Egbert de Smet Stim4 the Isis-software Environment

8/3/2019 Egbert de Smet Stim4 the Isis-software Environment

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The ISIS-softwareenvironment

an introduction


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Automation of documentary

information D.I. = info kept in documents with a mainly

textual contents component variant : documents can also representreal

documents : e.g. bibliographic records, withor without abstracts

automation criteria : professional standards flexibility in structure words-recognition powerful formatting functions


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information Professional standards :

ISO-2709 file format

MARC (subfields, repeatable fields) XML (!!) -> gaining importance

variable length and structure records

e.g. cfr. XML : capable of dealing withsemi-structured text-entities (documentelements are optional, repeatable,extensible, defineable)


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information Typical software characteristics :

word recognition (field)

flexible structures Inverted File (addressbook of all words) support

additional features : stopwords, equivalency lists,thesaurus (knowledge systems), strong

formatting, web-capabilities etc. library systems = integratedsystems for

catalogues and administrative data (e.g. loans)


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The ISIS-environment Why ISIS ?

professional, academic concept by UNESCO

(UNISIST, CCF, MARC) educational qualities

multi-platform (DOS, Windows, Unix,WWW, JAVA)

non-commercial software (free)

world-wide users community (especiallyLatin-America, Eastern Europe, Asia)


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ISIS-history (1) I.L.O. 70s: merging of C.D.S and I.S.I.S. UNESCO :

1985 : produces PC-version Micro CDS/ISIS forDOS (as a series of separate softwares)

version 2.0 (1988) : added ISIS/Pascal 1990s : version 2.3 (integrated menu system) 1992 : v.3.0 (networking, multi-user), new : Unix-

version 1998 : Winisis (graphical interface, hyperlinks) 2001-2004 : current version 1.5 (a.o. XML,

wizards)


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ISIS-history (2) BIREME (Sao Paulo, Brazil) :

1995 : CISIS, a set of command-line utilities forISIS-database management

1997 : ISIS-DLL, a programming library forgraphical operating systems

1998 : WWWISIS : a server for CGI-webapplications

2000 : WXIS = WWWISIS version 4.0


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ISIS-history (3) Italy + UNESCO : JAVAISIS

JAVA : platform-independent programming

language (RTE : free) JAVAISIS allows to access (remote) ISIS-

databases (based on BIREME WWWISIS-server)

interface : copies WinISIS looks-n-feel now : searching + basic data-entry

functions are available, but slow


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ISIS-history (4) OPENISIS : re-programming ISIS using the

open source philosophy (OpenISIS Verein,http://www.openisis.org) 2002 : first initiatives

2003 : first results (but reworking needed)

2004 : version 1.0 expected

UNESCO also prepares to release ISIS-software as an open-source software : source code available, non-commercial

best known example : Linux O.S.

co-ordination and tight control still necessary, tomaintain the standards and a certain unity


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ISIS history (5) : WEBLIS Since 2003 : fully integrated, web-based

library system based on ISIS is available from

FAO Based on ISIS.DLL and www-isis.exe as a

dedicated database-server

Functions :

simple, advanced and thesaurus-based searching

Data entry with lists and validation

Loans circulation with advanced features


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The basic concepts (1) ISO-2709 : a format to precisely describe

(bibliographic) records for transport betweensystems the header and directory : fixed-format numerical

description of the record (how long, whichfields/lenghts), start-position of text-content andfield tags

the text-contents concatenated with a separatorcharacter

the records separated by a record-separator

used as exchange format e.g. for all MARC-tapes


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ISO-2709 example record :00846000000000277000450000100310000000400040003102300090003512001140004400-

3000200158005000200160100001100162100001100173109003300184121006700217122001700284123001500301600000500316220013000321200001700451240004200468

250001000510324002800520332001000548343000500558350000500563#ABT ASSOCIATES

INC./AGRICULTUR#AMS#19951205

#Conducting Pan-European research: a preliminary evaluation of a new methodology

for European aquaculture research#B#K#Shaw, S.A.#Bailly, D.#âUniv. Strathclyde

^bGlasgow^cUK#3. Annu. Conf. of the European Association of Fisheries Economists

#Dublin (Ireland)#10-12 Apr 1991#âen#Proceedings of the third Annual Conferenceof the European Association of Fisheries Economists, Dublin, Ireland, 10-12 Apr

il 1991#Hillis, J.P.êd.#âDublin (Ireland)^bThe Stationery Office#^p163-175#Ir.

Fish. Invest. [B. Mar.]#0578-7467#1994#î42#~


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MARC-recordsMachine Readable Catalogues (IFLA)

for international standardization of

bibliographic data (-> exchange) based on ISO-2709 file format

field-tags 1-999 (defined by

implementation, e.g. UNIMARC, CCF) variable fields and field lengths

subfields, e.g. ^ade Smet^bEgbert


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Inverted File support the IF contains all searchable elements

(terms) , sorted alphabetically, and theirpositions within the database: which record

which field

which occurrence of that field

which position in that field (word-counting forproximity retrieval)

the IF in fact represents all possible searchesalready done - except for Boolean set-combinations (AND/OR/NOT) - and saved


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ISIS-structures : the MST the database itself is a binary ISO-2709

file with all the records concatenated

no separators, binary header

records can be active or non-active (e.g.changed, logically deleted)

all new records are appendedat the end ofthe file, which always grows (-> needs

compacting)


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ISIS-structures : XRF the Cross-Reference file is a first-phase

normal index(list of pointers, i.e. relative

addresses sequence with fixed records) to therecords in the MST for fast access of records

an XRF-file completes a basic ISIS-database

M+X = ISIS, cfr. CISIS-tool MX (Bireme)

can be reconstructed if absent by special tools(e.g. UNESCO, Bireme)


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ISIS-structures an ISIS-database = at least one

combination of MST + XRF plus IF

all other files are : supporting (e.g. Field Definition Table,

data-entry FMTs, presentation PFTs) or

optional (e.g. stopwords .STW, equivalencylist .ANY) or

derived from MST : the Inverted File-components, defined by FST


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ISIS-structures The Inverted File :

nodes and leaves of a B-Tree organised (forquick positioning in very big files) table, separate

for short and long entries .L01 and .L02

.N01 and .N02

an index on the B-Tree (.CNT)

the postings-file : .IFP, containing allalphabetically sorted entries with their postings(record, field, occurrence, position)

temporary files for sorting (in WORK-directory)


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The FDT Listing of :

data-entry worksheets (FMT)

IF-definitions (FST)

presentation formats (PFT)

the actual fields (tag, name, length, type

and repeatability) mandatory in CDS/ISIS, WinISIS, JAVAISIS

but not in other family members


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The Field Selection Table defines the stringsto be put into the IF

three columns : 1 : identifier (a real or alias tag) 2 : a method : 8 types (per field,

delimiters or /, per word, with orwithout prefixes)

3 : the extraction format, following theISIS-Formatting Language (with allfeatures of it, incl. ISIS/Pascal programs)


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SYSPAR.PARAll settings of the software, some of

them can be set using configuration

Line 5 : data folder -> either thedatabase-files or their referral filesDBN.PAR

In WinISIS : very much used

CISIS : CIPAR.CPR


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The Formatting Language = the real nucleus of the ISIS-software and

its main development tool

defines which stringsare produced as either : database-values (taken from the fields);

can be processed values from the database, e.g.fields combined, computations, even data takenfrom other ISIS-databases by REF-function

or literals : quoted strings, e.g. HTML- or XML-tags

in WinISIS : hyperlinks are added to enrichthe presentation graphically and functionally


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The Formatting Language FL is used in 5 basic ISIS-functions :

normaloutput of the database : display

on screen or printing or dumping in file to define the strings extracted for the IF

to convert values while importingorexportingrecords from/to ISO-2709 using

a reformatting PFT for sorting records

for validation of data entry


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FL basics 3 possible element types :

Vx : values from the fields, can be processed,even by a program (format exit)

Literals : texts to display

Mode commands and links

Literals : 3 types unconditional e.g. ID=v1

|conditional| (with + : not last/first) e.g.|Remarks: |+v500

repeatable e.g. (Author: v300)-> only once


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FL basics Mode commands : p/d/h

P: proofreading

D: data mode (with . and space)

H: heading mode -> end user

l/u : lower/uppercase

{i/b/f/fs } : italics, bold, fonts,fontsize etc.


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FL basics : logical routing IF conditionTHEN statements ELSE

other statementsFInestingpossible

Select Vx

case value : statements

case value : statements

elsecase : statements

Endsel


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FL basics : hyperLINKs LINK((prompt),`COMMAND ,format)

Commands : e.g. OPENFILE, TEXTBOX

E.g. LINK((website),(OPENFILE ),v445)

LINK((abstract),(TEXTBOX ),v600)

Textboxes can also contain images, e.g. link((Show'),'TEXTBOXIMG ',v50)

Can be RCHILD-> closing with record

e.g. TEXTBOXIMGRCHILD ,v50


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To do on FL : hyperlinks (LINK)

REF(L( )) on internal + external

database

textboxes

OPENFILE

etc.


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Assignment 1 : Install WinISIS on your PC

Use the WinISIS-wizard to produce : a FDT for a catalogue database a data-entry worksheet with 1 picklist

one simple IF-FST

at least one standard PFT Enter a few sample bibliographic

records


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Assignment 2 : FL enter records with 1) repeatable fields 2)

subfields 3) date field etc.

Install ASFA-database apply basic FL commands to display, using

WinISIS PFT-editor, e.g. starting fromdecorated PFT :

literals (uncond. ; repeat. ; cond. | |) fs, cl, i, b, box() etc.

modes : mpl, mhl, mdl


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Assignment 3 : elaboration Create 2 new databases :

For users, I.e. names/addresses

For loans transactions

Enter some data in both new databases

Develop PFTs for bibliographic display

with loans info, using REF(L())functions


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Assignment 4 : recapitulation Create new database ABSTRA with only two

fields : v1 (title) and v2 (abstract), indexingon full title and all abstract words

export title- and abstract fields from ASFA-database using export FST import into ABSTRA write ASFA-PFT to display abstract in

separate textbox, using ABSTRA as external

database with REF-function (or writeABSTRA-PFT to display e.g. authors fromASFA-database)

use ABSTRA-database to test searchtechniques


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Sources for self-study on ISIS WinISIS Handbook Hopkinson&Buxton

Novice.htm (E. de Smet, intro)

WinISIS.DOC : official manual

WinISIS1_4.PDF : Guidebook ISIS/DOSusers (by Int. Trade Centre)

Training suite PPT slides

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Egbert de Smet Stim4 the Isis-software Environment