[qv]<notecards>RELEASE1.0>DOC>NOTECARDS-PART1.BRAVO!1

NOTECARDS

Documentation: [Phylum]<Doughty>Notecards-Part1.bravo
Revised: June 28, 1984 3:55 PM

1. Overview & Concepts

2. NoteCards

2.1. NoteCard Types: "Text," "Sketch/Map," "Graph"

2.2. Selecting Cards and Boxes

2.3. NoteCard Menu

2.4. Scrolling

3. FileBoxes

3.1. Selecting Boxes and Cards

3.2. FileBox Menu

3.3. Special FileBoxes: "Table of Contents," "To Be Filed," "Orphans"

3.4. Suggested FileBoxes

3.5. Scrolling

4. Pointers

4.1. Pointer Labels

4.2. Pointer Icon Menu

5. Main Menu

6. Screen Management

6.1. Window Menu

6.2. Mouse Functions

7. Text Editor

7.1. Dandelion Keyboard Description

7.2. Selecting Text

7.3. Text Editing Operations

7.4. Text Editor Menu

8. Graph Editor

8.1. Graph Editing Menu

9. Sketch/Map Editor

9.1. Sketch/Map Editing Menu

9.2. Mouse Functions

9.3. Editing Text

10. Recovering From System Bugs

10.1. Break Windows

10.2. Display/Editor Bugs and Fixes

10.3. Repair NoteFile

1.Overview & Concepts

To be added.

2.NoteCards

Three types of NoteCards, "Text," "Sketch/Map," and "Graph," can be used to store various types of information in the NoteFile. Text, graphics and combinations of the two may be entered into a NoteCard with the Text and Sketch/Map editors. In addition, the Graph editor is used to construct a layout of user-defined words or phrases, called nodes, which may be linked together with lines to indicate some structure. Each node may be easily moved about the card without losing its links.

Pointers may be inserted in each of the three types of NoteCards to signify a user-specified relationship between two cards. A pointer is represented in the NoteCard by a pointer icon. The relationship between the two cards is specified by labeling the pointer (see Sections 2.3. NoteCard Menu: Insert Pointer and 4. Pointers). In the graph editor, a pointer icon is also a node and may be linked to other nodes and pointers.

With these tools a network of NoteCards may be built to explicitly represent an analyst’s organization, understanding, and evaluation of the many pieces of information encountered while conducting an investigation or constructing a report. A network of NoteCards linked with pointers may exist locally within a single FileBox or extend across topics in the FileBox hierarchy. The network may be redefined and modified as necessary to reflect the user’s concepts of the problem as well as any inferences made about the information contained in the NoteFile.

NoteCards can be created by selecting Create from the Main Menu with the middle mouse button. They are viewed through windows which are manipulated by a window menu (see Sections 5. Main Menu: Create and 6.1. Window Menu). Up to 20 cards and/or boxes may be displayed on the screen at one time with the windows overlapping if necessary.

2.1.NoteCard Types

NoteCards are reated by selecting Create from the Main Menu with the middle mouse button (use both buttons for middle if using a two button mouse) and choosing a card type from the sub-menu. Selecting Create with the left mouse button automatically creates a Text NoteCard. (See Section 5. Main Menu: Create.) After making a selection, an outline of a card will pop up next to the cursor. This outline can be moved to any location on the screen by moving the cursor. Plant the outline by depressing any mouse button, and a NoteCard will then replace the outline.

"Text" — a card for entering text. (See Section 7. Text Editor for editing instructions.)

"Graph" — a card for creating and editing node links and graph structures. (See Section 8. Graph Editor for editing instructions.)

"Sketch/Map" — a card for creating and editing sketches, e.g. line drawings, that can optionally include maps. Text may also be entered into this card. Note: creating a map requires substantial machine time. (See Section 9. Sketch/Map Editor for editing instructions.)

2.2.Selecting Cards and Boxes

Refering from one NoteCard or FileBox to another requires selection of the other card or box. Selections can be made in either of two ways:

1.Place the cursor in the title bar of the card or box and depress the left mouse button.

2.Place the cursor over any pointer icon that is pointing to the card or box and depress the left mouse button. (See Section 4. Pointers.)

2.3.NoteCard Menu

The NoteCard Menu contains a list of commands manipulating a NoteCard. Display the menu by placing the cursor in the title bar of the card and depressing the left mouse button. Select the desired command from the menu before releasing the button. Commands followed by a gray triangle pointing to the right have a sub-command menu. This menu is displayed by holding the button down and sliding the cursor to the right through the triangle. Select the sub-command before releasing the button.

The commands and their sub-commands are as follows:

Show/Edit Properties — displays above the card or box a list of attribute value properties. Included in this list are system-maintained properties such as the ID number and a list of the author, date and time of all updates to the card or box. These system-maintained properties may not be edited. In addition, the user can add or delete user-defined properties such as keywords or certainty values for the information contained in the card. The advantage of adding these user-defined properties is that they are machine readable and will be used in the future to support machine inferences.

A menu to edit user-defined properties is displayed by placing the cursor in the title bar of the attached property list and depressing the left mouse button. Select the command from this menu before releasing the button.

Add New Property — adds user-defined properties to the property list of this card.

Type in the property name and attribute value. Then select a property already in the list before which this new property will be inserted. Properties are displayed in bold type and attribute values are displayed in regular type between brackets.

Delete Selected Property — deletes a user-defined property from the property list of this card.

Select the property to be deleted. Properties are displayed in bold type.

Quit w/o Saving Changes — closes the display without saving any of the current changes made with the use of Add New Property or Delete Selected Property.

Quit - Saving Changes — closes the display saving all current changes made with the use of Add New Property or Delete Selected Property.

Edit Property List — same as Show/Edit Properties above.

Show Pointers — displays above the card or box a list of all pointers to and from other cards and boxes. Pointers are represented in the list by pointer icons. (See Section 4. Pointers.) Any of these cards and boxes may be retrieved by selecting the appropriate pointer icon with the left mouse button. To close this display, place the cursor in the title bar of the List of Pointers, depress the left button, and select Quit from the single item menu.

Title/Sources/Fileboxes — pops up a prompt window above the card asking the user to do three operations: type in a title to the card, designate the sources from which the contents originated, and file the card in one or more FileBoxes.

These operations may be selected individually from among the following sub-menu commands:

Assign Title — pops up a prompt window above the card asking for a title to the NoteCard. Type in a new or revised title followed by a carriage return.

Designate Sources — pops up a prompt window above the card asking the user to select one or more cards that contain the source of the information in the current card. Select Done from the menu above the prompt window after selecting the source card(s). Alternatively, select No Source from the menu to indicate that the contents of the current card do not point to a source of information within the NoteFile.

A pointer icon for the source card is not inserted in the body of the current card. The source for any card can only be displayed using the Show Pointers or Delete Source commands.

File in FileBoxes — pops up a prompt window above the card asking the user to file the card in one or more FileBoxes.

The initial execution of this command displays a two-item menu above the prompt window. Select Done from this menu after designating the FileBoxes to file the card in. Alternatively, select No Box to put the card in the "To Be Filed" FileBox for future filing (see Section 3.3. Special FileBoxes).

Once a card has been filed in a FileBox, selection of this command offers the choice of filing the card in another box and selecting Done from the menu above the prompt window or selecting Cancel to abort the command.

A card may also be filed in additional FileBoxes by copying or moving a pointer icon that is pointing to the card using the text editor (see Sections 7. Text Editor: Copying Text and Moving Text and 4. Pointers).

Unfile from FileBoxes — unfiles the card from selected FileBoxes. Displays above the card a list of pointers to all FileBoxes this card is filed in. Unfile the card by selecting the FileBox(es) or pointer icon(s) that is pointing to the FileBox.

The card may also be unfiled by deleting or moving the pointer icon from a box that is pointing to the card (see Sections 7. Text Editor: Deleting Text and Moving Text and 4. Pointers).

Delete Source — deletes a source pointer. Displays above the card a list of source pointers emanating from this card. Delete the source assignment by selecting the source card or a pointer icon that is pointing to the source card.

Insert Pointer — inserts a user-specified pointer to another card inside the body of the current card. The pointer is represented by a pointer icon. This type of pointer is used to indicate a relation between cards (see Sections 2. NoteCards and 4. Pointers).

Before execution of this command, select a place in the body of the card to indicate where the pointer icon is to appear.

After selection of the command, a menu pops up displaying a list of user-specified Pointer Labels currently available in the NoteFile. Specify the meaning of the pointer by selecting a label from this list or select "New Label" to create a new meaning for the pointer. This new label is added to the NoteFile and becomes a choice in the list of Pointer Labels. It is not possible to name a user-specified label with a system-reserved label. Altrenatively, select "Cancel" from the list to abort this command.

After a label has been designated, a prompt window pops up above the card asking the user to choose the destination of the pointer by selecting another card or box. The user has the option of creating a new card/box as the destination by selecting New Card with the left mouse button from the menu above the prompt window. If this option is taken, a menu of card types pops up from which the user selects the desired type of card. (See Section 5. Main Menu: Create.) Alternatively, select Cancel from the menu above the prompt window to abort this command.

The pointer icon will be inserted at a place in the body of the card indicated by the flashing caret.

A pointer may also be copied or moved from one card or box to another by copying or moving its icon using the text editor. (See Sections 7.3. Text Editing Operations: Copying Text and Movng Text.)

Close and Save — saves the NoteCard or FileBox in the NoteFile before closing the card or box. Closing requires that a NoteCard have a title, have a source, and be filed in at least one FileBox. The system prompts the user if these three items have not been satisfied. (See Title/Sources/FileBoxes above.)

Close and Save — same as Close and Save above.

Close w/o Saving — closes the NoteCard without saving, in the NoteFile, any changes made since the last save. This is useful if text is mistakenly lost or scrambled during editing. (See section 10.3 Display/Editor Bugs and Fixes for less drastic recovery measures.)

Save in NoteFile — saves, in the NoteFile, all changes made to the NoteCard or FileBox without closing the card or box.

Delete Card — permanently deletes the NoteCard from the NoteFile and all its pointers to and from other cards and boxes. Because this deletion is irreversible, the user is asked to confirm before the delete command is executed. Type a carriage return for yes or type "N" and a carriage return for no.

2.4.Scrolling

A NoteCard or FileBox may contain more information than currently viewed on the screen. To view more of the contents, a card or box may be scrolled up and down. When the cursor is moved slowly from inside the left edge of the card to the outside a scroll bar appears. The height of the bar represents the entire contents of the card and the grayed area represents the portion currently viewed on the screen. While the cursor is in the scroll bar it becomes a double arrow pointing up and down. When the left mouse button is depressed, the contents of the card move up making the contents towards the end of the card visible. When the right mouse button is depressed, the contents of the card move down making the contents towards the beginning of the card visible. Depressing the middle mouse button (depress both buttons for the middle if using a two-button mouse) scrolls to a point in the card relative to the beginning and end of the contents. For example, pressing the middle button while the cursor is at the bottom of the scroll bar will bring the contents at the end of the card into view.

Graph or Sketch/Map cards may also be scrolled right and left. The scroll bar is viewed by moving the cursor slowly from inside the lower edge of the card to the outside. The left button moves the contents to the left; the right button moves the contents to the right; and the middle button moves to a relative point in the card.

3.Fileboxes

A FileBox contains a list of pointer icons for sub-FileBoxes (FileBoxes listed within other FileBoxes) and NoteCards. FileBoxes are designed to be organized hierarchically and to represent a topic and its sub-topics. The contents of the box may include only subtopics (represented by sub-FileBoxes), only information filed under that topic (represented in the various types of NoteCards), or both subtopics and NoteCards. (See Section 2. NoteCards for a non-hierarchical way of organizing cards.)

FileBoxes can be created by selecting Create from the Main Menu with the middle mouse button. They are viewed through windows that are manipulated by a window menu (see Sections 5. Main Menu: Create and 6.1. Window Menu). Up to 20 boxes and/or cards may be displayed on the screen at one time, with the windows overlapping if necessary.

It is necessary to have a higher-level FileBox or a pointer icon pointing to this box displayed on the screen before creating a new FileBox.

When FileBox is selected from the Create sub-menu, an outline of a box pops up next to the cursor. This outline can be moved to any location on the screen by moving the cursor. Plant the outline by depressing any mouse button. A FileBox will then replace the outline.

After creating a FileBox, a prompt window is displayed above the box asking the user to put it in a parent FileBox. To keep within the boundaries of the NoteCard’s hierarchical design, certain rules must be followed when placing a FileBox in a parent FileBox. The box can not be put in itself, in one of its sub-boxes, in any sub boxes within those sub-boxes, etc. In addition, a NoteCard can not act as a parent to the FileBox.

Select Done from the menu displayed above the prompt window after designating all the FileBoxes to put the new box in. Select Cancel from this menu to abort the FileBox creation. This closes the box without saving it in the NoteFile. Selecting Done without designating any FileBoxes will also close the box without saving it.

3.1.Selecting Boxes and Cards (see Section 2.1. Selecting Cards and Boxes)

3.2.FileBox Menu

The FileBox Menu contains a list of commands for manipulating a FileBox. Display the menu by placing the cursor in the title bar of the box and depressing the left mouse button. Select the desired command before releasing the button. Commands followed by a gray triangle pointing to the right have a sub-command menu that can be displayed by sliding the cursor to the right through the triangle. Refer to Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu for commands not defined here.

The commands and their sub-commands are as follows:

Show/Edit Properties — (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu.)

Edit Property List — (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu.)

Show Pointers — (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu.)

Put in FileBox — puts the current box in a higher level FileBox. Select one or more FileBoxes to put the current box in. The rules for placing a FileBox in another FileBox must be followed (see Section 3. FileBoxes above). Select Done after indicating the parent FileBoxes or select Cancel to abort the command.

A FileBox can be copied or moved from one box to another by copying or moving the pointer icon that is pointing to the box using the text editor. This is a useful alternative to Put in FileBox when putting a FileBox in additional boxes. (See Sections 4. Pointers and 7.3. Text Editing Operations: Moving Text and Copying Text.)

There is no command for removing a FileBox from another box; however, it is possible to remove a box by deleting the pointer icon with the text editor. (See Section 7.3. Text Editing Operations: Deleting Text.)

Assign Title — a prompt window pops up above the box asking for a title to the FileBox. Type a revised title followed by a carriage return.

Close and Save — (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu.)

Save in NoteFile — (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu.)

Delete FileBox — permanently deletes the FileBox from the NoteFile and all pointers to the box from other cards and boxes. All cards and boxes that are only filed in this FileBox are transfered to the "Orphans" card (see Section 3.3. Special FileBoxes).

Because this deletion is irreversible, the user is asked to confirm before the delete command is executed. Type a carriage return for yes or type "N" followed by a carriage return for no.

3.3.Special FileBoxes

A new Notefile begins with three predefined FileBoxes that are necessary to the operation of the system. These boxes cannot be created or deleted by the user, but may be renamed and otherwise treated as regular FileBoxes.

Select the Show Box command from the Main Menu with the middle mouse button (use both buttons for middle if using a two button mouse) and choose one of the FileBoxes from the sub-menu. Pressing the Show Box with the left mouse button automatically brings up the "Table of Contents" FileBox. (See Section 5. Main Menu: Show Box.)

"Table of Contents" — the top-level FileBox of each NoteFile designed for storage of pointers to all FileBoxes and NoteCards on the highest level of the hierarchy.

"Orphans" — a backup FileBox for FileBoxes and NoteCards whose pointers have been removed from their last FileBox.

To permanently delete a card or box, use the Delete Card (FileBox) command (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu: Delete Card).

Removing a pointer icon from the Orphans box with the text editor severs the card or box from the FileBox hierarchy but does not delete it from the NoteFile. Generally Search is the only means of accessing a severed card or box.

"To Be Filed" — a temporary FileBox for NoteCards that are not filed in any FileBoxes. A card may be filed in this box in one of three ways:

1.Choose the No Box option offered when first using the File in FileBox command.

2.Choose the No Box option offered when first using the Quit and Save command without having previously filed the card.

3.Select the "To Be Filed" box when using the File in FileBox command.

When a card is later retrieved and filed in a specific FileBox, it is not removed from the "To Be Filed" box. Manually delete or move the pointer icon from the "To Be Filed" box with the text editor. (See Section 7.3. Text Editing Operations: Deleting Text and Moving Text.)

3.4.Suggested FileBoxes

The user may find it helpful to create the following FileBoxes for the NoteFile.

"Bibliography" — a FileBox for the collection of sources used in the NoteFile.

"Index" — a FileBox listing keywords from the NoteFile. May be helpful when using Search. (See Section 5. Main Menu: Browse/Search.)

3.5.Scrolling (see Section 2.4. Scrolling)

4.Pointers

A pointer is a uni-directional link between two NoteCards and/or FileBoxes. The visual representation of a pointer is its icon. This icon, called a pointer icon, is a rectangle that may contain the label of the pointer, the title of the card or box its pointing to, both the label of the pointer and the title of the card, or it may simply have a notecard appearance. A card or box can be retrieved from the NoteFile and displayed on the screen by selecting any icon of any pointer to the card or box.

4.1.Pointer Labels

Each pointer has a label indicating the meaning of the pointer. Some of these labels are reserved by the system and others are user-specified.

System Reserved —

SubBox: a pointer that points to a box filed in a higher level FileBox.

FiledCard: a pointer that points to a card filed in a FileBox.

Source: a pointer that points from a card to a source card.

ListContents — a pointer that points to a card or box emanating from a Search card.

BrowserContents — a pointer that points to a card or box emanating from a Browse card.

User Specified — NoteCards may also point to another card or box. This type of pointer signifies a user-specified relationship between the two cards. The user selects the appropriate pointer label by choosing from a list of labels currently in the NoteFile or specifying a new label to be added to the NoteFile (see Section 2.3. NoteCard Menu: Insert Pointer).

4.2.Pointer Menu

The Pointer Menu contains a list of commands used to manage a pointer icon. Select the center of the icon with the middle mouse button to display the following commands:

Bring Up Card/Box — displays the card or box pointed to by this icon. Note: the card or box may be automatically displayed by selecting the center of the icon with the left mouse button.

Re-label Pointer — pops up a menu of pointer labels enabling the user to change the label of a user-specified pointer.

Change Display — pops up a menu for changing the appearance of the pointer icon. The following options are available:

NoteCard Symbol — gives the pointer icon a notecard appearance.

Title of Destination — displays the title of the destination card or box in a rectangle.

Pointer Label — displays the pointer label in a rectangle.

Both Title and Label — displays both the pointer label and title of the destination card or box in a rectangle.

5.Main Menu

Once the NoteCards environment has been initialized, the Main Menu is displayed on the screen. This menu is displayed continuously and cannot be moved or deleted.

The commands in this menu can be used for the creation and manipulation of NoteFiles. Each command has a sub-menu.

The commands and their sub-menus are described below:

NoteFile Ops — select with the left mouse button to display a list of sub-commands that can be used to manage a NoteFile. Select the desired command with the left mouse button.

Many of these commands ask that a NoteFile name be typed into the black prompt window. Each name must end with ".NoteFile." This will be appended, for the user, by the NoteCard system. Type a carriage return to abort a command, otherwise type the NoteFile name followed by a carriage return.

Several commands can create more than one version of a NoteFile. When using Create New NoteFile, it is possible to assign an already existing name to the new NoteFile, thereby creating more than one version. When a NoteFile is compacted, a new version is created from the old, and both versions are saved in NoteCards. Finally, if a NoteFile that already exists on the disk is being restored from a floppy, an additional version will be added to the disk. It is necessary to use the Delete NoteFile command to erase any unwanted versions of NoteFiles from the NoteCard system.

During execution of each sub-command, the system processes the information currently in the NoteFile, and displays information on its progress in the black prompt window (e.g. "Processing Card Number 20 of 365"). Information is not provided for the commands Restore From Floppy and Backup To Floppy. With the exception of Close NoteFile, execution of these sub-commands requires that there be no open NoteFile.

Open NoteFile — opens an existing NoteFile.

Close NoteFile — closes the currently open NoteFile.

List NoteFiles — displays, in the black prompt window, a list of NoteFiles stored on the local disk. If the list contains more names than the window can acommodate, the window will invert to a white background. A carriage return must be typed to scroll the remainder of the list into view.

Create New NoteFile — creates a new empty NoteFile. It is necessary to select Open NoteFile to open a newly created NoteFile.

Compact NoteFile — compacts a NoteFile by rejecting extraneous information. As NoteCards and FileBoxes are revised, old extraneous information from the cards and boxes remains in the NoteFile. Compacting creates a new, compressed version of the NoteFile by copying into the new version only current information from the old version. The old version of the NoteFile remains on the disk until the user deletes it with the Delete NoteFile command.

Compacting can take 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the NoteFile.

Repair NoteFile — this command may be helpful in repairing the NoteFile when there are inconsistencies or problem areas in the actual NoteFile (see Section 10. Recovering from System Bugs).

The NoteFile must be closed before executing this command. It is usually best to compact the file after a repair - though is is not necessary.

Delete NoteFile — deletes the oldest version of the NoteFile from the local disk.

The system will ask the user to confirm the deletion by typing a carriage return for no or a "Y" and a carriage return for yes. If yes, confirmation will be required a second time to insure against unintentional deletion.

Restore From Floppy — retrieves a stored copy of a NoteFile that has been backed up on a floppy. The floppy must be in the drive before execution of this command.

Restoring from a floppy can take 5 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the NoteFile. An illuminated red light on the disk drive indicates that the floppy is either reading or writing a file.

Backup To Floppy — stores a backup copy of a specified NoteFile onto a floppy. This copy can be used as an archive or as a backup to a NoteFile that is somehow destroyed on the local disk. A floppy must be in the drive before execution of this command.

Copying to a floppy can take 5 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the NoteFile. An illuminated red light on the disk drive indicates that the floppy is either reading or writing a file.

Show Box — used to retrieve and display Special FileBoxes. Select this command with the middle mouse button to display a sub-menu for the retrieval of the special "Table of Contents," "Orphans," and "To Be Filed" FileBoxes. (See Section 3.3. Special FileBoxes.) Select Show Box with the left mouse button to automatically display the "Table of Contents" FileBox.

Create — used to create and display new FileBoxes and NoteCards. Select this command with the middle mouse button to display a sub-menu for the creation of "Text," "Graph," or "Sketch/Map" NoteCards or "FileBoxes." Select Create with the left mouse button to automatically create a "Text" NoteCard.

Browse/Search — displays a sub-menu from which to select Browse or Search.

Browse — used to create a NoteCard that presents a view of cards/boxes and the pointers between cards/boxes in a specified portion of the current NoteFile. Given a starting card or box and a set of pointer labels, Browse will create a graph structure showing all NoteCards and FileBoxes that can be reached from the initial card/box by recursively following all pointers with one of the specified labels.

This graph structure displays both the specified set of cards/boxes, and the links (i.e. pointers) between the cards/boxes in the set.

Before selecting Browse, the starting card/box or a pointer icon pointing to the card/box must be visible on the screen to allow selection with the mouse. When Browse is selected, an outline of a Browse NoteCard pops up next to the cursor. This outline can be moved to any location on the screen by moving the cursor. Plant the outline by depressing any mouse button, and a Browse card will replace the outline. After creating a browse card, a prompt window will be displayed above the card asking the user to designate a starting card/box. The user may select a starting card/box or abort the browse by selecting Cancel. After designating the starting card/box, a list of Pointer Labels will be displayed from which the user selects the label(s) the browse should follow. Again, the user may select the label(s) and Done or abort the browse by selecting Cancel. Once the pointer label(s) has been determined, browse compiles the set of cards/boxes and displays it in the Browse card.

The characteristics of a browse card are identical to a graph card with the exception of the single-item menu that is displayed by pointing to the title bar with the cursor and depressing the middle mouse button. (See Section 2.1. NoteCard Types: "Graph".) The command in this menu follows:

Recompute Browser — modifies the browse card to reflect the current NoteFile starting from the same card or box and following the same pointer label as originally specified.

Warning: nodes and links added or deleted through the Graph Editing Menu commands Add Node, Add Link, or Delete Link will be removed when Recompute Browser is executed. (See Section 8.1. Graph Editing Menu.)

Search — searches through all boxes and cards looking for titles containing a specified string of characters. A new card is then created with a list of pointers to these cards/boxes. This new card also contains the day and time the list was compiled. Search is case sensitive so the string must be typed exactly as it appears in the title.

Note: this list is not updated as new cards are entered into the NoteFile. The date and time the list was compiled can be used to help determine if the list in the card is out-of-date.