# JabRef 4.0 Autogenerate bibtex keys should follow bibtexkey pattern

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791>\
**Category:** Features\
**Created:** [September 28, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791 "2017-09-28T01:51:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![grevillea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@grevillea](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/grevillea)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791/1 "2017-09-28T01:51:39Z")

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Autogenerate bibtex keys should follow the pattern specified in preferences.

For example, set pattern to [authforeini][auth][year] but pattern is not followed when key is generated in

Quality … Autogenerate Bibtex key

nor when key is generated in Web Search (e.g. IEEEXplore).

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Please vote if you support this proposal:

_Poll ([view on site](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791/1))_

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**Author:** ![bkleine](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/bkleine/32/428_2.png) [@bkleine](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/bkleine)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791/2 "2017-10-02T21:04:54Z")

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I do not see where the problem is. Here the keys are autogenerated.

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**Author:** ![grevillea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@grevillea](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/grevillea)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791/3 "2017-10-08T22:28:45Z")

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The problem is… The autogenerated key is always in the form [auth][year] irrespective of the preferences setting. This makes the preferences setting of little use.

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**Author:** ![bkleine](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/bkleine/32/428_2.png) [@bkleine](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/bkleine)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/jabref-4-0-autogenerate-bibtex-keys-should-follow-bibtexkey-pattern/791/4 "2017-10-12T16:28:24Z")

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these are imported through the medline/webinterface  
7-10 are imported through [auth][year], the others using [authshort][shortyear]. The preference is changed in Options-\>Preferences-\>Bibtex-Key-Generator and saved. IMHO this has been working flawlessly since long.

 ![grafik](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/27e965991809e008b793b46e8023f2ad3d86cd1c.png)