[Papyrus-L] Papyrus output and latex

[Joseph Cain]

I posed this question to Dave, who is thinking about it, but also wanted to 
query the subset of the group that used latex for publication.

We started using for publications a format in the references section as in 
the example below:


\bibliographystyle{alpha}
\begin{thebibliography}{99}
  ...

\bibitem[{\it Tyler et al.}, 1997a]{tyler97a}
Tyler, R. H., L. A. Mysak, and J. M. Oberhuber, Electromagnetic
fields generated by a three dimensional global ocean circulation,
{\it J. Geophys. Res.\/}, {\it 102\/}, 5531--5551, 1997.

\bibitem[{\it Tyler et al.}, 1997b]{tyler97b}
Tyler, R. H., T. B. Sanford, and J. M. Oberhuber, Geophysical
challenges in using large-scale ocean--generated EM fields to
determine ocean flow, {\it J. Geomagn. Geoelectr.\/}, {\it 49\/},
1351--1372, 1997.

\end{thebibliography}

using this format I can write a paper and only have to remember to put in 
\cite{tyler97a} and do not have to put in [{\it Tyler et al.}, 1997a] each 
time. Of course if you have several references together you end up putting 
it an anyway in e.g.  [{\it Tyler et al.}, 1997a, 1997b]  anyway, or if you 
are using the name in a sentence like

according to the models used by  {\it Tyler et al.}, [1997a] ....
Of course the present latex output is like

Tyler, R. H., T. B. Sanford, and J. M. Oberhuber, Geophysical
challenges in using large-scale ocean-generated EM fields to
determine ocean flow, {\it J. Geomagn. Geoelectr.\/}, {\it 49\/},
1351-1372, 1997.

I know the Papyrus  cite function works but I never end up using it.

This format works using the American Geophysical Union style files, and a 
student told me a similar format works without such style files but has to 
use a macro for making  a hang indent in front of each reference. e.g. 
\def\hang{\hangindent.5in \hangafter=1

The part I asked Dave if he could do next time a program update is done 
would be to put the -- in place of the - that appears for the latex list 
output of Papyrus.
He is considering the first line also, where the e.g {tyler97} is generated 
at the end since the a or b is manuscript specific.

I do not use or know about bibtex other than having seen such a list once 
and what I read in Kpka and Daly's latex guide.

I like to use this format as it makes writing easier. Do any of you latex 
users interface with Papyrus this way, or is there a better one?