How to add reference list and citations in mlreportgen?

Is there a way to easily add references to a report with mlreportgen when you're working with a Word template? Regular reference list and citations in this format:

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Volutpat odio facilisis mauris sit [1]. Arcu non odio euismod lacinia at quis risus. Turpis massa sed elementum tempus egestas sed [2].

...

References:

1. Last name, First name. "Massa enim nec dui nunc mattis enim." 2021.
2. ...
3. ..."

Currently my solution is this:

ref1 = Paragraph("Last name, First name. 'Massa enim nec dui nunc mattis enim.' 2021.");
append(ref1, LinkTarget("1"));
cite1 = InternalLink("1", "[1].");
citeText = Text("Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. " + ...
    "Penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes nascetur ridiculus mus. Aliquam ut porttitor leo a diam sollicitudin tempor. Amet massa vitae tortor condimentum lacinia quis vel eros. " + ...
    "Quis lectus nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis tellus ");
...
    
p = Paragraph();
p.WhiteSpace = "preserve";
append(p, citeText);
append(p, cite1);
append(D, p); %D = Document

...
    
references = OrderedList([ref1, ref2, ref3]);
references.StyleName = 'RefList';

append(D, references);

This is a rather annoying way of doing it. So I'm wondering if there is an easier way.

Answer 1

[Sameer]

Hi Elsa

From my understanding, you want to find an efficient way to add references and citations into a report generated with MATLAB's “mlreportgen”, particularly when working within a Word template.

The mlreportgen does not offer a built-in feature specifically for citations and references management as similar to some word processors. A more systematic method for managing citations and references can simplify the process. This involves establishing a database or a structured list of references and then utilizing functions to automatically generate citations and the reference list from this database.

Create a Reference Database

A structured array or a table can serve as a simple yet effective reference database, containing all necessary details for each reference.

references = struct(...
    'id', {'1', '2'}, ...
    'author', {'Last name, First name', 'Another Last, Another First'}, ...
    'title', {'Massa enim nec dui nunc mattis enim', 'Another title'}, ...
    'year', {'2021', '2022'} ...
    );

Create Helper Functions

Functions can automate the creation of citations and the reference list. For instance:

function link = createCitation(refDB, id)
% Find the reference by ID
ref = refDB(strcmp({refDB.id}, id));
if isempty(ref)
    error('Reference not found');
end
% Create the citation link
link = InternalLink(id, sprintf("[%s]", id));
end

function list = createReferenceList(refDB)
list = OrderedList();
list.StyleName = 'RefList';
for i = 1:length(refDB)
    ref = refDB(i);
    text = sprintf("%s, %s. '%s.' %s.", ref.author, ref.title, ref.year);
    item = Paragraph(text);
    append(item, LinkTarget(ref.id));
    append(list, item);
end
end

Use the Functions in Your Document

% Assuming D is the document object
p = Paragraph();
p.WhiteSpace = "preserve";

% Create and append citation
cite1 = createCitation(references, '1');
append(p, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. ");
append(p, cite1);
append(D, p);

% At the end, append the reference list
refList = createReferenceList(references);
append(D, refList);

Please refer to the below link for more information:

www.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2021a/rptgen/index.html

I hope this helps!

Sameer