miktex-users

[MiKTeX] BibTeX database and spaces in the path?

[Angus L. <le...@ly...>]

MiKTeX provides pretty good support for referencing external files whose 
path contains spaces. However, I've been unable to work out how to get such 
filenames to work with BibTeX. Is it possible?

Angus

$ cat axel.aux
\relax
\citation{Young:Leeming}
\bibstyle{plainnat}
\bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/sub dir/references"}

$ bibtex axel
This is BibTeX, Version 0.99c (MiKTeX 2.4)
The top-level auxiliary file: axel.aux
The style file: plainnat.bst
White space in argument---line 4 of file axel.aux
  : \bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/sub
  :                                                     dir/references"}
I'm skipping whatever remains of this command
I found no database files---while reading file axel.aux
Warning--I didn't find a database entry for "Young:Leeming"
(There were 2 error messages)

Re: [MiKTeX] BibTeX database and spaces in the path?

[<dar...@gm...>]

The path in windows should be written as c:\xxx\xxx xx\etc. =BF?

My two cents. D

On 7/11/05, Angus Leeming <le...@ly...> wrote:
> MiKTeX provides pretty good support for referencing external files whose
> path contains spaces. However, I've been unable to work out how to get su=
ch
> filenames to work with BibTeX. Is it possible?
>=20
> Angus
>=20
> $ cat axel.aux
> \relax
> \citation{Young:Leeming}
> \bibstyle{plainnat}
> \bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/sub dir/references"}
>=20
> $ bibtex axel
> This is BibTeX, Version 0.99c (MiKTeX 2.4)
> The top-level auxiliary file: axel.aux
> The style file: plainnat.bst
> White space in argument---line 4 of file axel.aux
>  : \bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/sub
>  :                                                     dir/references"}
> I'm skipping whatever remains of this command
> I found no database files---while reading file axel.aux
> Warning--I didn't find a database entry for "Young:Leeming"
> (There were 2 error messages)
>=20
>=20
>=20
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[MiKTeX] Re: BibTeX database and spaces in the path?

[Angus L. <le...@ly...>]

Darío Gabriel Pérez wrote:
> The path in windows should be written as c:\xxx\xxx xx\etc. ¿?
> 
> My two cents. D

I'm afraid that

\bibdata{"C:/Documents and Settings/Angus/My Documents/references"}
\bibdata{C:/Documents and Settings/Angus/My Documents/references}
\bibdata{"C:\Documents and Settings\Angus\My Documents\references"}
\bibdata{C:\Documents and Settings\Angus\My Documents\references}

all produce the same error:

White space in argument---line 4 of file axel.aux
  : \bibdata{"C:\Documents
  :                        and Settings\Angus\My Documents\references"}
I'm skipping whatever remains of this command
I found no database files---while reading file axel.aux

Thus, BibTeX differs from LaTeX in this regard. LaTeX would complain about 
an unknown macro \Documents.

Furthermore

\bibdata{"C:/Documents\space and Settings/Angus/My Documents/references"}

results in the same error:

White space in argument---line 4 of file axel.aux
  : \bibdata{"C:/Documents\space
  :                              and Settings/Angus/My Documents/references"}
I'm skipping whatever remains of this command
I found no database files---while reading file axel.aux

Angus

[MiKTeX] Re: BibTeX database and spaces in the path?

[Florian S. <Flo...@ju...>]

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Hi Angus,

Am 11 Jul 2005 um 9:13 schrieb Angus Leeming 
(Angus Leeming <mik...@li...>):

> MiKTeX provides pretty good support for referencing external files
> whose path contains spaces. However, I've been unable to work out
> how to get such filenames to work with BibTeX. Is it possible? 

It seems to work with the DOS Alias Name of Directories that don't 
fit the DOS 8.3 schema. For example, instead of 
> \bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/sub dir/references"}

\bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/subdir~1/references"}

should work. If the "problematic" directory name is longer than five 
characters and there's no other critical (non-8.3) file or directory 
at the same place, the Alias consists of the first six characters 
(without whitespace), followed by ~1. If there are more files with 
identical first six characters, the aliases are xxxxxx~1, xxxxxx~2
and so on. The aliases are displayed with the command dir /X on the
command line.

There remains a problem predicting the DOS alias if the problematic 
file or directory name is shorter than six characters; then the alias 
seems to consist of those characters _plus_ some randomly selected
characters filling up the required six characters before the ~1. For 
Example, a directory named 'A A' has an alias of AAxxxx~1, where the
xxxx characters seem to be chosen randomly.

HTH
Florian
- -- 
http://www.florian-schmitt.net | Tel. +49-9131-24619
Hofmannstrasse 11A             | 91052 Erlangen

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[MiKTeX] Re: BibTeX database and spaces in the path?

[Angus L. <le...@ly...>]

Florian Schmitt wrote:
>> MiKTeX provides pretty good support for referencing external files
>> whose path contains spaces. However, I've been unable to work out
>> how to get such filenames to work with BibTeX. Is it possible?
> 
> It seems to work with the DOS Alias Name of Directories that don't
> fit the DOS 8.3 schema. For example, instead of
>> \bibdata{"J:/MinSYS/home/Angus/trial_tex/bibtex/sub dir/references"}

Thanks, Florian.

As you say, this approach would have its own difficulties. Hmmmmm.....

Here's what I'm going to conclude to the lyx-devel list:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
The gurus at comp.text.tex or gmane.comp.tex.miktex are either silent or
they're suggesting I avoid "paths with spaces", so let's assume that
BibTeX can't handle such paths.

One suggestion, from Florian Schmitt on gmane.comp.tex.miktex is to use the
DOS alias name of directories, but that's problematic in its own right.

Another idea, which I think we should persue, is to copy the bibtex
database to the temp directory (mangling its name in the process) and to
use that in the latex file. Since the two files are in the same directory,
we'd use relative paths and things would 'just work'.

People who don't use the temp directory are on their own of course.

Thoughts?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
Angus