[texhax] bib file in another directory

[Christopher W. Ryan]

Thanks for the advice, although it's not quite what I was after. 
Perhaps what I want to do is not possible.

In Windows, I have a directory called C:\DATA.  Inside here I usually 
try to put all user-created data.  This includes bib files. With this 
file structure, I can back up all my data easily by backing up that one 
directory. Putting one giant .bib file, or separate topical bib files, 
in localtexmf would make it not as easy.

Within C:\DATA, I have separate topical directories for each project: 
C:\DATA\projectA, C:\DATA\projectB.  [Sorry if I'm boring everyone.]  In 
each of those I have referencesA.bib, referencesB.bib, respectively.

Each project may entail several subprojects (usually manuscripts) and 
their associated files, which I like to keep sorted into directories, 
like this:  C:\DATA\projectA\journalX,  C:\DATA\projectA\journalY.

I want to keep the bib file for project A in \projectA, but be able to 
use it for .tex files in each of the subdirectories.

I thought it might work if I could write something like
\bibliography{C:\DATA\projectA\refencesA}, with the right combination of 
single quotes, double quotes, spaces, backslashes, and slashes.  But I 
haven't gotten it right yet.

Can anyone explain how to set BIBINPUTS environment variable in Win98?

I'll give the Windows shortcut method a try.

Thanks.
-- 
Christopher W. Ryan, MD
SUNY Upstate Medical University Clinical Campus at Binghamton
and Wilson Family Practice Residency, Johnson City, NY
cryanatbinghamtondotedu
GnuPG and PGP public keys available at http://pgp.mit.edu

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, 
divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the 
vast and endless sea."  [Antoine de St. Exupery]


Philip G. Ratcliffe wrote:
>>how should I write my \bibliography{} line if the .bib file of
>>references that I want to use is in a different directory from my .tex
>>file manuscript?
>>
>>I'm runing MikTeX on Windows98
> 
> 
> Here's my penny's worth: since the idea of a bib file is to allow a
> centralised bibliography database to which you can add continually, correct
> (i.e. one correction solves all) and use anywhere, it seems logical and
> hardly "not very convenient" in any case I can think of to put it, as
> already suggested by others, in the localtexmf tree (under
> localtexmf\bibtex\bib to be precise) - remembering, of course, to refresh
> the filename database.
> 
> Note that if you want to have some extra entries that are pertinent just to
> the file you're working on and that you don't want in the general database,
> you can create a local.bib (say) where you are for these entries and then
> use
> 
> \bibliography{local,main} (order is unimportant unless there are
> cross-references)
> 
> where main.bib would be the general one.  (it's better to use more
> distinguishing names since there are already a number of bib files within
> the standard distributions).
> 
> Cordialmente,  Philip G. Ratcliffe
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