Text::BibTeX version 0.2 Greg Ward (greg@bic.mni.mcgill.ca) 5 September, 1997 INTRODUCTION ------------ Text::BibTeX is a Perl module (with a couple of helper modules) for reading, parsing, and writing BibTeX files. Currently, the documented interface provides only the lowest level of support needed to process BibTeX bibliographies: parsing the entries and turning them into Perl hashes. (Or rather, Perl objects queried through methods. But it's all done with hashes internally.) No knowledge of BibTeX conventions or requirements is present in the module, both in order to make it more general (i.e. the input files could hold any kind of data that lends itself to a bit of structure) and because I wanted to make this release before adding a whole new layer of code. (An experimental and incomplete new module, Text::BibTeX::Structure, is included with this distribution to address the problem of generic database structures using the BibTeX file language. Please see BibTeX/Structure.pm if you are interested in this and wish to comment or contribute.) After installing the module, see the Text::BibTeX man page for a brief introduction to the system, Text::BibTeX::File for a little more material that is essentially introductory, and Text::BibTeX::Entry for the real thing. DEPENDENCIES ------------ Text::BibTeX requires Perl 5.004 or later. (It also requires the IO::File module, but since it you must be running Perl 5.004, then you already have it!) You must also have the btparse distribution, the C library underlying Text::BibTeX. It is enough to put btparse-0.2.tar.gz in the same directory where you unpack the Text-BibTeX-0.2 archive; or you can put the btparse tar file right into the Text-BibTeX-0.2 directory. BUILDING -------- Start by generating the Makefile and other preparatory steps (including finding and unpacking the btparse distribution): perl Makefile.PL Now, build and test btparse (the C library that is the back-end to Text::BibTeX): cd btparse make make test (The "edit Makefile.defs" step is merely to ensure that `make' will use the right compiler and options. If "cc -O2" is ANSI-compliant and generates correct code on your system, you're fine -- you don't need to edit Makefile.defs. If you're running an antiquated OS such as SunOS, however, you will have to edit Makefile.defs. See the btparse README and/or the comments in Makefile.defs itself.) Return to the main Text::BibTeX distribution directory, and continue as usual: cd .. make make test make install Note that "make install" only installs the Perl modules; if you wish to install the C library, see btparse/README. Please let me know if anything goes wrong with building either btparse or Text::BibTeX. AVAILABILITY ------------ The latest version of Text::BibTeX and btparse should be available from ftp://ftp.bic.mni.mcgill.ca/pub/users/greg/ in Text-BibTeX-x.y.tar.gz, where x.y is the version number.