14. Formatting language| Citation 9 | RefWorks (web based) | Biblioscape | Bookends | Library Master | Procite | EndNote | Reference Manager | - | |
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Formatting language (FL) to design output citation styles | |||||||||
A - General features | |||||||||
| Cit: access to the language is available as Custom Format Editor (separate manual not usually shipped: guided tour + reference). Not at all intuitive, requires reading + understanding the neat manual. Rich, powerful with an extensive set of commands to control, format and output data. Complex formatting choices that most of the BMS manage at windows and buttons level are here dependent on formal instructions (names form, initials, separators, conjunctions; pages formatting ...). The instructions are offered in drop down lists by category or can be directly written as case insensitive text in the file. Can nest conditions, control if fields are not/empty, compare contents ... Styles are stored as text files that can also be edited out of Cit.
FL recognizes generic field names. The majority of users resort to predefined and shipped output styles, also due to difficulty of the FL, which they tend to avoid |
RW: made up of coded field names, text strings (alone or in front and/or after fields), punctuation, separators, style (italics etc.), tab, carriage return, page break;
many options for names;
(FL recognizes field names specifically belonging to each individual RT) |
Bscp: made up of: coded field names, text strings (in front and/or after), punctuation, style (italics etc.), return, Red-id/record number ... | BK: made up of: coded field names -can use more fields than are available for input (pages range, issue, journal title full or short, attachments), text strings, punctuation, style (italics etc.), special codes (tab, return, record number(s), plural, db name, control over non/breaking ...) | LM: there exist two "languages" : one for the Format -which determines the overall page layout- and one for the style --the actual citation format.
As a matter of fact, the complexity and goal of the Format go far beyond setting the page layout, for it can contain conditional commands, loops, tokens, counters, headings for subject bibliographies; to a given extent it can even print a report replacing a style file via its own style specifications, whereas you cannot print a report just with a style without a Format. A style is mostly made up of:1 field names 2 one formal instruction: field/string separator + text replacement for empty field (if the field is missing, display "this") 3 text strings, punctuation, spacing, style (B I U etc.): as written 4 many options for names, dates, pages numbers, call numbers 5 < the minus sign (ASCII 60) marks reserved chars as < | > (FL recognizes field names belonging to each individual RT) |
Pr: mostly made up of:
1 field names 2 two formal instructions: field/string separator, group command «...» (i.e. if more elements -fields- are included in a group, one is enough for the relevant surrounding punctuation to be output) 3 text strings, punctuation (automatic control on double punct.), spacing, style (B I U etc.): as written 4 many options for names, titles, dates, pages keywords 5 back slash \ (ASCII 92) marks any string as mere text, e.g.: " \« " FL recognizes RT specific, not generic, workform fields names and not numbers (therefore be careful when copying definitions from one workform to another) |
En: mostly made up of:
1 field names 2 field/string separator (|), link adjacent text (nonbreaking space) 3 text strings, punctuation, spacing, tab, style B I U etc. 4 many options for names, titles, pages 5 ` (ASCII 96) marks strings as mere text e.g. overlapping field names `Journal` 6 handles singular vs plural, e.g. p^pp. ed.^eds. special provisions for anonymous works; recognizes generic field names |
RM: mostly made up of:
1 field names; 2 two formal instructions: field/string separator, group command «...» (i.e. if more elements -fields- are included in a group, one is enough for the relevant surrounding punctuation to be output); 3 text strings, punctuation (automatic control on double punct.), spacing, style (B I U etc.): as written; 4 many options for names, titles, dates, pages keywords; 5 back slash \ (ASCII 92) marks any string as mere text, e.g.: " \« " same as ProCite, but FL recognizes fields generic names and numbers |
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B - Selection
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| Cit: surname and first name | RW: 1, subfields just for personal names | Bscp: 1 (2 only first name and intials in personal names and the four digits year in the date field for output purposes) | BK: 1 (2: only first name and qualifications in personal names; the four digits year in the date field) | LM: 1; 2: only "surname, name, qualification", internal date format | Pr: 1; 2: only "surname, name, qualification", internal date format | En: 1; 2: only "surname, name" | RM: 1; 2: only "surname, name", internal date format | ||
C - Add text : in front of/after fields content | |||||||||
| Cit: yes | RW: yes | Bscp: yes (can also differentiate labels: singular/plural: Ed.^Eds. or p^pp.) | BK: yes | LM: yes | Pr: yes | En: yes (can handle singular vs plural: p^pp. ed.^eds if start-end pages or more authors are present) | RM: yes | ||
D - Distinguishes among occurrences of a repeatable field
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| Cit: 2: last name in a sequence | RW: 1-2-3 only as far as names are concerned | Bscp: can count them as far as names are concerned for output, punctuation, purposes | BK: 2 3 as far as names are concerned | LM: 1 2 3 (for any repeatable field -i.e. names and subjects- : first, last, all the others) | Pr: 1; 2 only partially names i.e. as far as output and sort are concerned | En: 1 names; 2 partially names, as far as output is concerned; 3: can count number of names to sort references with same first author | RM: 1; 2 only partially: names, as far as output is concerned | ||
E - Produces tagged format output, apart from built-in export routines | |||||||||
| Cit: yes |
RW: yes (e.g. \nKW: to output a repeatable field occurrences on different lines) |
Bscp: but cannot output either authors or keywords each tagged on different lines
KW: water; fire and not: KW water KW fire |
BK: yes (but cannot output keywords each tagged on a different line)
KW: water; fire and not: KW water KW fire |
LM: yes | Pr: yes (e.g. ^pKW: as keywords separator, where ^p are two characters) | En: to a limited extent
can handle a repeatable field like authors field, but not keywords labelled on consecutive lines, does not handle <CR> as format specification within the same field |
RM: yes (e.g. ¶KW: as keywords separator where ¶ is [ASCII 20]) | ||
F - Displays RT (reference type via field token not as static text) | |||||||||
| Cit: yes | RW: yes | Bscp: yes | BK: yes | LM: via a format, not in the style; yes in the Record list | Pr: not in the styles; yes in the Record list | En: not in the styles; yes in the Record list | RM: yes | ||
G - Offers conditional commands (IF ... THEN ...) | |||||||||
| Cit: yes, even nested, IF THEN ELSE, depending on presence, absence of fields; not/contains, begins with etc. of field contents | RW: no (implied in many built-in options to be selected for: authors' names, anonymous works ...) | Bscp: no (implied in many built-in options to be selected for: authors' names, anonymous works, ambiguous citations, repeated citations ...) | BK: no (implied in built-in options to be selected) | LM: yes, in the Formats, not in the styles :
(a) if a field is present -or absent (b) if the field content is the same as -or different from- the previous (c) if the record type is one of the specified (d) implied by various style options (e.g. names) |
Pr: not explicitly, but implied by various options (e.g. names) | En: not explicitly, but implied by various options (e.g. names) | RM: not explicitly, but implied by various options (e.g. names) | ||
H - Upper/lowercase conversion | |||||||||
| Cit: yes from lower to upper (four different types of capitalization) | RW: yes for names and titles | Bscp: yes for Titles can use Headline or Sentence case style (+ list of words that should not be altered) | BK: for authors, editors and titles can alternatively force sentence case, title case, all CAPS, small caps | LM: yes (on any field; customizable list : all upper, all lower, beginning of word, field, sentence) | Pr: yes (names, titles, sort headings) | En: yes : names -small caps also- titles + list of words that should not be altered | RM: yes (names, titles) | ||
I - Look-up tables to expand acronyms, abbreviations, replace text | |||||||||
| Cit: yes two: journals and publishers (text files that can be edited, enriched) | RW: no
(short Journal Title is actually a specific field content in each record, linked to a look-up/index list) |
Bscp: Journal name list (can use one out of three forms while outputting data) | BK: Journal Glossaries can replace abbreviation while entering data, and use short/full form when outputting | LM: yes: puts in relation field content and a table's terms : a table's record is made up of an entry and three correspondent strings, most often abbreviations; this way you can handle periodical titles and abbreviations | Pr: yes: a) text between "«...»" ; b) field 10: "Journal title" and relevant list(s) | En: Journal field ("Secondary title") and relevant list
puts in relation Journal's field content and the Journal list's table: a table's record is made up by an entry and three correspondent strings, most often abbreviations; this way you can handle periodical titles and their abbreviations |
RM: Periodical synonyms list | ||
J - Contextual Record Preview | |||||||||
| Cit: yes | RW: yes | Bscp: yes | BK: yes | LM: not while designing a style, or a Format | Pr: yes | En: not while designing a style | RM: yes | ||
K - Text added in styles can be language dependent for each record
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| Cit: no | RW: no | Bscp: no | BK: no | LM: no (but can use months' names from selected Windows language table) | Pr: no | En: no | RM: no | ||
L - Checks format syntax |
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| Cit: yes | RW: no | Bscp: no | BK: no | LM: yes (but messages are not expressive enough) | Pr: no | En: no | RM: yes | ||
M - Level of difficulty of the formatting language (FL) | |||||||||
| Cit: not intuitive, but certainly affordable without programming skills if one uses and understands the manual | RW: easy | Bscp: easy
(apart from the Report Module which has got its own rules and command language, either option-menu driven or SQL driven: easy at basic level, vaste and complex if fully exploited) |
BK: not complicated, no programming skills required, quite rich with features | LM: rather easy, as far as styles are concerned. Format here language is definitely more coded and more complex, thus, to be fully exploited, it requires a really skillfull user | Pr: rather easy, does not require programming skills | En: rather easy, does not require programming skills | RM: rather easy, does not require programming skills (offers a Wizard function, plus the abovementioned syntax control) | ||
| Citation 9 | RefWorks (web based) | Biblioscape | Bookends | Library Master | Procite | EndNote | Reference Manager | - | |
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