Re: About IDs and citation keys

Hallöchen!

Markus Hoenicka writes:

> Quoting Torsten Bronger <[email protected]>:
>
>> I need something that *never* changes for a reference entry, so I
>> plan to use the ID.  My problem is that I don't easily get it
>> after addition of the reference.  I only get the generated
>> citation key.  But the citation key can change.
>
> The citation key is not supposed to change. In fact, it takes
> quite some effort to change the citation key. I'm not aware of a
> simple way using RIS, and risx prefers the citation key over the
> ID if both are specified. Also, if you have to re-create a
> database from a RIS or risx dump, the ID is more likely to change
> than the citation key.

This all sounds like the CK in RefDB is what the ID is in general
database applications: A primary key that doesn't change.

My scenario is this: In my RefDB web frontend, the user can upload
PDF files which are stored in the file system.  Every reference gets
a sub-directory with its PDF file.  The question is, which name
should the sub-directory have?  In order to avoid re-naming it, it
should never change.  At the moment, I use the ID but probably the
CK is better?

> Do you have some scenario in mind which is likely to alter the
> citation key?

No.  I just thought that it can be done by just giving another CK in
the RISX passed to updateref.  But apparently, this doesn't work.

Tschö,
Torsten.

-- 
Torsten Bronger, aquisgrana, europa vetus
                   Jabber ID: [email protected]


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