The Sources Edition Page

Purpose

This screen is used to create, view, update, clone and delete Source records. Historical Sources are original documents from the period that convey some form of historical content. Creating a Source record is required if you wish to quote it (through a source reference) from other objects in the database (like you would for a Book or Article). But the Source itself can also become an object of historical research.

Getting There...

To reach the Edition Page of an existing Source:

From the Main Application Menu (or indeed almost any other Project Hirtius page), click on the "Manage Sources" icon in the header (). This gets you to the Sources List.
Navigate the Sources List until you locate the source you're looking for.
Then click on the source ID (first column), or on any of the action links (last column) to view, edit, clone or delete the source record in question.

Of course, you can also reach the Source view or edition screen through a lot of other ways, such as using search results (see Navigation Tips).

To add a new Source record:

From the Main Application Menu, click on the "Manage Sources" icon in the header (). This gets you to the Sources List.
Press [End] to reach the bottom of the list.
Click the Add action link in the bottom-right corner of the list.

Supported actions

The Source Edition Page supports the following actions:

Add: the form to fill in and submit in order to create a new Source record.
Insert: creating the new Source record in the database (post Add action).
Edit: modifying an existing Source record through a form populated based on the current database contents.
Update: storing the modified data in the database, updating the appropriate Source record (post Edit action).
View: display the current database contents for the selected Source record. No form in this case.
Clone: create a new Source record from a form filled by the database contents of an existing record. The Clone action will be followed by an Insert upon submit.
DelCon: first step when requesting the deletion of a record -- issues a prompt for confirmation. You will be warned if there are files attached to the selected record.
Del: the actual removal of the selected record (as well as all linked metadata records) from the database (post DelCon action).
That action will be recorded: a new entry will be added to the Event Log.

Of these, only Add, Edit, View, Clone and DelCon are entry points. They are typically reached from the Sources List or the Main Application Menu (but in the case of View, there are many more possibilities).

Fields

Here below are the fields that you can expect to find on the Source Edition Page. The goal here is not to simply duplicate the database layout information. If this is what interests you, please refer to the Database Layout, the database creation script or the database itself. The purpose is rather to explain what each field is meant for [D], what format it is expected to follow [F] and what are the conditions for its validity (if applicable) [V].

A star (*) after the name of the field denotes a mandatory field (the star is shown in red with the same meaning in the application user interface).

Object ID*	D	Sequential ID, automatically assigned by the DB during record creation. Displayed read-only once available.
Author	D	Document author name, if known.
Author	F	Free text.
Title*	D	Document title if there is one. Description otherwise.
Title*	F	Free text. HTML markup allowed, but it is recommended to limit its use to simple tags (e.g. italics). Do *not* terminate by a full stop (.) or comma (,), as these will be added by the application when displaying.
Subtitle	D	Document subtitle if there is one. Second level of description otherwise.
Subtitle	F	Free text. HTML markup allowed, but it is recommended to limit its use to simple tags (e.g. italics). Do *not* terminate by a full stop (.) or comma (,), as these will be added by the application when displaying.
ms Reference	D	Manuscript reference, if applicable. In the case of the modern edition of an ancient text stored in a library, this field should be used to record the UDC code of the book.
ms Reference	F	Free text.
Subject date	D	The date the ancient manuscript or text was written, if known (so specifically NOT the date of the modern edition). You can use '?' if unknown, and 'n/a' when not applicable. You can also leave empty if you prefer.
Subject date	F	Free text (to allow for such dates as "2nd half XVIth c.").
Source type	D	Describes the source (e.g. manuscript, print, filled-in form, epigraphy, oral source, etc.). Select from list. The values in that list are managed through the Source Types Management Page.
Available at	D	The library where the document is kept. Select from list. The values in that list are managed through the Libraries List and Libraries Edition Page.
URL	D	If the document is available online, URL of the site where it can be reached.
URL	F	Free text. Will be made into a hyperlink in view mode.
Can be published	D	Whether or not this source can be published without the need for any prior vetting. This question is usually rather tricky these days, so you can use this field either to store your "best guess", or the decision resulting from such vetting process.
Comment	D	Any comment you might have on the source itself (the media, how you located it), its history (how it was preserved) or its subject (its meaning, the significance of its contents, etc). This is where you would store the bulk of your research concerned specifically with the subject of that source (of course, a much broader scope of reseach is possible as well, encompassing all supported kinds of objects and any number of them -- please refer to Projects Management Workflow for advice on how to manage that).
Comment	F	Free text. HTML markup allowed. Special formats: '`{D1234}`': quote another Hirtius object using its object prefix and ID. Automatically rendered as a link to that object view page. See Objects and Metadata Types for a list of all prefixes supported by the application. Only objects and lesser objects can be referred to in this way. '`[1234]`': Bibref. Refers to the bibliographical reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *References* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with bibrefs attached to the current object. '`[S1234]`': Srcref. Refers to the source reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *Sources* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with srcrefs attached to the current object. Insert these formats in your text without the enclosing quotes. If the object that you refer to doesn't exist (yet) or is not linked to the current object (in the case of Bibref and Srcref), the reference will be rendered in a special style (orange italics) and the associated link will point to that object creation page (where possible).
Reading	D	The full text of the source document (with diacritics to indicate abbreviations or gaps). Mostly used in the context of epigraphy, paleography, etc. but it can also be put to good use to store the contents of didactic panels (use 'RAW' mode -- see below) for instance, as their text then becomes searchable. Typically not used where modern editions of ancient texts are concerned. If left empty, this field is omitted in view mode.
Reading	F	Free text. HTML markup allowed. In the case of ancient inscriptions or manuscripts, the idea is to layout the text in this field as it is laid out on the original media (in terms of line breaks), and to reproduce as accurately as possible the actual writing on the original media using special notations to render abbreviations, missing parts, etc. When rendered in view mode, the lines will then be automatically numbered. *Please note:* it is recommended to submit the record once the Reading field has been filled in, if you want the ability to use the *Populate* button to populate Transcription automatically. Suggested diacritics: Abbreviation resolution: '`()`'. E.g. "A(nn)O D(omi)NI". When resolving a symbol (such as an inverted 'C'), it can contain the equal sign, as in "Ͻ (= centuriae)". Missing text (due to breakage or wear): '`[]`'. E.g. "VERECV[NDVS]" (or "[...]" if the missing text can't be hypothesized). Erased text (as in the case of damnatio memoriae): '`[///]`'. Ligatures: underscore. E.g. "ET". Special formats: Any line beginning with a hash mark ('`#`') is treated as a comment and displayed italicised, outside of the line numbering scheme (line numbers are reset to 1 after each comment). Use '`# RAW`' as first line of the field to bypass the line numbering altogether. Useful in the case of oral sources or printed media, for instance, or any situation where you don't care about the original layout of the text, but would prefer more flexibility in the HTML formatting of your content. '`#include D1234`': include the whole Reading field from said object. Useful to avoid duplicating information in those cases where you have both a Slide and a Source object for the same document. '`{D1234}`': quote another Hirtius object using its object prefix and ID. Automatically rendered as a link to that object view page. See Objects and Metadata Types for a list of all prefixes supported by the application. Only objects and lesser objects can be referred to in this way. *(RAW mode only !)* '`[1234]`': Bibref. Refers to the bibliographical reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *References* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with bibrefs attached to the current object. *(RAW mode only !)* '`[S1234]`': Srcref. Refers to the source reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *Sources* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with srcrefs attached to the current object. *(RAW mode only !)* Insert these formats in your text without the enclosing quotes. If the object that you refer to doesn't exist (yet) or is not linked to the current object (in the case of Bibref and Srcref), the reference will be rendered in a special style (orange italics) and the associated link will point to that object creation page (where possible).
Transcription	D	Old inscriptions and manuscripts make heavy use of abbreviations, and their alphabet may not entirely match ours (e.g. no distinction between 'u' and 'v' in Latin). They may also use stenography-like shorthands (such as an inverted 'C' for 'centurio' or 'centuria'). Therefore, if you followed the suggestions above to try and reproduce the original text as accurately as possible in the Reading field, you may wish to use the Transcription field to store your fully resolved version of the original text (for search purposes, among others) without any diacritic. E.g. you will often find the following text on headstones: "`A^o DNI`", which you would write as "A(nn)O D(omi)NI" in the Reading field. You should then also store it as "anno Domini" in Transcription. The *Populate* button (only visible in 'Edit' mode) will help you do this. If left empty, this field is omitted in view mode.
Transcription	F	Free text. HTML markup allowed. Special formats: '`#include D1234`': include the whole Transcription field from said object. Useful to avoid duplicating information in those cases where you have both a Slide and a Source object for the same document. '`{D1234}`': quote another Hirtius object using its object prefix and ID. Automatically rendered as a link to that object view page. See Objects and Metadata Types for a list of all prefixes supported by the application. Only objects and lesser objects can be referred to in this way. '`[1234]`': Bibref. Refers to the bibliographical reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *References* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with bibrefs attached to the current object. '`[S1234]`': Srcref. Refers to the source reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *Sources* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with srcrefs attached to the current object. Insert these formats in your text without the enclosing quotes. If the object that you refer to doesn't exist (yet) or is not linked to the current object (in the case of Bibref and Srcref), the reference will be rendered in a special style (orange italics) and the associated link will point to that object creation page (where possible).
Translation	D	In case the text in the Reading field above is not written in the language of your planned work, you can use this field to store the translation. If left empty, this field is omitted in view mode.
Translation	F	Free text. HTML markup allowed. Special formats: '`#include D1234`': include the whole Reading field from said object. Useful to avoid duplicating information in those cases where you have both a Slide and a Source object for the same document. '`{D1234}`': quote another Hirtius object using its object prefix and ID. Automatically rendered as a link to that object view page. See Objects and Metadata Types for a list of all prefixes supported by the application. Only objects and lesser objects can be referred to in this way. '`[1234]`': Bibref. Refers to the bibliographical reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *References* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with bibrefs attached to the current object. '`[S1234]`': Srcref. Refers to the source reference with said number, as defined further down the page in the *Sources* section. Rendered as a link to a named anchor. Only works with srcrefs attached to the current object. Insert these formats in your text without the enclosing quotes. If the object that you refer to doesn't exist (yet) or is not linked to the current object (in the case of Bibref and Srcref), the reference will be rendered in a special style (orange italics) and the associated link will point to that object creation page (where possible).
See also	D	Use this field to link different objects together, even objects of different kinds. For instance, you might wish to link the Source record for an ancient inscription to its picture, stored as a Slide record. Or you might link a manuscript (a Source object) with the Individual record for the author, irrespective of whether the contents of the document in question provides any information relevant to the biography of the author. As long as the list is empty, you only see the Add field. Once some See also entries have been created, you can also select one or more in the list below and check the Remove selected checkbox to remove the selected entries from the list.
	F	One or more object IDs, each composed of a single letter identifying the object type (see Objects and Metadata Types for a list of supported prefixes -- only fully-fledged objects are eligible here) followed by the numerical ID of the object. The prefix letter is case-insensitive. To add links to multiple objects at the same time, use a comma and an optional space to separate members in the list. E.g. '`d1242, i43, d239`'.
	V	Each object ID has to refer to an existing object. Attempts to link the current object to itself will be reported and ignored.

Controls

In View mode

Navigation bar: At the top of the page, just below the header, you'll find links, two on each side, called AUTH and ID, flanked by arrows pointing left and right, that you can use to browse your Sources collection based on these 2 sort keys (author + title + subtitle for the former, source ID for the latter). Going "right" moves you toward the end of the list, going "left" toward the beginning, one Source record at a time.
Edit link (Switch to edit mode): Located at the bottom of the page, just above the footer. Click on this link to edit the current object (switches the view from a R/O rendering of the contents to an HTML form that allows you to modify that contents and submit it afterward).
Clone link (Clone this source): Located at the bottom of the page, just above the footer. Click on this link to clone the current object.
Del link (Delete this source): Located at the bottom of the page, just above the footer. Click on this link to delete the current object (jumps to the delete confirmation page).

In Edit mode

Populate button

(Only shown when there is content in the 'Reading' field AND the 'Transcription' field is empty). Populates the Transcription field based on the current contents of the Reading field, passing it through a filter to remove all diacritics. If the Reading field contents was written in ALL-CAPS, the resulting transcription will be converted to lower case automatically. If the Reading was written in Mixed Caps, the capitalization of the original text is preserved.
Important: Make sure to review the resulting text and correct it if necessary. Among others, the 'V' to 'u' conversion typically required by latin epigraphy will not occur automatically.
This button is meant to be used only once per object (it disables itself after use). If you later update the Reading field, you would need to apply the same changes manually to the Transcription field.

Submit button

(Also in "Add" and "Clone" modes). Commits the locally modified HTML form fields contents to the database that stores Project Hirtius data. Use it to save your latest modifications. It is of course perfectly legitimate to click Submit any number of times during a long edition session to avoid loosing unsaved data. When doing so, use the Edit this source some more... link on the update result screen (see below) to return to the current source record and edit it further.

Reset button

(Also in "Add" and "Clone" modes). Cancels any un-committed change, and returns all HTML form fields to their initial value (i.e. the one they had when the page was last loaded in the browser). Use this button to revert any erroneous edit you might have done (Beware: this only works on local changes that have not been saved to the database yet, i.e. for which you've not clicked on Submit yet).

Edit Categories

This will open the Object - Category Edition Page.

Edit References

This will open the Object - Bib. Ref. Edition Page.

Edit Sources

This will open the Object - Source Ref. Edition Page.

Edit Attachments

This will open the Object - Attached File Edition Page.

Edit Events

This will open the Object - Event Edition Page.

Switch to view mode link

Located at the bottom of the page, just above the footer. Click on this link to view the current object (switches from the current HTML form that allows you to modify the object contents and submit it afterward to a R/O rendering of that contents).

In Insert or Update result mode

This result page appears once you have clicked the Submit button on the Add, Edit or Clone page. It will offer the following links:

View this source link: Brings you back to the current Source record in view mode. Use this link to visually check the effect of the latest changes you submitted.
Edit this source some more... link: Returns you to the current Source record in edit mode. Use this link to further edit the source in question. This link is also present just after you added a new source. You have to use this link to add some of the metadata that can only be attached once the record has been created (categories, bibrefs, srcrefs, attachments, etc.)
Add a new source link: Opens the form that allows you to create a new Source record. Usefull when creating multiple records in sequence.