This is the first post in our new Tech Talk series, in which we take you behind the scenes of Citavi's development activities. We’ll start with a question many of you have: how can you cite your references and knowledge items in Microsoft Word – especially if you are a Mac user?
Our existing Word add-in
As most Citavi for Windows users know, we already provide an add-in for Word. With this add-in, you have a direct link to your locally installed copy of Citavi from within your word processor; you can simply double-click a reference or knowledge item to add it to the text you're writing. The Citavi Word Add-In will take care of the correct formatting in the citation style of your choice and generate an up-to-date bibliography.
However, this add-in has a major drawback: as its underlying technology is COM, it only works on Word for Windows.
Introducing Citavi Assistant
This is why we have developed our new Citavi Assistant add-in using current Microsoft technology. Instead of relying on a locally installed program, the Assistant communicates directly with our servers. In fact, Citavi Assistant is a small version of Citavi Web that is hosted by Word and can talk to the Word API. The Assistant requests data from our servers, calls Word's API and, voilà, the citation is in your text.
The Assistant runs in all Word versions that support the API calls we make: Word for Windows, Word for Mac, Word for Web, and more. We can develop one add-in for all Word platforms – how cool is that!
Well, at least in theory. In the real world of software development, Word for Web is in trouble when it comes to advanced API calls that make use of content controls and fields. All too often, the calls are not executed successfully and then, for example, the bibliography is not updated correctly. We can't change that on our own – but we are of course in constant dialogue with Microsoft to fix the bugs in the Word for Web API.
So where is it?
Let's assume you're not interested in Word for Web, but simply want to work with Word for Windows or Word for Mac. Why don't you already see the Assistant in Word? Well, because Microsoft's publishing rules for add-ins require that they run on all platforms, including Word for Web. The pre-publication evaluation of an Office add-in is very strict, and they have not taken it easy on us so far.
But as you know, we never give up, even if things take longer than planned ;-) And we will eventually get there. As soon as Microsoft approves the Citavi Assistant, we will let you know on our usual channels along with instructions on how to install and use it. Stay tuned!
(Edit January 22, 2021: In the meantime, we have received the green light for the beta version of the Assistant. In Word, click "Insert" > "Get Add-ins", run a quick search for "Citavi" and enjoy!)
What's the relationship between the two add-ins?
We will continue to provide the existing COM Word add-in for Citavi for Windows. This add-in works with all project types (cloud, local, DBServer). Citavi Assistant, the new add-in, only works with cloud projects.
If you have Citavi for Windows installed, there is no requirement to use the Assistant, but if you're simply curious, feel free to check it out. But wait: what happens if you use the COM Word add-in and the Assistant within the same Word document? Not to worry – they won’t get in each other’s way.
If you are working on a Mac, the Assistant will finally allow you to cite your references and knowledge items with the ease of use and advanced capabilities of Citavi. We are looking forward to fully supporting Mac users soon!
What's the relationship between the two add-ins?
We will continue to provide the existing COM Word add-in for Citavi for Windows. This add-in works with all project types (cloud, local, DBServer). Citavi Assistant, the new add-in, only works with cloud projects.
If you have Citavi for Windows installed, there is no requirement to use the Assistant, but if you're simply curious, feel free to check it out. But wait: what happens if you use the COM Word add-in and the Assistant within the same Word document? Not to worry – they won’t get in each other’s way.
If you are working on a Mac, the Assistant will finally allow you to cite your references and knowledge items with the ease of use and advanced capabilities of Citavi. We are looking forward to fully supporting Mac users soon!
We hope you enjoyed this first post in the Tech Talk series, which will run throughout the Citavi Web beta test. We love hearing from you, so if you’d like to share your feedback, please drop us a line.
