[tug-support] bibtex 0.99c -- i have exceeded maximum number of cite keys

[Ben Cowling]

dear users

I have a problem with Bibtex 0.99c

I have been using latex/bibtex for a few years now, and am currently
writing a thesis.  My bibliography file is very long (80000 lines,
which is about 8000 entries), but i've had no problems using it before.
I have recently upgraded to MikTeX 2.2, and this problem has appeared.

After LaTeX-ing my document, when i run bibtex, it produces a blank
.bbl file (instead of the ~100 references i expect to see).  When i
check the .blg file, i can see many repeated entry error messages
(which i never used to get), but the problem seems to be what is
mentioned at the end of the snippet below -- that bibtex 0.99c allows
a maximum of 3000 defined keys.  I have around 5000 undefined keys
(where i have just put something like
@ARTICLE{,
  AUTHOR = "A. Abc" ... etc
}
because i don't expect to use these entries in my thesis.  But these
undefined keys shouldn't matter.  I think the problem is with the
limit of 3000 *defined* keys?

can anyone suggest a solution?  are there any upgrades of bibtex 0.99c?
Anyone else come across this problem?

many thanks,

Ben Cowling




revised output of my thesis.blg file :

=========================================================================
This is BibTeX, Version 0.99cThe top-level auxiliary file: thesisdraft.aux
The style file: authordate1b.bst
Database file #1: bibstring.bib
Database file #2: biblio.bib
Repeated entry---line 27 of file biblio.bib
 : @article{
 :          ,
I'm skipping whatever remains of this entry
Repeated entry---line 190 of file biblio.bib
 : @book{
 :       ,
I'm skipping whatever remains of this entry

<snip about 4000 lines of this kind of thing>

Repeated entry---line 44716 of file biblio.bib
 : @article{
 :          ,
I'm skipping whatever remains of this entry
john:87:hypo is the key:
Sorry---you've exceeded BibTeX's number of cite keys 3000
Aborted at line 44749 of file biblio.bib
(That was a fatal error)

==================================================================