BiblioRama

Newsletter for Biblioscape

January, 2003

BiblioExpress 3 is released
Biblioscape 5.3 is available for download
Biblioscape ODBC driver is now available

NEWS

BiblioExpress 3 is released

It has been 3 years since BiblioExpress 2 was released. BiblioExpress was designed as a reference manager for users to collect and manage references. BiblioExpress 2 has been successful in these areas. But there are two main problems. First, Biblioscape 2 uses a memory based database engine. When an user's reference collection becomes large, running BiblioExpress requires too much memory which can be a problem for older computers. Second, the user interface in BiblioExpress no longer matches that of Biblioscape. BiblioExpress 2 was released along with Biblioscape 3. The current version of Biblioscape is 5. So we need to bring all the new features in Biblioscape reference editor to BiblioExpress.

The new BiblioExpress 3 uses the same database engine as Biblioscape. There is practically no limit on the number of references you can have. There are two main search methods: Dynamic Folder which can search at the field level with a visual query builder, and Fast Search which is a full text search that is fast and easy to use. The new reference editor matches the one in Biblioscape. Field labels now change according to the reference type. You can insert graphics or OLE objects easily into the document field. In BiblioExpress 3, you can also shoot the current reference into your Word or WordPerfect document as a footnote or endnote.

BiblioExpress 3 remains to be freeware. You can download it at http://www.biblioscape.com/download/bxp3.exe.
http://www.biblioexpress.com/download/bxp3.exe.

Biblioscape 5.3 is available for download

Biblioscape 5.3 is a minor upgrade which is free to all 5.x customers. You can download it at http://www.biblioscape.com/download/bsp5_patch.exe. There are a dozen new features added. We have also fixed most of the reported bugs. Here is a list of the new features added in version 5.3.

In BiblioSidekick, the user can now edit the selected reference using a simple editor.

In References module, two popup commands are added in the lookup list. "Save as XLS" is for saving the lookup list as a Microsoft Excel file. "Create Word List" is for creating a Word spell checker dictionary. The dictionary file can also be used by the Biblioscape spell checker.

In References module, the Unformat Document routines have been improved to become more robust.

In References module, a header column was added to the Dynamic Folder tree. The user can click on the header to sort the folders.

In Biblioscape and BiblioExpress, if text is selected in Notes, Abstract, or Document fields, the commands "Shoot Bibliography to Footnote" or "Shoot Bibliography to Endnote" will shoot the selected text to your word processor and an endnote or footnote created after the text.

When there is selected text in Notes, Abstract or Documents fields, the "Copy Temporary" or "Shoot Temporary" will shoot the selected text to the word processor before the temporary citation.

A "Save As" button has been added to the reference editor Document window and the Notes module note window. Once clicked, the user has the options to save the current document in RTF, Plain Text, and HTML format.

In References module, the Dynamic Folder query runs each time a condition is changed. If the database is large, this makes creating or editing a dynamic folder very time consuming.

In References module, more sorting options have been added to the style editor for bibliography list. The following four options are now available: "Appearance Order", "Authors, Year, Title", "Authors, Title", and "First Author, Year, Other Authors".

In References module and in BiblioSidekick, the user can choose the sorting when multiple records are selected and temporary citations generated. To change the sorting order, go to "Tools | Options" window and select the "Format Manuscript" tab.

In References module, when the user first goes to the Lookup panel, Biblioscape runs a lookup of author field by default. If the database is large, this could take a long time. The user has to wait, and Authors may not be the field user want to display the lookup.

In References module Style editor, a check box "Remove period in journal name abbreviation" is added. If checked, the period in journal name abbreviation will be removed during formatting.

In Internet module, the user can now Open, Add, Delete, Edit, and view Properties of an item in the web resources tree.

In References module, two commands -- "Shoot Temp Suppress Author" and "Shoot Temp Suppress Year" -- have been added. The ^na and ^ny will be automatically added.

In BiblioWeb, the references folders are now sorted alphabetically. This will make it easier for users to find a folder.

Click here to learn all the new features and bug fixes.

Biblioscape ODBC driver is now available

This is a good news for Biblioscape power users. With ODBC driver, you can integrate Biblioscape database with your own data systems. For example, you can make Biblioscape part of a large database application, create your own web enabled Biblioscape database using ASP, or synchronize Biblioscape database with your PDA applications. For a full description of Biblioscape ODBC driver, please go to http://www.biblioscape.com/odbc_driver.htm. You can order Biblioscape ODBC driver for $49.

Price increase for the book by Verne Wheelwright

Verne Wheelwright's book became available 3 months ago. Because of the high shipping cost, we have to increase the price of the book plus shipping from $15 to $18. You can order the book online with credit card. The book costs $18 including shipping and handling. The book size is 5.5x8.5 with 157 pages. Click here to order the book.

"Research Information Management with Biblioscape" is written by Verne Wheelwright, and published by CG Information. It is an introductory book about using Biblioscape as a research tool. The author walks new users through the basic features offered in Biblioscape. The first few chapters tells users how to enter information into different modules in Biblioscape. The second section explains how to organize and find the information you have entered. The third section deals with the essential part of bibliographic software - generate citations and bibliography for a paper. The last two sections introduce users to the Library Module in Biblioscape and the way to publish your database on the Web. Once finished reading the book, you will be able to use Biblioscape efficiently right away.

Development

Biblioscape Palm edition

Some users expressed interest for a Palm version of Biblioscape. We did some preliminary research and planned the following features for the Palm based program:

The Palm version will only handle bibliographic data.

The data sync between Palm and Biblioscape should be two-way sync.

Not all data fields in Biblioscape Reference table will be in the Palm version.

The Palm version won't support import filters and output styles.

If you are interested in discussing Biblioscape for Palm related issues, please email to support@biblioscape.com. We plan to start the Palm development work after BiblioExpress 3 is finished.