General Description
 BiblioFile  Version 1.2

BiblioFile is a reference library management tool.  It is designed to help you to keep track of journal references in one or more libraries.  Each entry is assigned a unique numeric identifier or index that can be attached to the original article which is then manually filed according to the assigned identifier.  In this manner, library entries can easily be cross-referenced to the original article.

Each library entry has several fields.  In general, no formatting restrictions are enforced, though it is recommended that the suggested formats be adopted.

The fields are:

Title

Authors

Source

Volume

Date

Starting page

Ending page

Keywords

Help on any given field may be obtained by pressing F1 while that field is active (i.e., while the caret is in that field) or by positioning the mouse cursor over the desired field and clicking the right button.  Help on commands may be obtained by selecting the menu option of interest, moving the highlight bar over the desired command (using the cursor keys) and pressing F1.


Description of procedures

Procedures

Copying and Pasting

Copying references

Pasting references

Editing

Editing and adding keyword and source entries

Editing and adding references

Input

Creating new bibliographic libraries

Importing keywords and sources

Importing references

Opening existing bibliographic libraries

Output

Exporting keywords and sources

Exporting references

Printing references

Selecting output formats

Searching

Locating reference by index

Searching for references

Tagging

Clearing reference tags

Tagging individual references

Tagging multiple references


Keyboard Shortcuts

The following keystrokes may be used to quickly accomplish some frequently performed tasks:

F1	Elicits help on the currently active item (field, control, or menu item).

F2	Activates the Go to option.

F3	Activates the Search option.

F4	Activates the Import option.

F5	Activates the Export option.

F6	Clears all tags.

F7	Forces validation of the current field.


Description of menu commands
Commands

Open

New

Close

Cleanup

Import

Export

Printer Setup

Print

Clear Tags

Exit

Add

Clear

Copy

Paste

Fast Paste

Keyword Table

Source Table

Header

Goto

Search


Reference Title

The reference title can be of any length up to 240 characters.  The title box will perform text wrap automatically.


Reference Authors

The list of authors should follow the format:

<last name> <first initial><middle initial>

Author names should be separated with commas.

For example,

Martin DK,Smith DM,Freedman JA


Keywords indexing the reference
Keywords

Keywords can be up to 40 characters in length.  Upper and lower case are allowed, but ignored when performing a keyword lookup.  If only a portion of a keyword is known, type in its first few letters and type the F7 key.  A window will appear presenting all matches from which you may make your selection.


Source of the reference
Source

The source of a reference can be up to 40 characters in length.  Standard abbreviations are encouraged, but not required.  If only a portion of the source name is known, type in its first few letters and type the F7 key.  A window will appear presenting all matches from which you may make your selection.


Pasting References

Select Paste from the Edit menu to paste a previously copied reference into the current reference.  This is useful when adding several new references from the same source or perhaps of the same subject matter.  In either case, filling in those fields that will be repeated with each entry can save time.

Select Fast Paste from the Edit menu if you wish to paste references without being asked to confirm addition of keywords, sources, and references.

BiblioFile version 1.2, unlike its predecessors, uses the clipboard to perform copy and paste operations.  In order to paste data, it must have been saved to the clipboard in NLM header format.  Usually this is done by the use of the Copy option under the same menu.  If multiple references have been saved to the clipboard, you may paste only the first into an existing reference.  However, if you are adding new entries, you may paste all references stored in the clipboard.  BiblioFile presents a dialog box after it pastes each entry asking you to confirm that you wish to add that entry.  This sequence repeats until all entries are processed or you abort the paste operation.


Copying References

Selecting Copy under the Edit menu will cause a dialog box to appear prompting for which entries to copy.  You may copy all references, only tagged references, or a contiguous range of references.  You may also select one of four predefined formats.  Use the NLM header format if you will be pasting these entries into a BiblioFile database.  Click [image] to copy the selected references into the clipboard.


Adding References

References may be added by selected the Add option under the Edit menu.  A blank reference form will be presented.  Fill in each field with the desired information.  Click [image] to save the entry or [image] to start over.  Note that the reference is not assigned an index number until it is saved.


Editing References

The current reference can readily be edited by selecting the field to be modified using either the keyboard or mouse.  You may then modify the field using the standard editing features provided by Windows.  Notice that once a change is made, the [image] and [image] controls become active.  Before leaving any modified reference the user will be forced to [image] the changes or [image] the reference to its original state.  If you forget to do this, a dialog box will appear to confirm the changes.

If a reference library has been opened in read-only mode, references can be viewed but not edited.  See a description of the Open command for information on opening a library in this mode.


Library Header

The library header can be up to 80 characters in length and may be used to provide a description of the contents of the library.  Selecting Header under the Edit menu allows you to edit the header contents.


Opening libraries

Bibliographic libraries may be accessed in one of several ways:

1.  Specify a library name following the program name on a command line.  This will invoke BiblioFile and automatically open that library.  This can be done from Program Manager using the Run option under the File menu.  Alternatively, you can use Program Manager to create an application icon and fill in the command line parameter using this same format.  In either case, if the filename is preceded by a hyphen or if the user does not have write access to the library, it will be opened in read-only mode.

2.  Select the Open option of the File menu.  BiblioFile will display a dialog box allowing you to select a library to access.  Check the read only box to open the library in read-only mode.

3.  File Manager allows you to associate file extensions with specific applications.  You may associate the .bib file extension with the BiblioFile application and then access the library by double-clicking on it in File Manager.

4.  BiblioFile supports the Windows drag-and-drop standard.  If you drag a library file icon from File Manager to the running BiblioFile application, the library will automatically be loaded.

Each bibliographic library actually consists of four files with the same filename but different extensions.  The .bib file contains the references.  The .key file contains the keyword table.  The .src file contains the source table.  The .ttl file contains the text of the reference titles and authors.  Never delete one of these files unless you wish to delete the entire library in which case you should be sure to delete all four files.


Creating a new library
Creating a Library

To create a bibliographic library, select the New option under the File menu.  A dialog box will appear allowing you to enter the name for the new library.  The name may be up to nine alphanumeric characters in length.


Closing the library
Closing a Library

Selecting Close under the File menu will close the current library.  If you have made any changes to the current reference, you will be prompted to save them.


Exporting References

References may be exported to a file for inclusion in a document or for merging into another bibliographic library.

To export references select the Export option under the File menu.  This will activate a dialog box that permits you to specify the format and filename.  You may export all references, only tagged references, or a contiguous range of references.  Alternatively, you may export the keyword or source table.


Importing References

References may be imported from any text file containing references in NLM header format.  This is the standard format produced by most literature search services.   You may activate this option by selecting Import under the File menu.  A dialog box will appear allowing you to select the file for import.  A file type of ".txt" is assumed.  Click the automatic import box if you do not wish to be prompted before adding each imported reference, keyword, or source entry.  Otherwise, you will have an opportunity to review each imported reference before accepting (by clicking [image]) or rejecting (by clicking [image]) it.  You will also be asked to review any keyword or source entries that are new.  To accept an entry click [image] and then [image].  To reject an entry click [image] only.  To cancel the import procedure you may click [image] at any time.

You may also use the import feature to merge keyword and/or source entries exported from another library into your current library.  These must have been exported using the keyword or source table format.  This is particularly useful when setting up a new library where you wish to use a keyword or source list from another library.


Setting Up the Printer

Select the Setup option under the File menu to activate this function.  You will be presented with a list of all active printers.  Select the printer you wish to use.  Then click [image] if you wish to change the printer settings.  Setup options are specific to the printer driver being used.

You may also activate the printer setup function from within the Print option by clicking on [image].


Printing References

Select the Print option under the File menu to print your references.  Printing references is very similar to exporting them.  You will be presented with a dialog box asking the format to use.  You may also limit printing to tagged references or any contiguous range of references by checking the appropriate option.

Clicking [image] will bring up the setup dialog box.  See printer setup for information on how to use this option.


Tagging References

References may be tagged manually by clicking the tag box for the displayed reference or during a search when a reference meets the selected search criteria.  Searching, copying, exporting and printing can be restricted to tagged references only.

Tags may be removed individually by clicking the tag box, within a group during a search operation (when performed with the tagged references only option) or collectively by selecting the Clear tags option under the File menu.  Tags are also cleared when a library is closed.


Page Numbers

There are fields for the starting and ending page number for a reference.  If the ending number is not specified, it is assumed to be the same as the starting number.  Entries must be positive integers.  If the second page number is less than the first, BiblioFile will adjust it accordingly.  For example, if the starting page is 100, and 12 is entered for the ending page, 112 will be stored for the ending page.


Journal Volume

The reference volume field is used to store the volume number (and issue number if any) of the journal.  For example,

120(4)

represents volume 120, issue 4.


Journal Date

This field represents the publication date of the journal containing the reference.  The recommended format is

YYYY MMM DD

For example,

1991 JAN 12


Cleaning Up a Library

The Cleanup option under the File menu reclaims unused file space created when keywords or sources are deleted.  This is usually only necessary after many such deletions, but no harm is done if it is performed more often.


Exiting BiblioFile

The Exit option under the File menu closes the active library, prompting you to save any changes to the current reference, and exits the program.  Pressing the escape key in the main windows accomplishes the same thing.


Locating by index
Locating a Reference by Index

The Goto option under the Locate menu prompts you to enter a reference index.  That reference then becomes the active reference.  This is useful when you have the original article and wish to refer to its library entry.


Searching for References

The Search option under the Locate menu activates the search dialog box.  Up to six separate search criteria can be specified in a single search.  Each criterion is divided into four components arranged in four columns with the headings Not, Item, Value, and And/Or.

The Not component is simply a box that when checked negates the criterion result.  That is, the criterion evaluates to true only when the designated value is not present.  The default state for this is not checked.

The Item component is a list box containing which field is to be examined for the specified value.  Any field may be searched, but the manner and efficiency varies.  The fastest searches are by keyword or source fields because these are stored as compressed two-byte values.  Keyword and source matches are by exact match only because of this structure.  Title, author, volume, and date searches on the other hand are the least efficient.  These values are stored as text strings and a valid match occurs when the field contains the specified value.  Thus, when one searches the title field for the value "asthma", any title containing the word asthma will be a valid match.  Finally, one may specify the page field in the search criteria.  A match occurs when the specified value falls between the inclusive range bounded by the beginning and ending pages.  Page searches are also quite fast because they involve only integer comparisons.  The default item to be searched is always the keyword field.

The Value component is the value to be searched for.  All searches, regardless of which field is being searched, are case-insensitive.

The And/Or component controls how the current search criterion is to be combined with the following criterion.  The default action is to "and" the results, that is only if both results are true is the combined outcome true.  If the "or" option is selected, the combined outcome is true if either result is true.

If any tagged entries exist, an additional set of mutually exclusive options is available that determines which entries are to be searched.  The Untagged option is the default selection and causes only untagged references to be searched.  Any tagged references remain tagged after the search.  This is equivalent to "oring" a sequence of searches together.  Select the Tagged option for only those entries to be searched.  With this option active, any tagged entry not meeting the search criteria is untagged.  This is equivalent to "anding" a sequence of searches together.  Selecting the Reset tags option causes all reference tags to be cleared before beginning the search.

Once the search criteria are specified, clicking OK will begin the search.  A window will appear showing the progress of the search.  Each entry meeting the match criteria is automatically tagged. When completed, the number of matches is displayed.  Clicking OK returns to the main window.


Changing the Current Reference

There are a number of methods available to change the currently selected reference.  If the index of the desired reference is known, it may be viewed by selecting the GoTo option under the Locate menu.  A dialog box then appears prompting you to enter the index for the reference.

Alternatively, one may select references using any of the four button controls at the bottom of the main window.  These function as follows:

Selects the next reference.

Selects the previous reference.

Selects the next tagged reference.

Selects the previous tagged reference.


Erasing the Current Reference

Selecting the Clear option under the Edit menu will erase all fields in the displayed reference.  This may be undone by clicking on [image].


Editing the Keyword and Source Tables

BiblioFile maintains a sorted list of all keyword and source table entries.  This provides for very rapid searching on these fields.  Entries in these tables may easily be added or edited by activating the corresponding dialog box.  This can be done in one of two ways.  Whenever an attempt is made to enter an unrecognized keyword or source into a field, the appropriate dialog box is activated, allowing one to add the new entry, make an alternate selection, or edit an existing entry.  Alternatively, either dialog box may be activated by selecting either the Keyword Table or the Source Table option under the Edit menu.

Both the source and the keyword dialog boxes have identical formats.  A list box of all current entries is presented in the lower left corner.  You may select an existing entry by selecting from this list or you may type the entry into the edit box immediately above the list.  In the latter case, the entry that matches what has been typed will dynamically scroll into view.

In the upper left hand corner of the dialog box is an edit box labeled New Entry.  To create a new entry in the list, select this box, type in the new entry, and click [image].  The new entry will appear in the list.

To modify an existing entry, select the entry by one of the methods discussed above, enter the modified entry into the New Entry box, and click [image].  The old entry will be changed to the new entry.  All references containing the entry will automatically be updated to reflect the change.

To delete an existing entry, select the entry from the list box and click [image].  The entry is removed from the table.

To undo the last action, click [image].  To save all changes to the list and return to the previous window, click [image].  To cancel all changes, click [image].


Saving Changes

The [image] button becomes active when any change is made to the displayed reference.  To permanently save any changes click this button.


Restoring displayed reference
Restoring the Displayed Reference

The [image] button becomes active when any change is made to the displayed reference.  To restore the reference to its previous state, click this button.


Bibliographic Formats Available

Currently four bibliographic formats are available for printing and exporting:

Standard Bibliographic Format

Martin DK, Smith DM, Freedman J.  Use of a discharge prescription profile to reduce polypharmacy and medication errors.  JAMA  1993;134(38):134-38.

NLM Header Format

TI - Use of a discharge prescription profile to reduce

       polypharmacy and medication errors.

AU - Martin DK

AU - Smith DM

AU - Freedman JA

SO - JAMA 1993 Feb 12;134(38):134-38

MH - Computers

MH - Polypharmacy

MH - Medication errors

MH - Quality assurance

Keyword Table

Source Table

These formats export only the respective table in NLM header format.  This is useful for later import to another bibliographic library, effectively merging entries from one library into another.


File list box
The File List Box

The file list box appears in the file open dialog box and presents all files in the selected directory of a particular type.  For example, selecting the Open option under the File menu presents a dialog box whose file list box contains all files of type ".bib" representing bibliographic libraries.

A file may be selected from the list box by clicking on it with the mouse.  Double clicking an entry is equivalent to selecting it and clicking [image].


Directory list box
The Directory List Box

The directory list box appears in the open file dialog box and presents a list of all directory entries below the currently selected directory as well as the parent directory if any.  Select a new directory by double clicking on the desired entry.  The file list box will be updated automatically.


Drive list box
The Drive List Box

The drive list box appears in the open dialog box and presents a list of all known drive letters.  Select a new default drive by double clicking the desired entry with the mouse.  The file and directory list box are updated automatically.


Filename edit box
The Filename Edit Box

The filename edit box shows the currently selected file if one exists.  You may also manually enter a filename from the keyboard.