Add Markdown and JSON export buttons to AI Summary and Chat tabs #14486

CXZHANG0508 · 2025-12-01T14:53:12Z

Implemented the export functionality for AI Summary and AI Chat as requested. Users can now save the content to Markdown (human-readable) or JSON (machine-readable, OpenAI format). Added an export menu button to the UI and handled the file saving logic.

Steps to test

Open an entry that has a citation key and a linked PDF. I tested the UI logic in a simulated local environment (since I don't have an AI API key)
Go to the AI Summary or AI Chat tab.

3. Even without an API key (interface might show an error), you should see the new **Export** button (floppy disk icon) in the toolbar. In the AI Summary tab, the Export button is only visible after a summary has been successfully generated.

Click the button and select Export to Markdown or Export to JSON.

5. Save the file and verify the content: - **Markdown:** Should contain the BibTeX source and the text. - **JSON:** Should contain metadata and a `conversation` list compatible with OpenAI format. - I confirmed that clicking the Export button correctly triggers the 'Save As' file dialog and generates the file with the expected structure.

Mandatory checks

I own the copyright of the code submitted and I license it under the MIT license
I manually tested my changes in running JabRef (always required)
I added JUnit tests for changes (if applicable)
I added screenshots in the PR description (if change is visible to the user)
I described the change in CHANGELOG.md in a way that is understandable for the average user (if change is visible to the user)
I checked the user documentation: Is the information available and up to date? If not, I created an issue at https://github.com/JabRef/user-documentation/issues or, even better, I submitted a pull request updating file(s) in https://github.com/JabRef/user-documentation/tree/main/en.

Why: Quite often, JabRef users would like to share a conversation with AI, or store it in some text file that would be read later without opening JabRef. However, currently we don't have an option of saving the conversation or summary to some external file. How: - Add `MenuButton` with export options to `SummaryShowingComponent.fxml` and `AiChatComponent.fxml`. - Implement `exportMarkdown` method to construct Markdown content including the BibTeX source code. - Implement `exportJson` method using Jackson to generate JSON output that adheres to the OpenAI conversation format. - Add necessary localization keys to `JabRef_en.properties`. - Update `CHANGELOG.md` to reflect the new feature. Tags: ai, export, json, markdown Fixes JabRef#13868

…lation

koppor · 2025-12-01T14:57:57Z

@CXZHANG0508 Please do not close PRs and open new ones. Just push changes to your branch.

CXZHANG0508 · 2025-12-01T15:01:03Z

Understood, thanks!

calixtus · 2025-12-02T13:04:36Z

Hi, thanks for your contribution.

Please use a proper PR title. "Feat ai export" is not enough to quickly understand from the table what this PR is about. Remember that in open source you occansionally happen to work with other people together and as long as we dont have the technology for mind sharing and telepathy, we need to keep communicating in a mutual understandable way.

CXZHANG0508 · 2025-12-02T14:11:48Z

Thank you for your feedback! I apologize for the previous simple title. I have updated the PR title to be more descriptive.I hope that is clearer.

InAnYan · 2025-12-03T11:48:49Z

jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/ai/components/summary/SummaryComponent.java

+        if (summary == null) {
+            dialogService.notify(Localization.lang("No summary available to export"));
+            return;
+        }


I would add a blank line after }, but that's not critical

Thank you for the review and the approval! I really appreciate your feedback. I will definitely pay more attention to spacing and formatting details in my future contributions.

InAnYan

Cool!

koppor · 2025-12-09T07:51:27Z

jablib/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/ai/AiExporter.java

+    }
+
+    public String buildMarkdownForChat(List<ChatMessage> messages) {
+        StringBuilder conversation = new StringBuilder();


Please use StringJoiner so that you don't need to put \n

I think, this is still not addressed. It is an easy change. Please @CXZHANG0508 work on this. This PR should go in before we both lose context and need to work from the beginning.

koppor · 2025-12-09T07:51:42Z

jablib/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/ai/AiExporter.java

+    }
+
+    public String buildMarkdownExport(String contentTitle, String contentBody) {
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();


Not sure whether I already commented.

Please use StringJoiner so that you don't need to put \n

See https://apidia.net/java/OpenJDK/25/?pck=java.util&cls=.StringJoiner for JavaDoc

koppor · 2025-12-09T07:53:04Z

jablib/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/ai/AiExporter.java

+                role = "assistant";
+                content = aiMessage.text();
+            } else {
+                continue;


@InAnYan @ThiloteE We should include ErrorMessage, shouldn't we?

@CXZHANG0508 Please remove "ErrorMessage" - you have it written twice in the comment

koppor · 2025-12-11T09:34:47Z

jablib/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/ai/AiExporter.java

+        StringJoiner sj = new StringJoiner("\n\n");
+        sj.add("## Bibtex");
+
+        StringJoiner bibtexBlock = new StringJoiner("\n");


No - not two nested string joiners.

Use

StringJoiner sj = new StringJoiner("\n");

If you need two empty lines, do

sj.add("");

Rename "sj" to "stringJoiner"; we use more readable variable names in JabRef.

Thanks for the detailed review! I have addressed this point.

koppor

Does not work - some issues with resolving the actions

I am in the AI Summary tab and click on "Regenerate"

Caused by: javafx.fxml.LoadException: Error resolving onAction='#exportMarkdown', either the event handler is not in the Namespace or there is an error in the script.
file:///C:/git-repositories/jabref-all/jabref/jabgui/build/libs/jabgui-100.0.0.jar!/org/jabref/gui/ai/components/summary/SummaryShowingComponent.fxml:27

	at [email protected]/javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.constructLoadException(FXMLLoader.java:2688)

CXZHANG0508 · 2025-12-12T11:04:42Z

Apologies for the oversight, it was a careless mistake on my part.Now I had fixed it.

koppor

Does not crash. Good.

Does not work for chat with group. Exports only first paper.

There must not be an empty line at the end of the code block

Exported markdown should pass David's markdown-lint

JSON Format is for single file only... I think, it should contain all entries?

Not sure about timestamp? Is this the export_timestamp?

I am not sure about whether we need to include entry_bibtex, but maybe its OK as is... The alternative would be to include doi (or other identifier(s)) in the entry map.

koppor · 2025-12-12T12:22:44Z

Moreover, consistency please!!

Export always right - as in AI summary

CXZHANG0508 added 6 commits December 1, 2025 13:01

refactor(ai): move export logic to AiExporter to fix architecture vio…

557ef6a

…lation

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into feat-ai-export

d0ee4f8

refactor(ai): fix architecture violations and checkstyle issues

f2b03cd

Merge branch 'main' into feat-ai-export

316c8b3

feat(ai): Add Markdown and JSON export for AI Summary and AI Chat

0dc2255

CXZHANG0508 closed this Dec 1, 2025

CXZHANG0508 reopened this Dec 1, 2025

github-actions bot added the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Dec 1, 2025

CXZHANG0508 added 8 commits December 1, 2025 23:31

style: reformat code to match guidelines

57794ea

feat(ai): Add Markdown and JSON export for AI Summary and AI Chat

a0584fb

Merge branch 'main' into feat-ai-export

60cf42e

feat(ai): Add Markdown and JSON export for AI Summary and AI Chat

160948b

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/feat-ai-export' into feat-ai-export

85fe9ba

feat(ai): fix some format problem

ce116ca

feat(ai): fix some format problem

b7211b7

feat(ai): fix some format problem

396c92b

github-actions bot removed the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Dec 2, 2025

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koppor requested a review from InAnYan December 2, 2025 13:59

CXZHANG0508 changed the title ~~Feat ai export~~ feat(ai): Add Markdown and JSON export buttons to AI Summary and Chat tabs Dec 2, 2025

CXZHANG0508 mentioned this pull request Dec 2, 2025

Add export chat and summary feature to AI functionality #13868

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InAnYan reviewed Dec 3, 2025

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CXZHANG0508 added 4 commits December 9, 2025 20:55

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into feat-ai-export

be4ffa3

Refactor AiExporter to strictly use StringJoiner, add the errorMessage

efe18d1

fix some formatting issues

19bb2d6

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into feat-ai-export

b7cd043

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CXZHANG0508 added 5 commits December 11, 2025 22:21

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into feat-ai-export

3bf5e62

rename variable sj to stringJoiner and use explicit empty lines

dc66c08

retry

82183da

retry

a5d3d24

retry

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github-actions bot removed the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label Dec 12, 2025

Merge branch 'main' into feat-ai-export

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CXZHANG0508 added 3 commits December 12, 2025 18:42

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into feat-ai-export

1435328

fix the match issue

10fd928

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/feat-ai-export' into feat-ai-export

a80893c

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calixtus changed the title ~~feat(ai): Add Markdown and JSON export buttons to AI Summary and Chat tabs~~ Add Markdown and JSON export buttons to AI Summary and Chat tabs Dec 12, 2025

calixtus added component: ui component: ai component: entry-editor labels Dec 12, 2025

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Add Markdown and JSON export buttons to AI Summary and Chat tabs #14486

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Add Markdown and JSON export buttons to AI Summary and Chat tabs #14486

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CXZHANG0508 commented Dec 1, 2025

Steps to test

Mandatory checks

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koppor commented Dec 1, 2025

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CXZHANG0508 commented Dec 12, 2025

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