Administration Help

 

Edit System Configuration

Portal name
The name of the portal as displayed in the browser window title bar and on the portal's front page.
Administrator email
The email address of the individual responsible for overall site management. Feedback mail is directed to this email address.
Classifications Per Page When Browsing
The default number of resources a person exploring the portal collection while browsing the classifications (pagination). System administrators should consider the size of the collection as well as the current state of browser technology as longer numbers of resource entries per page may require lengthy browser load times.
Default Browsing Field
The default field seen by users on the Browse Resources page. This may be set to any tree field present in your site's metadata. While the field specified here will be the default browsing option, by clicking on links on the Browse Resources page users may choose to browse by any of the fields that appear in this list.
Max Number of Announcements on Home Page
The number of announcements that will be displayed on the home page.
Max Number of Resources on Home Page
The number of resources that will be displayed on the home page.
Legal Notice
The legal notice displayed at the bottom of each page.
Default User Interface
Determines which user interface new users and non-portal members will view. Individual portal members may control this option for themselves through their preferences options if multiple interfaces are allowed by the portal administrator (See Allow Multiple User Interfaces below).
Current User Interface Theme
Determines which theme will be used with the CWIS interface. All CWIS themes use the same basic page layout but interface graphics and colors differ. This option will only appear when Default User Interface is set to CWIS.
Default Character Coding
Determines the character coding defined in the HTTP headers for pages in the site. Currently UTF-8 and ISO-8859-1 options are provided. System administrators who intend to use Unicode data in their portals will want to set this option to UTF-8.
Default Search Term Handling
Determines whether AND or OR is used when more than one search term is specified. When "AND" is selected, records will be retrieved that contain all specified search terms. When "OR" is selected, records will be retrieved that have any of the search terms specified, but those that have have two or more will be ranked higher.
Announcements
Determines whether the announcement text on the front page of the portal will be enabled. Limited HTML tags are permitted to increase visual appeal: bold <b>, italics <i>, underline <u>, strike <s>, anchor <a>, superscript <sup>, and subscript <sub>..
Forums
Determines whether forums can be created and used within the portal.
Allow Multiple User Interfaces
Determines whether portal users have the ability to select a different user interface in the Preferences section. Enabling this function allows users to select from all available interfaces after logging into the portal. System Administrators may select different interfaces whether or not this function is enabled.
Resource Launches New Window
When enabled, determines whether clicking on the resource Title or URL opens a new browser window when loading the resource page. When this option is disabled the resource page will open in the same browser window as the portal. Please note: Launching a new window may interfere with assistive technology devices.
Saved Search Mailings
Determines whether or not users will be emailed weekly results of searches saved through the Advanced Search screen. A mailing will only be sent if a user has requested it while saving a new search or editing a saved search. A user's mailings will include resources released in the week prior to the mailing which fit the user's search criteria.
Resource Ratings
Determines whether or not resource ratings are enabled in the user interface.
Resource Comments
Determines whether or not resource comments are enabled in the user interface. Limited HTML tags are permitted to increase visual appeal: bold <b>, italics <i>, underline <u>, strike <s>, anchor <a>, superscript <sup>, and subscript <sub>.
Continuous Updating of Search Database
Controls whether newly added or edited records will automatically be included in the Search database or held for a manual rebuild of the Search database. When marked Enabled, newly added records will be added to the Search database actively. When the flag is marked enabled, all records, including those just entered or edited, are available to both users and editors immediately via any of the searching methods included in the system (Keyword, Advanced and Metadata tool). The process of actively updating the Search database will cause the submission and update processes response times to be somewhat slower. When marked Disabled, newly added records will NOT be dynamically added to the Search database. Linked metadata fields (Classification, Publisher, Creator, etc.) will be immediately linked, but searching via Keyword, Advanced Search, or the Metadata Tool Search will not return those resource records until a manual rebuild of the Search database has been completed by the portal administrator. Metadata editors should experience significantly faster response times when editing and adding resource records when the flag is marked Disabled.
Continuous Updating of Recommender Database
Controls whether newly added or edited records will be automatically included in the Recommender database or held for a manual rebuild of the Recommender database. When marked Enabled, newly added records will be added to the Recommender database actively. The process of actively updating the Recommender database will cause the submission and update processes response times to be somewhat slower. When marked Disabled, newly added records will NOT be dynamically added to the Recommender database. Metadata editors should experience significantly faster response times when editing and adding resource records.
About Text
Intended to hold information that briefly describes the portal and its collection. This is the text that is viewable when clicking on the About navigation link. Limited HTML tags are permitted to increase visual appeal: bold <b>, italics <i>, underline <u>, strike <s>, anchor <a>, superscript <sup>, and subscript <sub>.
[ back to top ]

Customize System Appearance

Portal developers may customize the appearance of the SPT Blue interface by adjusting colors and replacing the default logo with one of their own. This is accomplished by using the Customize System Appearance component of the Administration options. These customizations ONLY affect the SPT Blue interface.

As with other customizations of the portal software, software upgrade should not affect these adjustments. Interfaces and other customizations should be preserved in subsequent upgrades.

In order for changes to colors take effect, users of some browsers may have to force-reload (usually Control-R or Command-R) or manually reload the system stylesheet.

Logos or other branding graphics may be used to replace the default logo. Images must be in jpeg (.jpg) format. File selection begins using the Browse button found to the right of the field. To complete the process, click on the Upload New Logo button. Portal developers may revert to the Scout Portal Toolkit default logo by clicking on the Delete Custom Logo button. (Note: custom logos cannot be restored without re-uploading.)

Portal developers are strongly encouraged to also complete the Alt Text field whenever adding a new logo. This field provides explanatory text for images and graphics. According to established guidelines of accessiblity for World Wide Web resources, appropriate explanatory text should always accompany images or graphics to ensure that the image's meaning is understood by persons using screen reader software (generally those who are blind or with low vision). Completing the Alt Text field is an easy method to incorporate this practice into portal development workflow without manual modification to HTML code.

Portal developer may further alter the appearance of the SPT Blue interface by tweaking colors to create a unique appearance. Page Background, Table Background, Forum/Comment Background, and Navigation/Announcements Box Background colors may all be adjusted. Below the color selection boxes at the top of the page, a sample list of many available colors is provided. These colors are listed by name in menus directly to the right of each option. Colors may either be selected from these menus or entered manually into the texts fields directly below these menus. Portal developers may revert to the Scout Portal Toolkit default colors by clicking the Restore Default Values button followed by the Change Colors button.

PLEASE NOTE: In order for changes to systems colors take effect, users of some browsers may have to force their browser to reload (usually Control-R or Command-R) the system stylesheet (CSS file). Portal developers may wish to provide a link to the system stylesheet ([portal root directory]/SPTUI--Default/include/SPT--Stylesheet.css) for this purpose.

[ back to top ]

Edit OAI Configurations

Open Archives Initiative is a method of metadata harvesting. According to the OAI web site (http://www.openarchives.org), OAI "develops and promotes interoperability standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content."

The System Administrator can make required changes to the OAI Configuration and the OAI Metadata Field Mappings on the "Edit OAI Configurations" screen.

[ back to top ]

Edit RSS Export Parameters

RSS is a Web content syndication format. Its name is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication, RDF Site Summary and also referred to as Rich Site Summary. RSS is a method of feeding content from the portal to users in the manner of news headlines.

RSS is a dialect of XML. All RSS files must conform to the XML 1.0 specification, as published on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). RSS originated at Netscape in 1999, and has strived to be a simple, easy to understand format. A portal that wants to "publish" newly added content, such as news headlines or stories, creates a description of the content and specifically where the content is on its site in the form of an RSS document.

This portal software feeds a resource's Title and Description drawn from a resource record as well as a URL linking to the full record display in the portal.

Entries To Publish
Number of resources at one time fed on the RSS channel. Portal software continually updates this to be the most recent resources added (and released for viewing).
Channel Title
The name of the channel. It's how people refer to your service. For clarity this should be that same name as the portal site.
Channel Description
A short sentence offering descriptive information on the channel such as sponsoring organization/individual, etc.
Image URL
URL of a GIF, JPEG or PNG image that represents the channel.
Image Title
Describes the image, it's used in the ALT attribute of the HTML <img> tag when the channel is rendered in HTML.
Image Link
URL of the site, when the channel is rendered, the image is a link to the site. Note, in practice the image <title> and <link> should have the same value as the channel's <title> and <link>.
Image Height
Numbers, indicating the height of the image in pixels. Portal software does not have maximum pixel values, however, RSS specifications require values no more than 400.
Image Width
Numbers, indicating the width of the image in pixels. Portal software does not have maximum pixel values, however, RSS specifications require values no more than 144.
Image Description
Text that is included in the TITLE attribute of the link formed around the image in the HTML rendering.
Language
The language the channel is written in. This allows aggregators to group all Italian language sites, for example, on a single page. A list of allowable values for this element, as provided by the W3C in RFC1766.
Copyright
Statement regarding the holder of copyright for the RSS channel content including date and individual/organization.
Managing Editor
Contact email address for RSS content editor.
Webmaster
Contact email address for portal administrator or the person responsible for technical issues relating to the site.
Pics Rating
Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) value indicating the content's appropriateness for children. It was originally designed to help parents and teachers control what children access on the Internet.
[ back to top ]

Add or Remove Forums

This allows the system administrator to create new forums or delete existing forums. The forum name, description, and a moderator must be specified before adding a forum. The forum moderator is responsible for monitoring the forum for appropriate topics and messages, and will have permission to delete either topics or posts associated with that forum. If a forum is removed, all topics and messages associated with that forum will also be removed, and cannot be retrieved. Newly added forums will appear when you select Forums from the navigation bar.

[ back to top ]

Metadata Field Editor

The metadata field editor is designed to customize resource database and metadata structure. At the most basic level, this information can be considered to be data about data, often called metadata. Metadata is the background information which describes the content, quality, condition, and other appropriate characteristics of the resource. It allows for the organization, indexing, classification of data for storage, discovery, and precise retrieval by users.

Why would Portal Creators want to use the Metadata Field Editor? Most simply, the Metadata Field Editor allows System Administrators the option of creating, editing, and deleting database fields and their content. For example, if the System Administrator wants to add a database field for the date a resource will be updated in the future, the System Administrator would use the Metadata Field Editor to create a new date field called "Date of Future Update." See "Customizing Fields" below for more information on this process.

The software is shipped with default fields in close parallel to the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (ANSI/NISO Z39.85-2001) with supplemental additions selected from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative extension proposals. These fields are a starting point for portal developers considering metadata and cataloging needs. The DC element set was developed by the DCMI, an organization dedicated to promoting the widespread adoption of interoperable metadata standards and developing specialized metadata vocabularies for describing resources that enable more intelligent information discovery systems. These fields are meant to be both broadly applicable and easily understood. The fields are defined in the Resource Field Definitions section of the Metadata Tool Help as well as within the database editor.

The default fields parallel (at a basic level) the structured approach one find in a library catalog or commercially available database. For completing these default fields, no particular cataloging rules, syntax, taxonomy, or other descriptive encoding level are prescribed or required. Organizations are encouraged to carefully examine organizational cataloging needs and keep them in mind when establishing which standards, classification schemes, and encoding levels to follow in the application of CWIS for portal development.

Customizing Fields

The required fields for the Metadata Tool to establish a record are the URL, Title, Description, Date Issued, and Release Flag. These fields may not be deleted from the database, the class type changed, or made optional. In some cases, a default value may be supplied.

Portal developers can customize the database's metadata fields (or eliminate unnecessary fields). To accomplish these tasks use the database editor available on the Administrative menu. Portal developers are strongly encouraged to closely evaluate their metadata and cataloging needs prior to populating the portal resources database. Further, the use of existing standards, vocabularies, and rules is likewise encouraged.

To customize the metadata fields, administrators are required to define the characteristics of the field and its functionality. These customizations will be automatically propagated immediately throughout the search engines, displays, and metadata cataloging templates. After extensive alterations to the metadata scheme, portal administrators may be required to rebuild the database using the Rebuild function on the Administration menu.

A user creating a new metadata field must provide the following minimum required information: field type or class, field name, a definition of the field's intended meaning and function, and the field size or minimum values (suggested defaults are provided, but may be edited as needed).

Newly created Text, Paragraph, Number and Flag fields, when enabled, are immediately appended to all existing resource records. For individual records, the default value may be overwritten or edited using the Metadata Tool editing functions. The field also will appear immediately on the Metadata Tool cataloging template. The corresponding default value is written into the resource record if no other value is specified.

Due to conflicts of functionality between field types, the change of existing fields between types is constrained to limit data loss. Text, Paragraph, Flag, and Number fields are interchangeable. Option and Controlled Name fields are interchangeable. Date fields can be changed to a Text field.

Metadata Field Types

The most fundamental attribute of a field is its type. There are 10 types or classes of fields. The field types are:

Text
This field is a free text field. Portal software default metadata field examples for this type include: Title, Alternate Title, URL, Source, Relation, Coverage, Rights, Email Address. Limited HTML tags are permitted to increase visual appeal in the Text field types. The allowable HTML tags include the following: bold <b>, italics <i>, underline <u>, strike <s>, anchor <a>, superscript >sup<, subscript <sub>, paragraph <p>, quote <q>, and preformatted text <pre>. Any break <br> tags or other unsupported HTML tag in Text fields will be stripped after adding or updating the record in the Metadata Tool. All HTML tags will be stripped from metadata harvested via RSS and OAI.
Paragraph
Provides a free text field for block of text. Portal software default metadata field examples for this type is the Description. Limited HTML tags are permitted to increase visual appeal in the Paragraph field types. The allowable HTML tags include the following: bold <b>, italics <i>, underline <u>, strike <s>, anchor <a>, superscript >sup<, subscript <sub>, paragraph <p>, quote <q>, preformatted text <pre> and break <br>. All HTML tags will be stripped from metadata harvested via RSS and OAI.
Number
Provides for a whole number. Portal software default example is the Verification Attempts.
Date and Timestamp
Records a date in a standard format. Users do not need to enter the date in this format. The software will translate a provided date into the standard format (YYYY-MM-DD).

Example
If one enters: January 6, 2001 The date is stored as: 2001-01-06

Default examples for this field are Date Record Checked and the Date Issued.

For searching purposes, this field type appears as a limiting option in the Advanced and Metadata search engines.

Flag
This field allows for toggled values (Yes/No, On/Off, etc.). A Portal software default example is the Release Flag. Please note that the Release does not appear to the public either in a full record display or the Advanced Search. It appears as a search option in the Metadata Tool. Newly created Flag type fields, when enabled, will be searchable via the Advanced Search and the Metadata Tool Search.
Tree
Tree fields allow for the use of an existing standard classification schema or your organization's homegrown taxonomy. A tree field in the portal provides users with a way of browsing through the resources in hierarchical tiers. This approach guides users unfamiliar with terminology to appropriate resources descending in complexity from simple to more precise. Privilege to build or edit the vocabulary or taxonomy of classifications requires authorization from the portal administrator. The Classification field is an example of a tree field.
Controlled Name
This field type allows for the central control of names and vocabularies. Many persons or entities are known by multiple names, or have names that take multiple forms (i.e. IBM, International Business Machines, IBM Inc., etc.). A Controlled Name designates a single official name for that entity within the database. The Variant Names are other names, or forms of names, associated with that entity. For example, acronyms, honorary titles included, dropped initials, diminutives, etc.

Having both a Controlled Name and Variant Names allows all records associated with a single entity to be linked. Editing names is also simplified by requiring only one central edit. The ability to add variants makes it possible to retrieve those name forms when searching collection records. Edits to the Controlled name will be propagated to all associated records bearing Variant Names. Portal software default examples for this field are Publisher, Creator, and Subject.

Option
Option fields are most useful when a limited number of thematically related terms are needed to describe a resource. After the field is created using the database field editor; the vocabulary can then be added, edited, or deleted from the Metadata Tool's Edit Option Lists function. These fields provide Limit options in the Advanced Search and Metadata Tool search engines. Example of this class of fields from the portal software default metadata fields are Audience, Resource type, and Language.
User Fields
User fields record the user account that adds or modifies a resource. User fields are required by the portal system and may not be modified.
Image
Images of .jpg, .gif, and .bmp file types may be added to the record for illustration or other purposes. File selection begins using the Browse button found to the right of field. After selecting the image, the file name will automatically be added to the resource record. To complete the process, click on the Upload Image button. A small image (thumbnail) will appear within the resource record.

Only one image may be added to each particular Screenshot field. Additional fields are required to accommodate additional images.

After an image has been added to a record a Remove Image button will appear. To remove an image already associated with a resource record simply click on this button. The desired image should then be deleted from the resource record.

Portal developers are strongly encouraged to also complete the Screenshot Description field whenever adding an image(s) to a resource record. This field provides explanatory text for images and graphics. According to established guidelines of accessiblity for World Wide Web resources, images or graphics should always provide appropriate explanatory text to insure that the image's meaning is understood by persons using screen reader software (generally those who are blind or with low vision). Completing the Screenshot Description field is an easy method to incorporate this practice into portal development workflow without modification to HTML code.

Additionally, the Screenshot Description field provides text that can be searched (when enabled by portal adminstrators) by the Keyword, Advanced Search, and Metadata Tool search engine.

Other Considerations

After considering the function of a desired metadata field and selecting form the list above, other considerations must be made. Each field must be given attributes. These attributes are:

Field Name
(Required by portal software) A clear, easily understood label.
Definition
(Required by portal software) A statement of explanation, meaning, intent and scope.
Enabled
Yes/No Field actively in use?
Optional
Yes/No Required to be completed or purely optional.
Default Value
Content of field if no other value entered. When creating a new field, if the database has already been populated, the default value will be appended to the existing records.
Include in Keyword Search
Yes/No Include among fields searched for keywords?
Include in Advanced Search
Yes/No Include among fields available in Advance Search and Limits?
Search Weight
1-20 Determines the importance relative to Other searched fields in the determination of relevance for search results. The search weight must be set to be greater than zero to have an affect on keyword searches. The default values for the portal software as shipped are Title=5, Alternate Title=3, Description=1, Controlled Names (Subject, Publisher, and Creator)=3.
Text Field Size
(Required by portal software) Defines the size of the text box available in the Advanced and Metadata Tool Search pages.
Max Length
(Required by portal software) Defines the total length of text available to enter data.

For Paragraph fields administrators must also define the following.

Paragraph Rows:
(Required by portal software) Defines the total length of text available to enter data.
Paragraph Columns:
(Required by portal software) Defines the total height of text available to enter data.

For Number fields administrators must also define the following.

Number Field Size:
(Required by portal software) Defines the total space of text available to enter data.
Minimum Value:
Smallest positive whole number allowed.

For Date fields administrators must also define the following.

Date Field Size:
(Required by portal software) Defines the total length of text available to enter data.
For Flag fields administrators must also define the following.
Flag On Label:
(Required by portal software)
Flag Off Label:
(Required by portal software)

For Option fields administrators must also define the following.

Flag On Label:
(Required by portal software)
Flag Off Label:
(Required by portal software)

Qualifying metadata

To make use of the metadata qualifying features, administrators must answer the following for each metadata field:

Uses Qualifiers
Yes or No, whether a particular field will make use of qualifiers. If an adminstrator answers Yes, but fails to specify further information below no metadata will be refined.
Has Item Level Qualifiers
Yes or No, whether the field qualified at the item level or not. Answering Yes to this question means that a particular field is enabled to possibly have more than one encoding scheme. Resource editors when completing a resource record in the Metadata Tool then choose between all possible values provided to them by the portal administrator. Answering No to this question results in the other option. The metadata field is qualified at the field level, any particular metadata field within a given portal uses the same encoding scheme.
Default Qualifier
One encoding scheme is selected as a default. This is the value the software will supply when no value is selected by the resource editor.
Available Qualifiers
This test box is a list of values generated by the Qualifier Editor. To move a value into the Allowed Qualifiers, highlight that value and click on the Add button immediately below the text box. Only one item may be moved at a time.
Allowed Qualifiers
List of encoding schemes a portal administrator permitted for a given metadata field. This text box is populated by moving items from the Available Qualifiers box into this one. To remove an item, highlight that item and click on the Remove button immediately below the text box. Only one item may be removed at a time. NOTE: Removing an item from this list may result in a loss of data.

Important Reminder

After customizing the database configuration, Administrators are reminded to reflect these changes in the appropriate Help texts. These may include the general search, Advanced search, Metadata Tool Help, and the Administration Help. Since these help texts guide and instruct portal users in use, searching, and maintenance, every effort should be made to accurately guide and educate users as to portal features.

[ back to top ]

Order Metadata Fields

The metadata field ordering page allows System Administrators to control the order in which fields appear on the Full Record, Add New Resource, and Edit Resource pages. Settings for the Display Order (on the left half of the screen) control the ordering seen in the Full Record display. Settings for the Editing Order (on the right half of the screen) control the ordering seen on the Add New Resource and Edit Resource pages.

The position of one or more fields in an ordering can be changed by selecting the field(s) and clicking on the appropriate "Up" or "Down" button. More than one field can be selected by using control-click (command-click on Macs). Changes to field orderings will be effective once the "Submit" button has been clicked.

[ back to top ]

Qualifier Editor

Generally a Dublin Core Metadata Inititative (DCMI) qualifier can be either an element refinement or an encoding scheme and helps provide context or narrow meaning to a metadata value. This can be especially important when aggregating heterogeneous metadata. Any portal intent on sharing metadata with other digital library projects or portals should consider qualifying its metadata.

This software package provides for the qualification of the Dublin Core metadata fields with encoding schemes. The software is shipped with default values drawn from DCMI recommendations. Although these DCMI terms are provided for convenience, they are not required by the software. The software allows for the qualification of a particular field both at the metadata field and the record level. The Qualifier Editor is the first step in this process. Here administrators specify the encoding scheme and provide the machine readable specification URL (as maintained by DCMI or other standard maintenance organization) and namespace.

To add a new qualifier, simply add the name or value in the Name, Namespace and URL fields. Then click on the Add New button. To edit, type the correct value in the appropriate field, check the box to the left, and click the Update button. You may correct multiple entries simultaneously by correcting/editing the information, checking the box to the left, and clicking on the Update button. Adminstrators should enter all anticipated qualifiers for any metadata field. Use the Metadata Field Editor to apply each of these to a particular field and set default values.

DCMI recommended element refinement fields are handled differently by portal software. These are supplied as default metadata fields. Simply enable all desired fields in the Metadata Field Editor.

NOTE: Presently the Import, RSS, and manual export functions do not support DCMI Qualifiers. Qualified metadata is supported in OAI harvesting.

NOTE: Removing a qualifier that is in use throughout the database may result in data loss.

For an up-to-date specification of all metadata terms maintained by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, including elements, element refinements, encoding schemes, and vocabulary terms (for example, DCMI Type Vocabulary) see the "DCMI Metadata Terms" document available at http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-terms/. A basic discussion of the application of the Dublin Core Element Set is Diane Hillman's "Using Dublin Core" available at http://dublincore.org/documents/usageguide/ .

[ back to top ]

Revision History

This section provides a complete revision history chronology of the development, from initial beta release. This information is provided and updated by the Internet Scout Project with every release.

[ back to top ]

Register with Scout

This page allows you to automatically register your installation with the software development group at the Internet Scout Project. None of the information submitted will be shared with anyone outside of Scout without your explicit permission, except for aggregate statistics (not identifiable as connected with you or your site).

Information about your site can be entered and changed on this page. If information about your site changes, you may update your registration with Scout using this page.

[ back to top ]

Editing a User Account

User Access Privileges

The Portal has eight different access privileges. These privileges allow the System Administrator to assign different types of work to different people. For example, if the System Administrator (SA) has one person who should be updating the news and announcements section of the front page, the SA will designate that person a News Administrator. The News Administrator privilege will allow only that person to add News and Announcements (unless they are given other privileges). If the SA has three people who need to add and edit resource records, the SA will designate those three people Resource Administrators. Those three people will then be able to add, edit, and delete resource records.

The Portal also has User Privileges that facilitate better workflow. For example, if the SA wants to have many people create resource records, but doesn't want to make those viewable on the portal until they can be checked and edited, the SA would designate someone a Release Flag Administrator. The Release Flag Administrator will verify all resource records created by Resource Administrators before making them public on the portal site.

The definition of each privilege is:

System Administrator

Controls the overall management of the portal, member access privileges, site graphics and customization, database field structure, and by default is responsible for email communications regarding the portal.

NOTE: A System Administrator may NOT remove this privilege from his/her own account. For System Administrators, the System Administrator privilege does not appear with other privilege options when viewing one's own account privileges.

News Administrator

Contributes and edits news items to appear on the portal front page.

Master Resource Administrator

Develops, edits, and maintains the metadata record for each resource being described. Resource Administrators do not by default have privileges to add names or vocabulary to any of the Controlled Name Attribute lists or Classification schema.

Personal Resource Administrator

Creates new resources and may edit and maintain the metadata records for any resources he or she has created. Personal Resource Administrators do not by default have privileges to add names or vocabulary to any of the Controlled Name Attribute lists or Classification schema.

Forum Administrator

Controls the discussions and bulletin board communication tools.

Classification Administrator

Builds and maintains the classification taxonomy (e.g., "Computers > Hardware > Keyboards > Wireless Keyboards") for the portal.

Controlled Names Administrator

Has the responsibility of codifying and editing the name forms across the Controlled Name fields (e.g., Publisher, Creator). It is strongly suggested that these fields are populated using either established controlled vocabularies (Library of Congress Subject Headings, for example), union list of names forms (Getty Union List of Artist Names, for example), or thoughtfully develop in cooperation with other Administrators an appropriate control mechanism in-house.

Release Flag Administrator

The Release flag is an internal feature that allows resource records to kept from public view while awaiting editorial review. This privilege controls the ability to review and make resource records available within the database of resources. This feature can be used in tandem with or distinct from the Resource Administrator privilege, depending on desired workflow.

User Account Administrator

Controls the privileges for all registered users of the portal. NOTE: A System Administrator may NOT remove this privilege from his/her own account. For System Administrators, the System Administrator privilege will not appear with other privilege options when viewing one's own account privileges.

Can Post To Forums

Users with the Can Post To Forums privilege can post messages to forums in the portal. New user accounts have this privilege by default.

Can Post Resource Comments

When the portal has User Comments Enabled, users with the Can Post Resource Comments privilege may add comments to resources in the portal. New user accounts have this privilege by default.

Disable User

Checking this box and saving the changes will disable the user's account, preventing the user from logging in.

Separating the maintenance and development tasks of portal management allows an organization the flexibility to create the most efficient workflow possible. The ability to disperse the workflow across individuals allows an organization to create discrete tasks in the workflow as needed to streamline efficiency. Separating the work into specific roles and permissions is especially useful for projects located in more than one geographic location.

Permission is granted by highlighting each task title (Shift+Click) and then clicking on the Update button at the bottom of the page.

Edit personal account information

The System Administrator also has the responsibility and authority to edit each individual members' personal data by completing the form provided. Click Save Changes to save the changes.

[ back to top ]

Edit New Account Email Text

System Administrators may customize the message a new portal member receives via email after initially signing up. The message welcomes the new member and gives the member the initial password.

The System Administrator simply enters the desired message in the box provided. A default message is supplied. The text can contain special strings that will be replaced when the e-mail is sent as follows:

X-PORTALNAME-X portal name
X-USERNAME-X user login name
X-PASSWORD-X user password

Don't forget to include the user's new password (X-PASSWORD-X) in the message so they'll be able to log in!

[ back to top ]

Import User Accounts

Some portal creators will have a database of user accounts that they would like to use with the CWIS software.

To use information from a previous database, the information must have a specific format. The required format for import is a file containing tab separated fields with each record terminated by a newline character (\n).Any line containing a newline character (\n) within any field will cause the import to be terminated on that record.

Below is the format that is required for import. If UserPassword is left blank, it will default to UserName. Users should be instructed to change their password after they login. The fields must be in the following order:

[ back to top ]

Export User Accounts

Some portal administrators may wish to export a database of users created with SPT. For each user in the portal, the Export User Accounts feature exports the following:

More information about the format of the exported data can be found on the Export User Accounts page.

[ back to top ]

Track User Comments

This feature allows System Administrators to view resource comments left by portal users. Comments appearing on this page are sorted by post date and provide links to the relevant resource and to the poster's email address.

[ back to top ]

Import Data

This tool allows the system administrator to import data into the portal from an external file. The import requires a very specific format, which is described below. The import may take a long time.

The required format for import is a file containing tab separated fields with each record terminated by a newline character. Any line containing a newline character within any field will cause the import to be terminated on that record. The first line of the import file must contain a list of tab separated database fields as defined in the Database Editor.

Import supports two variations of file formats. The first format looks exactly like an export file created by CWIS (see below). The second format allows the user to specify specific Controlled Name or Option fields in the first header line. For an example file, create an export file from the Administration menu and examine the file.

To accommodate multiple Controlled Names or Classifications already assigned to a Resource Record, a line must exist for each one, with the additional Resource fields duplicated. In other words, if a Resource Record has three ControlledNames and two Classifications, five lines for that particular resource should be in the file. Resources that have no ControlledNames or Classifications assigned to them should just have either an empty string (\0) or nothing between the tab separators for those fields.

If the Title field is left blank for subsequent additional Controlled Names, those ControlledNames will be assigned to the last record that contained a title

Once the records have been imported, both the search and recommender databases should be rebuilt so that searching and the recommender system work correctly.

To import a data file:

  1. Below is an example header line format that would work with the default fields as distributed with the CWIS release package:

    Alternately, the follow header line format would alswork:

  2. Use the "Browse..." button below to locate your local file for import. Initiate import by clicking on the "Begin Import" button. Your file will be uploaded to the server and the data imported.

NOTE: Importing resource records with images is not supported at this time.

[ back to top ]

Export Data

This tool allows the system administrator to export data from the portal into an external file. The export data is in a tab separated format, which is described below.

The export format is a file containing tab separated fields with each record terminated by a newline (carriage return) character. The first line of the file will contain the names of the fields as defined in the Database Editor (only those with Enabled set to "yes" will be exported). Option and ControlledName type fields are both exported as "ControlledName" for the field name, and "ControlledNameTypeName" for the value (see below). An exported file will be in the following format with the default fields as distributed with the CWIS release package:

  1. Title
  2. AlternateTitle
  3. Description
  4. Url
  5. ReleaseFlag
  6. Source
  7. Relation
  8. Coverage
  9. Rights
  10. EmailAddress
  11. DateIssued
  12. DateOfRecordCreation
  13. DateRecordChecked
  14. DateLastModified
  15. ControlledName
  16. ControlledNameTypeName (eg: Creator, Publisher, Contributor, Subject, ResourceType, Audience, Language, Format, ...)
  17. ClassificationName
  18. ClassificationTypeId (1)
  19. Ex

Export instructions follow:

  1. Select the "Export Flagged Resources" button to select resources flagged for export with Advanced Search, or
  2. Select "Export All Resources" to export every resource.

After the file has been exported, a download link will be provided.

NOTE: Exporting resource records with images is not supported at this time.

[ back to top ]

Purge Sample Records

This allows the system administrator to purge out all the sample records that are distributed with the package. All sample records with "[--SAMPLE RECORD--]" in the description will be deleted from the database.

[ back to top ]

Rebuild Search Database

Rebuilding the database is not a normal part of portal operation unless the System Configuration setting Default Updating of Search Database has been disabled. The notable exceptions would be after some instances of field customization or when importing a data collection. Rebuilding the search database can take a long time (hours if you have a large number of resources). During this rebuild process users may experience slower than usual response times. Administrators may also need to rebuild the database after upgrading from a previous version of the software, to take advantage of any improvements in the search engine in the new release.

Default Updating of Search Database in the System Configuration settings, controls whether newly added or edited records will be automatically included in the Search database or held for a manual rebuild of the Search database. When marked Enabled, newly added records will be added to the Search database actively. When the flag is marked enabled all records, including those just entered or edited, are available to both users and editors immediately via any of the searching methods included in the system (Keyword, Advanced and Metadata tool). The process of actively updating the Search database will cause the submission and update processes response times to be somewhat slower. When marked Disabled, newly added records will NOT be dynamically added to the Search database. Linked metadata fields (Classification, Publisher, Creator, etc.) will be immediately linked, but searching via Keyword, Advanced Search, or the Metadata Tool Search will not return those resource records until a manual rebuild of the Search database has been completed by the portal administrator. Metadata editors should experience significantly faster response times when editing and adding resource records.

[ back to top ]

Rebuild Recommender Database

The recommendation system is available to registered users, and tries to provide meaningful suggestions for resources that the user may find interesting and useful. The option will appear on the navigation bar after a user has logged in.

These suggestions are based on the resource ratings a user enters in the course of exploring the portal and searching for new resources. If a user has not rated any resources the result will be zero recommendations. To maximize the usefulness of these recommendations, users need to rate resources in a thoughtful manner. Random ratings will skew recommendations and diminish usefulness. The more resources that are rated meaningfully by the user, the more precise the recommendations will become.

In generating recommendations, the system considers the content of each resource record, and the Title, Alternate Title, Description, and Classification field content in particular, with title and classification information given precedence over description.

Administrators may need to rebuild the recommendation database when upgrading from a previous software version. Rebuilding the recommender database may take a long time (hours) if you have a large number of resources. During the rebuild process, the other portal features and the recommendation system will be available; however, suggestions might temporarily be less meaningful or offer anachronistic results to users.

Default Updating of Recommender Database in the System Configuration settings, controls whether newly added or edited records will be automatically included in the Recommender database or held for a manual rebuild of the Recommender database. When marked Enabled, newly added records will be added to the Recommender database actively. The process of actively updating the Recommender database will cause the submission and update processes response times to be somewhat slower. When marked Disabled, newly added records will NOT be dynamically added to the Recommender database. Metadata editors should experience significantly faster response times when editing and adding resource records.