.
For me, I still use both programs because they suits differents needs. Jabref
for bibliography and personalisation and Mendeley for watching folders
(pdf). I just after open it in Jabref.
Good luck with Jabref!
Mel
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Regarding keywords/tags, you can do what you describe. You can use the
keywords field or define a field of you own using 'Options -> Set up general
fields'. You can call the field anything you like; if the field is not
compatible with BibTeX, it will simply be ignored when using the file with
BibTeX/LaTeX.
To recall entries with a specific tag, you could use the search function, but
it may be too general as it searches all fields. An alternative is the groups
interface ('View -> Toggle groups interface'). Here you can define a group
that shows all entries with a particular field matching a specified string. I
personally find the groups interface a very strong feature.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Hi, I'm new to JabRef and could not figure out how to add a whole folder of my
pdf files to it. I'm coming from Mendeley so maybe I'm asking the wrong
question, do we have to add pdfs one by one? Or is this not pdf-centric, so
rather, you first create a ref and just attach a pdf file to it??? I'm
confused… Thanks!
JabRef is more database centric. That is, it is built around a database which
is really a BibTeX bibliography file (which in my opinion makes it very
strong with LaTeX). You add entries to the database, either by importing them
from various formats or entering them manually. Afterwards, you can associate
one or more files to each entry in several different ways. You can manually
attach a file, use the 'auto' feature to attach a file with the name of the
entry found in the default file directory, drag'n'drop a file onto an entry,
or use the 'localcopy' plugin to fetch the pdf directly from the publisher's
database.
Thanks for the reply. Why I wanted to add pdf is so that it would
automatically extract metadata from them, so that I don't have to enter all
the fields myself each time. Is this not possible (I've not been able to find
how to do this)? And the most important thing is, I see there is a field for
keywords, but can use this field to tag documents and then recall only those
references which have a tag or set of tags? I understand the power of JabRef
lies in integration with latex, which I'm also keen on as I'm trying to
transition into LaTeX, but what I urgently need right now is a pdf-manager
with metadata extraction (or completion from online databases such as google
scholar, etc.) and tagging.
I've tried Referencer, it had the right idea but was buggy. Bibus was lacking
in some features I thought I'd like to have for the future. But I've been
finding it hard to navigate around it, I think it will take time to get used
to.
Thanks for the reply. Why I wanted to add pdf is so that it would
automatically extract metadata from them, so that I don't have to enter all
the fields myself each time. Is this not possible (I've not been able to find
how to do this)? And the most important thing is, I see there is a field for
keywords, but can use this field to tag documents and then recall only those
references which have a tag or set of tags? I understand the power of JabRef
lies in integration with latex, which I'm also keen on as I'm trying to
transition into LaTeX, but what I urgently need right now is a pdf-manager
with metadata extraction (or completion from online databases such as google
scholar, etc.) and tagging.
I've tried Referencer, it had the right idea but was buggy. Bibus was lacking
in some features I thought I'd like to have for the future. But I've been
finding it hard to navigate around it, I think it will take time to get used
to.
Hi,
You can use the .bib generated by Mendeley (turn on somewhere in options).
It's not perfect, some fields are not well imported in Jabref, but at least
you don't have to retype everything.
Unfortunately there is no metadata extraction from pdf in JabRef, its mostly
opposite. From a reference, Jabref search for a predefined name (set as you
wish in options) and attach this file to the entry.
For me, I still use both programs because they suits differents needs. Jabref
for bibliography and personalisation and Mendeley for watching folders
(pdf). I just after open it in Jabref.
Good luck with Jabref!
Mel
Regarding keywords/tags, you can do what you describe. You can use the
keywords field or define a field of you own using 'Options -> Set up general
fields'. You can call the field anything you like; if the field is not
compatible with BibTeX, it will simply be ignored when using the file with
BibTeX/LaTeX.
To recall entries with a specific tag, you could use the search function, but
it may be too general as it searches all fields. An alternative is the groups
interface ('View -> Toggle groups interface'). Here you can define a group
that shows all entries with a particular field matching a specified string. I
personally find the groups interface a very strong feature.