Make specific author bold using biblatex and babel package issue

Question

The solution proposed is the discussion Make a specific author bold using biblatex, does not work properly when using "french" language with the babel package. I suppose that french option in babel over write the given name format produced by biblatex. Is there a solution ?

This problem can be reproduced with the code below. I'am using the last updated version of biblatex (v3.10) and babel (v3.17).

Is there a way of extending this code to highlight in the same reference some author's name in bold and some other author's name with underline font ?

% !TeX TXS-program:bibliography = txs:///biber
\documentclass{article}

%\usepackage[french]{babel}

\usepackage{xpatch}
\usepackage[backend=biber,maxbibnames=99,defernumbers=true,sorting=ydnt,giveninits=true]{biblatex}


\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
    @InProceedings{identifier1,
        Title                    = {Some Awesome Title},
        Author                   = {Some Author and Another Author},
        AUTHOR+an                = {1=gras},
        Booktitle                = {Some Book about the Future},
        Year                     = {2042},
        Pages                    = {1--42}
    }

    @InProceedings{identifier2,
        Title                    = {Some So-So Title},
        Author                   = {First Author and Second Author},
        Booktitle                = {An okay Booktitle},
        Year                     = {2000},
        Pages                    = {1--100}
    }
\end{filecontents}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}


%% Other alternative which don't work.
%\renewcommand*{\mkbibnamegiven}[1]{%
%    \ifitemannotation{gras}
%    {\textbf{#1}}
%    {#1}}
%
%\renewcommand*{\mkbibnamefamily}[1]{%
%    \ifitemannotation{gras}
%    {\textbf{#1}}
%    {#1}}


\def\makenamesetup{%
    \def\bibnamedelima{~}%
    \def\bibnamedelimb{ }%
    \def\bibnamedelimc{ }%
    \def\bibnamedelimd{ }%
    \def\bibnamedelimi{ }%
    \def\bibinitperiod{.}%
    \def\bibinitdelim{~}%
    \def\bibinithyphendelim{.-}}    
\newcommand*{\makename}[2]{\begingroup\makenamesetup\xdef#1{#2}\endgroup}

\newcommand*{\boldname}[3]{%
    \def\lastname{#1}%
    \def\firstname{#2}%
    \def\firstinit{#3}}
\boldname{}{}{}

% Patch new definitions
\renewcommand{\mkbibnamegiven}[1]{%
    \makename{\currname}{#1}%
    \makename{\findname}{\firstname}%
    \makename{\findinit}{\firstinit}%
    \ifboolexpr{ test {\ifdefequal{\currname}{\findname}}%
        or test {\ifdefequal{\currname}{\findinit}} }%
    {\mkbibbold{#1}}{#1}%
}

\renewcommand{\mkbibnamefamily}[1]{%
    \makename{\currname}{#1}%
    \makename{\findname}{\lastname}%
    \ifboolexpr{ test {\ifdefequal{\currname}{\findname}} }%
    {\mkbibbold{#1}}{#1}%
}

\boldname{Author}{Some}{S.}

\begin{document}
    Examples :
    \nocite{*}
    \printbibliography

\end{document}

An obvious problem is that you either need a text font that supports boldface small caps or change the typesetting of the authors removing the choice of small caps. The former strategy doesn't work, so there's more behind the issue. — egreg, Jan 27 '18 at 18:21

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 30 '18 at 09:22

The general approach of the annotation feature as explained in PLK's answer to Make specific author bold using biblatex works.

If you use french, the macro \mkbibnamefamily is automatically changed so that it prints the author name in small caps. This means that your redefinition of \mkbibfamily is overwritten. You can avoid this with

\DefineBibliographyExtras{french}{\restorecommand\mkbibnamefamily}

In full

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{libertine}
\usepackage[french]{babel}

\usepackage[backend=biber,maxbibnames=99,defernumbers=true,sorting=ydnt,giveninits=true]{biblatex}

\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@InProceedings{identifier1,
  Title                    = {Some Awesome Title},
  Author                   = {Some Author and Another Author},
  AUTHOR+an                = {1=gras},
  Booktitle                = {Some Book about the Future},
  Year                     = {2042},
  Pages                    = {1--42}
}

@InProceedings{identifier2,
  Title                    = {Some So-So Title},
  Author                   = {First Author and Second Author},
  Booktitle                = {An okay Booktitle},
  Year                     = {2000},
  Pages                    = {1--100}
}
\end{filecontents}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}



\renewcommand*{\mkbibnamegiven}[1]{%
  \ifitemannotation{gras}
    {\mkbibbold{#1}}
    {#1}}

\renewcommand*{\mkbibnamefamily}[1]{%
  \ifitemannotation{gras}
    {\mkbibbold{#1}}
    {#1}}

\DefineBibliographyExtras{french}{\restorecommand\mkbibnamefamily}

\begin{document}
 \nocite{*}
  \printbibliography
\end{document}

If you want authors in small caps, you need

\renewcommand*{\mkbibnamefamily}[1]{%
  \ifitemannotation{gras}
    {\mkbibbold{\textsc{\textnohyphenation{#1}}}}
    {\textsc{\textnohyphenation{#1}}}}

but then you need a font that supports bold small caps (Latin modern does not).

Make specific author bold using biblatex and babel package issue

1 Answers1