Hi Willi,
Thank you very much for taking the time to read the page so carefully, and
for your very encouraging comments. I am especially pleased that the
progression and the examples seem useful for readers who are approaching
the bibliography module for the first time.
Your remark about navigation is important. I share your concern that
splitting a long page does not automatically make the documentation easier
to use. In a wiki that already contains many interconnected pages, dividing
the material too early may simply replace vertical navigation within one
page by a more difficult navigation between several pages.
For that reason, I am inclined to keep the page as a single, progressive
document for the moment. The present structure allows a beginner to stop
after the quick introduction and the basic workflow, while more advanced
users can continue towards multiple bibliographies, datasets, custom
specifications, and project-based configurations.
I also agree that the visible structure should be improved. Numbering the
main sections would make it easier to refer to a precise part of the page,
both in discussion and during later revision. I would probably number only
the major sections, while leaving the lower-level subsections unnumbered, so
that the page does not become visually overloaded.
There is one small technical consideration: explicit numbers in MediaWiki
headings have to be maintained manually when sections are inserted or moved.
I will therefore try to keep the numbering limited to the stable,
top-level architecture of the page. I may also add a few internal links or
explicit anchors where a stable target is useful.
My present plan would therefore be:
1. keep the bibliography material on one page;
2. number the principal sections;
3. improve internal navigation and cross-references;
4. reconsider a division only if one of the advanced parts becomes a truly
independent guide rather than merely a continuation of the same
workflow.
This seems to preserve the unity that you recommend while still making the
page easier to navigate and maintain.
Thank you again for your careful reading and for the very helpful
suggestion.
JP
Le 19/07/2026 à 19:24, Willi Egger a écrit :
Hello Jean-Pierre,
I took my time to read through your great addition to the ConTeXtgarden.
This will be of good help for getting acquainted with the bibliography
module in ConTeXt. It is easy to read, complete with examples. Super.
I see that there is discussion about splitting the page up. Of course
one could do that, however the Wiki is already a difficult to navigate
monster and I would prefer to keep your work as one piece. I have though
a suggestion. The contents in front is numbered but the sections below
are not. To me it would be nice to have the sections numbered for ease
of navigation.
Thank you so much for your effort in writing this!
Willi
On Jul 18 2026, at 10:21 am, Jean-Pierre Delange via ntg-context
<[email protected]> wrote:
Dear all,
I have substantially reorganised and rewritten the ConTeXt Garden wiki
on bibliographies and citations
(https://wiki.contextgarden.net/References_notes_and_floats/Bibliography_and_citations).
The main goal was to turn the page into a progressive introduction to
the current MkIV/LMTX publications subsystem, while preserving useful
information about older formats and advanced customisation.
The revised page now proceeds through the following stages:
1. a minimal two-file example;
2. bibliographic data formats and BibTeX record structure;
3. datasets, specifications, renderings, selection methods, sorting,
and
placement;
4. multiple bibliographies from one dataset or from distinct datasets;
5. bibliography management in structured editorial projects;
6. citation syntax and citation alternatives;
7. custom bibliographic specifications;
8. a simple manual bibliography for very small documents.
A new section on structured editorial projects is based on a working
book project, but has been rewritten as a generic example. It separates:
- bibliographic data;
- project and bibliography environments;
- chapter-level citations;
- backmatter placement.
It also discusses practical problems encountered in real projects,
including:
- the difference between method=global and method=dataset;
- manually written references that are not connected to the BTX database;
- unsupported or incorrectly classified publication categories;
- unresolved citations;
- duplicate keys loaded into one dataset;
- relative paths and compilation roots.
I would especially appreciate review of the following technical points:
- the descriptions of method=local, method=global, and method=dataset;
- the use of repeat=yes with chapter bibliographies and a final
bibliography;
- the examples using several datasets and dataset::key;
- the distinction between citation and list namespaces;
- the examples involving \usecitation and manually written editorial notes;
- the minimal custom specification example.
I would also appreciate your opinion on the overall structure of the
material.
The page has become quite substantial and now serves several purposes
at
once: an introduction for beginners, a conceptual reference for
intermediate users, and a guide to advanced project-based workflows.
Would it be preferable to keep this as one comprehensive page, or to
divide it into several linked pages?
One possible division would be:
1. Bibliography and citations;
2. Multiple bibliographies;
3. Bibliographies in structured editorial projects.
The main page would retain the Quickstart, data formats, the general
bibliography workflow, and citation syntax, while the two longer
advanced sections would become separate pages.
Would you please indicate whether this division would improve
readability and maintenance, or whether the current single-page
structure is preferable.
The current version is intentionally detailed, but the structure is
progressive and the table of contents allows readers to stop after the
level they need.
Best//JP
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