Biblatex: divide list of references in subparts by year (descending order)

Question

I would like to create a list of references ordered from the most recent to the oldest.

The MWE bellow gives a basic solution:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[style=authoryear,sorting=ydnt]{biblatex}
\usepackage{filecontents}

\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@book{Rabelais1532,
  author = {Rabelais, Fran\c{c}ois},
  date = {1532},
  title = {Pantagruel},
  keywords = {1532},
}
@book{Hugo1862,
  author = {Hugo, Victor},
  date = {1862},
  title = {Les Mis\'{e}rables},
  keywords = {1862},
}
@book{Hugo1831,
  author = {Hugo, Victor},
  date = {1831},
  title = {Notre-Dame de Paris},
  keywords = {1831},
}
@book{Zola1885,
  author = {Zola, \'{E}mile},
  date = {1885},
  title = {Germinal},
  keywords = {1885},
}
@book{Balzac1831,
  author = {de Balzac, Honor\'{e}},
  date = {1831},
  title = {The Skin of Sorrow},
  keywords = {1831},
}
\end{filecontents}

\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}

\begin{document}
\nocite{*}
\printbibliography[title=References (default)]
\end{document}

However I would like to create some parts in the list, each part corresponding to a year, something like this:

\printbibliography[keyword=1885, title=1885]
\printbibliography[keyword=1862, title=1862]
\printbibliography[keyword=1831, title=1831]
\printbibliography[keyword=1532, title=1532]

I have tried to define filters in the preamble, modified from the biblatex documentation (§3.7.9, p. 89):

\defbibfilter{1885}{%
    date=1885
}%

and to add the following code:

\printbibliography[filter=1885, title=1885]

but the log file indicates:

Package biblatex Error: Invalid filter expression.

Package biblatex Error: Filter '1885' not found.

Is it possible, using filter commands for example, to automate the process with references ordered by year decreasing?

Answer 1

I assume it would be nicer if the year lists would be generated automatically, so you don't have to write \printbibliography[keyword=1885, title=1885] etc.

The problem with your filter was that date=1885 is not a valid filter expression. A filter can only have (not)type, (not)subtype, (not)keyword and (not)field (pure existence) expressions. For more complicated beasts you need a bibcheck. Indeed, this is what we use below. The bibcheck thisyear checks if an entry dates to a certain year.

Here I'm using LaTeX3 code to sort the list of all years easily.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[style=authoryear,sorting=ydnt]{biblatex}

\usepackage{xparse}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\seq_new:N \g__blxbibbyyear_yearlist_seq

\cs_new:Npn \__blxbibbyyear_seq_gput_right_once:Nn #1 #2
  {
    \seq_if_in:NnF #1 {#2}
      { \seq_gput_right:Nn #1 {#2} }
  }

\cs_generate_variant:Nn \__blxbibbyyear_seq_gput_right_once:Nn { NV, Nx }


\prg_new_conditional:Nnn \blx_field_if_undef:n { p, T, F , TF }
  {
    \use:c { iffieldundef } { #1 } { \prg_return_true: } { \prg_return_false: }
  }

% unfortunately, \iffieldint is not expandable, so no p version for us, boo
\prg_new_protected_conditional:Nnn \blx_field_if_int:n { T, F , TF }
  {
    \iffieldint { #1 } { \prg_return_true: } { \prg_return_false: }
  }

\AtDataInput
  {
    \blx_field_if_undef:nF { labeldatesource }
      { 
        \blx_field_if_undef:nTF { \thefield{labeldatesource}year }
          {
            \blx_field_if_undef:nF { \thefield{labeldatesource} }
              {
                \blx_field_if_int:nT { \thefield{labeldatesource} }
                  {
                    \__blxbibbyyear_seq_gput_right_once:Nx \g__blxbibbyyear_yearlist_seq
                      { \thefield{\thefield{labeldatesource}} }
                  }
              }
          }
          {
            \__blxbibbyyear_seq_gput_right_once:Nx \g__blxbibbyyear_yearlist_seq
              { \thefield{\thefield{labeldatesource}year} }
          }
      }
  }

\cs_new:Npn \blxbibbyyear_seq_sort_bydirection:NN #1 #2
  {
    \seq_gsort:Nn #2
      {
         \int_compare:nNnTF { ##1 } #1 { ##2 }
          { \sort_return_swapped: }
          { \sort_return_same: }
      }
  }

\cs_new:Nn \blxbibbyyear_seq_sort_descending:N
  {
    \blxbibbyyear_seq_sort_bydirection:NN < #1
  }

\cs_new_nopar:Npn \blxbibbyyear_print_yearbib:nn #1 #2
  {
    \defbibcheck{thisyear}
      {
        \blx_field_if_int:nTF { labelyear }
          {
            \int_compare:nNnF { \thefield{labelyear} } = { #1 }
              { \skipentry }
          }
          { \skipentry }
      }
    \printbibliography[heading=subbibliography, title=#1, check=thisyear, #2]
  }


\DeclareDocumentCommand{\printbibbyyear}{O{}}
  {
    \blxbibbyyear_seq_sort_descending:N \g__blxbibbyyear_yearlist_seq
    \seq_map_inline:Nn \g__blxbibbyyear_yearlist_seq
      { \blxbibbyyear_print_yearbib:nn {##1} {#1} }
  }
\ExplSyntaxOff

\usepackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@book{Rabelais1532,
  author = {Rabelais, Fran\c{c}ois},
  date = {1532},
  title = {Pantagruel},
}
@book{Hugo1862,
  author = {Hugo, Victor},
  date = {1862},
  title = {Les Mis\'{e}rables},
}
@book{Hugo1831,
  author = {Hugo, Victor},
  date = {1831},
  title = {Notre-Dame de Paris},
}
@book{Zola1885,
  author = {Zola, \'{E}mile},
  date = {1885},
  title = {Germinal},
}
@book{Balzac1831,
  author = {de Balzac, Honor\'{e}},
  year = {1831},
  title = {The Skin of Sorrow},
}
\end{filecontents}
\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}

\begin{document}
\nocite{*}
\printbibheading
\printbibbyyear
\end{document}