[Tex/LaTex] Delete “URL:” prefix in biblatex online entries? include date visited

biblatexurls

The source below produces with biblatex's numeric style the prefix "URL:" to the URL of an online type bibliography entry:

biblatex online entry with unwanted "URL:" prefix

  1. What file(s) need to be modified so as to eliminate that "URL:" prefix?
    I've searched through numeric.bbx, standard.bbx, and biblatex.sty but not been able to find any specific place where that prefix is created.

  2. Is there a field, style mod, or other means for including the online item's date of access other than as I've done it with the addendum field? I'm aware that english.lbx, in its \DeclareBibliographyStrings section, does define a dateseen, but where and how does one use it?

The source:

\documentclass{memoir}

 \begin{filecontents}{refs.bib}
@online{mathworld:Topology,
  author = {Wikipedia},
  title  = {BibTeX---{W}ikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia},
  year   = {2016},
  Addendum   = {[accessed 27-Oct-2016]},
  url    = {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BibTeX}
  }
\end{filecontents}

\usepackage[backend=bibtex,style=numeric]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{refs.bib}

\begin{document}

\nocite{*}
\printbibliography

\end{document}

Best Answer

You need to look in biblatex.def and english.lbx to deal with the 'format' of how URLs are defined. The .lbx files contain the bibliography strings such as 'visited on' (the original definition for the field urldate).

This question is a good example of why loading babel or polyglossia is strongly recommended regardless of whether your document is monolingual or not.... (And, I should add, csquotes!)

\RequirePackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@online{mathworld:Topology,
  author = {Wikipedia},
  title  = {BibTeX---{Wikipedia}, The Free Encyclopedia},
  year   = {2016},
  xxxAddendum   = {[accessed 27-Oct-2016]},
  urldate = {2016-10-27},
  url    = {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BibTeX}
  }
\end{filecontents}

\documentclass{memoir}

\usepackage[american]{babel}
\usepackage[strict]{csquotes}
\usepackage[backend=bibtex,style=numeric]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}

% Original definitions in biblatex.def
% \DeclareFieldFormat{url}{\mkbibacro{URL}\addcolon\space\url{#1}}
\DeclareFieldFormat{url}{\url{#1}}
% \DeclareFieldFormat{urldate}{\mkbibparens{\bibstring{urlseen}\space#1}}
\DeclareFieldFormat{urldate}{\mkbibbrackets{\bibstring{urlseen}\space#1}}

% Original definition in english.lbx:
% urlseen =    {{visited on}{visited on}},
\DefineBibliographyStrings{american}{%
  urlseen =    {accessed},
}

\begin{document}

\nocite{*}
\printbibliography

\end{document}
Related Question