ConText does not display any BibTex referencce

Question

Using a valid myrefs.bib in the path, I tried the following minimal examples (two of which are commented)

\setupbibtex[database=myrefs]
\starttext
\completepublications
%\completepublications[criterium=all] 
%\placepublications[criterium=all] 
\stoptext

This example produces an empty pdf, context seems to choke on the two others when I uncomment (one at a time)

regarding the version number:

version as given at end of man context: version 0.60 01-01-2015 mtx-context(1)

output of context --version:

mtx-context     | ConTeXt Process Management 0.61
mtx-context     |
mtx-context     | main context file: /usr/share/texmf/tex/context/base/context.mkiv
mtx-context     | current version: 2015.05.18 12:26

And from last .log

open source     > 1 > 1 > /usr/share/texmf/tex/context/base/cont-yes.mkiv
ConTeXt  ver: 2015.05.18 12:26 MKIV current  fmt: 2016.7.5  int: english/english

To the content of my database: my .bib file is rather long, here first and last entries (this short .bib file also fails):

% IMPORTANT: The following is UTF-8 encoded.  This means that in the presence
% of non-ASCII characters, it will not work with BibTeX 0.99 or older.
% Instead, you should use an up-to-date BibTeX implementation like “bibtex8” or
% “biber”.

@ARTICLE{Kampmann:966,
      author       = {Kampmann, R and Deriglazov, V and Haese-Seiller, M and
                      Marmotti, M and Tristl, M and Sackmann, E},
      title        = {{REFSANS}: a novel reflectometer for analyses of liquid and
                      soft surfaces at the new research reactor {FRM}-{II} in
                      {M}unich/{G}ermany},
      journal      = {Physica / B},
      volume       = {276-278},
      issn         = {0921-4526},
      address      = {Amsterdam},
      publisher    = {North-Holland Physics Publ.},
      pages        = {212-213},
      year         = {2000},
      ddc          = {530},
      cid          = {I:(DE-MLZ)4109},
      experiment   = {EXP:(DE-MLZ)REFSANS-20140101},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
      UT           = {WOS:000086413000088},
      doi          = {10.1016/S0921-4526(99)01294-6},
      url          = {https://impulse.mlz-garching.de/record/966},
}

@ARTICLE{Hexemer:174106,
      author       = {Hexemer, Alexander and Müller-Buschbaum, Peter},
      title        = {{A}dvanced grazing-incidence techniques for modern
                      soft-matter materials analysis},
      journal      = {IUCrJ},
      volume       = {2},
      number       = {1},
      issn         = {2052-2525},
      address      = {Chester},
      publisher    = {International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)},
      reportid     = {IMPULSE-2016-00077},
      pages        = {106 - 125},
      year         = {2015},
      ddc          = {530},
      cid          = {I:(DE-MLZ)4109 / I:(DE-MLZ)4024 / I:(DE-MLZ)4058},
      experiment   = {EXP:(DE-MLZ)REFSANS-20140101},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
      doi          = {10.1107/S2052252514024178},
      url          = {https://impulse.mlz-garching.de/record/174106},
}

Answer 1

Which version are you running? This code gives the expected result for me:

\setupbibtex [database=mytest.bib]

\starttext

\placepublications [criterium=all]

\stoptext

Or, if you want to use the new interface (which is still in development and doesn't have proper documentation yet):

\usebtxdataset [default] [mytest.bib]

\starttext

\placelistofpublications [default] [method=dataset]

\stoptext

Both files typeset the entire bib file. If you use the new method, you should see a message like

 publications    > adding bib data to set 'default' from source 'mytest.bib'

in your log file to show that your bib file has been found and could be loaded/

Answer 2

After a lot of experimentation, including upgrading TeXLive, I eventually removed all of my LaTeX and ConTeX installation, and reinstalled ConTeX. The short bib worked. So initial problem solved, but it seems I really needed a clean install.

For the record, running on my full bib file led to (excerpt):

....
close source    > 3 > 9 > testbibtex.bbl
publications    > placing all entries, use 'text' to be more selective

tex error       > tex error on line 36 in file testbibtex.tex: ! Misplaced alignment tab character &

<recently read> &

\@@pb@journal ->Nuclear Instruments $\&
                                   $ Methods in Physics Research A

So I simply removed the offending $&$ (which seemed ok for LaTeX!), and my whole bibliography came out perfectly typeset.