[Tex/LaTex] Use bibliography numbers and citation from other file

bibliographiescross-referencingexternal files

This question led to a new package:
xcite

I want to reference to citations from other file. Similar to what xr package does to labels, but I want to apply it for the bibliography.

If I'm able to do \cite{someone} in the main file, and it creates let say the number [4], I want to do the same \cite{someone} in a second file, and also create the same number [4]. Similar to what xr does with the labels.

By the way, I tried to add the main.bbl file from the main file. However, that adds all the references to the end of the second file. I want to avoid this.

Is there any package that accomplish this?

Best Answer

Save the following in your working directory as xc.sty:

\NeedsTeXFormat{LaTeX2e}
\ProvidesPackage{xc}
         [2011/09/02 v0.1 eXternal Citations (DPC+EG)]
\def\externalcitedocument{\@ifnextchar[\XC@{\XC@[]}}
\def\XC@[#1]#2{{%
  \makeatletter
  \def\XC@prefix{#1}%
  \XC@next#2.aux\relax\\}}
\def\XC@next#1\relax#2\\{%
  \edef\XC@list{#2}%
  \XC@loop{#1}}
\def\XC@aux{%
  \ifx\XC@list\@empty\else\expandafter\XC@explist\fi}

\def\XC@explist{\expandafter\XC@next\XC@list\\}
\def\XC@loop#1{\openin\@inputcheck#1\relax
  \ifeof\@inputcheck
    \PackageWarning{xc}{^^JNo file #1^^JLABELS NOT IMPORTED.^^J}%
    \expandafter\XC@aux
  \else
    \PackageInfo{xc}{IMPORTING LABELS FROM #1}%
    \expandafter\XC@read\fi}
\def\XC@read{%
  \read\@inputcheck to\XC@line
  \expandafter\XC@test\XC@line...\XC@}
\long\def\XC@test#1#2#3#4\XC@{%
  \ifx#1\bibcite
    \bibcite{\XC@prefix#2}{#3}%
  \else\ifx#1\@input
     \edef\XC@list{\XC@list#2\relax}%
  \fi\fi
  \ifeof\@inputcheck\expandafter\XC@aux
  \else\expandafter\XC@read\fi}

\endinput
%%
%% End of file `xc.sty'.

Then say, in your derived.tex document,

\externalcitedocument{main}

(where main.tex is the document you are taking the citations from). Now

\cite{xyz}

in derived.tex will do what you want.

The interface is just the same as xr's: you can also specify a prefix

\externalcitedocument[A-]{main}

and use \cite{A-xyz} in derived.tex.

The xc.sty file has been obtained from xr.sty with some very simple transformations:

xr -> xc
XR -> XC
\externaldocument -> \externalcitedocument
\newlabel -> \bibcite

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Read in number of citations from aux file

Okay, after playing around with the syntax a lot, I got something to work by modifying the code in xcite (which loops through the aux file to pull out all of the \bibcite items) so that it just counts the number of \bibcite items in the aux file. Here is my modified version of the sample document, with added code between the lines beginning with %%. I don't have much experience with writing TeX macros, so I'd appreciate any suggestions for improvement.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[numbers]{natbib}

\newcount\bibcounter
\bibcounter=0

%% start citation counting
\def \maindoc {mymaindoc}
\newread\auxfile
\openin\auxfile = \maindoc .aux

\long\def\bibcitecheck#1#2\bibcitecheckstop{%
\ifx#1\bibcite
\advance \bibcounter by 1
\fi
}

\newif\ifnoteof
\loop
\read\auxfile to \holder

\ifeof\auxfile
\noteoffalse
\else
\expandafter\bibcitecheck\holder...\bibcitecheckstop
\noteoftrue
\fi

\ifnoteof
\repeat

\closein\auxfile
%% End citation counting
\usepackage{etoolbox}
\makeatletter
\apptocmd{\thebibliography}{\global\c@NAT@ctr \bibcounter\relax}{}{}
\makeatother

\begin{document}

Here we cite reference \citealp{firstCite}.

\begin{thebibliography}{99}
    \bibitem{firstCite} Dow, W. \& Jones, E.A.,
     {\it Wall Street Journal},
     March 29, 1929.
    \end{thebibliography}

\end{document}

[Tex/LaTex] Citations in separate tex file from bibliography

Just to show you that xcite is not necceccary and how to build an MWE for your problem please check the following MWE (with commented xcite). It includes with package filecontents three chapter files and a bib file. If you copied this MWE into file mwe.tex then \jobname becomes mwe.

\RequirePackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents*}{testxcite1.tex}
\chapter{Chapter One}
Text \cite{adams} 
\end{filecontents*}
\begin{filecontents*}{testxcite2.tex}
\chapter{Chapter Two}
Text \cite{companion}
\end{filecontents*}
\begin{filecontents*}{testxcite3.tex}
\chapter{Chapter Three}
Text \cite{adams} \cite{companion}
\end{filecontents*}
\begin{filecontents*}{\jobname.bib}
@Book{companion,
  author    = {Goossens, Michel and Mittelbach, Frank and Samarin, Alexander},
  title     = {The LaTeX Companion},
  edition   = {1},
  publisher = {Addison-Wesley},
  location  = {Reading, Mass.},
  year       = {1994}
}
@Book{adams,
  title     = {The Restaurant at the End of the Universe},
  author    = {Douglas Adams},
  series    = {The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy},
  publisher = {Pan Macmillan},
  year      = {1980}
}
\end{filecontents*}

\listfiles   % to show used packages and versions
\documentclass{report}
\usepackage[authoryear,comma,nonamebreak,round,sort&compress]{natbib}
%\usepackage{xcite}

\bibliographystyle{plainnat}
%\externalcitedocument{testxcite1}
%\externalcitedocument{testxcite2}
%\externalcitedocument{testxcite3}

\begin{document}
\include{testxcite1}
\include{testxcite2}
\include{testxcite3}
\bibliography{\jobname}
\end{document}

Compile this MWE with latex, bibtex, latex, latex and you will get a pdf file and four warnings, coming from package filecontents (they are okay and can be ignored). If you have still ? instead of a correct citation there is something other wrong with your system or way to build the pdf file.

Best Answer

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[Tex/LaTex] Read in number of citations from aux file

[Tex/LaTex] Citations in separate tex file from bibliography

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