The main Ibidem screen is shown below. The top bar says Ibidem - DemoDB, indicating that the DemoDB database is open. On the left side of the screen, the Database Pane lists all of the records in the database (or in a selected subset). In this example, record number 5 is highlighted and the details of this record are shown on the right side of the screen in the Record Pane. Below the Record pane, a Preview Pane shows how the record will appear in when cited in your document in the selected style.
Ibidem Modes: Ibidem can be run in either Popup Mode or Slide-Out Mode. Use the View menu to select a different mode. The screen above shows Slide-Out Mode. See Ibidem Modes.
Menu bar and buttons: At the top of the Ibidem screen is the menu bar and buttons. Three buttons on the left take you to Nota Bene (the main word processor screen), Orbis, and Archiva. The multicolored button with the plus sign will open a dialog to create a new link, and the buttons to the right of it are used to open links that you previously created. See Links. The blue question mark on the right opens Nota Bene Help. Other buttons are identified when you move the cursor to hover above the button.
Quick Search Bar: On the left side of the screen, above the Database Pane is the quick search bar. This is used for searching for an author, title or other fields. See Quick Search Bar.
Quick Cite Bar: On the right side of the screen, above the Record Pane, is the quick cite bar. Enter a page number and click the Cite button to cite the selected record in your open file. See Quick Cite Bar.
New Record/Delete Record: There are three buttons between the Quick Search Bar and the Quick Cite Bar. Use the first button to add a new record to the open database. See New Record. Click the second button to add a new record that is a duplicate of the active record. This is a useful way to enter new records where much but not all of the information is the same. Click the third button to delete the selected record. See Delete Record.
Database Pane: The database pane is the large pane on the left in the example above. In the screen shot above, the "Entire database" is displayed (rather than a subset or the results of a search). Click on any of the records in the database pane to display it in the record pane on the right. The records in the database pane will always be in the order of record number when the database is first opened, but they can be sorted by clicking on any of the column labels. For more information on sorting, see sort records. In a large database, searching, rather than sorting, may be the better way of finding a record. For information on searching, see select records.
Record Pane: The record pane is the large window on the right in the example above. The data shown in the record pane can be edited directly and any changes you make will be saved automatically when you switch to a different record, a different database or when you close Ibidem.
Preview Pane: The preview pane is below the record pane. It shows how the citation will look in your document and in your bibliography. See Preview Options.
Database Tabs: At the bottom of the database pane are tabs showing which databases are open. In this case, DemoDB and My Library are open and DemoDB is displayed on the screen. You can switch between open database by clicking these tabs. No tabs will display if only one database is open. Only one database can be associated with a given document. So in general, we recommend that you have only one bibliographic database. In most cases, you can use subsets to achieve whatever benefits you might want from having multiple database. The main reason for having two databases open at the same time is for those who are using Archiva. You can open Archiva results temporary databases and easily transfer records to your main bibliographic database. In addition, if you have IbidPlus (non-bibliographic) databases, you can have them open at the same time as your bibliographic database. These tabs can also be useful for those who (contrary to our recommendation) have created multiple bibliographic databases and now want to combine them.
Database/Record View: There are three green and yellow buttons at the bottom left of the screen. Clicking on one of these buttons will change the view on the screen to show only Database Pane (green) or only Record Pane and Preview Pane (yellow) or to show a horizontal split view (green/yellow).
Adjusting Panes: The border between the two windows can be moved by moving the cursor to the border until a double arrow appears. Then hold down the left mouse button and use the mouse to move (or drag) the border to a new position. Similarly, the border between the light gray area in Record View and the white input area can be moved. In database view, the border between two columns can be moved so that you can see more (or less) of the contents of a column. You can also adjust the size of the display in Record View. See View options.
Number of Records: To the right of the green/yellow buttons are four boxes that show the number of records in the database. If records have been deleted from the database, you will see that the record number originally assigned to the deleted record is missing. For example, record number 13 has been deleted in the above example. The number of records listed as view may be smaller than the total number of active records if a subset has been selected. At the bottom right corner of the screen is a box that shows the number of the record that is selected. Use the arrows to move to the next (or previous) record, or to skip to the 10th record or to the last (or first) record.
Side Tabs: If you are operating in Slide-Out Mode, you will see four tabs on the side of the Ibidem screen, two on the left and two on the right. Click to open these dialogs and click the push button to lock them in place. In addition, the Record Pane and the Preview Pane can be hidden by clicking the push button at the top right of the panel. When hidden, there will be additional tabs on the right side. If you are operating in Pop-Up Mode, you will not see the tabs on the side but you can open the additional panes as pop-up dialogs from the Ibidem View Menu. See the following for more information: Search Subsets Links Cite
A small footprint version of Ibidem that is displayed next to your open file can be used for most Ibidem functions. With both Popup Ibidem and your file visible, it is easy to add citations as you write. Open Popup Ibidem by pressing Ctrl+F7, or select Popup Ibidem from the Nota Bene Tools menu. See Popup Ibidem.
See also: