bug#38249: 12.2.0; reftex-create-bibtex-file and biblatex

[Gustavo Barros]

Hi all,

`reftex-create-bibtex-file' is a neat RefTeX utility, but it doesn’t 
seem to handle some peculiarities of `biblatex', namely:

- `reftex-all-used-citation-keys', the  auxiliary function used by 
 `reftex-create-bibtex-file' to generate the list of entries cited in 
 the document, does not include entries cited in qualified citation 
 lists.

- `reftex-create-bibtex-file' handles the traditional BibTeX `crossref' 
 and `string' fields, but biblatex extends data inheritance and entry 
 cross-reference with such fields as `xref', `xdata' and `set', which 
 are not taken care of.

A MWE which illustrates these cases is:

#+begin_export latex
\documentclass{article}

\usepackage[minxrefs=1]{biblatex}

\usepackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents}{mwe_bib.bib}
@article{sigfridsson,
 author       = {Sigfridsson, Emma and Ryde, Ulf},
 title        = {Comparison of methods for deriving atomic charges from 
 the electrostatic potential and moments},
 journaltitle = {Journal of Computational Chemistry},
 date         = 1998,
 volume       = 19,
 number       = 4,
 pages        = {377-395},
 doi          = 
 {10.1002/(SICI)1096-987X(199803)19:4<377::AID-JCC1>3.0.CO;2-P},
}

@article{reese,
 author       = {Reese, Trevor R.},
 title        = {Georgia in {Anglo-Spanish} Diplomacy, 1736--1739},
 journaltitle = {William and Mary Quarterly},
 date         = 1958,
 series       = 3,
 volume       = 15,
 pages        = {168-190},
}

@book{companion,
 author       = {Goossens, Michel and Mittelbach, Frank and Samarin, 
 Alexander},
 title        = {The {LaTeX} Companion},
 date         = 1994,
 edition      = 1,
 publisher    = {Addison-Wesley},
 location     = {Reading, Mass.},
 pagetotal    = 528,
}

@incollection{westfahl:space,
 author       = {Westfahl, Gary},
 title        = {The True Frontier},
 subtitle     = {Confronting and Avoiding the Realities of Space in 
 {American} Science Fiction Films},
 pages        = {55-65},
 xref         = {westfahl:frontier},
}

@collection{westfahl:frontier,
 editor       = {Westfahl, Gary},
 title        = {Space and Beyond},
 date         = 2000,
 subtitle     = {The Frontier Theme in Science Fiction},
 publisher    = {Greenwood},
 location     = {Westport, Conn. and London},
}

@xdata{hup,
 publisher    = {Harvard University Press},
 location     = {Cambridge, Mass.},
}

@incollection{pines,
 author       = {Pines, Shlomo},
 editor       = {Twersky, Isadore},
 title        = {The Limitations of Human Knowledge According to 
 {Al-Farabi}, {ibn Bajja}, and {Maimonides}},
 date         = 1979,
 booktitle    = {Studies in Medieval {Jewish} History and Literature},
 xdata        = {hup},
 pages        = {82-109},
 shorttitle   = {Limitations of Human Knowledge},
}

@set{stdmodel,
 entryset     = {glashow,weinberg,salam},
 annotation   = {A \texttt{set} with three members discussing the 
 standard model of particle physics.},
}

@article{glashow,
 author       = {Glashow, Sheldon},
 title        = {Partial Symmetries of Weak Interactions},
 journaltitle = {Nucl.~Phys.},
 date         = 1961,
 volume       = 22,
 pages        = {579-588},
}

@article{weinberg,
 author       = {Weinberg, Steven},
 title        = {A Model of Leptons},
 journaltitle = {Phys.~Rev.~Lett.},
 date         = 1967,
 volume       = 19,
 pages        = {1264-1266},
}

@inproceedings{salam,
 author       = {Salam, Abdus},
 editor       = {Svartholm, Nils},
 title        = {Weak and Electromagnetic Interactions},
 date         = 1968,
 booktitle    = {Elementary particle theory},
 booksubtitle = {Relativistic groups and analyticity},
 booktitleaddon= {Proceedings of the {Eighth Nobel Symposium}},
 eventdate    = {1968-05-19/1968-05-25},
 venue        = {Aspen{\"a}sgarden, Lerum},
 publisher    = {Almquist \& Wiksell},
 location     = {Stockholm},
 pages        = {367-377},
}
\end{filecontents}

\addbibresource{mwe_bib.bib}

\begin{document}

% Entries cited in qualified citation lists are missing in the file 
 generated by `reftex-create-bibtex-file'.
\cites(See, for example)()[45]{sigfridsson}[67]{reese}[24]{companion}.
\textcites(See, for 
example)()[45]{sigfridsson}[67]{reese}[24]{companion}.
\parencites(See, for 
example)()[45]{sigfridsson}[67]{reese}[24]{companion}.

% Entry `westfahl:space' xref's entry `westfahl:frontier'. The latter 
 should be included in the bibliography, given option `minxrefs=1', but 
 it is missing in the file generated by `reftex-create-bibtex-file'.
\cite{westfahl:space}.

% Entry `pines' uses xdata from entry `hup', but the latter is missing 
 in the file generated by `reftex-create-bibtex-file'.
\cite{pines}.

% Set `stdmodel' is composed by entries `glashow', `weinberg' and 
 `salam', wich are missing in the file generated by 
 `reftex-create-bibtex-file'.
\cite{stdmodel}.

\printbibliography{}

\end{document}
#+end_export

The content of the file generated by `reftex-create-bibtex-file' on the 
above MWE is:

#+begin_example
@incollection{westfahl:space,
 author       = {Westfahl, Gary},
 title        = {The True Frontier},
 subtitle     = {Confronting and Avoiding the Realities of Space in 
 {American} Science Fiction Films},
 pages        = {55-65},
 xref         = {westfahl:frontier},
}

@incollection{pines,
 author       = {Pines, Shlomo},
 editor       = {Twersky, Isadore},
 title        = {The Limitations of Human Knowledge According to 
 {Al-Farabi}, {ibn Bajja}, and {Maimonides}},
 date         = 1979,
 booktitle    = {Studies in Medieval {Jewish} History and Literature},
 xdata        = {hup},
 pages        = {82-109},
 shorttitle   = {Limitations of Human Knowledge},
}

@set{stdmodel,
 entryset     = {glashow,weinberg,salam},
 annotation   = {A \texttt{set} with three members discussing the 
 standard model of particle physics.},
}
#+end_example

However, all the entries initially provided are required for the MWE to 
work correctly.

Best regards,
Gustavo Barros.



Emacs  : GNU Emacs 26.3 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 
3.22.30)
of 2019-11-11
Package: 12.2.0

current state:
==============
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