Sixpack documentation

Michael Lachmann

This document will introduce the reader to working with sixpack. Sixpack is a reference database manager especially suited for working with bibtex.


Table of Contents
Introduction
Starting Sixpack
Exiting from Sixpack
Opening a database - sixpack native format
Adding an entry
Configuring Sixpack
The different database files that can be open
The gui environment: windows
The main window
The menu
File menu
Edit menu
Transfer menu
Display Menu
Query Menu
Help Menu
The button-bar
The list window
The status-bar
The query window
The history window
The database window
The keyboard
Editing entries
The CITEID
How to define CITEID format
Invoking external viewers
Searches
Simple searches
Boolean queries
Regexp searches
Using old query results in boolean operations
Saving the current marks for later use
Marking entries by aux files
Marking entries with double CITEIDs
Sorting
Sorting by multiple fields
Importing and Exporting
Importing from a file
If the file contains html tags
Importing from bibtex
Import simple bibtex (keep everything)
Import complex bibtex (convert @string)
Import more complex bibtex (convert crossref)
Importing from Endnote
Importing from the X11 selection buffer
Direct access to the Pubmed and Spires databases
Importing from the web
Advanced: Causing web pages to be directly imported into Sixpack.
Exporting to a file
Exporting to the X11 selection buffer
Exporting formated entries to the X11 selection buffer
Using Sixpack with LyX
Using Sixpack with emacs
Using Sixpack with StarOffice (5.2)
Command line interface
bib-remote
Configuration files
sixpack.rc
Xresources

Introduction

Sixpack currently has two work-modes: command line, and the perl/tk based gui. Both interfaces have the same power - the user can do the same things in both. This guide will focus on the gui mode, but add comments as to how to achieve the same with the command line more.

Starting Sixpack

To start sixpack in the gui mode, run

bib -gui
  

To run sixpack in the command line more, run

bib
  

or, if you want to have command-line editing facilities, install 'cle', and run

cle bib
  

Exiting from Sixpack

To quit out of sixpack, select the menu item File->exit, or type exit at the command line.

Opening a database - sixpack native format

Sixpack can only add or import items once a database is open. Several databases can be open at the same time. All will be in the same window.

To open a new database, select File->New database. Enter the name of the new database (sixpack databases have a suffix of .bref) in the file selector.

To open an existing database, select File->Open database, or alt-o. Enter the name of the new database (sixpack databases have a suffix of .bref) in the file selector.

cli: To open a new database or open an existing database, enter

open [filename.bref]
  

at the prompt.

Adding an entry

To add a new entry select “Edit->Add new reference”, or press alt-insert. You will be prompted for the type of the entry. move with the arrow keys and select using the enter key, or double click on the preferred type with the mouse.

You will now be in edit mode. Move among the fields using the TAB and shift-TAB keys, or using the mouse. To finish editing press alt-Enter, or click the lock icon.

cli: enter

add [reference type]
  

You then be able to edit the item with an editor.

Configuring Sixpack

Sixpack is configured using a configuration file. Your own personal configuration is located in ˜/.sixpack.rc, and the site-wide configuration is usually located in /etc/sixpack.rc. Sixpack also understands some Xresources. Usually these are stored /usr/local/lib/sixpack/Bib.

The different database files that can be open

Sixpack can have several databases open at the same time. All open databases are displayed together in the window. These database can be of the internal sixpack database type (with extension .bref usually) and of bibtex type (with extension .bib). A collection of such databases is called a collection (and usually has extension .six). Thus when one opens a collection, this will open a couple of different databases, some bibtex, some bref. The entries in the different databases are kept each in their own file. When on writes a collection, sixpack writes to a file which databases belong to that collection. A collection is actually simply a sixpack script, that tells sixpack to open the different databases. So, to understand Sixpack, you have to understand these 3 types

  • a bibtex database

  • a sixpack internal database called with extension bref.

  • a collection of a couple of databases of the two above types, called with extension six.

At each point one of the databases open is designated the current database. Usually this is the latest database opened. You can select a different current database by double-clicking on it in the database window. All new entries, whether keyed in, imported, or pasted in will be put into the current database. For more details see the decription of the database window.