Sharing Files

This section discusses how to share your ProCite files with other users. It also lists possible conflicts you can experience when you share files.

ProCite Program

You can share the ProCite program with other users if you have purchased a multi-user network package. The original software package
indicates how many users may legally access ProCite. See Chapter 2 of the manual entitled: 'Installation' for information about installing the multi-user program files on a network and user files on each individual’s machine.

Databases

When the database you want to share is available on a network:

• Any number of users can open the same database with read-only access. You may want to place the database in a read-only folder to make sure the database is always available to multiple users.

• One user at a time can open a database with read-write access. If a user already has a database open with read-write access, ProCite will tell other users that the database is already in use. The database is not available to others until the user with read-write access closes it.

• If a database is in use by someone with read-only access you will not be able to open the database with read-write access.

• If you are each running a separate copy of the ProCite program, make sure you all have the same workforms available to ProCite before opening the database. See the 'Workforms' section which follows for information about possible workform conflicts.

• If you create a database with ProCite for the Macintosh and want to share it with ProCite for Windows users, you must add the extension .PDT to the primary database file name.

When you want to copy a database to another user’s machine:

• If you are both using only the predefined workforms, you can simply copy your database disk files to the other user’s Database folder.

• If you have changed the predefined workforms or created new workforms, you must supply the appropriate workforms along with the database files. See the next section about sharing workforms.

Workforms

Every ProCite installation includes the predefined workforms. If you deleted or modified workforms and would like new copies of the original files, run the installation program again to reinstall workform files. See Chapter 2: 'Installation' for installation information.

Store your workforms in ProCite’s Forms folder. If you want to modify a workform, we recommend that you open the file and use the Save As command to make a copy of the file and give it a different name.

Share a custom workform with another user in one of the following ways:

• Copy your workform file to the other user’s Forms folder. You can copy files over a network or with diskettes.

• Export any number of marked records, with workform definitions, to a delimited text file. Then, import those records into the other user’s database. Workform definitions in the import file that do not match existing workforms are created and added to the user’s Forms folder.

• If you are both using the same copy of ProCite on a network, make sure your workform is in ProCite’s Forms folder. It will be available for all users who use that copy of ProCite.

• To share a ProCite for the Macintosh workform with a ProCite for Windows user, add the extension .PWF to the workform file name.

Possible Conflicts:

Because you can modify any workform, you can run into several conflicts:

• You renamed a predefined workform, and later want to share data with a colleague. Each of the predefined workforms has an internal code, so ProCite knows to which workform each record is linked. When you copy your database to your colleague’s machine, and your colleague has not changed their workform to match yours, the records will transfer into your colleague’s original predefined workform.

• You completely modified a predefined workform. If you already entered records into the original workform, the fields may no longer match. Data in a field that no longer exists in the workform will appear in the Edit Record window with dashes as the field name. Either use the Global Move command to move the data to the appropriate field, use Global Edit to delete the field of information, or modify the workform again to restore the field.

• You saved a copy of a predefined workform with the Save As command, giving it a new name before modifying it. You will not run into any conflicts in your own database, but remember to supply the new workform when you want to share your data with someone else.

Output Styles

If you deleted or modified some of the output styles installed with ProCite and would like a new copy of the original files, you can run the installation program again to reinstall output styles. See Chapter 2: 'Installation' for more information about installing files.

Store your output styles in ProCite’s Styles folder. If you want to modify an output style, we recommend that you make a copy of the file and give it a different name.

Share a custom output style with another user in one of these ways:

• Copy your output style to the other user’s Styles folder. You can copy files over a network or with diskettes.

• If you are both using the same copy of ProCite on a network, make sure your output style is in the appropriate Styles folder. It will be available for all users who use that copy of ProCite.

• If you want to share a ProCite for the Macintosh output style with a ProCite for Windows user, add the extension .POS to the output style file name.

Possible Conflicts:

• You modified an original output style. When you got a ProCite program update and installed the new output styles, your custom output style was overwritten. Whenever you modify one of the predefined output styles, you should give it a different name to avoid overwriting it.

• You saved a copy of an original output style with the Save As command, giving it a new name before modifying it. That was the best thing to do and will minimize conflicts.

• You created or modified a workform, and now your output is strange or non-existent for records in that workform. You must update your output style so ProCite can correctly format records in that workform. Create or modify the workform style in your output style.

List Files

You can share journal title lists and term lists simply by copying the appropriate files to the appropriate Lists folder. If you want to share a ProCite for the Macintosh list with a ProCite for Windows user, add the extension .LST to the list file name.

Share an alternate text list, ALTERNAT.TXT file by copying it to the appropriate ProCite program folder or database folder.

Search Expressions

ProCite stores saved search expressions in preference files so they can be used by all of your databases. Share your search expressions by copying the appropriate file to the other user’s ProCite program folder. Expressions are saved in files as follows:

ProCite Search Expressions: SrchExpr

Internet Search Expressions: InetExpr

PubMed Search Expressions: PmedExpr

To share a single search expression with someone else, retrieve it on the Search tab, highlight the expression, Copy it to the clipboard, and Paste it into an email message or other document. The other user can then copy it and paste it into his ProCite Search Expression text box and save it to his preference file.

Internet Search Configurations

Your host and database configurations for Internet searching are stored in the HOST.DAT file found in your ProCite folder. You can share this file by copying it to the appropriate ProCite program folder.

Note: Unfortunately, there is no way to share just an individual host or database configuration. All host and database configurations are copied with the HOST.DAT file, so be careful not to overwrite a HOST.DAT file that contains custom configurations.

Individual field mapping to ProCite fields is directed by a Biblio-Link II configuration file. The configuration files used for Internet searching are stored in ProCite’s BKWRAPI folder. Share these files by copying them to another user’s BKWRAPI folder. You select one of these files when setting up a database configuration for Internet searching.

Word Processor Files

When you print a bibliography directly from ProCite to a word processor file, you can copy the file and share it with another user as you would any file created with your word processor.

You can also share a word processor document that has ProCite records linked to it with ProCite’s cite while you write commands.

This is the most reliable way to transfer a cite while you write document (especially between different word processor versions, between different versions of ProCite, or to transfer to a different platform):

1. Open the document with the word processor used to create the file.

2. From the Tools menu, choose Revert to Original Text for all linked citations.

3. Save and Close the document.

4. If you are sharing with another user, make sure the other user has available:

     a) The word processor document (with all citations reverted to original text).

     b) The ProCite database to which the citations were linked. See the Databases heading earlier in this section about Sharing Files.

     c) The ProCite program. See the ProCite Program heading earlier in this section about Sharing Files.

5. Have the new user open the document and use Scan Document to relink all citations.

Other ways to share a cite while you write document are:

• Share only the word processor document itself. You must Generate Bibliography first, to format the in-text citations and the bibliography. The other user should not edit the citations or reference list. Editing could damage the links and the word processor file.

• If you are both using the same ProCite version and the same word processor version, make sure all of these files are available so the other user can view, print and/or edit the file at will:

     a) The word processor document with the linked citations.

     b) The ProCite database to which the word processor document is linked. See the Databases heading earlier in this section about Sharing Files.

     c) The ProCite program. See the ProCite Program heading earlier in this section about Sharing Files.

With these files available, the user can continue to insert citations, can edit the file, and can format citations and a bibliography using any of the ProCite output styles.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

This section explains how to share ProCite files initially created under Windows and ProCite files initially created on a Macintosh. It also lists the text characters that do not directly map between platforms.

In order to use data from an older version of ProCite, or from a Reference Manager or EndNote database, you must convert the data from that database into a ProCite 5 database. This process is described in Chapter 2: Installation.

File Sharing

ProCite 5 for Windows 98/95/NT and ProCite 5 for the Power Macintosh can directly share files. Because Macintosh applications do not require file extensions, and Windows applications almost always use file extensions to indicate file type, you may need to modify disk file names as described in this section.

Note: Some file servers do not accept file names longer than eight characters. If this is the case with your server, you will need to shorten file names.

Sharing Files Created with ProCite for Windows

ProCite for the Macintosh version 5 can open any ProCite file created by ProCite 5 for Windows 98/95/NT. Simply copy the files to a common server or to your hard disk — preferably to the default ProCite folders.

When you want to access a database, make sure both database files are available, and make sure you also have access to any custom workforms used in the database.

Sharing Files Created with ProCite for the Macintosh

You can share any ProCite file with other ProCite for the Macintosh or ProCite for Windows users. When you share a database, make sure you provide both database files, and make sure you also provide any custom workforms used in the database.

To share with other Macintosh users, simply copy your files to a common server or to the other individual's hard disk — preferably to the default ProCite folders.

To share with a ProCite for Windows user, or a combination of Macintosh and Windows users, you must first add these extensions to your filenames:

File Type  Add This Extension

Database Files .PDT (primary database file)
.PDX (leave intact on the key file)

Workform Files .PWF
Term Lists .PJL
Journal Title Lists .PJL
Output Styles .POS
Configuration Files .CFG