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