Biber and Biblatex: reference to multiple subentries

Question

I am using biblatex with biber for my thesis. I use sets to have several subentries:

When I refer to multiple subentries (e.g. a & b) of one set, I would like an output as: [1a,b], but instead I get [1a,1b]:

Is there a way to solve this? And also something like: [1a-c]?

\RequirePackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents}{test.bib}
@article{author1,
journal = {journal},
year = {1999},
author = {author1},
}

@article{author2,
  journal = {journal},
year = {1999},
author = {author2},
}

@article{author3,
journal = {journal},
year = {1999},
author = {author3},
}

\end{filecontents}
\documentclass[12pt,a4paper, headinclude=true, titlepage=true,DIV=12,oneside,BCOR=1cm, numbers=noendperiod, toc=bib, chapterprefix=true]{scrreprt}

\usepackage[babel,german=quotes]{csquotes}
\usepackage[backend=biber,citestyle=numeric-comp,bibstyle=chem-angew,mcite=true,subentry,pageranges=true,sorting=none,citetracker]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{my_refs.bib}
\usepackage[ngerman,KeepShorthandsActive]{babel}                   
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}                   
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

\addbibresource{test.bib}

\begin{document}

Here I cite a reference with several    subentries.\defbibentryset{set1}{author1,author2,author3}\supercite{set1} Somewhere later, I want to refer to some of the subentries.\supercite{author1,author2}

\printbibliography

\end{document}

moewe · Accepted Answer · 2020-08-31T14:36:44.907

Update

From biblatex 3.15 onwards the numeric-comp style comes with a subentrycomp option (enabled by default) that compresses subentry references as well.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[ngerman]{babel}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[babel,german=quotes]{csquotes}
\usepackage[backend=biber, style=numeric-comp, subentry]{biblatex}
\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@article{author1,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author1},
}
@article{author2,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author2},
}
@article{author3,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author3},
}
\end{filecontents}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}
\addbibresource{biblatex-examples.bib}
\begin{document}
\supercite{sigfridsson}
Here I cite a reference with several subentries.\defbibentryset{set1}{author1,author2,author3}\supercite{set1} Somewhere later, I want to refer to some of the subentries.\supercite{author1,author3}
Lorem\supercite{author1,author2}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3}
ipsum\supercite{vizedom:related}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{set1,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
\printbibliography
\end{document}

An '1a,b,c' solution is not too complicated. We only need to redefine cite:comp:inset a little to check if the last labelnumber is the same.

\RequirePackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@article{author1,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author1},
}
@article{author2,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author2},
}
@article{author3,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author3},
}
\end{filecontents}
\documentclass[12pt,a4paper, headinclude=true, titlepage=true,DIV=12,oneside,BCOR=1cm, numbers=noendperiod, toc=bib, chapterprefix=true]{scrreprt}
\usepackage[ngerman,KeepShorthandsActive]{babel}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[babel,german=quotes]{csquotes}
\usepackage[backend=biber, citestyle=numeric-comp, bibstyle=chem-angew, mcite=true, subentry, pageranges=true, sorting=none, citetracker]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}
\makeatletter
\renewbibmacro*{cite:comp:inset}{%
  \usebibmacro{cite:dump}%
  \ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcntb}}{-1}
    {\multicitedelim}
    {}%
  \printtext[bibhyperref]{%
    \iffieldequals{labelnumber}{\cbx@lastnumber}
      {}
      {\printfield{labelprefix}%
       \printfield{labelnumber}}%
    \printfield{entrysetcount}}%
  \savefield{labelnumber}{\cbx@lastnumber}%
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcntb}{-1}}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
Here I cite a reference with several subentries.\defbibentryset{set1}{author1,author2,author3}\supercite{set1} Somewhere later, I want to refer to some of the subentries.\supercite{author1,author2,author3}
\printbibliography
\end{document}

With more work you can also get '1a-c'. The following solution recreates the numeric-comp macros for @set entries. The solution is optimised for short code rather than conceptual niceness.

\RequirePackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@article{author1,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author1},
}
@article{author2,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author2},
}
@article{author3,
  journal = {journal},
  year = {1999},
  author = {author3},
}
\end{filecontents}
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[ngerman]{babel}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[babel,german=quotes]{csquotes}
\usepackage[backend=biber, citestyle=numeric-comp, bibstyle=chem-angew, mcite=true, subentry, pageranges=true, sorting=none, citetracker]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}
\addbibresource{biblatex-examples.bib}
\makeatletter
% the first two counters are already defined in numeric-comp.cbx
% cbx@tempcnta % no. of labelnumbers we skipped
% cbx@tempcntb % 'predicted' labelnumber for current cite
\newcounter{cbx@tempcntc}% no. of entrysetcounts we skipped
\newcounter{cbx@tempcntd}% 'predicted' entrysetcount
\renewbibmacro*{cite:init}{%
  \global\boolfalse{cbx:parens}%
  \global\undef\cbx@lasthash
  \global\undef\cbx@lastnumber
  \global\undef\cbx@lastprefix
  \global\undef\cbx@lastcount
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcnta}{0}%
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcntb}{-2}%
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcntc}{0}%
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcntd}{-1}}
\newcommand*{\cbx@iflabelnumberequalslast}{%
  \iffieldequals{labelnumber}{\cbx@lastnumber}}
% \iffieldequals is false even if both are empty/undef
% so we need a special test for that case
% this test is optimised for performance and laziness
% rather than prettiness, not that it would matter a lot...
\newcommand*{\cbx@iflabelprefixequalslast}{%
  \ifundef\cbx@lastprefix
    {\iffieldundef{labelprefix}
       {@firstoftwo}
       {@secondoftwo}}
    {\iffieldequals{labelprefix}{\cbx@lastprefix}
       {@firstoftwo}
       {@secondoftwo}}}
% \cbx@iflabelnumberequalslast and \cbx@iflabelprefixequalslast
\newcommand*{\cbx@iflabelequalslast}{%
  \iffieldequals{labelnumber}{\cbx@lastnumber}
    {\cbx@iflabelprefixequalslast
       {@firstoftwo}
       {@secondoftwo}}
    {@secondoftwo}}
\renewbibmacro*{cite:comp:inset}{%
  \stepcounter{cbx@tempcntd}%
  % the calls for false \cbx@iflabelequalslast
  % are split between stuff that happens before
  % the link and that happens within the link
  \cbx@iflabelequalslast
    {}
    {\usebibmacro{cite:dump}%
     \ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcntb}}{-1}
       {\multicitedelim}
       {}}%
  \printtext[bibhyperref]{%
    \cbx@iflabelequalslast
      {}
      {\setcounter{cbx@tempcntd}{-1}%
       \printfield{labelprefix}%
       \printfield{labelnumber}%
       \savefield{labelprefix}{\cbx@lastprefix}%
       \savefield{labelnumber}{\cbx@lastnumber}}%
    \ifnumequal{\thefield{entrysetcount}}{\value{cbx@tempcntd}}
      {\savefield{entrykey}{\cbx@lastkey}%
       \savefield{entrysetcount}{\cbx@lastcount}%
       \stepcounter{cbx@tempcntc}}
      {\usebibmacro{cite:dump}%
       \ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcntd}}{0}
         {\multicitedelim}
         {}%
       \printfield{entrysetcount}}}%
    \setcounter{cbx@tempcntd}{\thefield{entrysetcount}}%
    \setcounter{cbx@tempcntb}{-1}}
\renewbibmacro*{cite:dump}{%
  % dump subentry
  \ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcntc}}{0}
    {\ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcntc}}{1}
       {\bibrangedash}
       {\multicitedelim}%
     \bibhyperref[\cbx@lastkey]{%
       \printtext[entrysetcount]{\cbx@lastcount}}}
    {}%
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcntc}{0}%
  % dump labelnumber (+labelprefix)
  \ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcnta}}{0}
    {\ifnumgreater{\value{cbx@tempcnta}}{1}
       {\bibrangedash}
       {\multicitedelim}%
     \bibhyperref[\cbx@lastkey]{%
       \ifdef\cbx@lastprefix
         {\printtext[labelprefix]{\cbx@lastprefix}}
         {}%
       \printtext[labelnumber]{\cbx@lastnumber}}%
     \global\undef\cbx@lastprefix}
    {}%
  \setcounter{cbx@tempcnta}{0}}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\supercite{sigfridsson}
Here I cite a reference with several subentries.\defbibentryset{set1}{author1,author2,author3}\supercite{set1} Somewhere later, I want to refer to some of the subentries.\supercite{author1,author3}
Lorem\supercite{author1,author2}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3}
ipsum\supercite{vizedom:related}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,author2,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author1,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{author3,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
ipsum\supercite{set1,vizedom:related,sigfridsson}
\printbibliography
\end{document}

edit Fixed an issue following AndiW's question compress citation of set members in biblatex.

Let me know in an MWE if there are problems with the extended solution. I'm sure there are some edge cases I didn't think of and test. — moewe, Feb 21 '18 at 15:08
Unfortunately this solution breaks if one adds set members of different sets in one cite command... Looks like there is some more checking for a changed labelnumber needed... — AndiW, Jan 16 '19 at 22:28

Biber and Biblatex: reference to multiple subentries

1 Answers1

Update

Linked

Related