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URLibService User's Guide
Version 2.1


Chapter 2

Editing and Updating the Metadata

by Gerald J. F. Banon

Contents

Preamble
Using the default metadata
Updating metadata
Creating one more set of metadata

Preamble

Once you have started URLibService (see Chapter 1), you can edit the metadata of a new document or update the metadata of an existing one.

Metadata are data describing data. The prefix "meta" means "beyong". A good example of metadata is the table of contents in a book.

In the URLib environment, the metadata describe the documents which are part of the collection.

Here is an example of set of metadata in the Refer format:

%0 Book Section
%A Banon, Gerald Jean Francis,
%T Editing and Updating the Metadata
%B URLibService User's Guide
%I Deposited in the URLib collection.
%2 iconet.com.br/banon/2001/06.08.23.45.41
%3 target.html
%4 iconet.com.br/banon/2001/06.08.23.45

Actually, this set of metadata describes this document.

In the URLib environment, the metadata are kept separately from the document.

Associated with a document one should have one (or more) set of metadata; each of one being stored in a separate repository.

In this chapter, we explain the many ways of editing and updating a set of metadata and of creating more than one set of metadata for a given document.

Before reading this chapter you should know how to use URLibService. Please read the online helps of this service beforehand.

Using the default metadata

The easiest way to assign a set of metadata to a document is to edit first the set of default metadata.

The set of default metadata is contained in document entiltled Default Metadata and permanently stored in the repository <dpi.inpe.br/banon/1999/09.12.15.10> under the file name <@metadata.refer>.

The Default Metadata document usually contains the set of metadata that was assigned to the last deposited document.

When you deposit a new document in a New Repository, the set of default metadata is assigned to the new document. Consequently, it is recommended to edit or update these metadata beforehand.

The best way to do that is to click the Edit Menu Button in the Depositing a Document (DD) windows.

A menu will display all the possible reference types plus and empty field on the top. To use current reference type of the default metadata, click the empty field, otherwise choose another reference type, then a window entitled URLibService - Edit will open for you to edit the set of metadata. After editing, click the OK Button in this window.

When clicking the OK Button in the Depositing a Document (DD) windows, the set of metadata you have just edited will be automatically assigned to the document being deposited.

WARNING: there exist three cases for which the set of default metadata is not used when depositing a document in a New Repository.

The first case is when, for some reason, the Clipboard contains a different set of metadata in the Refer Format.

This option is useful on Windows when using EndNote to edit a new reference (click References > New) or update an old one. Once the set of metadata is ready, click the X Button (top right) and press the key sequence Ctrl+K. The set of metadata will be copied on the Clipboard. When depositing the document the clipboard content will be captured and used as metadata.

The second case is when the document you want to deposit is a document already stored in a repository. That is, when the Which ? Form ends with the string </doc/>. In this case, the set of metadata that will be used is the set of metadata already assigned to that repository.

The third case is when a file containing a set of metadada in the Isis format is deposited in the <clipboard> directory (below the Home Directory). In this case, the set of metadata that will be used is the set of metadata contained in this file. The name of this file is arbitrary. This file will be automatically removed once the document is deposited.

Updating metadata

Once a document has been deposited in a new repository, that is once you have click the OK Button, its metadata can be updated at any time.

To update the set of metadata assigned to a document, you select in the Browsing the Collection windows the repository containing that document and then you click the Edit Menu Button.

A menu will display all the possible reference types plus and empty field on the top. By clicking the empty field, the set(s) of metadata assigned to the selected document will be displayed, using the current reference type, in window(s) entitled URLibService - Edit (one window for each set of metadata). After editing, you can update it (them) by clicking the OK Button. The changes reflect immediatly on the Web.

If you need to change the current reference type, instead of clicking the empty field you click the desired reference type.

WARNING: updating the metadata is only possible for an original document, otherwise the Edit and Reload Buttons are disabled.

On Windows, you can also update metadata using EndNote. Nevertheless, before doing the first update you have to import the set of metadata (the set of metadata edited before depositing the document cannot be used).

To import a set of metadada, click File > Import and then the Choose File ... Button to select the appropriate <@metadata.refer> file.

After importing and updating the set of metadata, you press the key sequence Ctrl+K and then the Reload Button in the Browsing the Collection windows. The changes reflect immediatly on the Web.

Creating one more set of metadata

It is sometimes interesting to create one more set of metadata in another language.

i. Open the URLibService - Edit window by clicking the Edit Menu Button and selecting the empty field. Translate the set of metadata, select the add option and click the OK Button. A new repository will created to hold the translated set of metadata.

ii. Click the Check Button to open the Check window. In this window click the repository names below Metadata Repositories link, one at a time. In each Check window click the Language link and select the appropriate language.

HINT: to return to the previous URLibService - Check window, just click, using the right mouse button, the S (S for Select) Button.