Mrthfx

I get "There were undefined references" errors and can't fix it after two days of trying. I have tried switching editors from Sublime Text 3 to TeXStudio on a Mac, then trying both on a PC. I am willing to try anything at this point.

My test.tex file:

documentclass{article}

usepackage[style=numeric,backend=biber]{biblatex}

addbibresource{UsernameDropboxtest.bib}

begin{document}

  Hellocite{greenwade93}.

  printbibliography

end{document}

My test.bib file:

@ARTICLE{greenwade93,

  author  = "George Greenwade",

  title   = "The {C}omprehensive {T}ex {A}rchive {N}etwork ({CTAN})",

  year    = "1993",

  journal = "TUGBoat",

  volume  = "14",

  number  = "3",

  pages   = "342--351"

}

The pdf shows:
Hello[greenwade93 ]

TeXStudio log shows the following errors:

"Citation 'greenwade93' on page 1 undefined.

"Empty bibliography"

"There were undefined references"

"Please (re)run Biber on the file:(biblatex)test(biblatex) and rerun LaTeX afterwards.

I have read about doing a compilation trick but I'm not sure how to do this in either SublimeText or TexStudio. I don't know how to use command line. I have run into many problems and taken many detours that led to other problems. I'm at a loss. Can someone please give me a few hints or keywords I can search for to fix these problems, or a complete solution? I can't even get a minimum working example up. I will install anything.

TeXstudio's build process ('Build & View') by default runs pdfLaTeX but not a bibliography tool, which you need to do separately. There is also a need to change the settings to run Biber rather than BibTeX for creating a bibliography. Thus the steps required are as follows:

1. In the TeXstudio preferences ('Preferences ...' on the Mac or 'Options -> Configure TeXstudio' on Windows), choose the Build tab and alter the 'Default Bibliography' to 'Biber'. Save and close the preferences.




2. Run 'Build & View' from the 'Tools' menu (or press the two green arrows icon), which will create a PDF but with the bibliography not completed




3. Run 'Bibliography' from the 'Tools' menu.




4. Run 'Build & View' again: the bibliography will appear in the PDF.

As noted in comments, it is possible to set up TeXstudio in alternative ways to achieve the same effect. The key is that you have to ensure that the is a sequence

1. LaTeX


2. Biber


3. LaTeX

which can be done 'by hand' (as I have) or can be automated in various ways. Note that the same general idea applies whatever editor is used: this is a feature of LaTeX and not of the editor.

On the question of file paths (a separate issue), it is best not to include a path at all but to place the .bib file where it will be 'found': in the current difrectory or somewhere that TeX searches automatically. That is a separate issue, so I'm assuming a demo file reading:

documentclass{article}

begin{filecontents*}{jobname.bib}

@ARTICLE{greenwade93,

  author  = "George Greenwade",

  title   = "The {C}omprehensive {T}ex {A}rchive {N}etwork ({CTAN})",

  year    = "1993",

  journal = "TUGBoat",

  volume  = "14",

  number  = "3",

  pages   = "342--351"

}

end{filecontents*}

usepackage[style=numeric,backend=biber]{biblatex}

addbibresource{jobname.bib}

begin{document}

  Hellocite{greenwade93}.

  printbibliography

end{document}

which 'rolls up' the BibTeX database into the LaTeX source.

To solve the same problem in Sublime Text 3:

1. Open the LaTeX.sublime-build file. Go to /User/username/Library/Application Support/Sublime Text 3/Packages/LaTeXTools/LaTeX.sublime-build. If you can't find your Library folder, you may have to un-hide it. Type the following into terminal: chflags nohidden ~/Library. Type chflags hidden ~/Library to re-hide.



2. 
   

   Find the following block of code near the top of the file, under "osx":

   
   
   

   "cmd": ["latexmk",
"-cd",
"-e",
"$pdflatex = '%E -interaction=nonstopmode -synctex=1 %S %O'",
//"-silent",
"-f", "-pdf"],

   
   


3. 
   

   Make it look like this (only 3 lines are added):

   
   
   

   "cmd": ["latexmk",
"latexmk",
"biber",
"latexmk",
"-cd",
"-e",
"$pdflatex = '%E -interaction=nonstopmode -synctex=1 %S %O'",
//"-silent",
"-f", "-pdf"],

   
   



4. Build using the same LaTeXTools system. It should now run pdflatex, biber, pdflatex, pdflatex in that order. Bibliography should be visible!

Related post: Bibliography missing from PDF (Sublime Text 2 and Miktex)

Update:

The alteration to the sublime-build file noted above was derived from a blog. It made my bibliography compile and prevented undefined citations. However, I updated all of my packages via TeXLiveUtility today, reverted back to the default sublime-build file calling 'latexmk' once, and compiled a working bibliography and citations just fine.

As others already figured out, the problem is that BibTeX/BibLaTeX are not run. The easiest solution for this would be using Texlipse, the LaTeX Eclipse plugin. It has the default process flow:

1. LaTeX


2. BibTeX/Biber (depends on which backend you specify on including the package)


3. LaTeX


4. LaTeX

This should fit every case. By default this is done every time you save changes.

Step 1:
In the TeXstudio preferences ('Preferences ...' on the Mac or 'Options -> Configure TeXstudio' on Windows), choose the Build tab and alter the 'Default Bibliography' to 'Biber'. Save and close the preferences

Step 2:
Then, still in Build tab, edit the metacommand Build & View from txs:///compile | |txs:///view to txs:///compile | txs:///biber | txs:///view.

Step 3:
Click OK and exit Preferences.

Step 4:
Run Build & View. (It worked on my mac)