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Replaces the standard ComboBox with a SearchableComboBox and a free text field in custom Entry Types #14189

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Replaces the standard ComboBox with a SearchableComboBox and a free text field in custom Entry Types #14189

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7031c45
create branch
Memeel Oct 21, 2025
f4c97d1
preferences: Make "Add new field" searchable in Custom Entry Types
AloisHasNeurons Oct 21, 2025
0537d80
docs: Update changelog for issue 14082
Memeel Oct 26, 2025
9cab4c1
fix(config): Restore accidentally deleted line
Memeel Oct 26, 2025
f3f36c4
preferences: Split 'Add new field' into ComboBox and TextField
Memeel Oct 28, 2025
d2352e7
Add missing localization keys for custom entry types
Memeel Oct 28, 2025
14d3bf4
moved CHANGELOG to the new unreleased section
Memeel Nov 5, 2025
ec9af70
revert changes
Memeel Nov 5, 2025
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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions CHANGELOG.md
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Expand Up @@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ Note that this project **does not** adhere to [Semantic Versioning](https://semv

### Changed

- We replaced the standard ComboBox with a SearchableComboBox and added a free text field in custom Entry Types [#14082](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/14082)

### Fixed

### Removed
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17 changes: 14 additions & 3 deletions jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/customentrytypes/CustomEntryTypesTab.java
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Expand Up @@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.scene.Group;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
import javafx.scene.control.ComboBox;
import javafx.scene.control.Label;
import javafx.scene.control.TableColumn;
import javafx.scene.control.TableRow;
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -40,21 +39,24 @@
import com.tobiasdiez.easybind.EasyBind;
import de.saxsys.mvvmfx.utils.validation.visualization.ControlsFxVisualizer;
import jakarta.inject.Inject;
import org.controlsfx.control.SearchableComboBox;

public class CustomEntryTypesTab extends AbstractPreferenceTabView<CustomEntryTypesTabViewModel> implements PreferencesTab {

@FXML private TableView<EntryTypeViewModel> entryTypesTable;
@FXML private TableColumn<EntryTypeViewModel, String> entryTypColumn;
@FXML private TableColumn<EntryTypeViewModel, String> entryTypeActionsColumn;
@FXML private TextField addNewEntryType;
@FXML private TextField addNewCustomFieldText;
@FXML private TableView<FieldViewModel> fields;
@FXML private TableColumn<FieldViewModel, String> fieldNameColumn;
@FXML private TableColumn<FieldViewModel, Boolean> fieldTypeColumn;
@FXML private TableColumn<FieldViewModel, String> fieldTypeActionColumn;
@FXML private TableColumn<FieldViewModel, Boolean> fieldTypeMultilineColumn;
@FXML private ComboBox<Field> addNewField;
@FXML private SearchableComboBox<Field> addNewField;
@FXML private Button addNewEntryTypeButton;
@FXML private Button addNewFieldButton;
@FXML private Button addNewCustomFieldButton;

@Inject private StateManager stateManager;

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -89,9 +91,13 @@ public void initialize() {
addNewEntryTypeButton.disableProperty().bind(viewModel.entryTypeValidationStatus().validProperty().not());
addNewFieldButton.disableProperty().bind(viewModel.fieldValidationStatus().validProperty().not().or(viewModel.selectedEntryTypeProperty().isNull()));

viewModel.newCustomFieldToAddProperty().bindBidirectional(addNewCustomFieldText.textProperty());
addNewCustomFieldButton.disableProperty().bind(viewModel.customFieldValidationStatus().validProperty().not().or(viewModel.selectedEntryTypeProperty().isNull()));

Platform.runLater(() -> {
visualizer.initVisualization(viewModel.entryTypeValidationStatus(), addNewEntryType, true);
visualizer.initVisualization(viewModel.fieldValidationStatus(), addNewField, true);
visualizer.initVisualization(viewModel.customFieldValidationStatus(), addNewCustomFieldText, true);
});
}

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -203,7 +209,7 @@ private void setupFieldsTable() {
viewModel.newFieldToAddProperty().bindBidirectional(addNewField.valueProperty());
// The valueProperty() of addNewField ComboBox needs to be updated by typing text in the ComboBox textfield,
// since the enabled/disabled state of addNewFieldButton won't update otherwise
EasyBind.subscribe(addNewField.getEditor().textProperty(), text -> addNewField.setValue(FieldsUtil.FIELD_STRING_CONVERTER.fromString(text)));
// EasyBind.subscribe(addNewField.getEditor().textProperty(), text -> addNewField.setValue(FieldsUtil.FIELD_STRING_CONVERTER.fromString(text)));
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@Siedlerchr Siedlerchr Nov 5, 2025

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remove commented out code

}

private void makeRotatedColumnHeader(TableColumn<?, ?> column, String text) {
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -269,6 +275,11 @@ void addNewField() {
viewModel.addNewField();
}

@FXML
void addNewCustomField() {
viewModel.addNewCustomField();
}

@FXML
void resetEntryTypes() {
boolean reset = dialogService.showConfirmationDialogAndWait(
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36 changes: 36 additions & 0 deletions ...c/main/java/org/jabref/gui/preferences/customentrytypes/CustomEntryTypesTabViewModel.java
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Expand Up @@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
import org.jabref.model.entry.field.FieldProperty;
import org.jabref.model.entry.field.FieldTextMapper;
import org.jabref.model.entry.field.OrFields;
import org.jabref.model.entry.field.UnknownField;
import org.jabref.model.entry.types.EntryType;
import org.jabref.model.entry.types.UnknownEntryType;

Expand All @@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ public class CustomEntryTypesTabViewModel implements PreferenceTabViewModel {
private final ObjectProperty<EntryTypeViewModel> selectedEntryType = new SimpleObjectProperty<>();
private final StringProperty entryTypeToAdd = new SimpleStringProperty("");
private final ObjectProperty<Field> newFieldToAdd = new SimpleObjectProperty<>();
private final StringProperty newCustomFieldToAdd = new SimpleStringProperty("");
private final ObservableList<EntryTypeViewModel> entryTypesWithFields = FXCollections.observableArrayList(extractor -> new Observable[] {extractor.entryType(), extractor.fields()});
private final List<BibEntryType> entryTypesToDelete = new ArrayList<>();

Expand All @@ -55,6 +57,7 @@ public class CustomEntryTypesTabViewModel implements PreferenceTabViewModel {

private final Validator entryTypeValidator;
private final Validator fieldValidator;
private final Validator customFieldValidator;
private final Set<Field> multiLineFields = new HashSet<>();

Predicate<Field> isMultiline = field -> this.multiLineFields.contains(field) || field.getProperties().contains(FieldProperty.MULTILINE_TEXT);
Expand All @@ -78,6 +81,11 @@ public CustomEntryTypesTabViewModel(BibDatabaseMode mode,
newFieldToAdd,
input -> (input != null) && StringUtil.isNotBlank(FieldTextMapper.getDisplayName(input)),
ValidationMessage.error(Localization.lang("Field cannot be empty. Please enter a name.")));
customFieldValidator = new FunctionBasedValidator<>(
newCustomFieldToAdd,
input -> StringUtil.isNotBlank(input) && !input.contains(" "),
ValidationMessage.error(Localization.lang("Field cannot be empty and must not contain spaces."))
);
}

@Override
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -167,6 +175,26 @@ public void addNewField() {
newFieldToAddProperty().setValue(null);
}

public void addNewCustomField() {
String fieldName = newCustomFieldToAdd.get().trim();
Field newField = new UnknownField(fieldName);

boolean fieldExists = displayNameExists(FieldTextMapper.getDisplayName(newField));

if (fieldExists) {
dialogService.showWarningDialogAndWait(
Localization.lang("Duplicate fields"),
Localization.lang("Warning: You added field \"%0\" twice. Only one will be kept.", FieldTextMapper.getDisplayName(newField)));
} else {
this.selectedEntryType.getValue().addField(new FieldViewModel(
newField,
FieldViewModel.Mandatory.REQUIRED,
FieldPriority.IMPORTANT,
false));
}
newCustomFieldToAdd.set("");
}

public boolean displayNameExists(String displayName) {
ObservableList<FieldViewModel> entryFields = this.selectedEntryType.getValue().fields();
return entryFields.stream().anyMatch(fieldViewModel ->
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -202,11 +230,19 @@ public ObservableList<Field> fieldsForAdding() {
return this.fieldsForAdding;
}

public StringProperty newCustomFieldToAddProperty() {
return this.newCustomFieldToAdd;
}

public ValidationStatus entryTypeValidationStatus() {
return entryTypeValidator.getValidationStatus();
}

public ValidationStatus fieldValidationStatus() {
return fieldValidator.getValidationStatus();
}

public ValidationStatus customFieldValidationStatus() {
return customFieldValidator.getValidationStatus();
}
}
47 changes: 33 additions & 14 deletions ...i/src/main/resources/org/jabref/gui/preferences/customentrytypes/CustomEntryTypesTab.fxml
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@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.ComboBox?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.Label?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.TableColumn?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.TableView?>
Expand All @@ -11,6 +10,7 @@
<?import javafx.scene.layout.Region?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.VBox?>
<?import org.jabref.gui.icon.JabRefIconView?>
<?import org.controlsfx.control.SearchableComboBox?>
<fx:root spacing="10.0" type="VBox"
xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml"
fx:controller="org.jabref.gui.preferences.customentrytypes.CustomEntryTypesTab">
Expand All @@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
</columnResizePolicy>
</TableView>
<HBox spacing="10.0">
<TextField fx:id="addNewEntryType"/>
<TextField fx:id="addNewEntryType" promptText="Type new entry type..."/>
<Button fx:id="addNewEntryTypeButton"
prefHeight="20.0" prefWidth="20.0"
styleClass="icon-button,narrow" onAction="#addEntryType">
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -60,18 +60,37 @@
<TableView fx:constant="CONSTRAINED_RESIZE_POLICY"/>
</columnResizePolicy>
</TableView>
<HBox spacing="10.0" alignment="BASELINE_CENTER">
<ComboBox fx:id="addNewField" editable="true" prefWidth="150.0"/>
<Button fx:id="addNewFieldButton"
prefHeight="20.0" prefWidth="20.0"
styleClass="icon-button,narrow" onAction="#addNewField">
<graphic>
<JabRefIconView glyph="ADD_NOBOX"/>
</graphic>
<tooltip>
<Tooltip text="%Add new Field"/>
</tooltip>
</Button>
<HBox spacing="10.0" alignment="BASELINE_LEFT">
<VBox spacing="5.0">
<HBox spacing="10.0" alignment="BASELINE_CENTER">
<SearchableComboBox fx:id="addNewField" editable="true" prefWidth="150.0"/>
<Button fx:id="addNewFieldButton"
prefHeight="20.0" prefWidth="20.0"
styleClass="icon-button,narrow" onAction="#addNewField">
<graphic>
<JabRefIconView glyph="ADD_NOBOX"/>
</graphic>
<tooltip>
<Tooltip text="%Add new Field"/>
</tooltip>
</Button>
</HBox>

<HBox spacing="10.0" alignment="BASELINE_CENTER">
<TextField fx:id="addNewCustomFieldText" prefWidth="150.0" promptText="%Type new custom field..."/>
<Button fx:id="addNewCustomFieldButton"
prefHeight="20.0" prefWidth="20.0"
styleClass="icon-button,narrow" onAction="#addNewCustomField">
<graphic>
<JabRefIconView glyph="ADD_NOBOX"/>
</graphic>
<tooltip>
<Tooltip text="%Add new custom field"/>
</tooltip>
</Button>
</HBox>
</VBox>

<Region HBox.hgrow="ALWAYS" />
<Button text="%Reset to default" onAction="#resetEntryTypes">
<graphic>
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4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions jablib/src/main/resources/l10n/JabRef_en.properties
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Expand Up @@ -2270,6 +2270,10 @@ Required=Required
Entry\ type\ cannot\ be\ empty\ and\ must\ not\ contain\ spaces.=Entry type cannot be empty and must not contain spaces.
Field\ cannot\ be\ empty.\ Please\ enter\ a\ name.=Field cannot be empty. Please enter a name.

Add\ new\ custom\ field=Add new custom field
Field\ cannot\ be\ empty\ and\ must\ not\ contain\ spaces.=Field cannot be empty and must not contain spaces.
Type\ new\ custom\ field...=Type new custom field...

Capitalize\ current\ word=Capitalize current word
Delete\ text=Delete text
Make\ current\ word\ lowercase=Make current word lowercase
Expand Down
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