Alphabetical order and missing information

xaviervet

Hello,
I have some troubles to edit the proper style.
First I need a style which class my references in alphabetical orders. I saw in a previous discussion the American Medical Association modified to make this classification. Unfortunately this style doesn't fit exactly to the presentation style asked for my work.
For example I need the number of pages to appear for books and thesis references.
For the thesis citation, the type doesn't appear. I need the mention
"Th. Univ. : Méd : Nantes" written in the Type caption to appear in the bibliography.
I tried to modify a style by myself using Zotero help but I didn't manage to.
Does anyone can help me?
Thank you in advance.
Does any

adamsmith

If you have tried editing your own style, what where your problems, what weren't you able to do? I won't be able to give you step by step instructions on how to modify everything you want - there's a lot of documentation, here is a good place to start: http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/style_editing_step-by-step (with links to more extensive documentation) - but if you run into a particular problem feel free to ask.

xaviervet

I'm not skilled enough to write a style on my own so I tried to modify one close to what I wanted: "Journal of chronic diseases".
My first problem was to add the style I wanted in the list of Zotero test pane. I wasn't able to do it.
Then I tried on another style to add the instruction to classify the bibliography in alphabetical order. I found it on the internet. It said:
Find the item <bibliography>
Insert the following instructions after it:
<sort>
<key macro="author"/>
<key variable="issued"/>
</sort>
But it didn't work.

The last thing is that I have few thesis in my bibliography. The mention "Thesis of Medecine University : Nantes" has to appear after the title. I typed it in the "Type" caption in the "thesis" item type. But it didn't appear an I don't see where I should write it.

adamsmith

Journal of Chronic Disease is the same as Vancouver - work with that one.
The sorting should work as you did it, but only if the macro "author" actually exists in the style. Also, it needs to be exactly in the right place (between <bibliography...> and <layout...>)

For the type you want to use
<text variable="genre"/>
somewhere in here:
<if type="bill book thesis graphic legal_case motion_picture report song" match="any">
<text macro="edition" prefix=" " suffix=" "/>
<text macro="publisher" prefix=" "/>
<text variable="number-of-pages" suffix=" p." prefix=" "/>
</if>

(likely right at the beginning, before the edition.)

xaviervet

I managed to do what I wanted. I saved it in XML format but I can't open it again with the Zotero reference test pane to make some change neither with zotero to use it in zotero in order to edit the bibliography style in my word file (I use the Cite while you write function).
How can I do it?
Thank you in advance

adamsmith

when you say "I saved it in XML format" - what does that mean? As the instructions say, you should "Save the style with a ”.csl” file extension".

xaviervet

XML (.xul) is the only format available when I use the function "Save as". I tried to change it as .csl file extension but it didn't work.

adamsmith

re-read the documentation.
http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/style_editing_step-by-step
You need to use a text editor, you can't just save the page from the test panel (and .xul is, as it says, an XUL form - it has nothing to do with .xml)

xaviervet

I know I read it. It is my mistake I tried to save it directly from the test pane and after to open it in a text editor. After I send the message I copied it directly in the text editor. I forgot to delete the message.
Sorry for this and thank you very much for your help.