BibTeX Checker - VS Code Extension

I. Overview

BibTeX Checker is a powerful extension designed specifically for Visual Studio Code. It aims to assist researchers, academic writers, and anyone dealing with BibTeX bibliographic formats to efficiently manage and optimize BibTeX entries. This extension can automatically identify BibTeX entries in documents, thoroughly check the completeness of required fields, and instantly display citations in IEEEtrans format when the mouse hovers over, greatly enhancing the convenience and accuracy of literature processing.

II. Features

1. Real-time Field Completeness Check: While you are editing .bib files, the extension scans the document content in real-time. Based on different types of BibTeX entries (such as @article, @phdthesis, @inproceedings, etc.), it compares against preset required field configurations to accurately detect any missing fields. Once detected, it prominently alerts you in the VS Code Problems window, ensuring your bibliographic information is complete.
2. Intelligent Mouse Hover Hints: When you hover your mouse over a BibTeX entry, the extension quickly parses the entry content and generates and displays a concise and standardized citation in IEEEtrans format according to the format specifications. This allows you to preview the standard citation style of the literature without manual format conversion.

IV. Installation and Usage

1. Installation Steps:
   • Open Visual Studio Code.
   • Click on the Extensions icon in the left sidebar, or press the shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + X (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + X (Mac).
   • Enter BibTeX Checker in the search box.
   • Locate the BibTeX Checker extension in the search results and click the Install button.
   • After installation, VS Code will automatically activate the extension.
2. Usage Instructions:
   • Open a .bib file containing BibTeX entries.
   • While editing the file, pay attention to the Problems window at the bottom of VS Code to view field missing alerts.
   • Hover your mouse over a BibTeX entry, and after a moment, the IEEEtrans format citation tooltip will appear.

V. Configuration Explanation

You can customize some configuration items of the extension through the VS Code settings interface (File -> Preferences -> Settings). Search for bib-checker to make personalized adjustments. For example, the requiredFieldsByType configuration item is used to customize the list of required fields for different types of BibTeX entries. This can be adjusted according to your specific academic standards or project requirements. If a particular field in a certain type of literature is of special concern in your field, you can add or modify it here. Other configuration items may be added in future updates to further optimize the extension's functionality.

{
                        "article": [
                            "author",
                            "title",
                            "journal",
                            "volume",
                            "number",
                            "year",
                            "pages",
                            "doi"
                        ],
                        "phdthesis": [
                            "author",
                            "title",
                            "school",
                            "year",
                            "url"
                        ],
                        "inproceedings": [
                            "author",
                            "title",
                            "booktitle",
                            "year",
                            "doi",
                            "address"
                        ],
                        "book": [
                            "author",
                            "title",
                            "publisher",
                            "year",
                            "isbn",
                            "url",
                            "doi"
                        ],
                        "misc": [
                            "author",
                            "title",
                            "doi",
                            "publisher",
                            "year",
                            "url"
                        ]
                  }

VI. Contribution and Feedback

1. Welcome Contributions: If you are a developer and interested in this extension, you are welcome to fork this project and submit pull requests to improve the functionality and fix bugs together, contributing to the academic community.
2. Feedback: If you encounter any problems, discover bugs, or have suggestions for functional improvements during use, you are welcome to provide feedback in the following ways:
   • In VS Code, click Help -> Report Issue, and describe the situation you encountered in detail.
   • Or directly submit an issue in the project's GitHub repository ([repository link to be added]), and we will respond and handle it as soon as possible.

VII. Changelog

• [Version 1]: The initial version, implementing basic field missing checks and mouse hover hint functions, supporting common document types.
• [Subsequent version numbers and update contents, to be filled in according to actual updates]: Such as optimizing the checking algorithm, adding support for new document types, improving the accuracy of citation format conversion, etc.

The BibTeX Checker extension will help you manage and validate these entries effectively.

Hope BibTeX Checker can bring great convenience to your academic work. Wish you success in your research!