Sort order original date and issued combined?

JGebauer

Is there a way to sort the bibliography, so that the year given in issued is used, unless an original date is given, in which case this gets priority?

Currently I can only get it to sort either or.

bwiernik

What style are you working with?

JGebauer

My own. That's what I need the sorting for.

bwiernik

In the bibliography sort section of the style, you can list multiple sorting keys. The bibliography will be sorted using the key order as the priority.

So, for example:
<sort>
<key variable="original-date" sort="ascending"/>
<key variable="issued" sort="ascending"/>
<key macro="author"/>
<key macro="title"/>
</sort>

will sort first by original date, then by issued, then by author, then by title.

If that's not exactly what you want, then create a macro earlier in the style:
<macro name="issued-sort">
<choose>
<if variable="original-date" match="any">
<date variable="original-date">
<date-part name="year"/>
</date>
</if>
<else>
<date variable="issued">
<date-part name="year"/>
</date>
</else>
</choose>
</macro>


and sort on that macro:
<sort>
<key macro="issued-sort" sort="ascending"/>
<key macro="author"/>
<key macro="title"/>
</sort>


If you have any other questions, it is easiest if you post the code for your style is a Private Gist here: http://gist.github.com and post a link.

JGebauer

Before I put this into the style: Will this sort the following items:

Bachmann 1925 – Alberto Bachmann: An Encyclopedia of the Violin [1925], Reprint, New York, London 1966.
Bachmann 1906 – Alberto Bachmann: Le violon (Lutherie-œuvres-biographies). Guide à l’usage des artistes & des amateurs. Avec une préface de Henry Gauthier-Villars., Paris 1906.
Bachmann 1913 – Alberto Bachmann: Les grands violinistes du passé, Paris 1913.

like this, or in the correct order? I have several sort keys already, but currently it will sort any items which have an original date entry before any other items of the same author name. This is not what I am after, I need them to sort with Bachmann 1925 as last item.

Thanks!

bwiernik

Okay, do it with the "issued-sort" macro I gave above and remove the keys that use the date variables directly.