Create an style from “zero” or adapt an existent one?

cadudesun

Hello,

I am an very beginner Zotero user and I would appreciate very much an advice about "citation styles". I am from Brazil and ABNT style available at Zotero site doesn't have some “types” as video and audio. Besides, the citation format (in Word document) is in uppercase (SCOTT, 2000) and I would like to change it to lowercase (Scott, 2000). So, what is better: to create an style from “zero” or to adapt an existent one?

a) What is the easier way to create from “zero”. Is there any generator, as available in EndNote?

b) What is the way to adapt an existent style?

Obs.: In EndNote, there is the type “legal rule or regulation”. But all my EndNote registers were imported as “document”. Could someone just confirm whether “bill” is the equivalent type in Zotero?

Thanks in advance,
Cadu

adamsmith

adapting a style is easier than starting from scratch, there is no style editor like in endnote, instructions are here:
http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/style_editing_step-by-step
and full documentation here:
http://citationstyles.org/downloads/specification.html

rule/regulation is likely best captured as bill, yes.

cadudesun

Hi,

Thanks for information. I would appreciate an aditional information to deal with a simple style adaptation. Currently, the style adopts citation format (in Word document) in uppercase (SCOTT, 2000; ZED, 2010). I would like to change it to lowercase with just first letter as capital (Scott, 2000; Zed, 2010). Nothing will change in references, just in citation name. Which is/are the field(s) in CSL format I need to change? Thanks in advance, Cadu.

adamsmith

depends on the style - something that starts with <name
and has "uppercase" in it. If you need help with a specific style either post it (e.g. on gist.github.com or on pastebin.com or let us know which one you're using).

cadudesun

Hello! I am using the style "Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT) - (2011-08-30)".

Follow bellow the lines where "<name" and "uppercase" exist.

May you help on showing which are/is the line(s) to change just citation format from (SCOTT, 2000; ZED, 2010) to (Scott, 2000; Zed, 2010)?

Should "uppercase" be replaced with term "lowercase"? Or is there other term because first letter is capital (Scott, 2000), not (scott, 2000)?

Thanks in advance. Cadu!

Line 67:<name-part name="family" text-case="uppercase" />
Line 68:<name-part name="given" text-case="uppercase" />
Line 106:<name-part name="family" text-case="uppercase" />
Line 107:<name-part name="given" text-case="uppercase" />
Line 110:<label form="short" prefix=" (" suffix=".)" text-case="uppercase"/>
Line 122: <name-part name="family" text-case="uppercase" />
Line 123: <name-part name="given" text-case="uppercase" />

adamsmith

you want to change it to "capitalize-first" the relevant ones are in the author-short macro.

cadudesun

It worked great! Thanks.

Additional help:

a) In "Zotero Reference Test Pane" the output is ok.

b) But when validating in "validator.nu" some messages appeared (warnings and error). I used the "validator.nu" default settings. I tested both the original ABNT style from Zotero repository and the new I changed. The messages are the same. So, it seems have not relating with my personal changes and it comes since the original style:

1. Warning: Being lax about non-RNC Content-Type: text/plain
https://raw.github.com/citation-style-language/schema/v1.0/csl.rnc

2. Warning: Being lax about non-RNC Content-Type: text/plain
https://raw.github.com/citation-style-language/schema/v1.0/csl-terms.rnc

3. Warning: Being lax about non-RNC Content-Type: text/plain
https://raw.github.com/citation-style-language/schema/v1.0/csl-types.rnc

4. Warning: Being lax about non-RNC Content-Type: text/plain
https://raw.github.com/citation-style-language/schema/v1.0/csl-variables.rnc

5. Warning: Being lax about non-RNC Content-Type: text/plain
https://raw.github.com/citation-style-language/schema/v1.0/csl-categories.rnc

6. IO Error: Non-XML Content-Type: text/x-csl.

c) Which is the code to change the bibliography text spacing from none to a single empty spacing between each reference?

Best, Cadu

adamsmith

b) those warnings are OK - the IO error shouldn't occur.
What exactly did you do on validator.nu? Did you upload the file or paste it into the text field?

c) delete entry-spacing="0" or set it to 1 (1 is the default, so deleting it has the same effect).

cadudesun

I had uploaded the file. Now I copied and pasted the text direct to "validator.nu". The warnings still appearing but the error stopped. The current message: “The document validates according to the specified schema(s) and to additional constraints checked by the validator”.

a) Is it ok now?

b) Is it better to paste text than upload? (Again I tried uploading the file and the error still appearing. Just when it is pasted the validation goes well).

c) Considering future style changes and new validations procedures, could I ignore “warnings” always (just pay attention to errors)?

d) I am using Notepad++ as editor. I realized there isn’t .csl type/format to save as. Which is the correct format to save as? (Actually, I just changed and saved the original file, without “save as”, then the type/format still being .csl)

e) When I tried to drop my changed style onto firefox browser a message says whether I want to upgrade/substitute from original ABNT style to this new one. But I would like to have both. What does it need to be changed in code .csl to firefox recognize it as new/additional style? (I tried to change the title, but it didn’t work).

Thanks indeed for your valuable information! To deal with styles is easier than I had thought.

Cadu

Rintze

Most of your questions should be answered by https://github.com/citation-style-language/styles/wiki/Validation and http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/style_editing_step-by-step#change_the_style_title_and_id

adamsmith

and yes to a) and c). And "shouldn't really matter but if pasting works better for you do that" to b).