How to edit the BibTeX .bst FUNCTION {format.names}?

Question

After trying several .bst files I am still mostly satisfied with the layout of the ChicagoReedWeb.bst file. However, I don't like the handling of entries by the same author, eg:

---

---

If have looked at the ChicagoReedWeb.bst file but only understand some of the basics. So how can I edit the code of the ChicagoReedWeb.bst file in such a way that it will print the author's full reference instead of the "--------" ?

Answer 1

OK, this is well outside my previous experience with BibTeX, but looking at the file, I get the impression that the name.or.dash section is replacing the name with a dash if it's the same as the previous one. I suggest trying replacing this code:

FUNCTION {name.or.dash}
{ 's :=
   oldname empty$
     { s 'oldname := s }
     { s oldname =
         { "\rule[.6ex]{3em}{.05ex}"}
         { s 'oldname := s }
       if$
     }
   if$
}

with this:

FUNCTION {name.or.dash}
{
}

If my understanding of the syntax is correct, this should simply remove the comparison and optional change, and leave the name as you want it.

A slightly tidier approach might be to take out the calls to name.or.dash in the places which you don't want them. That will give you more flexibility about whether you want a dash in place of, for example, a repeated book name.