Opening a topic

Revision as of 11:48, 12 October 2006

In order to take a closer look at the topic you need to open it into a topic panel. There exists many different procedures to open a topic for detailed inspection in Wandora. For example:

• Clicking Open or Arrow button in button bar.
• Selecting Open topic from Topics menu or pressing Ctrl-O.
• Double clicking topic in topic tree or topic table.
• Selecting Open topic in context menu opened in topic tree.
• Selecting Open in context menu opened in topic table.

Some times it may be necessary to close topic open in topic panel. Topic is closed by selecting Close topic from Topics menu or pressing Ctrl-W.

Modifying basenames

Topic's basename is modified by changing the contents of basename text field in topic panel. Emptying field removes the basename. Wandora topic may have only one unscoped basename. Wandora application represents topics with basename by default and it is recommended that all topic's have basename.

Addition to direct topic panel editing basename can also be modified within topic tree triple clicking topic in tree. Operation changes topic's basename label into an editable basename field.

Topics > Basename menu contains more advanced basename editing options. Menu contains tool to remove new line characters in basename and tool to make basename outof subject identifier for example. Menu has four instances located within top menu bar, context menu of topic table and topic tree and within layer context menu. Each instance of Basename menu targets different set of topics and basenames.

Note: Basenames with new line characters are tricky because Wandora's basename field does not support the character. We strongly encourage you to use basename's without new line characters.

Modifying subject locators

Common method to modify subject locator is to open topic in topic panel and edit subject locators field. Emptying field removes subject locator. Wandora topic may contain only one subject locator.

Subject locator icon is shown at the top of topic panel. Subject locator icon depends on the type of subject locator file. If subject locator resolves image subject locator icon looks like the image. Right clicking the subject locator icon reveals context menu containing tools for the subject locator in question. For example context menu of image icon includes tools to resize icon image, copy image to clipboard, save image to local file etc.

Advanced subject locator tools locate in Topics > Subject locator menu. Advanced tools enable to check subject locator URL, download subject locator files and construction of subject locators for example. Menu has four instances of top menu bar, topic table, topic tree and layer stack. Each instance manages different set of topics and subject locators.

Modifying variant names

Variant names operate as language and scope dependent topic names. This is slightly different from topic map standard where variant names play modest role compared to basenames. Variant names are modified directly in topic panel's text fields.

For more advanced variant name operations use tools in Topics > Variant names menu. Wandora contains four different instances of Topics > Variant names menu in top menu bar, topic table, topic tree and layer stack. Each instance manages different set of topics and subject locators.

By default Wandora supports four scopes (ie. languages) of Finnish, Swedish, English and Language Independent and two name types of Display name and Sort name. Extending the language and name type support is very easy. To add another language add new instance topic to Wandora language. To add another name type add new instance to topic Wandora variant name version. Both Wandora language and Wandora variant name version are instances of Schema type topic.

By default topic panel's variant name matrix has language paragraphs. Orientation of name matrix is changed to Flip name matrix tool found in context menu of Variant names title header.

Note: Although Wandora views only variant names of registered scopes and types other names remain under the surface of Wandora, in the topic map.

Note 2: Variant names should not contain new line characters because of Wandora's variant name single line fields.

Modifying subject identifiers

Wandora does not allow direct edition of subject identifiers. In order to change subject indentifier new subject identifier is first added to the topic and then old subject identifier is removed. This rather illogical order of actions is required because topic must always hold at least one subject identifier. Default subject locator is added to a topic if topic contains no subject identifiers.

Subject identifier is removed by clicking Delete button beside the identifier. Subject identifier is added to a topic by selecting Add subject identifier in context menu activated by right-clicking at the Subject Identiers title header.

More advanced tools to modify subject identifiers is found in Topics > Subject identifiers menu.

Modifying topic classes

Class is a topic that describes type of the the topic. Each topic may contain zero or more classes.

Class is added to a topic by right-clicking the title header Classes and selecting Add class. Operation employs pick-topic-type window used to point the topic class. Class is deleted selecting a row in class table, right-clicking the row and selecting Loose classes.... Multiple classes can be removed at once.

Also Topics > Add to topic > Add class menu selection adds topic a class. In a similar way Topics > Delete from topic > Loose classes menu selection deletes class (but not the class topic).

Modifying topic instances

Instances and classes are symmetric. If A is a class of B then B is instance of A.

Instance is added to a topic by right clicking the title header of Instances table and selecting Add instance.... Instance is deleted as classes by selecting row in instance table, right-clicking selected row and selecting Loose instances....

Also menu selections Topics > Add to topic > Add instance and Topics >Delete from topic > Loose instances can be used to add and delete instances.

Modifying associations

Associations are perhaps the most important feature of topics. Associations links topics together into doubles, triplets etc.

Association is added to a topic by selecting Add schemaless association... or Add association... in context menu activated by right clicking Associations header. Wandora employs simple schema to ease association creation and modification. Association schema defines what kind of associations are acceptable: types, roles and players of allowed associations. Association schema is defined with instances and subclasses of Schema type topic ie. the topic map it self. Guidelines to build a modest schema are outside the scope of this text. Read more about the schema here.

Building a working schema for associations may be extravagant for small or ad hoc projects. Schemaless associations give you a moderate convention to add and modify associations without explisit schema definitions. Schemaless associations force you to pick separately association's roles, players and type.

Right-clicking the association row reveals powerful operations to modify association. You may for example change association's type and roles as well as delete the association.

Modifying text datas (occurrences)

Text datas are equivalent to occurrences of topic map standard. Text data is a solid text block describing or associating the topic. Wandora does not support URL occurrences of the topic map standard.

Text data is added to a topic by selecting Add schemaless text data... or Add text data... in the context menu revealed by right clicking the Text data header. Text datas employ similar schema as associations. Schema defines what kind of text datas can be added to a topic ie. the types of allowed text datas. Read more about the schema here. As schema creation is rather difficult schemaless text data addition is also possible.

Text data scopes define different language versions of same text. Text data scopes conform with scopes of variant names. More advanced text data operations are found in Topics > Text datas menu of topic tables.