Improve welcome page

[koppor]

This is a follow-up to #12461. This is a refinement of the GSoC project description https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/wiki/GSOC-2025-ideas-list#welcome-walkthrough covering the welcome tab only.

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Note

A welcome walkthrough is a different story
Please read on at https://www.appcues.com/blog/the-5-best-walkthrough-examples.
Then think of which of the features described at https://docs.jabref.org/ could be rendered as walkthrough.

There should be guides (simlar to Visusal Studio Code). When working on this, one really needs to come up with concrete proposals.

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Currently, JabRef expects new users to "play around" with the UI or read the user documentation (https://docs.jabref.org/). A refined "Welcome Page" should offer guidance.

Current ideas area:

Working with files

• keep the current page (introduced at Show a welcome screen if no database is open #12461)

First-start settings

JabRef offers many things to setup. There should be a quick possibility to set the default things. Currently, the "important" things to change are grouped in the preferences by functionality and not by importance for a first-time-user. With this part of the welcome page, this should be offered.

Example libraries

Welcome page should offer to open the example library Chocolate.bib. Available at https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/blob/main/src/test/resources/testbib/Chocolate.bib. The library should be distributed with JabRef.

More example libraries could be added. Please think of something one could need. Also improve user documentation then. Initial example to show some features of JabRef is https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/blob/main/src/test/resources/testbib/complex.bib. -- However, if possible, Chocolate.bib should be extended to show (nearly) all features of JabRef. Example blog post where Chocolate.bib was used to show a feature: https://blog.jabref.org/2025/03/08/Consistency-Check/

More work requires the task to come of with "nice" default groups for following user groups:

• clean users: Not wanting to have any hints, because they know what they are doing.
• first-time users: managing a library the first time (e.g., master thesis)
• pro users: Wanting to have all features shown

First-time settings

Offer buttons

• Configure for small libraries
• Configure for large libraries (disabled some time-consuming features)

Background: #9491

Configure a paper directory

We aim for configuration defaults which don't require any manual adjustment in 90% of the cases. The only thing which has to be configured is the "Main file directory" at "External programs".

I think, JabRef should ask for that directory at the first start. Possibly just by a dialog:

Your main file directory is not configured yet. 
[configure now] [skip configuration]

In other words: Implement a feature allowing users to easily set up and manage their paper directory.

Configure other things

"External programs" for push-to-application feature: Program should be auto detected.

Maybe more.

Enable online services

JabRef should list all online services, allow a user enabling them and add a link to the user documentation (typically a question mark button).

• Online services
  • Update checks
  • Online Service Grobid (refs Unchecked "Do not ask again" does not work jabref-koppor#566)
  • Fetchers
  • Full text search
• Add link Privacy Policy https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/blob/main/PRIVACY.md

Initial "look and feel"

• Enable/disable showing "Citation key" column (refs Re-introduce CitationKey column as default in the entry (main) table #10510) - default: enabled

Note: This could be obsolete with sensible default for the role of JabRef users (see above).

More links

Add more links as described at #12461 (comment)

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Related Work for this Issue

• Firefox: https://www.mozilla.org/de/firefox/
• Welcome page of VS Code: Show a welcome screen if no database is open #12272 (comment)
• VSCode : For new users, VScode has a nice walkthrough
• The issue is based on Show a welcome screen if no database is open #12272

[aniket866]

@koppor
Please assign , Interested to work

[koppor]

@aniket866 May I ask whether you are familier with "CONTRIBUTING.md"? https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md Should I assist you in reading it?