# Different generation styles for bibtex keys

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/different-generation-styles-for-bibtex-keys/1558>\
**Category:** Features\
**Created:** [March 17, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/different-generation-styles-for-bibtex-keys/1558 "2019-03-17T21:18:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tim-kilian](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/tim-kilian/32/537_2.png) [@tim-kilian](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/tim-kilian)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/different-generation-styles-for-bibtex-keys/1558/1 "2019-03-17T21:18:20Z")

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I would like to have different styles to generate the bibtex keys. At the moment, its the standard AuthorYear. But I am using the alphabetic citestyle and when I make a mistake in my Latex document while recompiling it, I am loosing the references and it is showing the bibtex keys in the document. So I like that the lenght and the actual value does not change, so i am using the alphabetic citestyle as my bibtex keys. So I just miss the reference, but still have a solid page. Possibilities are good.

So maybe we could add something to generate user specific keys.

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**Author:** ![tim-kilian](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/tim-kilian/32/537_2.png) [@tim-kilian](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/tim-kilian)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 10:31pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/different-generation-styles-for-bibtex-keys/1558/2 "2019-03-17T22:31:14Z")

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Nevermind, it is possible to set a different generation style in the preferences window.

Sorry I am new here and actually come from the Google Summer of Code initiative.