5

I get this error:

Package biblatex Info: ... file 'authoryear-icomp.cbx' found.
 (authoryear-icomp.cbx.tex
File: authoryear-icomp.cbx 2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex citation style (PK/JW/AB)


! Package keyval Error: No value specified for labeldate.

See the keyval package documentation for explanation.
Type  H <return>  for immediate help.
 ...                                              

l.5 ...     pagetracker,sortcites,autocite=inline}

Try typing  <return>  to proceed.
If that doesn't work, type  X <return>  to quit.

the line of authoryear-icomp.cbx.tex that gives the error is:

\ExecuteBibliographyOptions{labeldate,uniquename,uniquelist,ibidtracker=constrict,
                            pagetracker,sortcites,autocite=inline}

Here is the MWE (some days ago it worked, I've updated packages with MiKTeX 2.9 today):

\documentclass[11pt,openright]{book}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[latin9]{inputenc}
\usepackage[british]{babel}

% biblatex
\usepackage[style=authoryear-icomp, natbib=true, maxcitenames=2, maxbibnames=11, backend=biber, hyperref=true, pagetracker=page]{biblatex} 
\usepackage{csquotes}

% package hyperref
\usepackage[unicode=true,pdfusetitle,
bookmarks=true,bookmarksnumbered=false,bookmarksopen=false,
breaklinks=false,pdfborder={0 0 0.7},backref=false,colorlinks=false]
{hyperref}

% add bibliography database
\addbibresource{biblatex-examples.bib}

\begin{document}
Test text \cite{aristotle:rhetoric}.

\printbibliography

\end{document}

Here the list of the versions of the packages I'm using:

 *File List*
    book.cls    2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class
    bk11.clo    2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX file (size option)
 fontenc.sty
   t1enc.def    2016/06/19 v1.99m Standard LaTeX file
inputenc.sty    2015/03/17 v1.2c Input encoding file
  latin9.def    2015/03/17 v1.2c Input encoding file
   babel.sty    2016/04/23 3.9r The Babel package
 bblopts.cfg
 english.ldf    2012/08/20 v3.3p English support from the babel system
biblatex.sty    2016/09/17 v3.6 programmable bibliographies (PK/JW/AB)
pdftexcmds.sty    2016/05/21 v0.22 Utility functions of pdfTeX for LuaTeX (HO)
infwarerr.sty    2016/05/16 v1.4 Providing info/warning/error messages (HO)
ifluatex.sty    2016/05/16 v1.4 Provides the ifluatex switch (HO)
 ltxcmds.sty    2016/05/16 v1.23 LaTeX kernel commands for general use (HO)
   ifpdf.sty    2016/05/14 v3.1 Provides the ifpdf switch
etoolbox.sty    2015/08/02 v2.2a e-TeX tools for LaTeX (JAW)
  keyval.sty    2014/10/28 v1.15 key=value parser (DPC)
kvoptions.sty    2016/05/16 v3.12 Key value format for package options (HO)
kvsetkeys.sty    2016/05/16 v1.17 Key value parser (HO)
etexcmds.sty    2016/05/16 v1.6 Avoid name clashes with e-TeX commands (HO)
  logreq.sty    2010/08/04 v1.0 xml request logger
  logreq.def    2010/08/04 v1.0 logreq spec v1.0
  ifthen.sty    2014/09/29 v1.1c Standard LaTeX ifthen package (DPC)
     url.sty    2013/09/16  ver 3.4  Verb mode for urls, etc.
 xstring.sty    2013/10/13  v1.7c  String manipulations (C Tellechea)
  blx-dm.def
authoryear-icomp.dbx
biblatex-dm.cfg
blx-compat.def    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex compatibility (PK/JW/AB)
biblatex.def    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex compatibility (PK/JW/AB)
blx-natbib.def    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex compatibility (PK/JW/AB)
standard.bbx    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex bibliography style (PK/JW/AB)
authoryear.bbx    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex bibliography style (PK/JW/AB)
authoryear-icomp.bbx    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex bibliography style (PK/JW/AB)
authoryear-icomp.cbx    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex citation style (PK/JW/AB)
biblatex.cfg    
csquotes.sty    2016/07/14 v5.1h context-sensitive quotations (JAW)
csquotes.def    2016/07/14 v5.1h csquotes generic definitions (JAW)
csquotes.cfg    
hyperref.sty    2016/06/24 v6.83q Hypertext links for LaTeX
hobsub-hyperref.sty    2016/05/16 v1.14 Bundle oberdiek, subset hyperref (HO)
hobsub-generic.sty    2016/05/16 v1.14 Bundle oberdiek, subset generic (HO)
  hobsub.sty    2016/05/16 v1.14 Construct package bundles (HO)
  ifvtex.sty    2016/05/16 v1.6 Detect VTeX and its facilities (HO)
 intcalc.sty    2016/05/16 v1.2 Expandable calculations with integers (HO)
kvdefinekeys.sty    2016/05/16 v1.4 Define keys (HO)
pdfescape.sty    2016/05/16 v1.14 Implements pdfTeX's escape features (HO)
bigintcalc.sty    2016/05/16 v1.4 Expandable calculations on big integers (HO)
  bitset.sty    2016/05/16 v1.2 Handle bit-vector datatype (HO)
uniquecounter.sty    2016/05/16 v1.3 Provide unlimited unique counter (HO)
letltxmacro.sty    2016/05/16 v1.5 Let assignment for LaTeX macros (HO)
 hopatch.sty    2016/05/16 v1.3 Wrapper for package hooks (HO)
xcolor-patch.sty    2016/05/16 xcolor patch
atveryend.sty    2016/05/16 v1.9 Hooks at the very end of document (HO)
atbegshi.sty    2016/06/09 v1.18 At begin shipout hook (HO)
refcount.sty    2016/05/16 v3.5 Data extraction from label references (HO)
 hycolor.sty    2016/05/16 v1.8 Color options for hyperref/bookmark (HO)
 ifxetex.sty    2010/09/12 v0.6 Provides ifxetex conditional
 auxhook.sty    2016/05/16 v1.4 Hooks for auxiliary files (HO)
  pd1enc.def    2016/06/24 v6.83q Hyperref: PDFDocEncoding definition (HO)
hyperref.cfg    2002/06/06 v1.2 hyperref configuration of TeXLive
   puenc.def    2016/06/24 v6.83q Hyperref: PDF Unicode definition (HO)
 hpdftex.def    2016/06/24 v6.83q Hyperref driver for pdfTeX
rerunfilecheck.sty    2016/05/16 v1.8 Rerun checks for auxiliary files (HO)
 english.lbx    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex localization (PK/JW/AB)
 british.lbx    2016/09/17 v3.6 biblatex localization (PK/JW/AB)
TEX_SE_Domanda.bbl
 nameref.sty    2016/05/21 v2.44 Cross-referencing by name of section
gettitlestring.sty    2016/05/16 v1.5 Cleanup title references (HO)
TEX_SE_Domanda.out
TEX_SE_Domanda.out
 ***********
CarLaTeX
  • 62,716
  • No problem here compiling under an up-to-date TeX Live 2016. – Werner Sep 19 '16 at 21:12
  • @Werner I'm using MiKTeX 2.9, should I try to uninstall and reinstall it? – CarLaTeX Sep 19 '16 at 21:20
  • Maybe... don't know how long that would take, but it would definitely remove that as a possible cause if the problem persists. – Werner Sep 19 '16 at 21:33
  • On my Linux/TexLive-System I compiled it without problems and get an identical file/version list. The only difference is the line bblopts.cfg 2005/09/08 v0.1 add Arabic and Farsi to "declared" options of babel in your list. – gernot Sep 19 '16 at 21:49
  • @Werner Unfortunately the error remains even after reinstalling MiKTeX :'( – CarLaTeX Sep 19 '16 at 22:08
  • @gernot Do you know how can I avoid adding Arabic and Farsi? (I don't use them) Thank you. – CarLaTeX Sep 19 '16 at 22:10
  • See http://tex.stackexchange.com/a/313676/110998 for a discussion. If you create an empty bblopts.cfg and put it into localtexmf\tex\latex\babel, babel should not search for it anymore. Deinstalling the arabi package probably doesn't help, since then MiKTeX searches on and might find some other bblopts.cfg file. – gernot Sep 19 '16 at 22:47
  • @gernot Since I'm using MiKTeX 2.9 on Windows 10, I've create an empy bblopts.cfg under C:\Users\myuser\AppData\Local\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\arabi, the row bblopts.cfg 2005/09/08 v0.1 add Arabic and Farsi to "declared" options of babelnow is onlybblopts.cfg` but the error is still present :'( – CarLaTeX Sep 20 '16 at 06:20
  • For some reason your authoryear-icomp.cbx is not the 3.6 version: In 3.6 the line you quote should be \ExecuteBibliographyOptions{labeldateparts,uniquename,uniquelist,ibidtracker=constrict, pagetracker,sortcites,autocite=inline} (note that the labeldate option that causes you trouble has been renamed labeldateparts). – moewe Sep 20 '16 at 07:28
  • Yes, you have a authoryear-icomp.cbx.tex flying around. Where is it, where does it come from? And why is it there? You should probably just get rid of it, so you get the good authoryear-icomp.cbx only. – moewe Sep 20 '16 at 07:30
  • @moewe I've recently done the passage from MiKTeX multi-user to MiKTeX one-user, so perhaps something of the old configuration is remained... If I delete my .cbx files, does Biblatex re-create them? Are there other files I should delete? – CarLaTeX Sep 20 '16 at 07:35
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    No, don't delete the .cbx files! You seem to have a file that is called authoryear-icomp.cbx.tex with an additional .tex at the end, find that file and tell us where it is. (If you have remnants of an old installation of MikTeX, you should make sure to get rid of them for good, they can cause all sorts of trouble.) – moewe Sep 20 '16 at 07:36
  • 2
    You have local authoryear-icomp.cbx.tex in your current document folder. Probably you saved it there sometime ago by accident. Remove this local file. – Ulrike Fischer Sep 20 '16 at 07:38
  • @UlrikeFischer Done, it works now, thank you! I saved it in June to look at it when I was customizing my bibliography. – CarLaTeX Sep 20 '16 at 07:53
  • @moewe It was in my folder, as Ulrike said, I've deleted it and now it works, thank you! – CarLaTeX Sep 20 '16 at 07:54
  • @UlrikeFischer Do you want to write up an answer? Or do we close this question as off-topic? – moewe Sep 20 '16 at 12:01
  • @moewe Also you can write an answer, you were the first to have found the error! However if one of you do it, I'll accept it at once. Are off-topic questions deleted? I think it's worth keeping mine, it may be useful if someone else will do my same error in the future (even if it is a very peculiar one): I googled the error message and I found anything. – CarLaTeX Sep 20 '16 at 12:57
  • The error is because the option labeldate has been renamed to labeldateparts. It is very unlikely that someone with the same symptoms will have had the same cause. – moewe Sep 20 '16 at 15:39
  • @UlrikeFischer I have jotted down an answer, but if you would like to add one, I will happily retract mine. – moewe Sep 20 '16 at 15:48
  • @moewe I got an upvote yesterday for this question... maybe there is someone who found it helpful! :) – CarLaTeX Nov 07 '17 at 04:28

1 Answers1

4

With version 3.5 of biblatex, the line

\ExecuteBibliographyOptions{labeldate,uniquename,uniquelist,ibidtracker=constrict,
                            pagetracker,sortcites,autocite=inline}

will cause an error of the form

! Package keyval Error: No value specified for labeldate.

What was the option labeldate has been renamed to labeldateparts. This option requests Biber to provide the labelyear fields and friends and provide year disambiguation via extrayear.

There is now a new labeldate option, though, but it needs an argument now (in the example above, the option does not come with an argument, and so that causes the error). This option controls the format of the date given by labelyearand friends.

See the section for v 3.5 in the changes file.

With the standard styles you should not encounter this problem, because they were updated to use the proper option. If you use a custom style, notify the author so she can change this.

As discussed in the comments, the problem here was a local file called authoryear-icomp.cbx.tex that contained an older copy of authoryear-icomp.cbx where the old option was still used. This file was loaded instead of the (existing) standard file and that caused the trouble. Deleting the file solved the issue.

moewe
  • 175,683