Thanks for pointing out!!! This did the trick for me (using backquote `): (setq reftex-default-bibliography `(,(concat my-dropbox-path "bibliography/references.bib"))) Thanks again for your prompt help! Cheers, Kai On Sun, Dec 13, 2015 at 11:59 AM, John Kitchin wrote: > That probably means some variable should be a list and it isn't, it is > just a string. > > > On Saturday, December 12, 2015, Kai Chen wrote: > >> Well I was wrong, after I expand my-dropbox-path to full path, the >> problem is still there. >> >> Here are the results, the upper one is with the bibliography link while >> the one at the bottom is without. Only the format changes, one with a >> quoted | but another with a leading : >> Could this be the cause? >> >> === From notes.org === >> ..... some text with citations >> bibliography:/home/kai/Dropbox/bibliography/references.bib >> >> #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp >> (org-ref-find-bibliography) >> #+END_SRC >> >> #+RESULTS: >> | /home/kai/Dropbox/bibliography/references.bib | >> >> : /home/kai/Dropbox/bibliography/references.bib >> >> >> >> On Sun, Dec 13, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Kai Chen >> wrote: >> >>> Thanks for your suggestion! The problem lies in a variable I set which >>> points to the directory of my Dropbox folder, to ensure emacs portable on >>> different OS. >>> >>> When I have the bibliography link in the org file, the >>> (org-ref-find-bibliography) will return the absolute path to the .bib file, >>> which in my case is >>> /home/kai/Dropbox/bibliography/references.bib >>> But if I do not have the link, it returns >>> ~/Dropbox/bibliography/references.bib >>> >>> It seems some modules are resolving the '~' while some others are not. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Kai >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Dec 13, 2015 at 2:15 AM, John Kitchin >>> wrote: >>> >>>> That sounds odd. >>>> >>>> What is the output of this src block in your file? >>>> >>>> #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp >>>> (org-ref-find-bibliography) >>>> #+END_SRC >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Kai Chen writes: >>>> >>>> > Dear list, >>>> > >>>> > I just got to know org-ref, and I followed the github help page to >>>> manually >>>> > install the package and set the default path similar to the >>>> configuration >>>> > provided in the follow link: >>>> > https://github.com/jkitchin/org-ref >>>> > >>>> > And I installed all the dependency packages like helm-bibtex, hydra >>>> etc. >>>> > >>>> > But when I am citing (using "C-c ]") an existing entry which is in the >>>> > default references.bib file, I can see the entry after I stroke the >>>> > command, but after I selected it and pressed enter, when the cursor >>>> is on >>>> > the link, the mini-buffer says: >>>> > !!! No entry found !!! >>>> > But previously the org-ref-helm-insert-cite-link properly showed that >>>> > entry. This can only work when I manually add a bibliography link at >>>> the >>>> > bottom of the file, which means org-ref is not using the default >>>> > bibliography file. >>>> > >>>> > So what should I check to fix this issue? >>>> > >>>> > Thanks for your help! >>>> > >>>> > The following is my configuration of org-ref: >>>> > >>>> > #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp >>>> > (setq org-ref-path (concat my-dropbox-path "software/org-ref/")) >>>> > >>>> > (setq reftex-default-bibliography (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> > "bibliography/references.bib")) >>>> > >>>> > ;; see org-ref for use of these variables >>>> > (setq org-ref-bibliography-notes (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> "bibliography/ >>>> > notes.org") >>>> > org-ref-default-bibliography (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> > "bibliography/references.bib") >>>> > org-ref-pdf-directory (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> > "bibliography/bibtex-pdfs/")) >>>> > >>>> > ;; *** helm-bibtex >>>> > >>>> > (setq helm-bibtex-bibliography (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> > "bibliography/references.bib")) >>>> > (setq helm-bibtex-library-path (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> > "bibliography/bibtex-pdfs")) >>>> > >>>> > ;; open pdf with system pdf viewer (works on mac) >>>> > (when (eq system-type 'darwin) >>>> > (setq helm-bibtex-pdf-open-function >>>> > (lambda (fpath) >>>> > (start-process "open" "*open*" "open" fpath)))) >>>> > >>>> > ;; alternative >>>> > ;; (setq helm-bibtex-pdf-open-function 'org-open-file) >>>> > >>>> > (setq helm-bibtex-notes-path (concat my-dropbox-path >>>> > "bibliography/helm-bibtex-notes")) >>>> > >>>> > (global-set-key [f10] 'org-ref-open-bibtex-notes) >>>> > (global-set-key [f11] 'org-ref-open-bibtex-pdf) >>>> > (global-set-key [f12] 'org-ref-open-in-browser) >>>> > >>>> > (add-to-list 'load-path org-ref-path) >>>> > >>>> > ;; make sure you have dash, helm, helm-bibtex, ebib, s, f, hydra and >>>> > key-chord >>>> > ;; in your load-path >>>> > ;; auto-install dependencies >>>> > (require 'org-ref) >>>> > >>>> > ;; optional but very useful libraries in org-ref >>>> > (require 'doi-utils) >>>> > (require 'jmax-bibtex) >>>> > (require 'pubmed) >>>> > (require 'arxiv) >>>> > (require 'sci-id) >>>> > >>>> > #+END_SRC >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Professor John Kitchin >>>> Doherty Hall A207F >>>> Department of Chemical Engineering >>>> Carnegie Mellon University >>>> Pittsburgh, PA 15213 >>>> 412-268-7803 >>>> @johnkitchin >>>> http://kitchingroup.cheme.cmu.edu >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Regards >>> >>> Multi-Agent System Lab >>> University of Science and Technology of China >>> >>> K.Chen >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Regards >> >> Multi-Agent System Lab >> University of Science and Technology of China >> >> K.Chen >> > > > -- > John > > ----------------------------------- > Professor John Kitchin > Doherty Hall A207F > Department of Chemical Engineering > Carnegie Mellon University > Pittsburgh, PA 15213 > 412-268-7803 > @johnkitchin > http://kitchingroup.cheme.cmu.edu > > > -- Regards Multi-Agent System Lab University of Science and Technology of China K.Chen