Refdb-mode is a mode for Emacs that provides an interface to RefDB.
RefDB is a bibliographic management software that provides users with a seamless integration into Emacs. Along with editing modes for SGML, XML, and RIS documents, RefDB delivers an all-in-one authoring environment with immediate access to bibliographic data. You can easily cite-while-you-write, transform documents, and preview them with just a few clicks of a button for DocBook SGML and XML, as well as TEI XML documents. However, it's important to note that Emacs support is not included in the RefDB sources, but is available separately.
If you're an Emacs or XEmacs user, you'll find the RIS major mode (ris.el) especially helpful for editing RIS datasets. With font-locking, it's easy to spot syntax errors, and the ris-mode displays valid tags in blue, except for the special type (TY - ) and end (ER - ) tags, which are shown in red. The mode also color-codes tag contents based on specific criteria. Author/editor, publication date, and reprint fields are checked for valid content.
In addition, users can take advantage of several commands provided by the ris-mode, including insert-set (C-c-C-s), which allows you to insert a new skeleton dataset or reference, while insert-tag (C-c-C-t) lets you insert a new tag. You can duplicate a tag using the duplicate-tag command (M-RET), while the backward-set (C-x[) and forward-set (C-x]) commands allow you to move between RIS datasets. Lastly, you can narrow the buffer to the current RIS set or widen it to the full buffer contents using the narrow-to-set (C-xns) and widen (C-xnw) commands.
It's important to note that the mode currently does not check the length of author entries, nor does it handle continued lines in any way. It also does not attempt to check whether a reference is complete (e.g. it won't notify you if there is no author).
In the latest release, RefDB has been updated to work with the data model of RefDB version 0.9.9, ensuring that the software is up-to-date and delivering a better user experience. Overall, RefDB is an excellent software for anyone looking to manage their bibliographical data, especially for Emacs and XEmacs users.
If you're an Emacs or XEmacs user, you'll find the RIS major mode (ris.el) especially helpful for editing RIS datasets. With font-locking, it's easy to spot syntax errors, and the ris-mode displays valid tags in blue, except for the special type (TY - ) and end (ER - ) tags, which are shown in red. The mode also color-codes tag contents based on specific criteria. Author/editor, publication date, and reprint fields are checked for valid content.
In addition, users can take advantage of several commands provided by the ris-mode, including insert-set (C-c-C-s), which allows you to insert a new skeleton dataset or reference, while insert-tag (C-c-C-t) lets you insert a new tag. You can duplicate a tag using the duplicate-tag command (M-RET), while the backward-set (C-x[) and forward-set (C-x]) commands allow you to move between RIS datasets. Lastly, you can narrow the buffer to the current RIS set or widen it to the full buffer contents using the narrow-to-set (C-xns) and widen (C-xnw) commands.
It's important to note that the mode currently does not check the length of author entries, nor does it handle continued lines in any way. It also does not attempt to check whether a reference is complete (e.g. it won't notify you if there is no author).
In the latest release, RefDB has been updated to work with the data model of RefDB version 0.9.9, ensuring that the software is up-to-date and delivering a better user experience. Overall, RefDB is an excellent software for anyone looking to manage their bibliographical data, especially for Emacs and XEmacs users.
What's New
Version 1.5: N/A