[vox-tech] bibtex, scripting

[Jonathan Stickel]

I'm writing a journal article using LaTeX.  Although latex use is 
encouraged by the publisher, and they do provide a .sty file, their 
latex support is actually pretty pitiful. :(

I'm required to use an unusual and restrictive author-date reference 
format that doesn't quite match any existing bibtex styles that I can 
find, and the publisher does not provide a bibtex style file.  So, I'm 
left to modify an existing style to meet my needs.  Does anyone know a 
good reference for programming .bst files?

One thing in particular is that the first and middle initials of the 
author names are to be shown without periods.  One option I have is to 
go through my .bib file and delete all these periods manually.  But I 
was wondering if I could write a script to do this:  search for the 
author fields and delete any periods (.) in those fields.  But I'm 
really new to script files.  Any good references?  Would someone like to 
propose a script that might work for me?  Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
Jonathan