Limiting Autocomplete Paper

[Jasso]

Hi again

I've run into an annoying snag with Autocomplete, and I am wondering, can I somehow limit it to certain fields?

If this is not possible yet, then I'd love to see this in the future version. A simple tick-box or something next to the autocomplete fields would be perfect.

Like right now I have 70 references needing to be completed (PDFs attached). In order to sort these blank references at least somehow, I have ran couple of Global Changes so that each ref now contains Journal Title info. But if I now run Autocomplete, that will download and replace the Journal Title information, and in some cases I know this will result in erroneous info. (Couple of Journals have changed their name and the online info doesn't account for these changes.) So I'm stuck between Autocompleting and running Global Changes again, or completing the refs manually.

[Jon]

Do you mean Autocomplete Paper or Autofill From Internet. The former is typically used when there is no reference metadata locally at all. So if you're using this, do so before you do any global changes. The latter is used when you have a DOI, PMID, or ISBN and perhaps other info, but want to update the reference because new info may be online. Note that you can right-click on any field and autocomplete just that field. I don't know if that's helpful to you, but that's how these are intended to be used.

Jon
Sonny Software

[Jasso]

Exactly. Autocomplete for those occasions when there is no metadata and Autofill cannot be used.

I totally get the point that "run autocomplete before global changes". But if I've already done manual changes to the refs, it's really frustrating that Autocomplete erases all the that I've done.

Autocompleting one field through right clicking is fine for individual files, but I'm talking about occasions when I'm processing big batches of filed.

If you would put on/off tick-boxes to Autocomplete it would kind of be like the opposite of right-clicking individual fields. Autocomplete everything else, except field x. That would be much more useful for batches. (E.g. "Replace existing data []". And have it ticked as default.)

[Jon]

Autocomplete Paper is one reference at a time, it can't be used in batch. So I'm no longer sure what you're doing. But whichever, I'm not likely to add a whole new UI listing all fields you check or not. Your situation is a (very) edge case that can be avoided by autocompleting/autofilling before you modify the records. And if all you need to do is to "run a few Global Changes" then it should be quick work to restore what you want.

Jon
Sonny Software

[Reinhard]

Maybe a workaround would be to add a feature to Bookends, which allows the user to lock specific references.
So someone can add text to fields of a reference, without loosing it during a global www lookup.

[Jon]

Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done. I'm won't jerry-rig the UI to deal with something that I don't see as a significant problem. I've already explained the workaround -- don't autocomplete after you've already entered reference data. That's not what the function is for.

Jon
Sonny Software

[Reinhard]

@Jon
Bookends is superior to Endnote, no question about it.
Yet, there is one feature in Endnote, which is useful...I think.
It's called "find reference update" and it gives you a comparison of the fields with available updates and your current text.
So one can choose...to update all fields...to update empty fields only...or to copy and paste

[Jon]

The dead horse is now officially beaten. :-)

Jon
Sonny Software

[Reinhard]

I just realized that a right-click you mentioned above...on any field in a reference...gives you a "Autofill from internet".
Didn't know about it. Very handy! Like it