BibTeX, biblatex and biber ⇒ Problem with aux file for .bib file

[spicycameldish]

Hi everyone,
This is my first time posting on here, I don't know how to search for the solution to this. I've tried! So my apologies if I should be able to figure this out easily. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I was told in order to get the references, I should pdflatex my file, bibtex my .bib file, and pdflatex my file twice.
At first this worked, but I changed my .bib file. When I tried to recompile my file, I got an error message which said:

This is BibTeX, Version 0.99d (TeX Live 2010)
The top-level auxiliary file: references.aux
I found no \citation commands---while reading file references.aux
I found no \bibdata command---while reading file references.aux
I found no \bibstyle command---while reading file references.aux
(There were 3 error messages)

I was then told by someone else that there is a known problem with Mac being able to properly replace the old aux file with the new one. I should delete the aux file and recompile. However, when I tried that, it creates a new aux file for all the other components in my root file. However, it doesn't create an aux file for my .bib file. So when i attempt to bibtex my references, it says there is no aux file.

Please help! Thanks!

[localghost]

[…] I was told in order to get the references, I should pdflatex my file, bibtex my .bib file, and pdflatex my file twice. […]

It's a bit unclear to me what you are really doing. The usual process is to run BibTeX on the *.aux file.

Code: Select all

pdflatex jobname
bibtex jobname
pdflatex jobname
pdflatex jobname

A common editor should manage that for you. In this context it would be interesting to know which editor and TeX distribution you are using.


Best regards and welcome to the board
Thorsten

[spicycameldish]

Thanks for the response. What you said is what I did, I just didn't know how to explain it. It worked the first time. But when I changed my .bib file (I added more references) It doesn't work.
My friend says that the mac version of latex ( i'm using texshop) sometimes doesn't update the aux file properly.
I'm not sure what else to do.

[localghost]

[…] My friend says that the mac version of latex ( i'm using texshop) sometimes doesn't update the aux file properly. […]

Then ask the same friend for a remedy.

[spicycameldish]

well i'm posting here for a reason. As I posted above, I did that. If my friend had a solution, do you think I would be asking for help?

[localghost]

well i'm posting here for a reason. As I posted above, I did that. If my friend had a solution, do you think I would be asking for help?

Then you will have to wait until an adept Mac user comes along here.

[mumbatwa]

I had the same problem. this is what i did:

delete all aux files to begin with.
put only your file.tex in a new map, together with library.bib (the database).
you run file.tex, there will be a file.aux but no library.aux, but that's ok.
run bibtex file. So don't run the library.bib. Just write:
\bibliographystyle{ieeetr}
\bibliography{library}
\end{document}
in file.tex

run file.tex again and it hopefully works.
I put it in new maps because maybe some .synctex ruin the whole thing.

good luck.

[hyp]

Same problem here, running on WinEdt v6 and MiKTeX v2.9:

On the main file I got:

Code: Select all

\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{Ref1}
\bibliography{Ref2}

Compiled following (a) PDFTeXtify/PDFTeX/PDFLaTeX, (b) BiBTeX, (c) and (d) repeat (a).

I received this message:

This is BibTeX, Version 0.99d (MiKTeX 2.9)
The top-level auxiliary file: aa.aux
I found no \bibdata command---while reading file aa.aux
I found no \bibstyle command---while reading file aa.aux
(There were 2 error messages)

Already delete .aux files, without any success.

I googled A LOT and didn't find any correct solution about this problem.

Regards

[Eucalyptus16]

I experienced the same problem (running TeXnicCenter 1.0 Stable Release Candidate 1 with MiKTeX 2.9), and traced a solution via a known issue with "GUI framework cannot be initialized" (see http://www.miktex.org/2.8/issues). If I may suggest: try building your document from the command prompt (manually typing in commands). Suggested command sequence for building myfile is

Code: Select all

pdflatex myfile
bibtex myfile
pdflatex myfile
pdflatex myfile

Details on symptoms to problem:

• myfile builds correctly in LaTeX => DVI profile, including bibliography.
• In LaTeX => PDF profile, BiBTeX reports that it cannot find \citation, \bibdata or \bibstyle commands.
• On opening up the myfile.aux file, there is only the text \relax and no othe contents.
• When running MiKTeX from the command prompt, the file compiled correctly. In particular, the .aux had the \citation, \bibdata or \bibstyle commands. Command prompt entries were

What (I think) was going on was that

• pdfTeX was trying to load a package for PDF, which it hadn't needed for DVI output.
• When running inside TeXnicCenter, since the GUI framework couldn't initialise, pdfTeX didn't complete building the .aux file. Thus (I theorise) BiBTeX could not find its commands.
• When running at the Command prompt, I clicked off the "Always show this dialog before installing packages". Net result is that pdfTeX (MiKTeX) is not waiting for user interaction, so the .aux file gets built.

Since running once from the command prompt, compiling has worked correctly from inside TeXnicCenter. I haven't been able to replicate the problem since running in the command prompt and clicking off "Always show this dialog before installing packages" ... which is success of a form (I suppose). See also (http://www.latex-community.org/forum/vi ... 50&t=11539) for earlier experience.

[mariana]

I had the same problem. Read all the threads here.
And then just realised that my latex file had an error in a footnote (forgot to close).

So it is perfectly normal that some of these described errors are not GUI errors neither Latex errors but a mistake in any place of the file.

If you got an error and it did work before, try to remember what were the last things you did on the file and try to go back.

Good luck!
Mariana