# Field content selector broken

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [February 3, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498 "2019-02-03T13:44:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Oriel3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@Oriel3](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Oriel3)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/1 "2019-02-03T13:44:01Z")

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Jabref 4.3.1, OpenSUSE Linux 15.0

Hello,  
I am using the field content selectors (Wortauswahl verwalten) in order to define a set of keywords that I want to use. This helps making the keywords homogeneous and avoiding synonyms. I assume that is what the selectors are for. They used to work just fine. Now they are broken. There is a post on this from 2016: [Manage Content Selector seems to be broken](http://discourse.jabref.org/t/manage-content-selector-seems-to-be-broken/392). The problems:

1. When I try to enter a keyword in a file that contains keywords, then the menu pops up so that I cannot see what I am typing.
2. The poping up keyword list ist not alphabetic order but in the order in which they happen to be written in the bib-file in @Comment{jabref-meta: selector\_keywords: …
3. I cannot add new keywords to the list. When I try to add a keyword via Extras \> Wortauswahl verwalten, and klick ‘Apply’ or ‘OK’ the key word is not added. Same in a bib-file that before contained no selectors.

Is there a way to make the selectors work again?  
Daniel

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**Author:** ![Siedlerchr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/siedlerchr/32/216_2.png) [@Siedlerchr](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Siedlerchr)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/2 "2019-02-04T16:24:03Z")

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Hi,

please try the latest development version from here: [https://builds.jabref.org/master/](https://builds.jabref.org/master/)  
Remember to make a backup of your bib file before,

content selectors in the entry editor are working through the autocomplete dialog (ctlr+ space) to open the popup.

But the manage content selector dialog is broken, I filed a bug for this.  
The dialog is still a dialog with the old GUI technology and needs to be converted. It’s one of the few dialogs that have not yet been converted.

> <https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/4628>

Regards  
Christoph

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**Author:** ![Oriel3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@Oriel3](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Oriel3)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 9:22am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/3 "2019-02-07T09:22:15Z")

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Thank you, I shall try that – or wait for the next version!

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**Author:** ![StephanJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@StephanJohn](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/StephanJohn)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 10:14am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/4 "2020-06-12T10:14:49Z")

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Hi,

I’m having the same problems as Oriel3 with the content selector of the keywords. Plus: I’m not able to add more than one keyword. If I choose a keyword from the content selector, the previously entered keyword is replaced!

Is there any news on when this may be fixed?

Best regards,  
Stephan.

JabRef 5.0–2020-03-06–2e6f433  
Windows 10 10.0 amd64  
Java 13.0.2

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**Author:** ![Siedlerchr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/siedlerchr/32/216_2.png) [@Siedlerchr](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Siedlerchr)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/5 "2020-06-13T13:49:57Z")

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After you enter the keyword you need to enter the keyword separator, e.g. a comma or whatever

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**Author:** ![StephanJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@StephanJohn](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/StephanJohn)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2020, 10:35am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/6 "2020-06-19T10:35:19Z")

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Hi Christoph,

Thanks for your answer. I know that I need to use a comma. But it doesn’t help. ☹

What I now do is to add a new keyword by writing `", blabla"` and then use the content selector drop down menu to choose the keyword I actually want to add. This then replaces the `blabla` with the correct keyword.

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**Author:** ![Siedlerchr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/siedlerchr/32/216_2.png) [@Siedlerchr](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Siedlerchr)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 10:56am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/field-content-selector-broken/1498/7 "2020-06-20T10:56:26Z")

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ctrl + space shoud also trigger the selection if I am not mistaken