Usage

The BibTeX Validator can be run in two modes: Command Line Interface (CLI) and Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Quick Start

💻 CLI Mode

Run in your terminal to validate a file quickly.

uv run bibtex-validator references.bib

🖥️ GUI Mode

Launch the visualization dashboard to review changes interactively.

uv run bibtex-validator references.bib --gui

Detailed Usage

Run the validator from the command line for automation or quick checks.

Basic Syntax

uv run bibtex-validator <bib_file> [options]

Arguments

  • bib_file: Path to the input BibTeX file (Required).

  • --output, -o: Path to the output file (Optional).

  • --update: Automatically update the BibTeX file with fetched data.

  • --no-cache: Force fresh data fetch (ignore cache).

Examples

Validate and print results:

uv run bibtex-validator references.bib

Validate and update the file in-place:

uv run bibtex-validator references.bib --update

The GUI is the recommended way to interactively review changes and resolve conflicts.

Launch Command

uv run bibtex-validator references.bib --gui

Key Features

  • Validation Table: Color-coded rows (Green = Valid, Red = Issues).

  • Diff View: Side-by-side comparison of local vs. fetched data.

  • Interactive Badges: Click badges to toggle sources for specific fields.

  • Bulk Actions:

    • Accept All: Apply all suggested changes.

    • Reject All: Discard all changes.

You can import the validator class into your own Python scripts.

from validate_bibtex import BibTeXValidator

# Initialize
validator = BibTeXValidator(
    bib_file="references.bib",
    output_file="references_updated.bib"
)

# Run validation
validator.validate_file()