# Project: LaTeX integration (please give us your feedback!)

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/project-latex-integration-please-give-us-your-feedback/1660>\
**Category:** Features\
**Tags:** ui\
**Created:** [May 22, 2019, 9:39pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/project-latex-integration-please-give-us-your-feedback/1660 "2019-05-22T21:39:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![davidemdot](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/davidemdot/32/566_2.png) [@davidemdot](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/davidemdot)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 9:39pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/project-latex-integration-please-give-us-your-feedback/1660/1 "2019-05-22T21:39:09Z")

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Hello!

This summer I will be working on the LaTeX integration project for GSoC:

_The core of the proposal is a **wide improvement of the LaTeX integration** with JabRef, **focusing on the end-user** , whose characteristics have been studied before: 69% use LaTeX and 87% are researchers._

_The goal is to make the work easier for our users. I will develop several tools for **analysing and checking LaTeX text documents** : finding bibliographic entries (what are used, how many times, and where) and counting words, characters and citations by document; validating TEX files for solving issues; and importing entries from TEX files._

_In addition to this, if there were some time left, I would like to add support for being able to **connect to JabRef from external editors**. Therefore, it could be possible to search a specific entry from TeXstudio._

After talking with my mentors, we would like to ask you about some features we have thought about this project. They are written as [user stories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_story). In addition, you can see prototypes for several features.

Please feel free to ask, to give your feedback, to discuss or to say whatever you think about them.

* * *

**USE CASES**

- UC1: As an author writing a literature review, I want to know which papers I already have cited, so I don’t forget one.

- UC2: As an author writing a literature review, I want to see where (in the TEX document) I have cited an entry, so I can see its context.

- UC3: As an author writing a paper, I want to locate an entry quickly, so I can edit an error.

- UC4: As an author writing a paper, I want to jump to file that has an entry, so I can switch JabRef and my TeX editor.

- UC5: As an author writing a paper, I want to know the number of references I have cited in a document, so I can know if I have used enough bibliographic entries.

- UC6: As an author writing an article, I want to count the number of words and characters (no LaTeX code) I have written in a document, so I can know if it is long enough.

- UC7: As a researcher, I want to detect malformed and unreachable URLs, so I can avoid these errors in my documents.

- UC8: As an author, I want to check the LaTeX code integrity, so I can also assure the quality of my documents.

- UC9: As an author, I want to detect unused and missing labels included in my TEX documents, so that I can know if any figure or graphic is not referenced or does not exist.

- UC10: As a researcher, I want to import entries contained in a TEX file, so I can merge its associated bibliography with my current JabRef library.

- UC11: As a researcher, I want to import and group entries contained in different TEX files, so I can build a big library from several bibliographies.

- UC12: As a user, I want to search an entry on the JabRef library from my TeX editor, so that I can find a specific entry quickly inside of my database.

- UC13: As a user, I want to open the associated PDF for an entry from my TeX editor, so that I can check if my references are right.

* * *

**PROTOTYPES**

 ![UC1_UC2_UC3_UC4](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/63b823e846ed9e1a402304fac1c2de275593bbd0.png)  
UC1, UC2, UC3, and UC4

* * *

![UC5_UC6](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/0b2db19b7c986bf40fe15fc35bd284a74a4d52c7.png)  
UC5 and UC6

* * *

 ![UC7](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/b6a026b9b427810185185100e45f6da9bb5ee8de.png)  
UC7

* * *

 ![UC8](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/1137bdc577ae0a6dc4a56ca104eca23a35e9f551.png)  
UC8

* * *

![UC9](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/01f0c4c92a492a4e79bcfff5fe916840bed1a661.png)  
UC9

* * *

![UC10](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/b254e914859e15c3122e87b0710c9adbf6b3d709.png)  
UC10

* * *

 ![UC11](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/1X/ce4e0e43fb40487b28ef010e62582fc1924247a1.png)  
UC12 and UC13

* * *

Please vote if you support this proposal:

_Poll ([view on site](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/project-latex-integration-please-give-us-your-feedback/1660/1))_

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**Author:** ![buhtz](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/buhtz/32/372_2.png) [@buhtz](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/buhtz)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 6:34am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/project-latex-integration-please-give-us-your-feedback/1660/2 "2019-05-31T06:34:02Z")

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Dear David,  
thank you very much for improving JabRef here.

Without reading all related texts I have three short points:

- In my workflows I often have abstract-fields in the bib entries with “unallowed” characters. e.g. “%” does not compile well with Tex. You could convert this characters or simply remove “abstract” when using this entry with tex.
- Keep in mind that there are different tex “dialects”. e.g. I prefere using XeLaTeX which allow a lot of characters that PdfLaTeX wouldn’t allow.
- If you have finished it would be great if you could create a Blog or wiki entry describing the new feature and how it could improve the workflow.

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**Author:** ![davidemdot](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/davidemdot/32/566_2.png) [@davidemdot](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/davidemdot)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 12:21pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/project-latex-integration-please-give-us-your-feedback/1660/3 "2019-06-05T12:21:57Z")

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Hi @buhtz,

You can follow the progress of this project on [the JabRef blog](https://blog.jabref.org).  
Also, we will take into account your points. Thanks!

david