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8 <h1>PDF/PS/URL/DOI links in JabRef</h1>
10 <p><b>Note:</b> JabRef 2.3
11 and later versions offer an <a href="FileLinks.html">improved
12 system for external file links</a>.</p>
14 <p>JabRef lets you link up your entries with PDF or PS files
15 stored on your system, as well as links to the document on the
16 web in the form of an URL or a DOI identifier.</p>
18 <h2>Setting up external viewers</h2>
20 <p>The program has to know
21 which external viewers to use for PDF, PS and web pages. These
22 are by default set to values that probably make sense for your
23 operating system, so there's a fair chance you don't have to
24 change these values.</p>
26 <p>To change the external viewer settings, go to <b>Options
27 -> Preferences -> External programs</b>.</p>
29 <h2>Opening external files or links</h2>
31 <p>There are several ways
32 to open an external file or web page. In the entry editor, you
33 can double click on the text field containing the file name,
34 DOI or URL. In the entry table you can select an entry and use
35 the menu choice, keyboard shortcut or the right-click menu to
36 open the file or web page. Finally, you can click on a PDF, PS,
39 <p>By default the entry table will contain two columns with
40 icons for those entries that link to external files and URLs.
41 You can disable any of these in <b>Preferences -> Table</b>.
42 The second column of the entry table shows icons for PDF or PS
43 files (only PDF if both are present), and the third column
44 shows icons for URL or DOI (only URL if both are present). You
45 open the file or web page by clicking on an icon.</p>
47 <p><b>Note:</b> If the PS field does not appear in the entry
48 editor (in the 'General' panel), you may have to
49 <a href="GeneralFields.html">customize the entry types of the
50 general fields</a>.</p>
52 <h2>The main PDF and PS directories</h2>
54 <p>JabRef makes it easy to
55 link PDF and PS files to your entries. To take advantage of
56 this, you have to indicate in <b>Options -> Preferences
57 -> External programs</b> your main PDF and PS directories.
58 All PDF and PS files that are stored in or below each of these
59 directories will be referred to with a relative path by JabRef,
60 making it easy for you if you need to move the PDF and PS
61 directories, or if several users use the same database from
62 different network places.</p>
64 <p>Additionally, if you give your PDF and PS files names that
65 correspond to the relevant entry's bibtex key (plus '.pdf' or
66 '.ps'), JabRef will be able to search your main directories and
67 its subfolders for the correct PDF and PS. Once the
68 correctly-named PDF or PS is in place you access this function
69 by clicking the 'Auto' button next to the PDF and PS fields in
70 the entry editor. If the PDF or PS is found, the field will
71 immediately be set.</p>
73 <p>If you name a PDF or PS file as mentioned, you can also open
74 the file without setting the PDF or PS field of the entry at
75 all. The downside is that the PDF or PS icon will not appear in
76 the table unless you do (manually or with the 'Auto'
79 <h2>The database-specific PDF and PS directories</h2>
81 <p>You can set PDF and PS directories specific to a database
82 (<b>File -> Database properties</b>). These directories will
83 supersede the main directories.</p>
85 <h2><a name="RegularExpressionSearch"
86 id="RegularExpressionSearch">Using Regular Expression Search
87 for Auto-Linking</a></h2>
89 <p>In the previous sections JabRef's auto-linking feature was
90 described: If you choose names for your files corresponding to
91 the bibtex-key + plus the extension, JabRef will automatically
92 be able to find it.</p>
94 <p>Since JabRef 2.2 it is now possible to have greater
95 flexibility in the naming scheme by using regular expression
96 for the search. In most cases it should not be necessary though
97 to adapt the given default.</p>
99 <p>If you open the external preferences (Options ->
100 Preferences -> External Programs) you will find an option
101 called "Use Regular Expression Search". Checking this option
102 will allow you to enter your own regular expression for search
103 in the PDF directories.</p>
105 <p>The following syntax is understood:</p>
108 <li><code>*</code> - Search in all immediate all
109 subdirectories excluding the current and any deeper
112 <li><code>**</code> - Search in all subdirectories
113 recursively AND the current directory.</li>
115 <li><code>.</code> and <code>..</code> - The current
116 directory and the parent directory.</li>
118 <li><code>[title]</code> - All expressions in square
119 brackets are replace by the corresponding field in the
122 <li><code>[extension]</code> - Is replaced by the
123 file-extension of the field you are using.</li>
125 <li>All other text is interpreted as a regular expression.
126 But caution: You need to escape backslashes by putting two
127 backslashes after each other to not confuse them with the
131 <p>The default for searches is
132 <code>**/.*[bibtexkey].*\\.[extension]</code>. As you can see
133 this will search in all subdirectories of the extension-based
134 directory (for instance in the PDF directory) for any file that
135 has the correct extension and contains the Bibtex-key