Resources: Timeline & Linkbase Guide [T r a n s c r i p t i o n s]

How to add or edit records in the
Timeline and Linkbase databases

One of the resources available on the Transcription Project's NT server is a database program called Filemaker Pro. Two databases have been designed to serve Transcriptions as a whole: the Timeline (which holds a chronology of events) and the Linkbase (which holds annotated links to online resources). These databases are accessible over the Web through any graphical browser in "live," interactive form. This means that end user can ask the databases to construct an on-the-fly Web page showing all or any part of their contents (chosen by keyword, author, work title, date, etc.). An additional advantage is that the Timeline and Linkbase databases are "related" to each other so that when the user views details about an event in the Timeline all links from the Linkbase related to the authors, works, or topics in the event description will also appear.

There is one Timeline for all the topics and courses in the Transcriptions project, and one Linkbase as well--allowing users to search creatively through all the project's cumulative chronology of significant events and associated archive of online resources. However, each topic or course also has its individual interface or "view" of the databases: a set of Web pages that pre-filter the content so that only material relevant to a particular topic or field will appear to the user. (A page or course in the project on "Postmodernism," for example, would have a Web interface to the databases that shows only entries relating to postmodernism.)

Developers for the Transcriptions project, including project faculty, graduate research assistants, and students in the project's courses, are given userids and passwords that allow them to add new content or edit content through the Web. Content is added or edited in the form of individual "records"--one record for each event in the Timeline or annotated link in the Linkbase.

Developers can follow the directions below to begin adding or editing records in the Timeline and Linkbase databases. (A developer's userid and password is required to submit changes to the databases.)

Step 1 Open your Web browser (e.g., Netscape or Internet Explorer, versions 3.0 or greater) and go to the URL: for the Web interface to the databases that you are helping to develop. For example, if you are developing material for the Postmodernism Timeline or Linkbase, go to http://english.ucsb.edu:591/transcriptions/courses/liu/english188

You will see the homepage for your topic's or course's particular view of the databases, as in the following example:

Screen Capture

This is the user's view of the site. If you are viewing the Timeline, then "Timeline" will be in blue in the navigation frame at the left (A). If you are viewing the Linkbase, then "Linkbase" will be in blue.

To go to the Developers version of the same site, click on "Developers Gateway" in the navigation frame (B).

Step 2 You will now see a variant of the user's page in which the main frame has been optimized for speed (for example, by omitting any graphics):

Screen Capture

The navigation frame at the left now includes options for "New Record," "Search & Edit," and "Advanced Search [& Edit]" (C). If you are viewing the developers gateway for the Timeline (indicated in blue in the navigation frame), then clicking on "Linkbase" will open the developers gateway for the Linkbase.

From this point on, adding new records or editing existing records (you can also delete records) is a matter of filling out Web "forms." You can fill out the fields in the forms by manually typping in the information; or you can use cut-and-paste to import information from your word processor or the Web. Here, for example, is part of the New Record page for the Timeline (there is a different new record page for the Linkbase):

Screen Capture

Each form for entering or editing information includes instructions for particular fields. A good way to begin is to create some sample entries (you can always edit or delete them afterwards) and compare them to existing entries in the databases. This will help clarify questions about formatting and other conventions.

An important principle: try to fill in as many of the fields as you have information for (but do not worry about fields that are not applicable or for which you do not have information). The databases gain in overall value if more fields are filled in.

Index of Resources

Overview
Guides to Readings in Literature and Information Culture
1. Bookshelf (Brief descriptions and mini-reviews of works in a variety of media that developers of the Transcriptions project or speakers in its colloquium series have been reading. These are the works that are helping to shape the intellectual direction of the Transcriptions project. The Bookshelf is a searchable database.)
2. Hypertext Literature (annotated catalogue of representative works of hypertext fiction, poetry, and theory in a variety of media, both offline and online works; includes a guide to the Transcription studio's library of publications by the Eastgate company)
Guides to Online Research
1. Online Research Resources (library catalogues, digital text archives, periodical indices, etc.; includes both general-access and UCSB-only resources)
2. Online Reference Resources (dictionaries, thesauri, atlases, encyclopedias, etc.)
3. Online Resources for Writing and Speaking (grammer and style guides, writing tips, advice on oral presentations, etc.)
4. Evaluating & Citing Online Resources (checklists, exercises, examples, and annotated links; also includes a printable form to use in tracking and evaluating online sites)
Guides to Technology in Transcriptions Courses
1. Web-Authoring Basics (basic outline of the process required to download, revise, and upload web pages associated with Transcriptions courses)
2. Web-Authoring Resources (design and how-to advice for both beginning and advanced Web authors; includes links to HTML and design style guides, help with images, and examples of good and bad design)
3. Transcriptions Studio Software (catalogue of the major production tools used by Transcriptions with links to resources and tutorials; covers Macromedia's Dreamweaver and Fireworks, Adobe's Photoshop and Illustrator, and Allaire's Homesite programs)
4. How to Post Messages in the Exchange Messaging Environment (step-by-step guide)
5. How to Use the Web to Add/Edit Content in the Project's Timeline or Linkbase Databases (step-by-step guide)
For Instructors and Developers:
1. Teaching with Information Technology (annotated links to resources and tools for designing courses utilizing IT; also includes example sites)
2. Developer Resources for Transcriptions Project (Templates for course and topics pages, Photoshop templates for images, Descriptions of web technology used in HTML design, Cascading Style Sheets [CSS], Server Side Includes [SSI], and relevant information)