Difference between revisions of "Virtual Archive of Logical Empiricism (VALEP)"

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[https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/virtualarchive/ VALEP] is an archive and edition management tool designed as a platform for the history of Logical Empiricism and related currents. It is hosted by the [https://www.univie.ac.at/ University of Vienna] ([https://wienerkreis.univie.ac.at/ Institute Vienna Circle] and [https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/ Phaidra]). VALEP serves as a platform for the structured storage of large archival collections, the creation of facsimile editions, digital editions and open access publications. The first version of VALEP went online in 2021.
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The system is growing rapidly. It currently offers over 200,000 scans from the papers of Rudolf Carnap, Herbert Feigl, Carl Gustav Hempel, Otto Neurath, W.V.O. Quine, Rose Rand, Hans Reichenbach, Franz Roh, Moritz Schlick, Wolfgang Stegmüller, and others. VALEP hosts several open access publications that include the diaries of Rudolf Carnap, a facsimile edition of the correspondence of Rudolf Carnap and his intellectual network, parts of the Bergen Nachlass Edition of the Works of Ludwig Wittgenstein, an electronic edition (in LaTeX, TEI-XML, and HTML5) of the diaries of Rudolf Carnap, and a facsimile edition of the Neurath papers. VALEP mirrors its data in [https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/ Phaidra]. Cooperation partners that provide their material to VALEP include the [https://www.library.pitt.edu/ University of Pittsburgh Library System], the [https://www.uibk.ac.at/brenner-archiv/index.html.de Brenner-Archiv], the [https://www.iph.uni-rostock.de/forschung/moritz-schlick-forschungsstelle/  Moritz Schlick Forschungsstelle], and the [https://wab.uib.no/ Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen].
  
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This is the electronic hanbook of VALEP. The page was created on Dec 1, 2020 and will be continusly developed in the following weeks.
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VALEP consists of an archive tree (left part of the window) where sources from several archives are stored, always mirroring the physical structure of the material, including collections, shelves, boxes, folders, and files. Files being stored in the archive tree include photos/scans in jpg format, pdf documents, as well as audio and video files in mp3 and mp4 format. Files then become processed into documents (middle part of the window) that assign a document category, document type, [https://doi.org/ DOI], and several [[metadata]] that include title, description, author, and date (upper right part of the window). Documents may contain files from different parts of the archive tree that represent different versions of the document, and they may also contain other documents as subdocuments. A special type of documents are persons and institutions. Files can be viewed in an integrated document viewer (lower right part of the window). VALEP records titles, descriptions and the like in the text format unicode. But some [[metadata]] categories, including date, location, language, persons, and institutions, are stored in a relational database and/or using special formats and parsing tools, e.g., EDTF for dates, and an internal tool for the mereological structure of locations.  
  
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*On the history, hosts, and cooperation partners of VALEP see [[VALEP:About|About VALEP]]
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This is the electronic manual of VALEP. In addition to this page, you can find more information on the following pages:
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*See how VALEP is processing knowledge into [[Metadata|metadata]]
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*On the current project of a [[Digital_Edition_of_the_Diaries_of_Rudolf_Carnap_1908-1935_(FWF-Grant_PUD_31-G)|Digital Edition of the Diaries of Rudolf Carnap 1908-1935]]
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*Or jump directly to [https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/ VALEP]
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*On the history, hosts, cooperation partners, and the scope and mission of VALEP, see [[VALEP:About|about VALEP]]
 +
*Review our [[VALEP:Privacy policy|privacy policy]] and [[VALEP:General disclaimer|general disclaimer]]
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*Discover how VALEP is processing knowledge into [[Metadata|metadata]]
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*Or go directly to the [https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/ VALEP database]
  
  
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== The scope and mission of VALEP ==
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== Practical Tips and Hints for First Time Users of VALEP ==
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* Only material with resolved copyright issues is publicly available, the rest is accessible for registered/internal users only.
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* VALEP is optimized for the ''Chrome'' browser and works well with ''Firefox''; other browsers might also work but have not yet been tested.
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* VALEP sometimes gets hung up: try to click on a node or button for a second time, this will resolve the problem in most cases.
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* When VALEP gets hung up continuously, or you encounter other problems, we recommend resetting the current state as represented by the current URL with the F5 key or by clicking the refresh button of your browser.
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* You may also click the elephant symbol in the upper left corner to reset VALEP to its initial state.
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* VALEP is best suited for large screens (4K, > 30 inch) but also works well on medium size full HD screens; smaller screens also work, but it might become tedious at times; VALEP has not yet been adapted for smartphone use.
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* You can adjust the sections of your VALEP screen by moving the borders of each section (reset to the initial state with F5).
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* Optionally, you can also use the "Details" button in the upper right corner to switch between Detail view and view of the File viewer alone.
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* If your screen tends to be too small, try to maximize the window with the F11 key or use the Detail button.
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* You can use several instances of the VALEP window simultaneously: open different VALEP objects in different browser tabs or browser windows, or even different browser brands.
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* When you created or updated an entry in the database, a green message will confirm a successful update at the server level; however, at times, you may need to refresh the browser window, so that the information will also be visible on the screen.
  
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[[File:VALEP-window-public.jpg|thumb]]
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== The Public Part of VALEP ==
  
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VALEP is an archive management tool that is intended as a platform for the history of Logical Empiricism and related currents.  
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You access the public part of VALEP when you visit [https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/ valep.vc.univie.ac.at] without logging in. The [[:File:VALEP-window-public.jpg|VALEP window]] consists of the archive tree (on the left/red), the document section (in the middle/green), the metadata window (top right/yellow), and the file viewer (bottom right/blue). Versions contain those files of the archive tree that belong to a document and therefore connect the archive tree and the document section. Chapters combine several documents, represented in the bottom document window.  
  
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VALEP processes
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=== Adjusting Sections and Resetting the Layout ===
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* (left/red part of the window) the hierarchical structures of archives that include archives, collections, digitizations, shelfs, boxes, folders, files
 
  
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* (middle/green part of the window) documents that process files of an archive into objects that belong to a certain document category, document type and become specified by means of [[metadata]] that include title, description, author, date
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The borders between the different screen sections (archive tree, top and bottom document window, metadata window, file viewer) can be adjusted. This allows you to customize the size of the screen sections as needed.
  
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* (upper right/yellow part of the window) All archive nodes and documents are characterized by [[metadata]] that can be viewed in the upper right part of the window
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Whenever you want to reset the screen layout to its default state, just press the F5 key. But please note that this will delete any changes you made to the screen. You will return to the screen that you see when you first visit [https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/ valep.vc.univie.ac.at].
  
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* (lower right/blue part of the window) Files and documents can be watched in an integrated document viewer (already available) and they can be downloaded and printed (to be implemented in 2021)
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=== Archive Tree (Elements) ===
  
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VALEP stores titles, descriptions and the like as Unicode. But some [[metadata]] categories that include date, location, language, persons, and institutions are stored here via references in a relational database and/or using special formats and parsing tools, e.g., EDTF for data, and an internal tool for the mereological grasp of locations. See the [[metadata]] page for the details.  
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This is only an overview. For details, see the respective section on the [[Metadata#All metadata (archive tree)|metadata]] page.
  
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=== Is it digital humanities? ===
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The Structure of the Archive Tree:
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* '''Archives''' (the root of the tree, it does not represent anything in itself)
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** Archive X (A physical archive or repository, either public or private) <br />Examples: Institute Vienna Circle, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Xs private collection
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*** Y '''Collection''' (A collection that represents holdings on an authority Y, which can either be an individual or an institution - Y collections might exist in several archives) <br />Examples: Carnap collection, Vienna Circle collection
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**** Box O (Boxes might contain ...
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***** Box P ... sub-boxes or folders, but no files)
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****** Folder S (A folder is a box that is either empty or contains files and/or versions)
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******* [[#Versions|Version]] F (this is a list of files that is associated with a document - versions can only be created within a general document) <br />Examples: Original letter Neurath to Carnap, 1935-05-12; Copy of Carnap, From Chaos to Reality
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******* File a (A folder might contain several files arranged in VALEP according to the alphabetic order of the file names - non-trivial metadata can be associated with files via versions only) <br />Files can be photos (jpg), text files (pdf), audio (mp3) or video files (mp4)
  
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If one expects from a digital humanities project the adoption of sophisticated statistical methods of experimental research, then the answer is clearly no. Though the data pool being built by VALEP might in the future be used for the adoption of such methods, VALEP neither now nor in the near future is planning to integrate any tools for complex statistical evaluation.
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=== Archive Tree (click and double click) ===
  
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On the other hand, VALEP is certainly aiming to collect large amounts of data. The history of Logical Empiricism, together with related currents such as Neokantianism, French Positivism, British Empiricism, and American Pragmatism, comprises of dozens of main figures and probably thousands of minor figures that include university and private scholars. The estates of many of these relevant figures are to be found in public institutions and private collections. Further material was collected by relevant universitarian and private institutions. There are thousands of manuscripts, publications, and probably millions of letters between representatives of the relevant currents that might be taken into account in one or another way, in our studies of Logical Empiricism. VALEP allows us to story any of these sources, as soon as we get them available in electronic form. Then, we can search them and filter them, in order to select the material that is relevant for us. This is, of course, also a variety of digital humanities.
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* An arrow to the left of an element indicates content. Just click on the arrow and the content becomes visible. Clicking the arrow again will hide the content.  
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* Clicking an Element will display its metadata in the top right window
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=== Existing tools are document oriented and typically cover only rudimentary metadata ===
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* A double click on a [[#Versions|version]] will display the document in the bottom middle window  
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* A double click on a file will display the sequence of files to which it belongs in the [[#The file viewer|file viewer]]
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Existing tools for the management of archival sources include (1)  those tools that university archives such as the [https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/archives-scientific-philosophy Archives of Scientific Philosophy] use; (2) open tools such as [https://philarchive.org/ PhilArchive] where everybody might upload electronic documents; (3) tools being tailored for the presentation of the material of a specific origin such as the papers of [http://www.wittgensteinsource.org/ Ludwig Wittgenstein]. All these tools have in common that they are more or less strictly '''document oriented'''. They do not mirror the physical structure of an archive but rather store documents that form a particular unit of metadata. This approach could be fruitful, if the processing of the documents might be rather well developed and the metadata might be clear and transparent and sufficiently complex.
 
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However, the problem is that most of the existing tools cover only rather rudimentary metadata, and, in the case of the tools being used by public archives, the problem is often that they hardly process single documents as forming a logical unit of some kind (e.g. letter from Otto Neurath to Rudolf Carnap from December 26, 1934) but rather focus on those units being naturally provided by the archive, viz., folders that contain, e.g., several letters from Carnap to Neurath from the years 1923 to 1929 and sometimes might also include further material that does not directly relate to the main theme. In cases like that, complex metadata may not be possible at all, simply because the document units are too vague.
 
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=== An archive oriented presentation might be helpful ===
 
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In cases where a digital archive only covers rudimentary metadata and rather ambiguous documents, it might be most helpful to include a presentation of the digital material that represents the physical structure of an archive. Archives typically structure their material into collections and subcollections, shelfs, boxes, folders, and the like, and the finegrained structure of this organization of the material very often already represents a certain order, e.g., distinguishes between manuscripts and correspondence, puts some chronological order to the material and/or picks out certain topics or correspondence partners. Even if such an order is quite inconsistent and also covers pure chaos at times, users of an archive usually are able to use this order in a mnemotechnical way, often supported by useful finding aids that exist for an archive. Therefore, the most obvious way to make electronic archival sources more transparent and usable would be to add a perspective on the material that mirrors the physcial structure of the archive.
 
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=== The logarithmic scale of archival work ===
 
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[[File:Logarithmicscale.jpg|thumb]]
 
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Note also that representing an archive in the way in which it is physically organized also yields a very strong pragmatic benefit. If a digitization of an archive is stored in folders that mirror the structure of the archive, then in VALEP one may upload the entire material, basically, with a single mouse click. The archival work being involved here is close to zero. On the other hand, if this archive is really large as, for example, the Schlick papers in Haarlem that comprise some 50,000 pages or the Carnap papers at the ASP that might come close to 100,000 pages, then one might expect that a carefull processing of the documents that belong to this archive might possibly need to process several tenthousands of documents. If an archivist, say, processes 20 documents per hour, this might amount at several years of full time work of an archivist. So, we compare here two extremely different points on the scale of gains divided by working time. Most of the available archival resources will never become processed into a fine grained document structure, for mere lack of time and financial resources. However, these sources might still be made available, at the level of representation of the physical structure of the source.
 
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=== Adequate [[metadata]] are important ===
 
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Metadata can be needlessly complex and confusing. A careful selection is important. This includes that a document should be associated only with these metadata categories that might become relevant for it. Only a letter, for example, has a receiver or a place of posting, whereas a manuscript unlike a published book or article may not offer any publication data. So, one important aspect of making making metadata adequate is to restrict documents of a certain category to those metadata categories being relevant here.
 
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But metadata should also be carefully selected, regarding their format. This holds, in particular, for key metadata such as [[Metadata#Date|date]] and [[Metadata#Location|location]]. Dates should be able to cover not only (several) single days but also entire months or years, and date ranges, e.g. from December 24 1924 until October 1930. This allows one to cover also cases where the date of a document is not sufficiently localized or where a document was produced over a longer period and/or at different days or years. Locations, on the other hand, should become embedded into the mereological structure of geography. That Vienna, for example, belongs to Austria and Europe but also to the Habsburg Empire and the German speeking world, is a fact that is not easily to be reproduced but is needed in order to pick out all Viennese locations, if one filters documents from Vienna, Austria, Europe, the Habsburg Empire, or the German speeking world. Finally, in many other cases, e.g., regarding persons, institutions, languages, a consistently searchable and filterable layout is easily obtained if the database uses relational features and stores these items in certain predefined lists or tables. References to these predefined resources, however, should typically be optional, in order to keep the structure of a database as flexible as possible.
 
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=== Documents might have instances ([[#Versions|versions]], [[#Chapters|chapters]]) being spread over different archival sources ===
 
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An important aspect of the integration of several archival sources is that documents tend to be located not only in one folder/box that belongs to collection X. Rather, the following holds quite frequently:
 
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* There is the original document being located in archive X, whereas copies are to be found in other archives, e.g., blueprints of an letter being kept by the sender (which might contain relevant information that the original letter does not provide)
 
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* There are written duplicates of a document, transcriptions, and translations as well as commentaries that lie at very different archival locations.
 
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* Finally, a document might disintegrate into several parts or chapters that, in turn, might be spread over different archives (some of them might be the orignal source, some might be copies, written duplicates, transcriptions, etc.)
 
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=== A note on copyright ===
 
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The international copyright situation dictates that it is unproblematic, in principle, to make all varieties of metadata openly available, whereas facsimiles may be published online only if (α) the copyright was granted to the publishers by the copyright holders, or (β) there is a legal situation that allows publication without explicit transfer of copyright. (β) falls into two typical case types: (β-1) publication of a document is possible if all involved authors died at least 70 years ago, which makes the material public domain; (β-2) publication is possible if the publishers can prove that the copyright holders could not be identified though the publishers tried to find them in several reasonable ways.
 
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=== Keep material internal as long as the copyright issues could not be positively resolved ===
 
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Another logarithmic scale is emerging here. It is often quite easy for big figures such as Carnap, Reichenbach, or Quine, to get copyrights granted for everything they wrote. But in their papers there is also a wealth of material that was written by others - letters TO Carnap, Quine, Reichenbach - or touches upon privacy rights of others - when Carnap talks in a letter ABOUT a person X. To solve all the copyright issues that emerge in a huge Nachlass might become a tedious and almost unmanagable task. Thereofore, it might be desirable that a an database enables to deal with these issues in a maximally flexible way. Material might be either kept internal in its entirety - metadata plus facsimiles - or it might become published (because metadata are unproblematic, in principle) but without public access to the facsimiles. Moreover, it should be possible to restrict access to the internal level of a database to those parts of the material that the account holder is allowed to see.
 
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=== Desirable Features ===
 
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Along the lines of these considerations, the following features would be desirable additions to the typical coverage of existing archival tools:
 
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* To cover the physical structure of an archive (in order to serve the mnemotechnical skills of researchers and make existing finding aids more useful)
 
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* To provide parts with high gains and low costs first and add the rest -- very high gains and very high costs -- only in these cases where the existing resources make this possible
 
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* To provide a flexible handling of metadata categories that tailor them to the required document categories
 
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* To ensure that critical metadata categories such as date and location use a most flexible, consistent and transparent format, together with suitable parsing tools (that avoid inconsistent entries)
 
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* To implement other critical metadata via predefined lists and tables in a relational database setting, while keeping data fields optional whenever possible
 
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* To provide suitable tools that enable the processing of decentralized documents that disintegrate into several versions and chapters
 
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* To enable keeping parts of published material restricted - access to the metadata but not to the facsimiles - or even keeping metadata and the facsimiles internal, as long as copyright issues remain unsolved
 
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=== VALEP offers them ===
 
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Hardly surprising, the aforementioned features are all offered by VALEP. The design of this tool was from the beginning centered around the idea of combining representation of an archive via its physical structure with representation via documents. The rest of the innovative features of VALEP in part directly followed from this key idea -- this is true, for example, for the implementation of versions and chapters who somewhat intermediate beteween (general) documents and archives --, and in part dived into the conception on the basis of feedback from archivists and the designer's own experience at the archives.
 
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=== Who can use VALEP? ===
 
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VALEP is available to everybody and it's free of charge in all its varieties. Typical users of VALEP might include:
 
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* Public and private institutions that house material on the history of Logical Empiricism and want to use VALEP as a tool that helps them to distribute their sources and integrate them with other relevant material
 
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* Private persons that hold collections being relevant for the history of Logical Empiricism and want to use VALEP not just to distribute and integrate their sources but also to safeguard them for the future
 
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* Researchers from all over the world who digitized material in the archives and are willing to share this with others and/or want to use VALEP as a tool that allows them to process and better organize their sources
 
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If you are interested in using VALEP as an institution, private person, or researcher, please contact [mailto:christian.damboeck@univie.ac.at Christian Damböck].
 
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== Future prospects ==
 
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The recent (and first) version of VALEP was developed in 2020. It will be tested and optimized until March 2021. The resulting version, then, will be distributed to a wider audience. Until spring/summer 2021 we plan to implement, among other things, the following additional features:
 
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* Persistent links to all objects of the archive tree and to all documents
 
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* For each node of the archive tree the number of files that belong to this node becomes displayed
 
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* Bundles of documents can be loaded to the file viewer
 
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* The sequence of jpgs that is loaded to the file viewer can be downloaded as a pdf
 
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* In the internal view (construction site) the nested content of any node of the archive tree can be downloaded to the local computer
 
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Features to be implemented until 2022
 
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* Integration of [https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/ Phaidra]: each published VALEP object becomes stored in Phaidra
 
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* The possibility to selectively restore deleted VALEP objects
 
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* Possibilities to mark objects in VALEP with flags, together with advanced filter tools
 
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If you found any bugs, want to report shortcomings of VALEP or point to desired features, please contact [mailto:christian.damboeck@univie.ac.at Christian Damböck].
 
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== The public part ==
 
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The public part of VALEP is the site you are entering if you call [https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/ valep.vc.univie.ac.at] without logging in. The [[:File:VALEP-window-public.jpg|VALEP window]] disintegrates into the archive tree (on the left/red), the document part (in the middle/green), the metadata window (top right/yellow), and the file viewer (bottom right/blue). Versions contain those files of the archive tree that belong to a document and therefore connect the archive tree and the document part. Chapters put several documents together, which becomes visible in the bottom document window.
 
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=== Slide borders and press F5 ===
 
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The borders between the parts of the window (archive tree, top and bottom document window, metadata window, file viewer) can be shifted. This allows you to customize the window whenever you want.
 
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Whenever you want to set back the window to its initial state just press F5. But be aware that this will delete any selection you made in any part of the window: the result is the initial state of the window that you see when you first call [https://valep.vc.univie.ac.at/ valep.vc.univie.ac.at].
 
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=== Archive tree (elements) ===
 
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This is only an overview. For the details see the respective section in the [[Metadata#All metadata (archive tree)|metadata]] page.
 
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The general structure of the archive tree is this:
 
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* '''Archives''' (this is only the root of the tree, which does not represent anything in itself)
 
−
** Archive X (A physical archive, either public or private) <br />Examples: Institute Vienna Circle, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Xs private collection
 
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*** Y '''Collection''' (A collection that represents holdings on an authority Y, which can be either a person or an institution - Y collections might exist in several archives) <br />Examples: Carnap collection, Vienna Circle collection
 
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**** Digitization M (Digitizations of parts of the Y collection that form a unit of some kind) <br />Examples: ASP original scans, Brenda's photographs, Trude's scans
 
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***** Box O (Boxes might contain ...
 
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****** Box P ... sub-boxes or folders, but no files)
 
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******* Folder S (A folder is a box that is either empty or contains files and/or versions)
 
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******** [[#Versions|Version]] F (this is a list of files that is associated with a document - versions can only be created on the basis of a general document) <br />Examples: Original letter Neurath to Carnap, 1935-05-12; Copy of Carnap, From Chaos to Reality
 
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******** File a (A folder might contain several files that are ordered in VALEP on the basis of the alphabetic order of the file names - non-trivial metadata can be associated with files via versions only) <br />Files can be photos (jpg), text files (pdf), audio (mp3) or video files (mp4)
 
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=== Archive tree (click and doubleclick) ===
 
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These are all clicking operations being possible in the archive tree (in public view):
 
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* An arrow on the left of an element indicates that there is content their. Just click on the arrow and the content folds out. Click the arrow again and the content is hidden again.  
 
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* Click on an Element (text) in itself and the metadata are displayed in the top right window
 
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* Double click on a [[#Versions|version]], to display the document in the bottom middle window (not yet implemented but coming soon)
 
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* Double click on a file, to display the sequence of files to which it belongs in the [[#The file viewer|file viewer]]
 
  
 
=== Documents (top window) ===
 
=== Documents (top window) ===
  
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In the upper part of the document window, a list of all VALEP documents is shown, which is per default sorted by the processing date of the documents (the most recently edited document shows up on top). These are possible actions:  
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In the upper part of the document window, a list of all VALEP documents is displayed, by default arranged according to their processing date (the most recent on top). The functionalities of this section are:
−
* Sort the documents in a different way. Options are
+
* Sorting the Documents
−
** Sort by processing date (most recently edited top)
+
** Sort by processing date (most recent on top)
 
** Sort by title (A top, Z bottom)
 
** Sort by title (A top, Z bottom)
−
** Sort by document date (oldest top)
+
** Sort by document date (oldest on top)
−
** Group by authors (A top, Z bottom), sort by date (oldest top)
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** Group by authors (A top, Z bottom), sort by date (oldest on top)
 +
 
 
* Filter the documents. You can (de)activate the filter by clicking on the ''active'' box. <br />To change the filter click ''Filter'' and select among the options:  
 
* Filter the documents. You can (de)activate the filter by clicking on the ''active'' box. <br />To change the filter click ''Filter'' and select among the options:  
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** Full Text: this covers recently only ''title'' and ''description''; in later versions of VALEP it might also cover the ''signatures'' of versions and the OCR analyzed full text of the files of a document
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** Full Text: for now, this covers only ''title'' and ''description''
 
** [[Metadata#Document categories and document types|Document category]], display, e.g., only letters or photographs
 
** [[Metadata#Document categories and document types|Document category]], display, e.g., only letters or photographs
−
** [[Metadata#Date|Date]], select all documents whose date matches the date or period you are entering (you may use the EDTF format only)
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** [[Metadata#Date|Date]], select all documents whose date matches the date or date-range you are entering (you may use the EDTF format only)
 
** [[Metadata#Location|Location]], select all documents whose location matches the entered address, city, or area (not available yet, coming soon)
 
** [[Metadata#Location|Location]], select all documents whose location matches the entered address, city, or area (not available yet, coming soon)
 
** Collection, select all documents that belong to any instance of the X collection (not available yet, coming soon)
 
** Collection, select all documents that belong to any instance of the X collection (not available yet, coming soon)
−
** And Box, activate, to select those documents that match the author, receiver, and involved authorities you are entering, deactivate, to combine these filters with a logical "OR"
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** And Box, activate, to select those documents that match the author, recipient, and involved authorities you are entering, deactivate, to combine these filters with a logical "OR"
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** Author, Receiver, Involved: You may enter in any of this field several [[Metadata#Person and Institution|persons or institutions]], in order to display those documents that match these criteria
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** Author, Recipient, Involved: You may enter in any of this field several [[Metadata#Person and Institution|persons or institutions]], in order to display those documents that match these criteria
  
−
There are similar clicking operations here as in the archive tree. Only differences:  
+
There are similar clicking functionalities here as in the archive tree, except:  
−
* Double click on a document opens the document (and its [[#Chapters|chapters]]) in the bottom document window
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* Double clicking a document will open the document (and its [[#Chapters|chapters]]) in the bottom document window
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* Double click on a version opens the version in the archive tree (not available yet, coming soon)
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* Double clicking a version will open the version in the archive tree (not available yet, coming soon)
  
 
=== Documents (bottom window) ===
 
=== Documents (bottom window) ===
  
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In the public view the purpose of the bottom window is twofold:  
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Used in the public mode, the bottom window offers these options:  
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* To watch all chapters of a document
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* To view all subdocuments and versions of a document
−
* To watch a document of which a version was doubleclicked in the archive tree
+
* To view a document whose version was opened in the archive tree
−
 
+
* To view documents that were called via their DOI
−
Here, doubleclick on a version opens the latter in the archive tree (not yet implemented but coming soon).
 
  
 
=== Versions ===
 
=== Versions ===
Line 176: Line 95:
 
* Note that each version of a document has extra metadata that add to the overall metadata of the general document
 
* Note that each version of a document has extra metadata that add to the overall metadata of the general document
  
−
=== Chapters ===
+
=== Subdocuments ===
  
−
Chapters are sequences of general documents that put together several parts of, e.g., a manuscript being spread over different locations. To display the sequence of chapters of a document, you need to doubleclick it in the top document window. The sequence, then, becomes displayed in the bottom document window.
+
Every document can be specified as subdocument of several other documents. The subdocuments of a document can be viewed in the lower document window. Subdocuments allow for the construction of hierarchical document structures such as, e.g., a document that represents a book and subdocuments that represent chapters (first level), sections (second level), subsections (third level) etc.
  
 
=== Metadata Window ===
 
=== Metadata Window ===
−
For all elements of the archive tree, the metadata window is just one-piece.
+
For all elements of the archive tree, the metadata window is one unit.
  
−
For general documents and versions, the metadata window disintegrates into four parts, vertical, from top to bottom:  
+
For general documents and versions, the metadata window is split into four parts, vertical, from top to bottom:  
−
* The status line that comprises the document category, document type, and title of a document
+
* The status line comprising the document category, document type, and document title
−
* The ''General'' section that contains the most relevant metadata of general documents
+
* The ''General'' section containing the core metadata of general documents
−
* The ''Details'' section that covers the rest of the metadata of general documents
+
* The ''Details'' section covering additional metadata of general documents
−
* The ''Version'' section that covers the metadata of versions
+
* The ''Version'' section covering the metadata of versions
  
 
=== The File Viewer ===
 
=== The File Viewer ===
  
−
The file viewer changes its appearance for different types of files: an image viewer (for jpgs), a pdf viewer, and a video viewer for mp3s and mp4s.  
+
The file viewer can adapt to different file formats: an image viewer (for JPEGs), a PDF viewer, and a video viewer for mp3s and mp4s.  
−
* Use the cross-in-a-circle-symbol in the upper right corner to maximize the file viewer, return wis Esc or another click on the symbol
+
* Use the the square with four arrows in the bottom right corner to maximize the file viewer, return to the default size via the esc key or by clicking on the symbol again
−
* Click through the files in the list on the left, in the top status line and with the arrows at the bottom of the window
+
* Click through the files by using the list on the left, the arrows in the top status line, or with the arrows at the bottom of the window
−
* Use the arrows ↻ and ↺ to rotate the image or pdf
+
* Use the arrows ↻ and ↺ to rotate the image or PDF
−
* Use the + and - symbols or the mouse wheel to decrease or increase the view
+
* Use the + and - symbols or the mouse wheel to zoom in or out
 
* Use the maximize icon above the file list to fit an image to the screen
 
* Use the maximize icon above the file list to fit an image to the screen
−
* Use the pdf symbol to download a pdf that includes the entire sequence of jpgs from the file list (not yet implemented, coming soon)
+
* Use the PDF symbol to download a PDF that includes the entire sequence of JPEGs from the file list (not yet implemented, coming soon)
  
−
== The internal part (Construction Site) - all users except admins ==
+
== The Internal Part (Construction Site) - registered users only ==
−
=== User accounts and roles ===
+
=== User Accounts and Roles ===
−
To access the internal part of VALEP and/or view the restricted files of the public view, you need to register. In order to register send an email to [mailto:christian.damboeck@univie.ac.at Christian Damböck] where you might indicate your plans. We then will decide together, what type of access is applicable in your case.
+
To access the internal part of VALEP and/or view files restricted from public view, you need to register. In order to register, send an email to [mailto:christian.damboeck@univie.ac.at Christian Damböck] describing your plans. We then will decide together what type of access is applicable in your case.
  
−
These are possible user roles in VALEP. Which role you might obtain, depends on your tasks and relationship to the IVC and/or the institutions that host material in VALEP:  
+
Here is a list of the possible user roles in VALEP. Which role you might obtain depends on your tasks and relationship to the IVC and/or the institutions that host material in VALEP:  
  
 
==== Read only ====
 
==== Read only ====
 
* '''Friend''' is a user who gets reading access to all restricted files in the published part VALEP<br />This user role is restricted to members, friends, and close cooperation partners of the IVC
 
* '''Friend''' is a user who gets reading access to all restricted files in the published part VALEP<br />This user role is restricted to members, friends, and close cooperation partners of the IVC
−
* '''Guest''' is a user who gets reading access to a selection of the internal part (not yet implemented, coming soon)<br />This is for all users who get granted reading access to parts of the internal material in VALEP
+
* '''Guest''' is a user who gets reading access to a selection of the internal part (not yet implemented, coming soon)<br />This is for all users who get reading access to parts of the internal material in VALEP
−
* '''Member''' is a user who gets reading access to all objects of the published and internal part of VALEP<br />This is for members of the IVC only
+
* '''Member''' is a user who gets reading access to all objects of the public and internal part of VALEP<br />This is for members of the IVC only
  
 
==== Read and write ====
 
==== Read and write ====
−
* '''Beginner''' is a user who gets full read and write access to those published and unpublished objects of VALEP where the user is specified as ''owner''. <br />This is suited to every user who wants to learn VALEP and use it in any possible way
+
* '''Beginner''' is a user who gets full reading and writing access to those published and unpublished objects of VALEP where the user is specified as ''owner''. <br />This is fits users who want to learn VALEP and use all its functionalities
−
* '''Advanced''' is a user who gets full read and write access to all parts of VALEP<br />For members of the IVC only
+
* '''Advanced''' is a user who gets full reading and writing access to all parts of VALEP<br />For members of the IVC only
−
* '''Admin''' has also access to the Admin part of VALEP.
+
* '''Admin''' has also access to the admininstrative part of VALEP
  
 
=== Login ===
 
=== Login ===
  
−
After logging in with your user account, depending on your user role, VALEP might look differently:
+
After logging in with your user account VALEP's user interface might look differently depending on your user role:  
 
* '''Friend''': VALEP does not change its appearance but you can view the content of every file  
 
* '''Friend''': VALEP does not change its appearance but you can view the content of every file  
−
* '''Guest''' and '''Member''': in the top left corner, to the right of the elephant, you have two buttons ''Constrution'' and ''Public'' now
+
* '''Guest''' and '''Member''': in the top left corner, to the right of the elephant, there now appear two buttons ''Construction'' and ''Public''  
 
** ''Public'' restricts what you see to the public part of VALEP -- you may use it at times, to get a better overview
 
** ''Public'' restricts what you see to the public part of VALEP -- you may use it at times, to get a better overview
 
** ''Construction'' adds to the public material (font color black) material that is only visible in the internal construction site of VALEP (font color grey)
 
** ''Construction'' adds to the public material (font color black) material that is only visible in the internal construction site of VALEP (font color grey)
 
* '''Beginner''' and '''Advanced''': like ''Guest'' and ''Member'' you may shift between the ''Public'' and ''Construction'' view; in addition:  
 
* '''Beginner''' and '''Advanced''': like ''Guest'' and ''Member'' you may shift between the ''Public'' and ''Construction'' view; in addition:  
−
** You can see the toolbar that allows you to call certain operations: upload files and folders, add nodes to the archive tree, create documents, and delete objects
+
** You have access to toolbar allowing you to use certain functionalities: uploading files and folders, adding nodes to the archive tree, creating documents, and deleting objects
−
** You may add objects to and remove objects from all these nodes in the archive tree where you have permission  
+
** You may add objects to and remove objects from all these nodes in the archive tree where you have that permission  
−
** You may create general documents and versions and you may also delete them, if you have permission
+
** You may create general documents and versions and you may also delete them, if you have that permission
−
** You may change metadata for all these objects where you are permitted to do so
+
** You may change metadata for all those objects for which you are entitled to do so
 +
 
 +
=== How to edit fields in the metadata window ===
 +
* Some of the metadata fields are rather self explanatory - just try to use them
 +
* Read through the [[metadata]] page, before you start
 +
 
 +
==== Text fields ====
 +
* Text fields (title, description, URL) may contain any UNICODE text
 +
* Just enter or edit the text
 +
* As soon as you click somewhere outside of the text field, you should see a green message box ""Updated X successfully''
 +
 
 +
==== Persons/Institutions ====
 +
* Most metadata fields of the category person/institution may contain several entries
 +
* Enter some characters of the individual or institution
 +
* If the correct name appears, select it or move down with the keyboard and press enter
 +
* If the name is not on the list, press + to the right of the metadata field
 +
** Select ''Person'' or ''Institution''
 +
** Enter an abbreviated name, which needs to be unique
 +
** Enter any further data, as needed
 +
** Click OK
 +
* Optionally, you may enter further persons/institutions (unless the data field accepts only one entry)
 +
* After clicking outside the data field, the ''Updated X successfully'' message should appear
 +
 
 +
==== Language, Card File, Document Format, Copying Process ====
 +
* Enter some characters of the name you are searching for
 +
* If the correct name appears, click on it or move down with the keyboard and press enter
 +
* If the item you need does not exist, ask the admin to create it for you
 +
 
 +
==== Date ====
 +
* Most metadata fields of the category date may contain several date-time entries
 +
* Enter the first string in the field which should match the EDTF format as outlined in the [[Metadata#Date|metata]] page
 +
* Press ENTER (this is required, otherwise the date is NOT going to be saved)
 +
* If needed, enter additional EDTF strings, each time hitting ENTER (unless the data fields accepts only one date)
 +
* After click somewhere outside the field, the ''Updated X successfully'' message should appear
 +
* At this point, the date entries are sent to the parser. Any time you have entered an invalid date (e.g., 1910-12-32), you will get an error message ''Invalide EDTF data'' and the incorrect entries are removed
 +
* Since the date field is so far the only field you have to confirm the entry by pressing ENTER, it might take some time to get used to. After several entries, you will get the hang of it.
 +
 
 +
==== Location ====
 +
* Most metadata fields of the category location may contain several location entries
 +
* Try first to enter several characters of the address that you plan to enter (cf. the specification in the [[Metadata#Location|metadata]] page)
 +
* If the address you are looking for appears in the list, just click on the entry or move down with the keyboard and press enter
 +
* If the address is not in the list, press the + symbol on the right of the data field
 +
* Enter the city: again, type several characters of the city name, if it shows up, just select it; otherwise click the + symbol:
 +
** Enter the city name
 +
** Then specify the smallest area to which the city belongs
 +
** Contact the admin if there are problems, but note that an area can always be assigned to a city later on
 +
* Enter additional information (such as street, postal code, etc.), if applicable
 +
* If the address should only be city, leave all other fields blank
 +
* Click OK or press enter
 +
* Optionally, you may enter further addresses to the field (unless the data field accepts only a single location)
 +
* When clicking outside the field, the ''Updated X successfully'' message should appear confirming that the information was saved
 +
 
 +
==== Event ====
 +
* Most metadata fields of the category event may contain several event entries
 +
* Try first to enter several characters of the event you are looking for (cf. the specification in the [[Metadata#Event|metadata]] page)
 +
* If the event appears on the list, click it or move down with the keyboard and press enter
 +
* If the event does not show up, press the + symbol to the right of the data field
 +
** Type in the event and select an event type (required)
 +
** Optionally, you may also add location, address, and an event description
 +
** Click OK to create the event
 +
* Optionally, you may enter further events to the data field (unless the data field accepts only a single event)
 +
* After clicking outside the field, the message ''Updated X successfully'' should appear confirming that the entry was saved
  
 
=== How to create, edit, and delete parts of the archive tree ===
 
=== How to create, edit, and delete parts of the archive tree ===
−
Operations in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
+
Only selected users can use the functionalities outlined below, as described in the [[#Login|login]] section.
  
 
==== How to create, edit, and delete an archive ====
 
==== How to create, edit, and delete an archive ====
 
* Right click on '''Archives''' and click ''Add child node'' / or click on archives and then click + in the toolbar
 
* Right click on '''Archives''' and click ''Add child node'' / or click on archives and then click + in the toolbar
−
* Enter the name of the newly created archive and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
+
* Enter the name of the new archive and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
 
* To edit the archive, click on the name of the new archive and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
 
* To edit the archive, click on the name of the new archive and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
 
* To delete the archive, right click on the name and click ''Delete'' / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
 
* To delete the archive, right click on the name and click ''Delete'' / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
  
 
==== How to create, edit, and delete a collection ====
 
==== How to create, edit, and delete a collection ====
−
* Right click on the archive where you want to establish the collection and click ''Add child node'' / or click on the archive and then click + in the toolbar
+
* Right click on the archive where you want to store the collection and click ''Add child node'' / or click on the archive and then click + in the toolbar
−
* Enter some characters of the name of the person or institution the collection is representing, then select the correct name from the list (either click or move down with the keyboard and press enter) and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
+
* Enter some characters of the name of the person or institution holding the collection, then select the name from the list (either click or move down with the keyboard and press enter) and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
−
** If the person or institution you are needing is not in the list, ask the admin to create it for you
+
** If the person or institution you are looking for is not in the list, ask the admin to create it  
 
* To edit the collection, click on the name of the new collection and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
 
* To edit the collection, click on the name of the new collection and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
 
* To delete the collection, right click on the name and click ''Delete'' / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
 
* To delete the collection, right click on the name and click ''Delete'' / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
  
−
==== How to create, edit, and delete a digitization ====
+
==== How to create, edit, and delete a digital object ====
−
Note that you can also upload a folder to a collection, which then is automatically interpreted as a digitization: see [[#How to upload a folder|How to upload a folder]]
+
Uploading a folder to a collection automatically turns it  into a digital object: see [[#How to upload a folder|How to upload a folder]]
 
* Right click on a collection and click ''Add child node'' / or click on the collection and then click + in the toolbar
 
* Right click on a collection and click ''Add child node'' / or click on the collection and then click + in the toolbar
−
* Enter the name of the newly created digitization and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
+
* Enter the name of the new digital object and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
−
* To edit the digitization, click on the name of the new digitization and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
+
* To edit the digital object, click on its name and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
−
* To delete the digitization, right click on the name and click ''Delete'' / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
+
* To delete the digital object, right click its name and click ''Delete'' / or select its name and then click on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
  
 
==== How to create, edit, and delete a box ====
 
==== How to create, edit, and delete a box ====
−
You may usually create boxex not directly but upload it from your computer: see [[#How to upload a folder|How to upload a folder]]; however, it might be sometimes useful to create boxes directly, in order to structure the content of a digitization:
+
In general, you will not be creating boxes within VALEP but uploading them from your computer: see [[#How to upload a folder|How to upload a folder]]; however, it might be useful at times to create boxes directly, in order to structure the contents of a digital object:
−
* Right click on either a digitization or a box and click ''Add child node'' / or click on the collection and then click + in the toolbar
+
* Right click on either a digital object or a box and click ''Add child node'' / or click on the collection and then click + in the toolbar
−
* Enter the name of the newly created box and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
+
* Enter the name of the new box and press ''Ok'' or type ''Enter''
−
* To edit the box, click on the name of the new digitization and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
+
* To edit the box, click on the name of the new digital object and enter or edit the metadata (note that the ''owners'' field can be changed only by the admin)
−
* To delete the box, right click on the name and click ''Delete'' / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
+
* To delete the box, right click on its name and click ''Delete'' / or select its name and then click on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
 +
 
 +
=== How to upload files to the archive tree ===
 +
The functionalities outlined below accessible only to authorized users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
  
−
==== How to upload a folder ====
+
==== How to prepare files and folders for uploading ====
−
A key aspect of VALEP is that you can upload arbitrarily nested structures that belong to a folder, i.e., an uploaded folder might contain folders, subfolders, subfolders of subfolders etc. However, please note the following restrictions:  
+
A key aspect of VALEP is its ability to upload arbitrarily nested structures within a folder, i.e., it might contain folders, subfolders, subfolders of subfolders etc. However, please note the following requirements and guidelines:  
 
* Use either Firefox or (even better) Chrome
 
* Use either Firefox or (even better) Chrome
−
* You can always upload only a single folder at once (though one that might have a very complex and nested content); if you have 100 folders that you plan to upload, put them into a single folder and upload this
+
* File extensions are limited to ''JPEG'', ''PDF'', ''.mp3'', or ''.mp4''
−
* Uploaded folders may not contain any files having extensions other than ''.jpg'', ''.pdf'', ''.mp3'', or ''.mp4''
+
* File names cannot contain dots except for the one preceding the file name extension (such extra dots will replaced with a hyphen)
−
* No folder in the uploaded folder structure may contain both files and folders; in other words, files are contained in a special type of folder in VALEP, which cannot contain folders among files
+
* No folder in the uploaded folder structure may contain both files and folders; in other words, files are contained in a special type of folder in VALEP, which cannot contain any folders
−
* Folders and files are ordered in the archive tree, exclusively, in an alphabetic way; this alphabetic order is critical, because you can only entire entire subsequences of an alphabetically ordered content of a folder to a version
+
* All folders and files in the archive tree are organized alphabetically; this alphabetic order is critical because you are only able to add alphabetically organized sequences of a folder to a version
−
* jpgs must be compressed to less than 600KB; VALEP is also able to compress the files during the process of uploading but it turns out that the upload is usually smoother, if the files were compressed in advance
+
* JPEGs must be compressed to less than 600KB; though VALEP is capable of compressing the files during upload, this might slow down the process. In addition, compression during upload sometimes fails.
−
* Try also to keep your pdfs, mp3 and mp4 files small; there is no internal compressing of these files; any file that you upload to VALEP must not be larger than 15MB
+
* Try to keep your PDFs, mp3 and mp4 files small; those files won't be compressed during upload; any file that you upload to VALEP cannot be larger than 15MB.
 
* If a folder contains more than 1.000 files and/or 1GB, please discuss the upload in advance with the admin
 
* If a folder contains more than 1.000 files and/or 1GB, please discuss the upload in advance with the admin
−
* Note that very large uploads (of several 10,000 files) might become more tricky, never try them without assistance of the admin
+
* Note that large uploads (of several 10,000 files) might become difficult; do not attempt this without assistance of the admin
  
−
Having this in mind, you may first prepare your folder in accordance to these rules, before you start trying to upload it; then proceed in the following way:
+
==== How to upload a single folder ====
−
* Click on the collection, digitization, or box where you want to place your folder
+
* Study the previous section and prepare your files and folders accordingly
 +
* Click on the collection, digital object, or box where you want to place your folder
 
* Click on the ''upload folder'' symbol in the middle of the toolbar
 
* Click on the ''upload folder'' symbol in the middle of the toolbar
 
* Select the folder on your local computer and press OK
 
* Select the folder on your local computer and press OK
  
−
How can I track it? How can it fail?
+
==== How to upload several folders at once ====
−
* Press F12 and select ''Console'' in Chrome or Firefox, in order to see possible error messages
+
* To upload several folders at once to a specific folder X, you will first need to put these folders into a local folder also named X.
−
* In the toolbar, the progress of your upload is reportet; typically, it uploads 4 files in a batch, uploading of one batch should take only a few seconds
+
** The local folder X may also contain folders already uploaded to the VALEP X folder - these will simply be ignored during the upload process. This means that when you want to add new material to an already uploaded subfolder of X, you need proceed differently
−
* If something goes wrong, the browser sends error messages and you can monitor these messages in the Console as well
+
** If you want to upload several folders directly to a collection called ''X collection'' (e.g., ''Carnap collection''), the folder in your local folder must be called X rather than ''X collection'' (or ''Carnap'' rather than ''Carnap collection'')
−
* If you interrupt the process by shutting down the browser or the computer, the upload fails and there is no possibility to continue; in that case, just delete the initial fragmented upload and try again
+
* Click on the folder X (or ''X collection'') to which you want to upload the unit of folders
−
* If the upload fails several times, please contact the admin
+
* Click on the ''upload folder'' symbol in the middle of the toolbar
 +
* Select the folder X on your local computer and press OK
  
 
==== How to upload files ====
 
==== How to upload files ====
 
The standard way of getting files into the archive tree is to [[#How to upload a folder|upload a folder]]. However, in some cases it might be necessary to upload just several files into an existing folder:  
 
The standard way of getting files into the archive tree is to [[#How to upload a folder|upload a folder]]. However, in some cases it might be necessary to upload just several files into an existing folder:  
−
* Examine the hints in the [[#How to upload a folder|upload a folder]] section.
+
* Follow the guidelines in the [[#How to upload a folder|upload a folder]] section.
 
* Ensure that the box/folder to which you plan to upload your files is either empty or only contains files
 
* Ensure that the box/folder to which you plan to upload your files is either empty or only contains files
 
* Click on the box or folder where you want to place your files
 
* Click on the box or folder where you want to place your files
 
* Click on the ''upload files'' symbol in the middle of the toolbar
 
* Click on the ''upload files'' symbol in the middle of the toolbar
 
* Select the files on your local computers (several files might be selected at once) and click OK
 
* Select the files on your local computers (several files might be selected at once) and click OK
 +
 +
==== How can I track the upload? How can it fail? ====
 +
* The progress of your upload is reported in the toolbar; typically, 4 files per batch are uploaded, which should take only a few seconds
 +
* To track the success report and possible error messages during the upload, press F12 in Chrome or Firefox and select ''Console''
 +
* Should you interrupt the process by shutting down the browser or the computer, the upload will fail and cannot be continued; in that case, just delete the initial fragmented upload and try again
 +
* If the upload fails several times in a row, please contact the admin
 +
* Here are some scenarios that can lead to problems with the file upload:
 +
** JPEGs larger than 600KB will sometimes not be compressed, triggering an error message and a failed upload
 +
** If a file contains a dot somewhere in the file name, VALEP will delete the file name between the dot and the file extension; though the upload works, the resulting cropped file name may corrupt the intended ordering of the uploaded files
 +
** Files, in general, cannot be larger than 15MB
  
 
=== How to create, edit, and delete general documents ===
 
=== How to create, edit, and delete general documents ===
−
Operations in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
+
The functionalities outlined in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
 +
 
 +
==== How to create a general document ====
 +
Before you create a general document, please check the details on general documents in the [[Metadata#All metadata (general documents)|metadata section]].
 +
* Click on the ''create new general document'' symbol in the toolbar, or right click in the upper document window and click ''Create new general document''
 +
* In the ''New Document'' window select the Document Category (which cannot be changed later); if the document is a ''file card'', you will need to select the ''card file'' to which it belongs
 +
* All other metadata fields are optional; complete them as you wish; you can change the data at any time
 +
* If you have questions about a particular metadata category, please consult the [[Metadata|metadata page]]
 +
* Press OK when you are done
 +
 
 +
==== Who can edit or delete a general document? ====
 +
* The ''Document status'' indicated in the ''Details'' section of a general document determines the available functionalities for each user
 +
* General documents with the document status ''Beginner'' can be edited or deleted by any user who has writing permissions
 +
* General documents with the document status ''Advanced'' can not be edited or deleted by users whose role is ''Beginner''
 +
* General documents with the document status ''Admin'' can be edited or deleted only by the admin
 +
* The document status can be changed by the admin only
 +
 
 +
==== How to edit a general document ====
 +
* If needed, search for the document using the filter tab and the ordering function
 +
* Click on the document either in the upper or the lower document window
 +
* Change any metadata in the upper section (''document type'', ''title''), in the ''General'' or ''Details'' section
 +
* Note that you cannot change the ''document category'', and the ''card file'' (exists only for ''file cards''), cf. the next paragraph
 +
* Note that the ''Document status'' can only be changed by the admin
 +
 
 +
==== How to change the document category or file card to which a document is assigned ====
 +
* The only way to do this is to delete the document and create a new one with the correct ''document category'' and/or ''file card''
 +
* We recommend creating the new document first and then deleting the old one to avoid data loss
  
−
Examine the details on general documents in the [[Metadata#All metadata (general documents)|metadata section]]. Then proceed as follows:
+
==== How to delete a general document ====
 +
* Click on the general document and then click on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
 +
* If it doesn't work, check the ''Who can edit or delete a general document?'' section
  
 
=== How to create, edit, and delete versions ===
 
=== How to create, edit, and delete versions ===
−
Operations in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
+
Before you proceed, read the [[Metadata#All metadata (versions)|versions]] section in the [[metadata]] page. The functionalities outlined in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
 +
 
 +
==== Who can create, edit or delete a version? ====
 +
* To edit a version, you need authorization to edit the general document to which the version belongs
 +
* Thus, examine the [[#How to create, edit, and delete general documents|How to create, edit, and delete general documents section]] first
 +
 
 +
==== How to create a version ====
 +
 
 +
* Double click the general document to which the version will belong in the upper document window -- it should show up in the lower document window
 +
* Select the files of the versions in the archive tree: click on the first file of the sequence, hold Shift, then click on the last file of the sequence
 +
* Click on the selection and pull it to the appropriate ''Add version'' category in the list in the lower document window
 +
* Move the mouse slowly and, in the lower document window, wait until the appropriate ''Add version'' line is turning gray - this will take a few seconds: at that point can you release the mouse to drop the files into the appropriate version category
 +
* Wait a few seconds: if the version contains many files, it may take a while until the green ''Successfully created new Version" message pops up
 +
* If it doesn't work, try again!
 +
 
 +
==== How to edit a version ====
 +
* Click on the version
 +
* Edit the ''Version'' tab in the metadata window
 +
 
 +
==== How to delete a version ====
 +
* Open the version in the lower document window
 +
* Right click on the version and press ''Delete'' or click on the version and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
 +
 
 +
=== How to create, edit, and delete subdocuments ===
 +
Functionalities in this section are accessible only to some users, as described in the [[#Login|login]] section.
 +
 
 +
==== What is a subdocument? ====
 +
* Several general documents can be combined to become a sequence of subdocuments of another general document
 +
* Each general document can be the subdocument of several other general documents
 +
* To view subdocuments you need to open a general document in the lower document window (just double click the document in the upper window or double click any of its versions in the archive tree)
 +
* If the general document has subdocuments then you find them listed below its versions
 +
* If the general document has parent documents (i.e., documents to whom it belongs as a subdocument) then you find them listed below its versions and subdocuments under the header ''Parents'' (just click on the arrow to watch the list of parent documents)
 +
 
 +
==== How to add a subdocument ====
 +
* Open the general document to which you want to add a subdocument in the lower document window (double click in the upper document window on any general document that belongs to the sequence or double click in the archive tree on any version that belongs to the sequence)
 +
* In the upper document window select the document that you want to add as a subdocument to the document in the lower document window
 +
* In the lower document window there should show up a + button now (if it does not show up then you do not have the permission to add the selected document as a subdocument here)
 +
* Then you have two different options:
 +
** Simply click the + button: the selected document will be enqueued as the final document in the list of subdocuments
 +
** Select a subdocument from the list in the lower document window (if applicable) and then click the + button: the selected document from the upper document window will be enqueued as a subdocument below the selected document in the lower document window
 +
 
 +
==== How to remove a subdocument ====
 +
* Open the general document from which you want to remove a subdocument in the lower document window (double click in the upper document window on any general document that belongs to the sequence or double click in the archive tree on any version that belongs to the sequence)
 +
* Select the subdocument that you want to remove
 +
* Click the - button (if there is no - button then you do not have the permission to remove a subdocument)
 +
 
 +
==== How to move a subdocument up and down in the queue ====
 +
* Open the general document in which you want to move a subdocument in the lower document window (double click in the upper document window on any general document that belongs to the sequence or double click in the archive tree on any version that belongs to the sequence)
 +
* Select the subdocument that you want to move up or down
 +
* Click on one of the arrow buttons to move the subdocument up or down (if there is no arrow button then you do not have the permission to remove a subdocument)
 +
 
 +
==== Why do you don't have the permission to add, remove, or move subdocuments ====
 +
* If you are not the owner of the documents being involved this may cause that you don't have permission (namely, if your user role is ''beginner'')
 +
* If one of the documents being involved is set to the status ''locked'' then subdocuments cannot be added, removed, or moved (the ''locked'' flag can be set or unset by the admin only)
 +
 
 +
== The Internal Part (Admin) ==
 +
 
 +
VALEP also consists of an internal part accessible to the admin only, who is authorized to modify the following categories:
 +
* Users can be created, edited and removed
 +
* Tables and indices containing important data of VALEP can be edited, including:
 +
** Document formats
 +
** Copying Processes
 +
** Institutions
 +
** Persons
 +
** Locations
 +
** Events
 +
** Card Files
  
−
=== How to create, edit, and delete chapters ===
+
Some of the indices can also be edited in a more restricted way within the ''Construction'' Window, including:
−
Operations in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the [[#Login|login]] section.
+
* Addresses and Cities can be created directly in the metadata window by any authorized user: just click the plus symbol to the right of a location field
 +
* Events can be created in the metadata window by any authorized user: just click the plus symbol to the right of an event field
 +
* Persons and Institutions can be created in the metadata window by any authorized user
  
−
== The internal part (Admin) ==
+
In addition users of type ''beginner'' and ''advanced'' have access to the tables of the ''admin'' tab (except for the ''user'' table) and they can do the following:
 +
* View every item
 +
* Add new items (limited in the ''locations'' tab)
 +
* Edit existing items (limited in the ''locations'' tab)
 +
* Users of type ''beginner'' and ''advanced'', however, cannot delete any items here

Latest revision as of 09:39, 11 October 2024

VALEP is an archive and edition management tool designed as a platform for the history of Logical Empiricism and related currents. It is hosted by the University of Vienna (Institute Vienna Circle and Phaidra). VALEP serves as a platform for the structured storage of large archival collections, the creation of facsimile editions, digital editions and open access publications. The first version of VALEP went online in 2021. The system is growing rapidly. It currently offers over 200,000 scans from the papers of Rudolf Carnap, Herbert Feigl, Carl Gustav Hempel, Otto Neurath, W.V.O. Quine, Rose Rand, Hans Reichenbach, Franz Roh, Moritz Schlick, Wolfgang Stegmüller, and others. VALEP hosts several open access publications that include the diaries of Rudolf Carnap, a facsimile edition of the correspondence of Rudolf Carnap and his intellectual network, parts of the Bergen Nachlass Edition of the Works of Ludwig Wittgenstein, an electronic edition (in LaTeX, TEI-XML, and HTML5) of the diaries of Rudolf Carnap, and a facsimile edition of the Neurath papers. VALEP mirrors its data in Phaidra. Cooperation partners that provide their material to VALEP include the University of Pittsburgh Library System, the Brenner-Archiv, the Moritz Schlick Forschungsstelle, and the Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen.

VALEP consists of an archive tree (left part of the window) where sources from several archives are stored, always mirroring the physical structure of the material, including collections, shelves, boxes, folders, and files. Files being stored in the archive tree include photos/scans in jpg format, pdf documents, as well as audio and video files in mp3 and mp4 format. Files then become processed into documents (middle part of the window) that assign a document category, document type, DOI, and several metadata that include title, description, author, and date (upper right part of the window). Documents may contain files from different parts of the archive tree that represent different versions of the document, and they may also contain other documents as subdocuments. A special type of documents are persons and institutions. Files can be viewed in an integrated document viewer (lower right part of the window). VALEP records titles, descriptions and the like in the text format unicode. But some metadata categories, including date, location, language, persons, and institutions, are stored in a relational database and/or using special formats and parsing tools, e.g., EDTF for dates, and an internal tool for the mereological structure of locations.

This is the electronic manual of VALEP. In addition to this page, you can find more information on the following pages:


Contents

Practical Tips and Hints for First Time Users of VALEP

  • Only material with resolved copyright issues is publicly available, the rest is accessible for registered/internal users only.
  • VALEP is optimized for the Chrome browser and works well with Firefox; other browsers might also work but have not yet been tested.
  • VALEP sometimes gets hung up: try to click on a node or button for a second time, this will resolve the problem in most cases.
  • When VALEP gets hung up continuously, or you encounter other problems, we recommend resetting the current state as represented by the current URL with the F5 key or by clicking the refresh button of your browser.
  • You may also click the elephant symbol in the upper left corner to reset VALEP to its initial state.
  • VALEP is best suited for large screens (4K, > 30 inch) but also works well on medium size full HD screens; smaller screens also work, but it might become tedious at times; VALEP has not yet been adapted for smartphone use.
  • You can adjust the sections of your VALEP screen by moving the borders of each section (reset to the initial state with F5).
  • Optionally, you can also use the "Details" button in the upper right corner to switch between Detail view and view of the File viewer alone.
  • If your screen tends to be too small, try to maximize the window with the F11 key or use the Detail button.
  • You can use several instances of the VALEP window simultaneously: open different VALEP objects in different browser tabs or browser windows, or even different browser brands.
  • When you created or updated an entry in the database, a green message will confirm a successful update at the server level; however, at times, you may need to refresh the browser window, so that the information will also be visible on the screen.

The Public Part of VALEP

You access the public part of VALEP when you visit valep.vc.univie.ac.at without logging in. The VALEP window consists of the archive tree (on the left/red), the document section (in the middle/green), the metadata window (top right/yellow), and the file viewer (bottom right/blue). Versions contain those files of the archive tree that belong to a document and therefore connect the archive tree and the document section. Chapters combine several documents, represented in the bottom document window.

Adjusting Sections and Resetting the Layout

The borders between the different screen sections (archive tree, top and bottom document window, metadata window, file viewer) can be adjusted. This allows you to customize the size of the screen sections as needed.

Whenever you want to reset the screen layout to its default state, just press the F5 key. But please note that this will delete any changes you made to the screen. You will return to the screen that you see when you first visit valep.vc.univie.ac.at.

Archive Tree (Elements)

This is only an overview. For details, see the respective section on the metadata page.

The Structure of the Archive Tree:

  • Archives (the root of the tree, it does not represent anything in itself)
    • Archive X (A physical archive or repository, either public or private)
      Examples: Institute Vienna Circle, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Xs private collection
      • Y Collection (A collection that represents holdings on an authority Y, which can either be an individual or an institution - Y collections might exist in several archives)
        Examples: Carnap collection, Vienna Circle collection
        • Box O (Boxes might contain ...
          • Box P ... sub-boxes or folders, but no files)
            • Folder S (A folder is a box that is either empty or contains files and/or versions)
              • Version F (this is a list of files that is associated with a document - versions can only be created within a general document)
                Examples: Original letter Neurath to Carnap, 1935-05-12; Copy of Carnap, From Chaos to Reality
              • File a (A folder might contain several files arranged in VALEP according to the alphabetic order of the file names - non-trivial metadata can be associated with files via versions only)
                Files can be photos (jpg), text files (pdf), audio (mp3) or video files (mp4)

Archive Tree (click and double click)

  • An arrow to the left of an element indicates content. Just click on the arrow and the content becomes visible. Clicking the arrow again will hide the content.
  • Clicking an Element will display its metadata in the top right window
  • A double click on a version will display the document in the bottom middle window
  • A double click on a file will display the sequence of files to which it belongs in the file viewer

Documents (top window)

In the upper part of the document window, a list of all VALEP documents is displayed, by default arranged according to their processing date (the most recent on top). The functionalities of this section are:

  • Sorting the Documents
    • Sort by processing date (most recent on top)
    • Sort by title (A top, Z bottom)
    • Sort by document date (oldest on top)
    • Group by authors (A top, Z bottom), sort by date (oldest on top)
  • Filter the documents. You can (de)activate the filter by clicking on the active box.
    To change the filter click Filter and select among the options:
    • Full Text: for now, this covers only title and description
    • Document category, display, e.g., only letters or photographs
    • Date, select all documents whose date matches the date or date-range you are entering (you may use the EDTF format only)
    • Location, select all documents whose location matches the entered address, city, or area (not available yet, coming soon)
    • Collection, select all documents that belong to any instance of the X collection (not available yet, coming soon)
    • And Box, activate, to select those documents that match the author, recipient, and involved authorities you are entering, deactivate, to combine these filters with a logical "OR"
    • Author, Recipient, Involved: You may enter in any of this field several persons or institutions, in order to display those documents that match these criteria

There are similar clicking functionalities here as in the archive tree, except:

  • Double clicking a document will open the document (and its chapters) in the bottom document window
  • Double clicking a version will open the version in the archive tree (not available yet, coming soon)

Documents (bottom window)

Used in the public mode, the bottom window offers these options:

  • To view all subdocuments and versions of a document
  • To view a document whose version was opened in the archive tree
  • To view documents that were called via their DOI

Versions

Versions connect documents and files. In other words, they are the missing link between the archive tree and the document window. Note these features:

  • Documents might contain any number of versions of any version type
  • Double click the title of a version in the top or bottom document window, to display this version in the archive tree (coming soon)
  • Double click the title of a version in the archive tree to display the document in the bottom document window
  • Double click on any file of a version, to display the sequence of files of the version in the file viewer
  • Click on a version, to display its metadata
  • Note that each version of a document has extra metadata that add to the overall metadata of the general document

Subdocuments

Every document can be specified as subdocument of several other documents. The subdocuments of a document can be viewed in the lower document window. Subdocuments allow for the construction of hierarchical document structures such as, e.g., a document that represents a book and subdocuments that represent chapters (first level), sections (second level), subsections (third level) etc.

Metadata Window

For all elements of the archive tree, the metadata window is one unit.

For general documents and versions, the metadata window is split into four parts, vertical, from top to bottom:

  • The status line comprising the document category, document type, and document title
  • The General section containing the core metadata of general documents
  • The Details section covering additional metadata of general documents
  • The Version section covering the metadata of versions

The File Viewer

The file viewer can adapt to different file formats: an image viewer (for JPEGs), a PDF viewer, and a video viewer for mp3s and mp4s.

  • Use the the square with four arrows in the bottom right corner to maximize the file viewer, return to the default size via the esc key or by clicking on the symbol again
  • Click through the files by using the list on the left, the arrows in the top status line, or with the arrows at the bottom of the window
  • Use the arrows ↻ and ↺ to rotate the image or PDF
  • Use the + and - symbols or the mouse wheel to zoom in or out
  • Use the maximize icon above the file list to fit an image to the screen
  • Use the PDF symbol to download a PDF that includes the entire sequence of JPEGs from the file list (not yet implemented, coming soon)

The Internal Part (Construction Site) - registered users only

User Accounts and Roles

To access the internal part of VALEP and/or view files restricted from public view, you need to register. In order to register, send an email to Christian Damböck describing your plans. We then will decide together what type of access is applicable in your case.

Here is a list of the possible user roles in VALEP. Which role you might obtain depends on your tasks and relationship to the IVC and/or the institutions that host material in VALEP:

Read only

  • Friend is a user who gets reading access to all restricted files in the published part VALEP
    This user role is restricted to members, friends, and close cooperation partners of the IVC
  • Guest is a user who gets reading access to a selection of the internal part (not yet implemented, coming soon)
    This is for all users who get reading access to parts of the internal material in VALEP
  • Member is a user who gets reading access to all objects of the public and internal part of VALEP
    This is for members of the IVC only

Read and write

  • Beginner is a user who gets full reading and writing access to those published and unpublished objects of VALEP where the user is specified as owner.
    This is fits users who want to learn VALEP and use all its functionalities
  • Advanced is a user who gets full reading and writing access to all parts of VALEP
    For members of the IVC only
  • Admin has also access to the admininstrative part of VALEP

Login

After logging in with your user account VALEP's user interface might look differently depending on your user role:

  • Friend: VALEP does not change its appearance but you can view the content of every file
  • Guest and Member: in the top left corner, to the right of the elephant, there now appear two buttons Construction and Public
    • Public restricts what you see to the public part of VALEP -- you may use it at times, to get a better overview
    • Construction adds to the public material (font color black) material that is only visible in the internal construction site of VALEP (font color grey)
  • Beginner and Advanced: like Guest and Member you may shift between the Public and Construction view; in addition:
    • You have access to toolbar allowing you to use certain functionalities: uploading files and folders, adding nodes to the archive tree, creating documents, and deleting objects
    • You may add objects to and remove objects from all these nodes in the archive tree where you have that permission
    • You may create general documents and versions and you may also delete them, if you have that permission
    • You may change metadata for all those objects for which you are entitled to do so

How to edit fields in the metadata window

  • Some of the metadata fields are rather self explanatory - just try to use them
  • Read through the metadata page, before you start

Text fields

  • Text fields (title, description, URL) may contain any UNICODE text
  • Just enter or edit the text
  • As soon as you click somewhere outside of the text field, you should see a green message box ""Updated X successfully

Persons/Institutions

  • Most metadata fields of the category person/institution may contain several entries
  • Enter some characters of the individual or institution
  • If the correct name appears, select it or move down with the keyboard and press enter
  • If the name is not on the list, press + to the right of the metadata field
    • Select Person or Institution
    • Enter an abbreviated name, which needs to be unique
    • Enter any further data, as needed
    • Click OK
  • Optionally, you may enter further persons/institutions (unless the data field accepts only one entry)
  • After clicking outside the data field, the Updated X successfully message should appear

Language, Card File, Document Format, Copying Process

  • Enter some characters of the name you are searching for
  • If the correct name appears, click on it or move down with the keyboard and press enter
  • If the item you need does not exist, ask the admin to create it for you

Date

  • Most metadata fields of the category date may contain several date-time entries
  • Enter the first string in the field which should match the EDTF format as outlined in the metata page
  • Press ENTER (this is required, otherwise the date is NOT going to be saved)
  • If needed, enter additional EDTF strings, each time hitting ENTER (unless the data fields accepts only one date)
  • After click somewhere outside the field, the Updated X successfully message should appear
  • At this point, the date entries are sent to the parser. Any time you have entered an invalid date (e.g., 1910-12-32), you will get an error message Invalide EDTF data and the incorrect entries are removed
  • Since the date field is so far the only field you have to confirm the entry by pressing ENTER, it might take some time to get used to. After several entries, you will get the hang of it.

Location

  • Most metadata fields of the category location may contain several location entries
  • Try first to enter several characters of the address that you plan to enter (cf. the specification in the metadata page)
  • If the address you are looking for appears in the list, just click on the entry or move down with the keyboard and press enter
  • If the address is not in the list, press the + symbol on the right of the data field
  • Enter the city: again, type several characters of the city name, if it shows up, just select it; otherwise click the + symbol:
    • Enter the city name
    • Then specify the smallest area to which the city belongs
    • Contact the admin if there are problems, but note that an area can always be assigned to a city later on
  • Enter additional information (such as street, postal code, etc.), if applicable
  • If the address should only be city, leave all other fields blank
  • Click OK or press enter
  • Optionally, you may enter further addresses to the field (unless the data field accepts only a single location)
  • When clicking outside the field, the Updated X successfully message should appear confirming that the information was saved

Event

  • Most metadata fields of the category event may contain several event entries
  • Try first to enter several characters of the event you are looking for (cf. the specification in the metadata page)
  • If the event appears on the list, click it or move down with the keyboard and press enter
  • If the event does not show up, press the + symbol to the right of the data field
    • Type in the event and select an event type (required)
    • Optionally, you may also add location, address, and an event description
    • Click OK to create the event
  • Optionally, you may enter further events to the data field (unless the data field accepts only a single event)
  • After clicking outside the field, the message Updated X successfully should appear confirming that the entry was saved

How to create, edit, and delete parts of the archive tree

Only selected users can use the functionalities outlined below, as described in the login section.

How to create, edit, and delete an archive

  • Right click on Archives and click Add child node / or click on archives and then click + in the toolbar
  • Enter the name of the new archive and press Ok or type Enter
  • To edit the archive, click on the name of the new archive and enter or edit the metadata (note that the owners field can be changed only by the admin)
  • To delete the archive, right click on the name and click Delete / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar

How to create, edit, and delete a collection

  • Right click on the archive where you want to store the collection and click Add child node / or click on the archive and then click + in the toolbar
  • Enter some characters of the name of the person or institution holding the collection, then select the name from the list (either click or move down with the keyboard and press enter) and press Ok or type Enter
    • If the person or institution you are looking for is not in the list, ask the admin to create it
  • To edit the collection, click on the name of the new collection and enter or edit the metadata (note that the owners field can be changed only by the admin)
  • To delete the collection, right click on the name and click Delete / or click on the name and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar

How to create, edit, and delete a digital object

Uploading a folder to a collection automatically turns it into a digital object: see How to upload a folder

  • Right click on a collection and click Add child node / or click on the collection and then click + in the toolbar
  • Enter the name of the new digital object and press Ok or type Enter
  • To edit the digital object, click on its name and enter or edit the metadata (note that the owners field can be changed only by the admin)
  • To delete the digital object, right click its name and click Delete / or select its name and then click on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar

How to create, edit, and delete a box

In general, you will not be creating boxes within VALEP but uploading them from your computer: see How to upload a folder; however, it might be useful at times to create boxes directly, in order to structure the contents of a digital object:

  • Right click on either a digital object or a box and click Add child node / or click on the collection and then click + in the toolbar
  • Enter the name of the new box and press Ok or type Enter
  • To edit the box, click on the name of the new digital object and enter or edit the metadata (note that the owners field can be changed only by the admin)
  • To delete the box, right click on its name and click Delete / or select its name and then click on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar

How to upload files to the archive tree

The functionalities outlined below accessible only to authorized users, as indicated in the login section.

How to prepare files and folders for uploading

A key aspect of VALEP is its ability to upload arbitrarily nested structures within a folder, i.e., it might contain folders, subfolders, subfolders of subfolders etc. However, please note the following requirements and guidelines:

  • Use either Firefox or (even better) Chrome
  • File extensions are limited to JPEG, PDF, .mp3, or .mp4
  • File names cannot contain dots except for the one preceding the file name extension (such extra dots will replaced with a hyphen)
  • No folder in the uploaded folder structure may contain both files and folders; in other words, files are contained in a special type of folder in VALEP, which cannot contain any folders
  • All folders and files in the archive tree are organized alphabetically; this alphabetic order is critical because you are only able to add alphabetically organized sequences of a folder to a version
  • JPEGs must be compressed to less than 600KB; though VALEP is capable of compressing the files during upload, this might slow down the process. In addition, compression during upload sometimes fails.
  • Try to keep your PDFs, mp3 and mp4 files small; those files won't be compressed during upload; any file that you upload to VALEP cannot be larger than 15MB.
  • If a folder contains more than 1.000 files and/or 1GB, please discuss the upload in advance with the admin
  • Note that large uploads (of several 10,000 files) might become difficult; do not attempt this without assistance of the admin

How to upload a single folder

  • Study the previous section and prepare your files and folders accordingly
  • Click on the collection, digital object, or box where you want to place your folder
  • Click on the upload folder symbol in the middle of the toolbar
  • Select the folder on your local computer and press OK

How to upload several folders at once

  • To upload several folders at once to a specific folder X, you will first need to put these folders into a local folder also named X.
    • The local folder X may also contain folders already uploaded to the VALEP X folder - these will simply be ignored during the upload process. This means that when you want to add new material to an already uploaded subfolder of X, you need proceed differently
    • If you want to upload several folders directly to a collection called X collection (e.g., Carnap collection), the folder in your local folder must be called X rather than X collection (or Carnap rather than Carnap collection)
  • Click on the folder X (or X collection) to which you want to upload the unit of folders
  • Click on the upload folder symbol in the middle of the toolbar
  • Select the folder X on your local computer and press OK

How to upload files

The standard way of getting files into the archive tree is to upload a folder. However, in some cases it might be necessary to upload just several files into an existing folder:

  • Follow the guidelines in the upload a folder section.
  • Ensure that the box/folder to which you plan to upload your files is either empty or only contains files
  • Click on the box or folder where you want to place your files
  • Click on the upload files symbol in the middle of the toolbar
  • Select the files on your local computers (several files might be selected at once) and click OK

How can I track the upload? How can it fail?

  • The progress of your upload is reported in the toolbar; typically, 4 files per batch are uploaded, which should take only a few seconds
  • To track the success report and possible error messages during the upload, press F12 in Chrome or Firefox and select Console
  • Should you interrupt the process by shutting down the browser or the computer, the upload will fail and cannot be continued; in that case, just delete the initial fragmented upload and try again
  • If the upload fails several times in a row, please contact the admin
  • Here are some scenarios that can lead to problems with the file upload:
    • JPEGs larger than 600KB will sometimes not be compressed, triggering an error message and a failed upload
    • If a file contains a dot somewhere in the file name, VALEP will delete the file name between the dot and the file extension; though the upload works, the resulting cropped file name may corrupt the intended ordering of the uploaded files
    • Files, in general, cannot be larger than 15MB

How to create, edit, and delete general documents

The functionalities outlined in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the login section.

How to create a general document

Before you create a general document, please check the details on general documents in the metadata section.

  • Click on the create new general document symbol in the toolbar, or right click in the upper document window and click Create new general document
  • In the New Document window select the Document Category (which cannot be changed later); if the document is a file card, you will need to select the card file to which it belongs
  • All other metadata fields are optional; complete them as you wish; you can change the data at any time
  • If you have questions about a particular metadata category, please consult the metadata page
  • Press OK when you are done

Who can edit or delete a general document?

  • The Document status indicated in the Details section of a general document determines the available functionalities for each user
  • General documents with the document status Beginner can be edited or deleted by any user who has writing permissions
  • General documents with the document status Advanced can not be edited or deleted by users whose role is Beginner
  • General documents with the document status Admin can be edited or deleted only by the admin
  • The document status can be changed by the admin only

How to edit a general document

  • If needed, search for the document using the filter tab and the ordering function
  • Click on the document either in the upper or the lower document window
  • Change any metadata in the upper section (document type, title), in the General or Details section
  • Note that you cannot change the document category, and the card file (exists only for file cards), cf. the next paragraph
  • Note that the Document status can only be changed by the admin

How to change the document category or file card to which a document is assigned

  • The only way to do this is to delete the document and create a new one with the correct document category and/or file card
  • We recommend creating the new document first and then deleting the old one to avoid data loss

How to delete a general document

  • Click on the general document and then click on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar
  • If it doesn't work, check the Who can edit or delete a general document? section

How to create, edit, and delete versions

Before you proceed, read the versions section in the metadata page. The functionalities outlined in this section are accessible only to some users, as indicated in the login section.

Who can create, edit or delete a version?

How to create a version

  • Double click the general document to which the version will belong in the upper document window -- it should show up in the lower document window
  • Select the files of the versions in the archive tree: click on the first file of the sequence, hold Shift, then click on the last file of the sequence
  • Click on the selection and pull it to the appropriate Add version category in the list in the lower document window
  • Move the mouse slowly and, in the lower document window, wait until the appropriate Add version line is turning gray - this will take a few seconds: at that point can you release the mouse to drop the files into the appropriate version category
  • Wait a few seconds: if the version contains many files, it may take a while until the green Successfully created new Version" message pops up
  • If it doesn't work, try again!

How to edit a version

  • Click on the version
  • Edit the Version tab in the metadata window

How to delete a version

  • Open the version in the lower document window
  • Right click on the version and press Delete or click on the version and then on the paper basket symbol in the toolbar

How to create, edit, and delete subdocuments

Functionalities in this section are accessible only to some users, as described in the login section.

What is a subdocument?

  • Several general documents can be combined to become a sequence of subdocuments of another general document
  • Each general document can be the subdocument of several other general documents
  • To view subdocuments you need to open a general document in the lower document window (just double click the document in the upper window or double click any of its versions in the archive tree)
  • If the general document has subdocuments then you find them listed below its versions
  • If the general document has parent documents (i.e., documents to whom it belongs as a subdocument) then you find them listed below its versions and subdocuments under the header Parents (just click on the arrow to watch the list of parent documents)

How to add a subdocument

  • Open the general document to which you want to add a subdocument in the lower document window (double click in the upper document window on any general document that belongs to the sequence or double click in the archive tree on any version that belongs to the sequence)
  • In the upper document window select the document that you want to add as a subdocument to the document in the lower document window
  • In the lower document window there should show up a + button now (if it does not show up then you do not have the permission to add the selected document as a subdocument here)
  • Then you have two different options:
    • Simply click the + button: the selected document will be enqueued as the final document in the list of subdocuments
    • Select a subdocument from the list in the lower document window (if applicable) and then click the + button: the selected document from the upper document window will be enqueued as a subdocument below the selected document in the lower document window

How to remove a subdocument

  • Open the general document from which you want to remove a subdocument in the lower document window (double click in the upper document window on any general document that belongs to the sequence or double click in the archive tree on any version that belongs to the sequence)
  • Select the subdocument that you want to remove
  • Click the - button (if there is no - button then you do not have the permission to remove a subdocument)

How to move a subdocument up and down in the queue

  • Open the general document in which you want to move a subdocument in the lower document window (double click in the upper document window on any general document that belongs to the sequence or double click in the archive tree on any version that belongs to the sequence)
  • Select the subdocument that you want to move up or down
  • Click on one of the arrow buttons to move the subdocument up or down (if there is no arrow button then you do not have the permission to remove a subdocument)

Why do you don't have the permission to add, remove, or move subdocuments

  • If you are not the owner of the documents being involved this may cause that you don't have permission (namely, if your user role is beginner)
  • If one of the documents being involved is set to the status locked then subdocuments cannot be added, removed, or moved (the locked flag can be set or unset by the admin only)

The Internal Part (Admin)

VALEP also consists of an internal part accessible to the admin only, who is authorized to modify the following categories:

  • Users can be created, edited and removed
  • Tables and indices containing important data of VALEP can be edited, including:
    • Document formats
    • Copying Processes
    • Institutions
    • Persons
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Card Files

Some of the indices can also be edited in a more restricted way within the Construction Window, including:

  • Addresses and Cities can be created directly in the metadata window by any authorized user: just click the plus symbol to the right of a location field
  • Events can be created in the metadata window by any authorized user: just click the plus symbol to the right of an event field
  • Persons and Institutions can be created in the metadata window by any authorized user

In addition users of type beginner and advanced have access to the tables of the admin tab (except for the user table) and they can do the following:

  • View every item
  • Add new items (limited in the locations tab)
  • Edit existing items (limited in the locations tab)
  • Users of type beginner and advanced, however, cannot delete any items here
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