# Problem to use Citeproc

**URL:** <https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/problem-to-use-citeproc/267>\
**Category:** CSL Development\
**Created:** [May 4, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/problem-to-use-citeproc/267 "2007-05-04T13:57:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bastien\_saquet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Bastien\_saquet](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bastien_saquet)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/problem-to-use-citeproc/267/1 "2007-05-04T13:57:48Z")

</div>

Dear all,

I tested Citeproc with a validate MODS Version 3 XML documents (  
[http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods99042030.xml](http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods99042030.xml)). I wanted to display  
the document with the Apa-en CSL.

Because of the results were not acceptable (no font-styles…) I tested it  
again with a modified APA-en CSL in order to display the title with an  
italic front-style, but nothing happen.

Should I do something to use Citeproc (I didn’t have any problem with the  
example given on the Citeproc main page : samples/docbook-test.xml.)?

Did someone have the same problem?

Thanks.

Bastien.

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**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/problem-to-use-citeproc/267/2 "2007-05-04T14:04:38Z")

</div>

Bastien,

> Dear all,
> 
> I tested Citeproc with a validate MODS Version 3 XML documents  
> ([Sound and fury :](http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods99042030.xml)). I wanted  
> to display the document with the Apa-en CSL.

You’re using the old release version right? It’s hard to debug this  
since it’s so outdated (using old CSL, MODS, etc.). But …

> Because of the results were not acceptable (no font-styles…) I  
> tested it again with a modified APA-en CSL in order to display the  
> title with an italic front-style, but nothing happen.

I don’t know what’s happening, but it might be using a template you  
are not expecting? What styling does the CSL style for “book” have?

> Should I do something to use Citeproc (I didn’t have any problem  
> with the example given on the Citeproc main page : samples/docbook-  
> test.xml.)?

Bruce

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bastien\_saquet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Bastien\_saquet](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bastien_saquet)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 7:59am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/problem-to-use-citeproc/267/3 "2007-05-10T07:59:00Z")

</div>

Hi Bruce,

I don’t really understand what do you mean by old release of citeproc, mods,  
csl …

I’m currently using the citeproc 0.7.1. In addition, I tested citeproc with  
various combinations of mods, csl files extensively. But to be a bit more  
clear, here’s a summary of what I tested :

- I processed citeproc 0.7.1 with valid MODS document (taken from the LOC  
site examples) and citeproc provided csl . =\> do not get proper results  
unless is one of example documents provided with citeproc download

- I reprocessed the citeproc provided examples (docbook-test.xml) with the  
csl from the xbiblio svn.  
=\> do not get proper results unless I use the csl version of the one of csl  
documents provided with citeproc download  
=\> was surprised to observe the same results whatever the csl from xbiblio  
used (apa-en, chicago, harvard). I assume a default csl is used. But which  
one and most of all why?

So, finally the only case which I’m able to operate citeproc is with the  
example (docbook-test.xml) with the initial citeproc 0.7.1 package.  
As soon I try to change any parameter it doesn’t run accurately (or even not  
at all).

Are all these problems raising from different schemas in use?  
i.e.

- citeproc seems not to use the MODS schema from Loc gov site
- citeproc seems to have different csl.rnc schema than the one in xbiblio  
SVN

Then I would have only two questions.

a) What I have to do exactly to operate the citeproc with a validat MODS-3  
xml document and csl definitions taken from xbiblio svn?

I would appriciate using the regular MODS-3 schema and the csl styles  
defined in xbiblio csl - seems they are newer and better documented.

b) In case not possible with citeproc 0.7.1 please let me know if there is  
other way other then Zotero to get the output?

Many thanks for your help.

Bastien.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 11:48am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/problem-to-use-citeproc/267/4 "2007-05-10T11:48:56Z")

</div>

> I don’t really understand what do you mean by old release of citeproc,  
> mods, csl …

I mean that both CSL and the citeproc-xsl code have been a moving  
target. We made some changes to CSL since the last citeproc release,  
and I have not entirely finished changes to the XSL code that are  
primarily:

```
- fixing bugs
- changing from MODS to an RDF internal model
- updating to new CSL version

```

So it’s just a difficult time to be debugging the old (0.7.1) release.  
E.g. if I don’t now have time to fix the SVN version, I don’t have time  
to fix an outdated version.

I feel bad about this, but I just have too much going on now. I hope  
some time will open up soon so that we can finally decide on CSL 1.0  
and document it better, and that I can then update my XSL to properly  
reflect it.

> I’m currently using the citeproc 0.7.1. In addition, I tested citeproc  
> with various combinations of mods, csl files extensively. But to be a  
> bit more clear, here’s a summary of what I tested :
> 
> - I processed citeproc 0.7.1 with valid MODS document (taken from the  
> LOC site examples) and citeproc provided csl . =\> do not get proper  
> results unless is one of example documents provided with citeproc  
> download

But I’m not clear on what you mean by “improper results” and how you  
know that? In other words, you say that the title wasn’t italicized,  
but are you sure citeproc is using the template (book, article, etc.)  
you think it should use?

> - I reprocessed the citeproc provided examples (docbook-test.xml) with  
> the csl from the xbiblio svn.

If you use the SVN version, you will see rendering problems, but things  
should come close to working. Note, though, that you need to use the  
RDF/XML, and I have not written a MODS input driver.

> =\> do not get proper results unless I use the csl version of the one  
> of csl documents provided with citeproc download

That’s correct, because CSL has changed. You need to use the CSL files  
in the SVN.

> =\> was surprised to observe the same results whatever the csl from  
> xbiblio used (apa-en, chicago, harvard). I assume a default csl is  
> used. But which one and most of all why?

The apa style is default. Why not?

> So, finally the only case which I’m able to operate citeproc is with  
> the example (docbook-test.xml) with the initial citeproc 0.7.1  
> package.  
> As soon I try to change any parameter it doesn’t run accurately (or  
> even not at all).
> 
> Are all these problems raising from different schemas in use?  
> i.e.
> 
> - citeproc seems not to use the MODS schema from Loc gov site
> - citeproc seems to have different csl.rnc schema than the one in  
> xbiblio SVN

Yes, that’s the problem.

> Then I would have only two questions.
> 
> a) What I have to do exactly to operate the citeproc with a validat  
> MODS-3 xml document and csl definitions taken from xbiblio svn?
> 
> I would appriciate using the regular MODS-3 schema and the csl styles  
> defined in xbiblio csl - seems they are newer and better documented.

For the short-term, the options are not attractive. You need to convert  
the MODS to the RDF/XML citeproc now expects. You can either do that in  
two steps, and write an input driver that does it in one. I have a  
MODS2RDF stylesheet in SVN, though I’ve not tested it with citeproc.

Finally, even once you get it working, there will be some bugs until I  
have time to fix them. I’m sorry about that; I’ve just been too busy  
the past year.

> b) In case not possible with citeproc 0.7.1 please let me know if  
> there is other way other then Zotero to get the output?

Right now, there is no other option that does not involve some coding.  
For example, you could take the Zotero JS code and modify it to use  
your own data source.

Let me give you a rough roadmap I would like to see:

```
- mid-June: decide on how we call CSL 1.0 (Simon will have some time 

```

then)  
- mid-July: finish CSL 1.0 and freeze it  
- early-September: update citeproc-xsl to 1.0 status

As you can see, you’re just coming here at a bad time. But things will  
get better again. In fact, I may end up updating the XSL code much  
sooner, depending on how my own publications go 😉

Bruce