Using XMetaL to Encode Finding Aids
Set Up the Default
Encoding Screen
- Open XMetaL. The first time you open the application after
installation, some XMetaL practice files may appear. If so, click on the File
menu and select Close All.
- If open, click "My Computer Window" closed.
- Click on the File menu and select New from the pull-down menu. You
will be presented with a list of templates to choose from, including
NWDATemplate. Select the NWDATemplate. If you're prompted for a DTD or rules
file, select ead.dtd or ead.rlx
- After the template opens, click on the View menu and select
Structure View. If asked about hiding the Structure View by default, select
Yes.
- Click on the Tools menu and select Options. Click on the View tab.
Click "Open new documents in..." to Tags On View. Click OK.
- Click on the View menu again and select Tags On.
- Click on the View menu again and select Attribute Inspector; click
on the View menu one more time and select Element List.
- This view of the NWDA encoding template should now appear by
default whenever you open an existing finding aid file or create a new one
using the NWDA template. You can change the view by clicking on the Normal view
(page icon) or Plain Text view (angle brackets <> icon) at the bottom
left of the screen, or through the View menu.
Element and Attribute Boxes in XMetaL
- If you set up the default encoding screen as described above,
you'll see two boxes on the right side of the screen. The top box contains the
Attribute values for each EAD element, and the Element box shows elements that
may be added to the finding aid document.
- What is visible in the boxes depends on the location of the cursor
at the time. If the cursor is on a particular element, the Attribute box shows
the attributes that apply to that element, and the Element box shows the
elements that may be added at that point.
- To add or edit an attribute for a particular element, place the
cursor on the element. In the Attributes list on the right side of the screen,
click into the desired attribute and type in the appropriate value. If a
drop-down box is provided, select the appropriate value from the drop-down
list.
- To add an element to your finding aid, place the cursor at the
point in the finding aid where the element should be added. In the Elements
list on the right side of the screen, double-click the desired element. It
should appear in the desired location.
- Elements may be highlighted and dragged to any point in a finding
aid or highlighted and deleted. If the element does not appear in the location
to which you drag it, it is illegal at that location and will remain at its
starting point. XMetaL uses the ead.dtd file to enforce the rules of EAD and
will not permit an element to be placed in a location that is not authorized by
the EAD DTD. In such a case, check the EAD Tag Library for assistance.
Entering Finding Aid Data into the NWDA Template for XMetaL
- Prompts in the highlighted fields on the template provide brief
guidance on the content to enter into each field; the prompts themselves will
disappear when you enter text into them. Just place your cursor on one of the
highlighted prompts and begin typing. Most typical word processing functions
are available in XMetaL.
- Some of the fields in the EAD template call for data that is
repetitive (such as title and dates); that's OK. It's also fine to leave fields
blank. During encoding, blank fields may be left in the finding aid for later
use, but they should be deleted before the finding aid is submitted to the NWDA
database.
- For additional guidance on encoding (for example, if you're unsure
what a particular element is or whether it is appropriate to use in a given
situation), consult the
EAD Tag
Library. It's a good idea, too, to consult the
NWDA Best
Practice Encoding Guidelines frequently as you work (rather than rely on
the template prompts).
- Another useful source of information is the EAD discussion list;
for info on subscribing, go to the EAD
Standards page. Questions may also be posed to the NWDA e-list.
- Or see examples of DACS-compliant encoded finding aids in the
NWDA database.
Naming and Saving a Document
After opening a new finding
aid file, it's a good idea to save that file. The NWDA has established the
following file naming guidelines:
- Filenames should end with an .xml extension (XMetaL supplies
this).
- Filenames should contain no spaces or dashes.
- Filenames may include upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and
underscores.
- Filename examples:
- MTGMss065.xml
- WAUUa4550_1.xml
- Saving your files on a network is a good idea, but in any case,
make sure to back your files up regularly.
- If you submit a finding aid to the NWDA database and later need to
correct or update it, edit the finding aid file, save it with exactly
the same file name you used originally, and resubmit it to the NWDA database.
The revised finding aid file will replace the earlier version only if the
filenames are identical.
Editing the NWDA Template for XMetaL
The NWDA Template for XMetaL complies with the
NWDA Best
Practice Encoding Guidelines, but many elements and attributes are
optional. If your institution rarely uses some of the elements defaulted into
the NWDA template for XMetaL, you may delete them from the template. You may
also add default elements and attribute values to the template, include default
text, add a link to your logo, and alter the wording of template prompts.
- From the C: drive of your computer, in \Program Files\Blast
Radius\XMetaL 4.6\Author (depending on the XMetaL application you
purchased)\Template\General, open the NWDA template file.
- Delete an Element: Locate each element you wish to delete,
highlight the element, and press the Delete key.
- Add elements and attributes: You may also add default
elements and attributes to your institution's version of the template if
desired. Position the cursor in the desired location in the template, select
the element from the element list on the bottom right side of the screen, and
double click it to add it to the template. Highlight that (or any other)
element and fill in default attribute values on the top right side of the
screen (making sure to comply with the NWDA Best Practice Encoding Guidelines
for EAD).
- Add default text: To enter default text, such as your
repository address, into certain elements, simply enter the text in the desired
element and save the template file.
- Link to your logo: You may also add a link to your
repository logo (see the
NWDA Best
Practice Guidelines on "Linking to an Institutional Logo").
- Alter template prompts: You may also change or delete the
prompts used in the NWDA template:
- Place the cursor on the prompt and click into the plain text
view (click on the angle-bracket icon on the lower left of the screen).
- In the XMetaL "xm-replace_text" element, highlight the text
inside the curly braces {} and type in new text.
Example:
<?xm-replace_text {Enter date of substantial revision of finding aid, if
any}?>
- Save the template file: After editing the template file,
save it. Finding aids based on your revised template (created after you revise
the template, i.e.) will reflect the template changes, but finding aids encoded
according to a previous version of the template will not.
All of the above template changes may be made in any application of
XMetaL. Other customizations, such as changes in indentation and color, depend
on whether you own XMetaL Author or XMetaL Developer. For information on
customizing the layout of the NWDA XMetaL encoding template to suit your
institution's needs, see "Customizing the NWDA Template" below.
Customizing the Layout of the NWDA Template for XMetaL
The EAD encoding template for XMetaL used in the NWDA database complies with the
NWDA Encoding Guidelines developed by the project's Best Practices Working
Group. Individual NWDA institutions may, however, customize certain elements,
attributes, and prompts appearing on the template, as described in "Entering
Data and Editing the NWDA Template for XMetaL" above. In addition, document layout
features such as element indentation and color may be customized as well, but
this is easily done only in XMetaL Developer or in older versions of XMetaL
(such as version 3, formerly available from the SoftQuad company but no longer
supported by the product's current owner, Blast Radius).
If you have followed the installation instructions above, you have
already downloaded the two files that govern layout features such as color,
carriage return placement, indentation, and element grouping. The files are
named ead.css and ead.ctm. In XMetaL Author, you may alter the settings coded
into these files if your staff possesses the technical expertise to edit the
code; otherwise, you must use XMetaL Developer (or XMetaL version 3) to make
changes in these customizations from the XMetaL Tools/Customizations menu as
described below.
To customize template layout, click on the Tools menu in XMetaL
Developer or XMetaL 3 and select Customizations. You may customize a number of
layout features; a few useful customizations available in the General tab
are:
- Element groupings: When you double-click on an element in
the Element box on the left side of the screen, that single element appears at
the cursor location in the finding aid. Often, however, as when adding C0x
component-level entries, inserting a frequently used group of elements
with one click can significantly speed up data entry.
- From the Tools menu, click on Customizations. A new window will
open.
- On the left side of the window is a scrollable list of all of the
elements in EAD. In the center is a customization box containing tabs for
various types of customization choices. The default tab is "General."
- In the General Customizations window, click on c01. In the "On
Insert" box, make sure "Content" is checked.
- Place the cursor between the opening and closing tags <>.
- Type in child elements, XMetaL prompts, and attributes that are
always used in the selected element or its child elements and then click OK. Be
sure to include the XMetaL "xm-replace_text" element with curly braces when
creating a prompt. This text must be entered carefully, but once you've
customized your elements, you'll find that data entry is faster and easier.
Example:
<c01
level="series"><did><unitid><?xm-replace_text {Enter series
number}?></unitid><container
type="box-folder"><?xm-replace_text {Enter box/folder
number}?></container><unittitle><?xm-replace_text {Enter
series title}?></unittitle><unitdate
type="inclusive"><?xm-replace_text {Enter 4-digit year, range of years,
or undated as
appropriate}?></unitdate></did><scopecontent> ... and
so forth ... </c01>
- Color: From the General tab in the Customizations menu,
click on an element, such as c01. In the center of the window, find Tag Color
and click on the button.
- Select a color from the color palette and click OK (or experiment
with other buttons on the color window).
- From now on, the <c01> tags will appear in the selected color
when the element is selected from the Element box (you must be in Tags On view
to see this).