---
name: "bbl2bib"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "texlive-doc"
version: "2026.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/bbl2bib"
---

# bbl2bib(1)

convert thebibliography environment to a bib file

## NAME

bbl2bib.pl - convert thebibliography environment to a bib file

## SYNOPSIS

bbl2bib.pl \[-d\] \[-u\] \[**-o** *output*\] *file*

## OPTIONS

- \[-d\]

  Send debugging output to stdout

- **-o** *output*

  Output file.  If this option is not used, the name for the  output file is formed by changing the extension to `".bib"`

- **-u**

  Do not clean URL fields.

  Normally `"bbl2bib"` recognizes URL fields of the kind `"http://dx.doi.org"` and their variants and converts them to DOI fields (see also [**biburl2doi**(1)](/biburl2doi/1.md) script).  The switch **-u** suppresses this cleanup.

## DESCRIPTION

The script tries to reconstruct a `"bib"` file from the corresponding `"thebibliography"` environment.  One can argue that this operation is akin to reconstructing a cow from the steak.  The way the script does it is searching for the entry in the MR database, and creating the corresponding BibTeX fields.

The script reads a TeX or Bbl file and extracts from it the `"thebibliography"` environment.  For each bibitem it creates a plain text bibliography entry, and then  tries to match it in the database.

## INPUT FILE

We assume some structure of the input file:

- 1\.

  The bibliography is contained between the lines

  ```
     \begin{thebibliography}...
  ```

  and

  ```
     \end{thebibliography}
  ```

- 2\.

  Each bibliography item starts from the line

  ```
     \bibitem[...]{....}
  ```

## EXAMPLES

```
   bbl2bib  -o - file.tex > result.bib
   bbl2bib  -o result.bib file.bbl
   bbl2bib  file.tex
```

## AUTHOR

Boris Veytsman

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2014-2021  Boris Veytsman

This is free software.  You may redistribute copies of it under the terms of the GNU General Public License \<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html\>.  There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.