coBib - Free Console Bibliography Management Tool

coBib is a powerful and flexible command-line reference manager designed to help researchers and academics manage their bibliographic references efficiently.

With its minimalist design, coBib offers robust features for organizing, searching, and interacting with your bibliography, making it an ideal tool for anyone looking to streamline their research workflow.

Installation

First, ensure you have Python installed on your system. Then, install coBib using pip:

pip install cobib

Verify the installation:

cobib --version

Basic Usage

1. Initializing coBib

Before adding references, initialize coBib by creating a configuration file. Run the following command to generate a default configuration file in your home directory:

cobib init

2. Adding References

You can add references manually or import them from various sources such as BibTeX files or DOI:

Manually Adding a Reference:

cobib add

This command prompts you to enter reference details interactively.

Adding from a BibTeX File:

cobib add --from-bibtex example.bib

Adding from DOI:

cobib add --from-doi 10.1234/example-doi

3. Searching References

To search for references in your library, use the cobib list command. You can filter search results by various fields:

cobib list author:Smith

4. Editing References

To edit a reference, use the cobib edit command followed by the reference key:

cobib edit example-key

5. Viewing References

To view details of a specific reference, use the cobib show command:

cobib show example-key

Advanced Features

1. Tagging References

coBib allows you to tag references for better organization. You can add tags when creating or editing a reference:

cobib edit example-key

Add tags in the tags field.

2. Exporting References

Export your coBib library to different formats, such as BibTeX, with the cobib export command:

cobib export --to-bibtex exported.bib

3. Using External Editors

coBib supports external editors for editing references. You can configure your preferred editor in the coBib configuration file.

Example Workflow

1. Initialize coBib:

cobib init

1. Add a Reference Manually:

cobib add

Enter the required details interactively.

1. Add a Reference from DOI:

cobib add --from-doi 10.1234/example-doi

1. Search for a Reference:

cobib list author:Smith

1. Edit a Reference:

cobib edit example-key

1. Tag a Reference:

Add tags during editing in the tags field.

1. Export References to BibTeX:

cobib export --to-bibtex exported.bib

License (Open-source)

coBib is an open-source project that is released under the MIT license.

Conclusion

coBib is a minimalist yet powerful tool for managing bibliographic references from the command line. Its straightforward commands and flexibility make it an excellent choice for researchers and academics.

It is the result of the need for an easy-to-use alternative to full-blown reference managers like Mendeley or Zotero. 

For more details and advanced configurations, check the official coBib documentation.

GitHub - mrossinek/cobib: Console Bibliography

Console Bibliography. Contribute to mrossinek/cobib development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHubmrossinek