bibSanitizer

Python script to strip specified fields out of a .bib file

Requirements:

Tested with:

• Python 3.11.1
• bibtexparser 1.4.0

Setup

Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv bib_env

activate it:

source bib_env/bin/activate

install dependencies:

pip install -r  requirements.txt

Usage:

Command line args:

-b, --bibFile = the fileName of the bib file you want to sanitize

-f, --fields  = the fields you want sanitized (optional with default values of: comment, file and groups)

Example

given a target file of test.bib and a list of field names file, comment, groups

sanitizeBib.py -b test.bib -f file comment groups

We could also use

sanitizeBib.py --bibFile test.bib --fields file comment groups

The -f / --fields argument is optional, if not used the script defaults to redacting the file, comment and groups fields. Would look like:

sanitizeBib.py --bibFile test.bib

The -b / --bibFile can also be a fully qualified file path if th .bib file is not in the same directory

Output

The script replaces the contents of the fields with empty strings. The decision to use empty strings rather than deleting the fields entirely is deliberate and allows you to see which fields have been redacted.

The script will over-write the input .bib file with the updated .bib file.

It will output a report with a summary of what was redacted. If the field name doesn't appear, it wasn't redacted. Example:

Sanitized:
  comment 6
  file 3
  groups 4