Starting Sixpack

To start sixpack in the gui mode, run

bib -gui
  

To run sixpack in the command line more, run

bib
  

or, if you want to have command-line editing facilities, install 'cle', and run

cle bib
  

Exiting from Sixpack

To quit out of sixpack, select the menu item File->exit, or type exit at the command line.

Opening a database - sixpack native format

Sixpack can only add or import items once a database is open. Several databases can be open at the same time. All will be in the same window.

To open a new database, select File->New database. Enter the name of the new database (sixpack databases have a suffix of .bref) in the file selector.

To open an existing database, select File->Open database, or alt-o. Enter the name of the new database (sixpack databases have a suffix of .bref) in the file selector.

cli: To open a new database or open an existing database, enter

open [filename.bref]
  

at the prompt.

Adding an entry

To add a new entry select “Edit->Add new reference”, or press alt-insert. You will be prompted for the type of the entry. move with the arrow keys and select using the enter key, or double click on the preferred type with the mouse.

You will now be in edit mode. Move among the fields using the TAB and shift-TAB keys, or using the mouse. To finish editing press alt-Enter, or click the lock icon.

cli: enter

add [reference type]
  

You then be able to edit the item with an editor.

Configuring Sixpack

Sixpack is configured using a configuration file. Your own personal configuration is located in ˜/.sixpack.rc, and the site-wide configuration is usually located in /etc/sixpack.rc. Sixpack also understands some Xresources. Usually these are stored /usr/local/lib/sixpack/Bib.

The different database files that can be open

Sixpack can have several databases open at the same time. All open databases are displayed together in the window. These database can be of the internal sixpack database type (with extension .bref usually) and of bibtex type (with extension .bib). A collection of such databases is called a collection (and usually has extension .six). Thus when one opens a collection, this will open a couple of different databases, some bibtex, some bref. The entries in the different databases are kept each in their own file. When on writes a collection, sixpack writes to a file which databases belong to that collection. A collection is actually simply a sixpack script, that tells sixpack to open the different databases. So, to understand Sixpack, you have to understand these 3 types

• a bibtex database

• a sixpack internal database called with extension bref.

• a collection of a couple of databases of the two above types, called with extension six.