bibtex
| Chapter 6. Programs |

## Name

bibtex — make a bibliography for (La)TeX

## Synopsis

`bibtex` [`option`...] [`auxname`]

## Description

bibtex reads the top-level auxiliary (`.aux`) file that was output during the running of latex or tex and creates a bibliography (`.bbl`) file that will be incorporated into the document on subsequent runs of LaTeX or TeX. The `auxname` on the command-line must be given without the `.aux` extension. If you don't give the `auxname`, the program prompts you for it.

bibtex looks up, in bibliographic database (`.bib`) files specified by the \bibliography command, the entries specified by the \cite and \nocite commands in the LaTeX or TeX source file. It formats the information from those entries according to instructions in a bibliography style (`.bst`) file (specified by the \bibliographystyle command, and it outputs the results to the `.bbl` file.

The LaTeX reference manual explains what a LaTeX source file must contain to work with bibtex. Appendix B of the manual describes the format of the `.bib` files. The BibTeXing document describes extensions and details of this format, and it gives other useful hints for using bibtex.

## Options

`--alias=`app``

  Pretend to be `app`, i.e., set program (and memory dump) name to `app`. This may affect the search paths and other values used. Using this option is equivalent to copying the executable file to ``app`.exe` and invoking ``app`.exe`.

`--disable-installer`

  Disable automatic installation of missing packages. Specifying this option overwrites the global configuration setting in MiKTeX Options (see the section called “Automatic Package Installation”).

`--disable-pipes`

  Disable input (output) from (to) child processes.

`--enable-installer`

  Enable automatic installation of missing packages. Specifying this option overwrites the global configuration setting in MiKTeX Options (see the section called “Automatic Package Installation”).

`--enable-pipes`

  Enable input (output) from (to) child processes.

`--help`

  Give help and exit.

`--hhelp`

  This option is only available on Windows systems: show the manual page in an HTML Help window and exit when the window is closed.

`--include-directory=`dir``

  Prefix `dir` to the search path.

`--min-crossrefs=`n``

  Defines the minimum number of crossrefs required for automatic inclusion of the crossref'd entry on the citation list; the default is two.

`--quiet`

  Suppress all output, except errors.

`--record-package-usages=`file``

  Record all package usages and write them into `file`.

`--trace[=`tracestreams`]`

  Enable trace messages. The `tracestreams` argument, if speciefied, is a comma-separated list of trace stream names (Chapter 9, Trace Streams).

`--version`

  Show version information and exit.

## Environment

`BIBINPUTS`

  Extra paths to locate `.bib` files.

`BSTINPUTS`

  Extra paths to locate `.bst` files.

## See Also

BibTeXing

  Run `mthelp btxdoc`

Designing BibTeX Styles

  Run `mthelp btxhak`

LaTeX: A Document Preparation System

  ISBN 0-201-52983-1

Chapter 6. Programs |  | dvicopy