VKB User`s Manual - Center for the Study of Digital Libraries
Contents
1. To move objects and collections around on a canvas or in and out of collections 1 Select the objects or collections to be moved 2 Avoiding the resize squares Left drag the border of any one object or collection to move the selected items More moving and rearranging options can be found on page 31 VKB uses nested collections to allow a hierarchy of information This means collections can contain any number of other collections Moving collections and objects in and out of other collections has already been discussed VKB allows users to maximize a collection to temporarily use its canvas as the primary editing area like in Figure 6 Then all of the contents of a collection can be viewed To use the maximize feature 1 Doubleclick on the title bar of a collection to maximize it 2 Double click on the title bar of a maximized collection to restore it 10 Chapter 3 Getting Started Walk Through VKB_ lt lt C WINDOWSDesktopMest vkb gt File Edit View Format Arrangement Tool Help File Edit View Format Arrangement Tool Help ia E ja ar We can view the process of bull semantic hierarchy ofIS A links noun definitions as twofol2. Click on the canvas to create the new object The copied text will be automatically pasted in the new text object To adjust the Auto Paste settings 1 Click Tool on the tool bar 2 Click Configuration See Configuration Menu on page 14 3 Under the Preferences tab adjust the Paste O ptions to Never Tums off Auto Paste Once Auto Pastes the new contents of the clipboard only one time for a new text object Always Auto Pastes the contents of the clipboard for EVERY new text object Maximizing amp Restoring Collections Collections can be maximized to fill the whole visible canvas area This allows better viewing of what is in a nested collection For an illustration of maximization see Figure 22 To maximize a collection Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 35 VKB Objects amp Collections 1 Double click on the collection s border 2 The collection will then maximize To restore a collection 1 Double click on the maximized collection s border 2 The collection s size will then be restored Naming Collections Collections have a title used to identify its contents as in Figure 23 Collection Title Figure 23 To rename a Collection 1 Click on the collection title a text cursor will appear 2 Type the new collection name Editing Text in Objects Adding editing or deleting the text in an object is q
3. D dault dickable border size make grabbing symbols easier e Default dick radius compensates for slight movement of the mouse when double clicking Without some adjustment a double click could be interpreted as two distinct clicks of the mouse because of any inadvertent movement of the mouse between clicks Help Menu System Information Lists the VKB system information including version user information etc Feed Back Bug Repott Opens an email script in the default Internet browser so that bugs and suggestions can be forwarded to the VKB developers Update Download Opens the VKB Download page in the default Internet browser The VKB Download page contains software updates and documentation about updates Symbol Tree VKB also allows a workspace to be viewed in a tree format based on the hierarchy of objects and the collections that contain them 46 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Miscellaneous Menus amp Features To view the workspace in symbol tree format 1 Click View on the tool bar 2 Click Symbol Tree 3 When done viewing the symbol tree click Close Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Miscellaneous Menus amp Features Appendix A Quick Key summary File Keys New Ctrl N Open Ctrl 0 Save Ctr S Utility Keys Find Ctrl F Refresh F5 Show History Bar Ctrl H Show Ruler Ctrl R Show Grid Ctrl G Jump to next O bject Ctr Tab Appendix A Quick Key Summary A 1 Editing Keys
4. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Encarta to Microsoft Word with its drag drop features Chapter 1 About VKB 1 E mergent structure Software should not prematurely corral a researcher into an organizational style In VKB the user is allowed to collect information from many sources and break them into key ideas Structure and organization can then emerge naturally as the user visually manipulates the arrangement of the information in accordance with their natural thought process Software applications should not be built around preconceptions of how a typical user should use the system Synchronous collaboration Whether in a meeting room setting or in a virtual meeting colleagues often need quick ways of organizing their research goals and duties VKB assists in this by allowing graphical manipulability of information by multiple users to keep everyone on the same page in regard to what is being discussed Some of these features are still in development and will be downloadable upon completion A synchronous collaboration Many researchers work in distributed locations or on disjoint schedules VKB provides a common data storage ground where users can open the team workspace and update it with their new ideas and information Other users can then see the input done by other users without having to communicate with them in real time Visual Knowledge Builder is a powerful research tool but users have to rele
5. Select All W hile an object is sdected Delete Object or Collection Create next symbol Resize a selected object Duplicate symbols Cut text Copy text Paste text Delete text Undo Redo A 2 Ctrl A Ctrl D dee Ctr E nte A lt lt arrow gt Alt D Ctrl X Shift D d Ctrl C Ctrl Ins Ctr V Shift Ins Dd Ctrl Z Ctrl Shift Z Appendix A Quick Key Summary Appendix B Glossary Auto Sizing The feature where a collections canvas size will automatically increase to satisfy need for more space Border The graphical edge of a collection or object Canvas The space in a collection used for objects and other collections Collection Sub window containing text objects and other collections Double click Quickly click and release the left mouse button twice U sed to maximize collections activate links or edit objeds Duplicate Create an identical copy of an object or collection including contents Left click Quickly press and release the left mouse button U sually used to sdect objects or to rdocate the cursor Left drag Press and hold the left mouse button move the cursor then release the button Usually used to highlight objects or text or to move objeds around a canvas Menu A list of options that appears when clicking the Menu Bar or right clicking Object A graphical box containing text Resize squares Highlighted little black squares on the borders of selected objects and collecti
6. border Editing the text in an object allows you to paste information from the Intemet and edit information using the same basic editing features of a simple word processor To edit an object s text 1 Click in the text area of an object 2 Edit the text directly There are many other editing features available To read more about these see page 36 Collection titles can be edited too providing headings for object groups Collection titles are edited by 1 Clicking in the title bar of the collection 2 Editing the collection name directly Try resizing your new object or collection 1 Select the object or collection 2 Left drag the resize squares see Figure 3 to resize the object or collection To read more about resizing objects and collections see page 33 Now change the color and border of objects and collections by 1 Selecting the objects or collections to be edited 2 Clicking on the different color squares on the Tool Bar reference Figure 4 to change the background color Chapter 3 Getting Started Walk Through 3 Clicking on the different border color buttons on the Tool Bar reference Figure 5 to change the border color 4 Clicking on the different border widths buttons on the Tool Bar reference Figure 5 to change the border width O PARE la a a O _Format text al eee ee at Transparency Figure 5 More information about color editing and object formatting can be found on page 41
7. file Chapter 2 Installing VKB Getting Updates amp Upgrades Chapter 3 Getting Started The V isual Knowledge Builder s intuitive interface mak es learning and using the system very easy and access large amounts of information without having to commit to any particular convention of organization or structure To achieve this VKB offers a wide variety of adaptable features so that users can focus on projects and not on the limitations of the software What follow are a brief walk through of VK B s basic features and a quick reference of how basic operations are performed in VKB I I he goal in developing the Visual Knowledge Builder is to allow users to input organize Walk Through Creating VKB workspaces is easy and fast so we can make use of our information without having to worry about how to formatting or organization Begin by starting VKB e Start menu gt Programs gt VKB VKB is an object based data collection system where pieces of text are stored in individual text boxes These text boxes are called objets Figure 1 offers an example of an object Try creating an object Figure 1 1 Click the Create Object button on the tool bar 2 Click anywhere on the canvas to create the object 3 Repeat this for as many objects as desired Chapter 3 Getting Started 7 Walk Through Objects containing related information can be stored together in a lletion as in Figure 2 Collections can contain obj
8. saving a VKB workspace for the first time or when saving an old workspace with a new name or location To save a new VKB workspace 1 Click File on the menu bar Click Save As Choose location Choose file name Click Save oF we N The file name will appear on the title bar An asterisk on the title bar denotes whether a file has been saved or not 16 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions File Issues Save a Workspace Save is used once a file has already been saved This updates any changes made since the last Save To save an old VKB workspace 1 Click File on the menu bar 2 Click Save An asterisk on the title bar denotes whether a file has been saved or not Set Default File Location VKB will automatically look in the VKB file directory for VKB files The default location can be changed to the user s preference to store VK B workspaces To change the default file location 1 Click Tool on the menu bar 2 Click Configuration 3 Under the Preference tab in the Data Directory section adjust the preferred workspace storage location 4 Click OK or Save Output Export Workspace Hierarchy eme ion Pomerania Export Hierarchy automatically creates an outline ya AA format file from a VKB workspace The Export indent a Hierarchy Window is illustrated in Figure 9 erfor tne tenan This allows a user to me E Tameme 5 View or transpo
9. the following a Text color b Text font c Text font size d Bold and or Italics 4 Click OK To format the default font text color of objects ESE diting default font and text color BE No symbol selected The font and text color you change will be used as default settings when you create new symbols 1 Make sure no objects or collections are selected Do you want to edit default font and text color 2 Click the Format Text button on the tool E bar Figure 27 3 Answer Yes in the Editing default font Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 43 Formatting VKB Objects amp Collections and text color box see Figure 27 4 Inthe Font Text Color Selection window see Figure 26 format the following a Text color b Text font c Text font size d Bold and or Italics 5 Click OK Symbol View An object can be viewed in several different formats These formats are e Full text Displays all the contents of the text object e Summary Creates and displays a summary of the contained text e Keywords Creates and displays a keyword summary of the contained text e Image Displays a graphical image if the object contains a FILE link attribute to a valid image file e Thumbnail Displays a scaled image thumbnail if the object contains a FILE link attribute to a valid image file To change an object s view 1 Click View on the tool bar 2 Click Switch View on selected symbols to and then select the pr
10. to be implemented gt gt VKB separates sessions based on how far apart the events occur By default events separated by three hours are considered separate editing sessions This time interval can be changed To configure the event gap for session separation 1 Click Tool on the menu bar Click Configuration Under the History tab set the event gap size in hours Click on OK e ww N Ruler The ruler helps orient a user within a canvas A positioning slide appears on the ruler at the location of the mouse pointer to help align objects within a canvas To turn the ruler on or off 1 Select the collection to be changed 2 Click View on the menu bar 3 Click Show Ruler to toggle the ruler setting Status Bar The Status Bar displays information relating to the state of VKB The different displays are explained below Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 23 Navigating in VKB Mode Shows what mode the cursor is in Sdet Left clicking or Left dragging on the canvas has the effect of selecting or highlighting a set of objects A dd one O bjec Left clicking or Left dragging on the canvas will create one text object and then return the mode to Seat A dd Objets Lets a user create any number of text objects on the canvas by Left clicking or Left dragging on the canvas A dd oneC ollection Left clicking or Left dragging on the canvas will create one collection object then return the mode to Seat A dd Coll
11. OBJECTS amp COLLECTIONS ccccccccccccesecesecececececccececececscsescececececececececececececeseseeececs 28 FORMATTING VKB OBJECTS amp COLLECTIONS occoccccccncnnnnnnnncnoncncnononononononononononononononinons 41 MISCELLANEOUS MENUS amp FEATURES occcccccncnononcnncnonononononnnnnnonononononononnnnnnononcnnononononones 45 APPENDIX A QUICK KEY SUMMARY oooonccccnnnncconnonccnannocnonanonccnonnocccnarcnconnocccnonos A 1 APPENDIX B GLOSSARY wisc sssscsvedssssescsscsees Sssvssucseesesbossascesssesucteseseuctvsusscesvebsscdesese B 1 INDEX 222 382002 O AE AE 1 1 Foreword reference to the Visual Knowledge Builder software The Visual Knowledge Builder VKB uses an interface that is unfamiliar to most computer users The diversity and do it however you want feel of VK B s organization style offers new possibilities to information collectors I 1 his manual is designed to offer users of differing computer knowledge a tutorial and VKB promises to benefit researchers collecting information for analysis analysts collecting data for information catalogs students doing term papers and anyone wanting to organize and save thoughts and ideas Such a broad base software package requires an equally broad and applicable user s guide Conventions used in this manual follow this form Bold terms refer to menu items section titles or any other label within VKB i e File menu Add Object button etc Italic terms refer to specific keystrok
12. See grid See Snap to Grid Index H Help 46 history 13 22 hypertext 1 I image 44 Import VKB Collection 18 install 3 CD ROM 4 Internet 3 intermediate iv K keyword 44 M malleable systems 1 maximizing a collection 10 35 moving objects amp collections 10 31 N naming collections 36 Navigational Link 28 new user iv New workspace 15 novice iv O Open workspace 16 R reference systems 1 resizing objects amp collections 9 33 restoring a collection 35 ruler 23 S Save 16 17 scroll bars 25 selecting objects amp collections 8 32 Send to Back 40 sessions 23 Set Symbol Size 33 Show Candidate Collection 14 Show Grid 26 Snap To Grid 14 26 Stack 39 starting VKB 7 status bar 23 summary 44 symbol view 44 synchronous 2 System Information 46 T text color 13 43 44 Index thumbnail 44 Title Bar 21 Tool Bar 21 transparent objects 13 44 U update 4 46 upgrades 4 URL Link 19 W web browser 14 20 21 Notes Notes Notes Notes Notes
13. VISUAL KNOWLEDGE BUILDER Version 0 70 THE USER S MANUAL CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DIGITAL LIBRARIES TEXAS A amp M UNIVERSITY VISUAL KNOWLEDGE BUILDER Version 0 70 THE USER S MANUAL KEVIN GUPTON amp FRANK SHIPMAN Copyright 2000 Center for the Study of Digital Libraries Texas A amp M University College Station Texas USA 77843 3112 Telephone 01 979 862 3217 Fax 01 979 847 8578 shipman csdl tamu edu Table of Content ANNA O iv CHAPTER 1 ABOUT VKB escsssccssssssucsiscsdesdbessevessesssvsesesctvcussecsveteecSesesecessvectesssvscdesssvse 1 CHAPTER 2 INSTALLING VKB isscscssscscdessesscsestuscddessevsccivecccesensceccsasteossusseesessosssesenes 3 INSTALLATION FROM THE INTERNET cccccccccccnoncnonononononononononononononononononononononononananananininnns 3 INSTALLATION FROM A CD ROM cccccccnccccnonononononononononononononononononononononononononananananenenininons 4 GETTING UPDATES amp UPGRADES ccoccccncncnncnononononcncnononnnnnnnonononononononononononononanananononaninonnns 4 CHAPTER 3 GETTING STARTED 22000022000000220000000000220000020002000000000 0200000 000000000 7 WALK THROUGH a nasse 7 FEATURE QUICK REFERENCE cua a E 12 CHAPTER 4 VKB FEATURE DEFINITIONS sscccssssscssssssccesssscccessseccessscecess 15 EIEEASSUES lt td ate tN ata a O cede I el ocd A A 15 NAVIGATING IN VKB ooooccccccccncncnnnnnnonononononcnnnnnnnnnnnononononononononononnnnnnonononnonononononinonininnno 21 VKB
14. VKB Objects amp Collections 3 Set the Target Size as follows e Manually set the Width and Height values in the Set Size window OR a Click on an object or collection to use its dimensions as a base size b Click Get Base Size to load the selected object s size into the Target Size 4 Select the objects or collections to be resized 5 Select whether to change e Width Only e Height Only e Both 6 Click Set to resize the selected objects or collections 7 When done resizing objects click Close to close the Set Size window Set Default Object amp Collection Sizes The default object amp collection sizes can be reset so that all text objects are created as the same size To set the default object or collection size 1 Right click on the border of the model object or model collection 2 Click Set As Default Object Size To manually set default size of collections and text objects 1 Click Tool on the menu bar 2 Click Configuration see Configuration Menu on page 14 3 Under the Symbol Size tab adjust the default symbol sizes 4 Click OK 34 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions VKB Objects amp Collections Auto Paste When collecting data from the Internet or some other text source VKB offers a quick way of adding that text to a new object To use Auto Paste 1 Highlight a piece of text 2 Copy the text to the clipboard Ctrl Ins or Ctrl C 3 Click the Create Object button on the tool bar 4
15. ase their preconceptions of how they have done research in the past and allow their own thought processes decide the stage of collection structuring organization and writing 2 Chapter 1 About VKB Chapter 2 Installing VKB Installing the V isual Knowledge Builder V KB from the Internet or from a software CD ROM be e Downloaded from the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries web page http www csdl tamu edu haowei V KB e Obtained on aCD ROM What follow are the installation instructions for both methods I I here are two methods of installing the Visual Knowledge Builder on your PC VKB can Installation from the Internet The Visual Knowledge Builder installation software is available through the Center for the Study of D igital Libraries web site The software is free for download so everyone can try VKB s data collection features and offer feedback to the developers To install the Visual Knowledge Builder from the Internet 1 Goto the VKB Installation page at http www csdl tamu edu haowei V KB req_download html Select the VKB Full Package option Fill in the user registration information Click Submit and Download Save the vkb_ download zip file to your hard drive Unzip the vkb_download zip file to any empty directory na m F Ww N Run Sedup e Chapter 2 Installing VKB 3 Installation from the Internet Installation from a CD ROM If you acquired the Visual Knowledge Build
16. ature Definitions 37 VKB Objects amp Collections 2 Right click on the object s border to view the options menu 3 Click Auto Sizing Fit Text Width Fit Text Width is a quick and simple utility that readjusts an object s width to fit the width of the text contained in it Fit Text Width is most useful when dealing with objects containing short notes comments or titles To activate Fit Text Width 1 Select the object to be edited 2 Right click on the object s border to view the options menu 3 Click Fit Text Width Advanced Arranging Beyond merely moving objects and objects around a canvas or between collections VKB offers many other advanced methods of moving and arranging symbols within a canvas Align X A column of objects and collections can be aligned horizontally relative to the top object using the Align X function To use Align X 1 Select a column of objects to be aligned horizontally Click Arrangement on the menu bar Click Align X e w y Choose align to the Left Center or Right relative to the top object selected 38 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Advanced Arranging Align Y A row of objects and collections can be aligned vertically relative to the left most object using the Align Y function To use Align Y 1 Select a row of objects to be aligned horizontally Click Arrangement on the menu bar Click Align Y gt Ww N Choose align to the Top Middle or Bottom relative t
17. ces tab click the Show Candidate Collection box to activate or deactivate Click OK Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 31 VKB Objects amp Collections Selecting Objects amp Collections O bject and collection selection signifies which objects or collections a move operation deletion and other operation will be performed To select one object 1 Click on the border of an object 2 Resize squares will appear on the edge of the object To select one or more objects 1 Make sure the Mode on the status bar is set to Select 2 Click and Draga region on the canvas that covers the desired objects 3 Those selected objects will have resize squares on their borders To select related objects 1 Click once on the border of an object to be selected 2 Resize squares will appear on that object s border 3 Click again on the same border and objects of related size or color close to the original object will also be selected particularly those stacked in a column 4 Clicking again on the same border will add more related objects to the selected set particularly horizontally arranged objects of similar properties Note Clicking again and D ouble clicking are very different Clicking again means waiting about 1 second between clicks so that two very distinct clicks are made To select all objects in a collection 1 Click Edit on the menu bar 2 Click Select All 32 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions VKB Object
18. ck 1 Select an object or collection to be sent to the back of the canvas 2 Click Arrangement on the menu bar 3 Click Send to Back 40 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Advanced Arranging Formatting VKB Objects amp Collections Aside from size and hierarchical structure VKB offers several other formatting options for objects and collections Among these are text color font object background border thickness and border color Next is a listing of advanced object and collection formatting options Most of these options lie on the tool bar illustrated in Figure 25 aos o ferns Ads BT text oat Mia Fe ee Transparency Figure 25 Background Color To change the background color of objects 1 Select the objects or collections 2 Click on the desired color on the tool bar OR 1 Select the objects or collections 2 Click Format on the menu bar 3 Click Edit Background Color 4 Pick the exact color desired from window 5 Click OK Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 41 L__Fomat Formatting VKB Objects amp Collections Border Size To edit the border size on an object 1 Select the object or objects to be changed 2 Click on the desired border width on the tool bar Border Color amp Binding of Colors By default the background color and border color are bound together For example choosing a Green background automatically chooses aD ark Green border for that color and vice versa A Tan backgr
19. d 1 to find the genus term or te in the definitions and 2 to disambiauate it We can view the process of buil semantic hierarchy of IS A links noun definitions as twofold 1 to find the genus term or te inthe definitions and 2 to disambiauate it AA TE Pos 240 102 Sizo 237 300 Restored Maximized Figure 6 Finally navigation within any canvas is made really easy in VKB Canvases can slid around naturally to view any area within them To shift the view of a canvas 1 Grab the canvas by right dragging on an open region of the canvas see Figure 7 2 Move the cursor to shift the view of the canvas We can view the process of builf semantic hierarchy of IS A links noun definitions as twofold 1 to find the genus term or ter in the definitions and 2 to disambiauate it Post0 0 Size 483 372 Figure 7 Chapter 3 Getting Started 11 Walk Through Feature Quick Reference Running VKB Stat Run VKB Stat Programs VKB Opening Creating and Saving Files Createa new file File Open an existing file File Savea file File Savea file with a particular name File Print a file File E xport H ierarchy File Close the application File 12 New Open Save Save As Print Export Hierarchy Exit Chap
20. eature will find all occurrences of those words list the locations of those words and allow users to view then navigate to the objects containing those words Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Navigating in VKB To search a workspace for certain Toa Visual Keyword words orar SER Searchfor navigate 1 Click Edit on the menu bar MR T Case Sensitive 2 Click Find Y Text Content Close 3 Inthe Search window see Figure 16 under ethoiaoo Smo133 ummm een ID 098 the Search for field enterthe word or OS phrase being searched for 4 Choose where to search in the Search in field 5 Under Mode choose whether to search Figure 16 a Fora whole phrase b For all the words with AND c Forsome words with OR 6 Click Search to search the workspace 7 The object found will be listed in the left window and their contents will be listed in the right window 8 Click Bring To Center to navigate to a selected object s location Bring To Center Frequently an object located within one or two sub collections can be seen but is difficult to edit or manipulate That object can be brought to the center of the workspace where VKB will automatically maximize the sub collection containing that object and then navigate to that object within the canvas so that is as close to centered as possible This is most useful when a workspace has many collections and man
21. ections Lets a user create any number of collection objects on the canvas by Left clicking or Left dragging on the canvas Position Displays the current coordinate position of the mouse pointer Size Displays the size of the box created by Left dragging or the size of an object being resized Backup saved VKB automatically backs up the current workspace to prevent data loss in case of power outages or other computer disabling problems The default backup file is _autosavevkb Automatic resizing of a collection s canvas When more space is needed for text objects and collections VKB offers a convenient way of expanding the canvas Autosizing of a collection allows continued work without being unobstructed by structural details VKB also allows the automated shrinking of a canvas when a collection s bottom and right margins have become excessively large To auto size a canvas 1 Maximize the collection to be auto sized Click and drag the border of any object in that collection Move the object to the right or bottom edge of the collection gt WwW N The collection will automatically enlarge to compensate for the object s new position 24 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Navigating in VKB To shrink a canvas 1 Right click on the border of the collection to be shrunk 2 Click Shrink Canvas Canvas Navigation There are two ways of navigating through a collection Scroll Bars These are the sliding bars on the rig
22. ects and other collections Collections are created in a similar way 1 Click the Create Collection button KA Figure 2 Y on the tool bar 2 Click anywhere on the canvas to create the new collection To leam more about advanced object and collection creation options see page 29 To reformat objects they must Summarization Methods be selected An object or a set Ese Ignorant keyword derivations of objects is selected if their a border or borders have little a user must define fields black resize squares around b systern must dynamically create them like the object in Figure 3 templates specific to a user s topic Fialdec will ha doriwar fr Figure 3 NAME vkb gt gt Fle Edt View Format Arrangement Tool SA eee To select objects and collections either Perice Click on the border of the one object or collection to be selected OR Left drag on the canvas to create a box around one or more objects and collections like in Figure 4 All of the boxed objects and collections will be selected To leam about more advanced object selection options see page 32 Figure 4 Objects and collections can be reformatted by Editing their texts e Resizing them 8 Chapter 3 Getting Started Walk Through e Rearranging them to meet your needs e Changing the colors of the objects and their texts e Changing the size and color of their
23. eferred view OR 1 Right click on a selected object s border 2 Click Switch View to and then select the preferred view 44 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Formatting VKB Objects amp Collections Changing Background amp Border Pallet The color pallet on the Tool Bar can be changed to reflect the colors used most frequently To edit the Tool Bar pallet 1 2 3 Choose the object or objects to be changed Click Tool on the menu bar Click E dit Pallet Background Color or Edit Pallet Border Color Choose the new color Click OK Miscellaneous Menus Features In addition to the previously mentioned methods and features VK B has other minor features including a limited help file and accessibility option These options will be concluded here Adjust Canvas Size To manually adjust the canvas size of a collection 1 E o yN Select the collection to adjust Click Symbol on the tool bar Click Collection Canvas Size In the Set Canvas Size window adjust the height and width of the collection canvas Click OK Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 45 Miscellaneous Menus amp Features Accessibility VKB allows the border size and sensitivity of the mouse to be adjusted for easier use in touch screen presentation settings or simply to facilitate easier use To adjust accessibility options 1 Click Tool on the tool bar 2 Click Configuration 3 Under the Accessibility tab adjust e
24. er installation software on an installation CD Internet access and download will not be necessary However all software updates and fixes are made available on the Internet see G ating U pdates amp U pgrades To install the Visual Knowledge Builder from a CD ROM Hee ES US Insert the VKB Installation CD in your CD ROM Drive Open My Computer O pen the CD ROM Drive icon Run Sdup exe Getting Updates amp Upgrades The Visual Knowledge Builder is a work in progress so there will be continuous software updates for VKB software All updates upgrades and fixes for the Visual Knowledge Builder are available on the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries web site Note Close VKB before installing updates To download Visual Knowledge Builder updates and program oF N fixes from the Internet Go to the VKB Installation page at http www csdl tamu edu haowei V KB reg download html Select the VKB Update Fix option Fill in your user registration information Click Submit and Download Save the vkb_download zip file to your hard drive Chapter 2 Installing VKB Installation from a CD ROM o N A 11 Unzip the vkb_download zip file to any empty directory From the Start menu select Find Files or Folders Search forV KB jar Select all instances of V KB jar Click File and select Open Containing Folder Copy the new V KB jar file into these folders replacing any existing V KB jar
25. es or file names i e Ctrl Z filmamevkb etc Numbered lists typically denote a step by step procedure for performing a task Graphic images are included to give users a visual correspondence of written features to how they will look in VKB This document is organized in the following way Chapter 1 About VKB D escribes what V KB is and the reason for its development Chapter 2 Installing VKB D escribes how to obtain and install V KB Chapter 3 Getting Started Gives a walk through of some basic V KB features starting with a new work space and illustrating how to manipulate objects and collections Chapter 4 VKB Feature D efinitions Offers a reference of all V KB features and how to implement them It is recommended that e New users begin with Chapter 1 on page 1 Chapter 2 starting on page 3 e Novice users read Chapter 3 on page 7 and e Intermediate and expert users reference Chapter 4 on page 15 Chapter 1 About VKB D edopal to hdp rexarchess allet information theV isual Knowledg Builder V KB is designed to beneit uss from any led of ex patiseand to fadlitatedata adledion fany fom Web CD ROMs online information databases and now DVD reference masses of information are accessible with very little footwork Because of all the available information organizing the information that interests you is an ominous task More systems are needed to facilitate large amounts of information but such systems need to be natural
26. he vxf or vkb file 4 Click Open Using File Links The Intemet and the local computer files can both be accessed and executed by VKB This is done through file links and URL links To create a URL Link 1 Create a new text object 2 For the first line of the text type URL http www location com file where www location com fileis the Internet URL To create a FILE Link 1 Create anew Text Object 2 For the first line of the text type FILE CA MyD ocumants MyFileext where C My D ocuments M yFileext is the file to be opened or executed OR 1 Open the windows folder with the file to be linked to Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 19 File Issues 2 Drag amp drop the file into the VKB work area This will adistinguishing definition Ex general term and following each with knife blade a blade fixed in a noun automatically create the link in a hanulejudeaforeuinp ae a acer new text object asin Figure 12 Sarral Bie Eat von Figure 12 Note This can be ANY file type that has an association within Windows This includes JPG GIF amp BMP pictures Word Documents Executable programs EXE COM BAT etc To execute a URL or FILE link 1 Double click on the border of an object containing a FILE or URL link 2 The file will automatically open or the site will automatically load To set the browser location 1 Click Tool on the menu bar C
27. ht and bottom edges of a collection that will move up down left and right through a collection just like in any windows application Scroll Bars appear automatically when a collection is maximized but can be tumed off To turn collection s scroll bars on off 1 Right click on the border of a non maximized collection 2 Click Scroll bars on off Grab canvas The second method of navigating through collection is by grabbing the canvas and sliding it around like a sheet of paper To Grab the canvas 1 Position the cursor on the canvas to be repositioned Not on an object 2 Right drag to move the canvas around Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 25 Navigating in VKB Snap To Grid To turn Snap to grid on off Snap to grid provides a grid to align objects This grid allows users verify the alignment arrangement of objects and object sizes see Figure 15 1 Click View on the menu bar Figure 15 2 Click Snap to grid The gridlines associated with Snap to grid can also be tumed on or off This allows the use of Snap to grid without the visual grid guides To show or hide the grid 1 Click View on the menu bar 2 Click Show Grid To adjust the size of the grid Find 26 1 Click Tool on the menu bar Click Configuration Under the Preferences tab in the Grid section adjust the grid size number Click OK gt w N When trying to find certain words or phrases the Find f
28. information about these buttons can be found on page 41 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Navigating in VKB History VKB stores every change made in the creation of a workspace including text changes made in objects See Figure 14 a lt u gt DD Medium y AAA x be 10 10 00 11 11 27 AM Histo Timeline Date Time of Nawi E Playback Slider Current S Speed Control Update Figure 14 Any number of edits can be undone to revert to a previous state of the workspace Furthermore users can quickly review the previous states of the workspace This way data isn t lost when exploring the evolving history of a workspace To turn the History bar on off 1 Click View on the menu bar 2 Click Show History Control Bar To go back in the history e Click the Left Amow on the history bar OR e Dragthe Timeline Slider Control to the left To play through the History 1 Pick the Playback Speed on the history bar 2 Click the Forward or Backward arrow on the history bar Past history events can be viewed also by the date and time they occurred This means a user can review how a workspace looked after a past work session 22 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Navigating in VKB To revert to a past workspace state 1 Double click on the Date amp Time Bee Bar to open the Sessions window as in Figure 15 display on the History 2 Select the session date and time to be viewed 3 lt lt Loading of session yet
29. ions A wide range of options and features makes the V isual Knowledge Builder very adaptable for different users and different applications isual Knowledge Builder includes a vast number of features that allow the user to seamlessly portray ideas and information structure in visual form Many of these features and functions have already been introduced There are many advanced features yet to be discussed What follows is a description of each function and feature available within VKB The functions fall under File Issues Navigating in VKB VKB Objects amp Collections Formatting Objects Miscellaneous Menus amp Features VKB lt lt C WINDOWS Desktop File Edit View Format Arrangd File Issues This section covers all interactions VKB might have with files from saving and opening workspaces to importing and exporting collections Print from other workspaces The file menu can be seen in Figure 8 Export Hierarchy Figure 8 New Workspace Creating a new workspace creates a new file with a blank canvas to use for data collection Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 15 File Issues To create a new VKB workspace 1 Click the File menu 2 Click New Open a Workspace O pening a workspace from a previous VKB session for further editing or review To open a VKB workspace Click File on the menu bar Click Open Choose file location and name Click Open mB amp fe a Save As Used for
30. lick Configuration Under the Extemal Viewer tab set the Browser Location Click OK e V N 20 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions File Issues To start the default browser 1 Click Tool on the menu bar 2 Click Browser Navigating in VKB The Visual K nowledge Builder offers numerous techniques for navigating through collections and sub collections as well as several status bars to offer information about the workspace being viewed These methods have all been included to make navigation through workspaces very natural and intuitive Throughout these definitions Figure 13 will be referenced as a guide VKB lt lt C PROGRAM FILES VISUAL KNOWLEDGE BUILDER test vkb gt gt File Edit View Format Arrangement Tool Help ka lt jul opeen Se aaa ren jenen az We can view the process of buill semantic hierarchy of IS A links noun definitions as twofold mk 0 symbol s selected Figure 13 Title Bar Title Bar Tool Bar History Bar Ruler Status Bar This is the Windows bar along the top of the VKB window The title bar displays the file name of the workspace currently open An asterisk appears on the title bar if the workspace has not been saved since the last change made Tool Bar The Tool Bar offers buttons for object and collection creation and formatting More
31. o retum to select mode see Status Bar Duplicating Objects amp Collections A duplicate copy of an object or collection can be made using the Duplicate option To duplicate objects and collections 1 Select the objects and collections to be duplicated 2 Click Edit then Duplicate 3 Rearrange the duplicated objects and collections to where they are desired Deleting Objects amp Collections Undesired text objects and collections can be deleted To delete objects 1 Select the object or objects to be deleted 2 Press Ctrl D d 30 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions VKB Objects amp Collections Note Maximized collections cannot be deleted Moving Objects Collections Objects and collections can be moved and rearranged to fit any data structuring needs To move or rearrange objects 1 2 3 Select the object or objects to be moved D rag the border of the object or objects Release the objects in the desired location Note See Advanced Arranging for more methods for moving and arranging objects and collections Show Candidate Collection When moving a set of objects in or out of a sub collection the candidate or target collection will be highlighted in red The highlighting of the candidate collection helps clarify where the objects or collections will be moved To turn Show Candidate Collection on off 1 2 3 Click Tool on the menu bar Click Configuration Under the Preferen
32. o the left most object selected Stack Any selection of objects and collections can be consolidated into a cascaded stack as illustrated in Figure 24 To use Stack 1 Select objects to be stacked 2 Click Arrangement on the menu Figure 24 bar 3 Click Stack Distribute Vertically A selection of objects and collections can be evenly spaced vertically using Distribute Vertically VKB distributes the selected objects between the top most and bottom most selected objects This needs to be considered when the selected objects are stacked or close together To use Distribute Vertically 1 Select objects to be distributed Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 39 Advanced Arranging 2 Click Arrangement on the menu bar 3 Click Distribute Vertically Distribute Horizontally A selection of objects and collections can be evenly spaced horizontally using Distribute Horizontally VKB distributes the selected objects between the left most and right most selected objects This needs to be considered when the selected objects are stacked or close together To use Distribute Horizontally 1 Select objects to be distributed 2 Click Arrangement on the menu bar 3 Click Distribute H orizontally Send to Back Sometimes an object or collection will cover or obstruct other objects or collections Send to Back remedies this by moving a selected object behind all other objects within a canvas To use Send to Ba
33. ons Used for resizing of objects and collections Right click Quickly press and release the right mouse button Used open option menus Right drag Press and hold the right mouse button move the cursor then release the button Used for grabbing and navigating through canvases URL Universal Remote Location Location address on the world wide used in VKB to create external links Workspace One particular VKB file is considered a workspace Appendix B Glossary B 1 Index A accessibility 14 46 adjust canvas size 45 Align X 38 Align Y 39 asynchronous 2 Auto Paste 14 35 auto size 24 B background color 9 13 41 binding of border colors 13 42 border color 9 13 42 border size 9 13 42 Bug Report 46 C CD ROM 3 changing the color pallet 45 collaboration 2 collection 8 create collections 8 13 30 Create Next Symbol 37 create objects 7 13 29 35 D date amp time 13 Default File Location 17 Default Object amp Collection Sizes 34 deleting objects amp collections 30 Distribute Horizontally 40 Distribute Vertically 39 download 3 46 duplicate 30 E edit collection titles 9 editing objects 9 36 emergent structure 2 event gap 23 execute a link 20 expert iv Explode 37 Export VKB Collection 18 Export Workspace Hierarchy 17 F Feed Back 46 File Links 19 font 13 43 44 default 43 G grab canvas 25
34. ound chooses a Brown border To break or make binding of border to background colors 1 Select the object or objects to bind or unbind 2 Click the Bind Background to Border button on the tool bar To change the border color of objects 1 Select the object or objects 2 Click on the desired border color on the tool bar OR 1 Select the object or objects Click Format on the menu bar Click Edit Border Color Pick the exact color desired from the window Click OK oF WwW N Transparent Objects For formatting reasons a text object or collection can be made transparent to its parent collection This frequently used to make notations between objects 42 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Formatting VKB Objects amp Collections To make objects transparent 1 Select the objects or collections to be affected 2 Click the Transparency button on the tool bar Formatting Text The text in text objects and collection names can be formatted as a whole to ans am bring emphasis or meaning to certain Dialog Piain a ES Font TextColor Selection Mes Font Color Editing Symbol ID 498 objects SansSerif Bold Serif Italic Monospaced Bold ltalic Dialoginput To format the text of objects Preview 1 Select the object or objects to be formatted 2 Click the Format Text button on the tool bar Figure 26 3 In the Font Text Color Selection window see Figure 26 the format
35. rt a workspace in Text L i pun xon HTML orXML format El en en oK Cancel Figure 9 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 17 File Issues Summarize a workspace by limiting output to a certain number of lines per object and number of characters per line Determine ordering of objects automatically or strictly Z ordering based only on collection hierarchies To export a workspace hierarchy 1 Click File on the menu bar 2 Click Export Hierarchy 3 Choose export settings and file name 4 Click OK Export VKB Collection Used to export a collection of objects to a VKB collection exchange file vxf file This collection can then be imported into a different workspace or elsewhere in the same workspace To export a VKB collection 1 Right click on the border of a collection A menu will appear as in Figure 10 Figure 10 2 Click Export Collection to 3 Choose name and location for the wf file 4 Click Save Import VKB Collection Used for importing aV KB workspace into the current workspace This feature allows a user to merge multiple VKB workspaces under one file name To import a VKB collection exchange file or VKB workspace 1 Right click on the border of a collection A menu will appear as in Figure 11 18 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions File Issues Maximize Restore Content Attribute Editor Figure 11 2 Click Import Collection from 3 Choose the name and location of t
36. s amp Collections Resizing Objects amp Collections Objects and collections are resizable to whatever size or shape desired To resize an object 1 Click on the object to be resized Summarization Methods 5 x Resize Ignorant keyword derivations 2 Resize squares will appear on the Squares A x B ortemplates edge of the object see Figure 20 a user must define fields b system must dynamically create N d templates specific to a user s topic 3 D Tag a resize square to resize the Fialde will ha darivad fram object Figure 20 To resize an object without using the mouse 1 Verify that an object is selected for editing 2 Hold down A lt lt arrow gt keys to resize the object 3 Release A lt when done resizing Using Set Symbol Size Target Size Set Symbol Size allows the quick resizing width 230 Height eo of several objects or collections at once Objects of the same size are often more Get Base Size TopLeft Default visually appealing and easier to organize When using Set Symbol Size a user can Moke Change On Width Only Both Height Only either manually set the dimensions of selected objects or can use an object as a base size by which to resize other objects To resize several objects or collections 1 Click Format on the menu bar 2 Click Set Symbol Size to open the Set Size window see Figure 21 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 33
37. ter 3 Getting Started Feature Quick Reference Tool Bar History Bar lt a lt m gt bo 18 18 sy Kat tT Ba FE RC EEE N Ba JE 5 E BAT ST 3 29100 2 27 57 PM Chapter 3 Getting Started Create O bjects Create C ollections Create N avigational L ink Select the C olor of the O bjed Collection A ttach D etach the C olor of the O bject C ollection to the Border Select a Border C olor for the O bjed Collection Specify the thickness for the Border of the O bject Collection T ogole O bject Collection Back ground from Transparent to C olored Change T ext properties Set Font Text Color and Size Playback of history events TimeL ine Slider C ontrol Bar for scrolling through the undo history The D ate and Time an event occurred Feature Quick Reference Configuration Menu Tool gt Configuration Grid Spedfies the spacing used with Snap to G rid Paste Option D dine how A uto Paste works Show Candidate Collection Causes a lletion s border to flash red if you are trying to move an object into it Data Directory The default location where V KB will look for work space files Accessibility Tab Change how the mouse reads when trying to grab or highlight objeds Symbol Size Tab D dine the default objec and collection sizes Extemal Viewer T ab Spedfy the location of web browser 14 Chapter 3 Getting Started Feature Quick Reference Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definit
38. to use because we care about collecting and sorting information not how the computer ex peds us to collect and sort information The Visual Knowledge Builder is a step towards meeting this challenge VV e live in a world of information With the recent introduction of the World Wide The Visual Knowledge Builder VK B is a hypertext information collection system This means that it allows you to collect and sort information in a very natural visual environment Hypertext systems come in two types gt Reference systems like Netscape MS Encarta and most educational reference applications gt Malleable systems that allow visual manipulation of the data Several features have been considered in the development of VKB System transparency When software requires more thought or work to use than the task being performed with the software a user s thoughts are constrained by the capabilities of the system The ideal system allows a user to do work without worrying about how the system organizes the data and thus maintaining focus on the work research H ypertex t data collection G raphical representation of data as objects to be organized allows users to manipulate their data in a realistic way as opposed to abstract representation Visual representation of data can increase system transparency so as to expand a user s access to their information rather than constrain them There are different classes of hypertext software ranging from
39. uick and easy VKB uses the same text editing and Cut Copy amp Paste methods as most word processors To edit text in an object 1 Left click in the object to be edited 2 Edit the text 36 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions VKB Objects amp Collections Explode Explode is a data management function that will automatically fragment a text into a cluster of objects A large piece of text pasted in from the web or some other source can be unmanageable so VKB will create a new text object for each paragraph in a text object Through this ideas can be dealt with instead of just text To Explode an object 1 Select an object to explode 2 Right click on the object s border 3 Inthe popup menu click Explode A new text object will be created for each paragraph in the original object Create Next Symbol Sometimes in creating multiple text objects it is inconvenient to manually create new objects between thoughts For this reason a quicker way exists To create a new object on the go U ser must already be in a text object 1 Press Ctrl E nter 2 A new text object appears below the current one Auto Sizing When taking notes or creating quick additions to small objects tuming on the Auto Sizing option for that object will cause VKB to automatically enlarge or shrink the object size based on the dimensions of the text contained in it To turn Auto Sizing on off 1 Select the object to be edited Chapter 4 VKB Fe
40. xt either pasted in from the Internet or other source or typed in manually Collections are subspaces storing objects and other collections Being able to quickly manipulate objects and collections allows users to easily represent their ideas in visual form The multiple operations available for collections and objects are explained below Creating Objects Text objects are created to store pieces of text To create one object 1 Click the Create Objects button on the tool bar see Figure 19 el Figure 19 2 Either Click or Drag on the canvas to create an object To create multiple objects 1 Click two times on the Create Objects button on the tool bar Either Click or Drag on the canvas to create an object Repeat for as many objects as desired gt Ww N Click the Create Objects button to return to select mode see Status Bar on page 23 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 29 VKB Objects amp Collections Create Collections Collection objects can be created to store other collections and text objects To create one collection 1 Click the Create Collections button on the tool bar see Figure 19 2 Either Click or Drag on the canvas to create a collection To create multiple collections 1 Click two times on the Create Collections button on the tool bar Either Click or Drag on the canvas to create a collection Repeat for as many collections as needed gt E N Click the Create Collections button t
41. y levels of sub collections To bring an object to the center 1 Select the object to be brought to center Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions 27 Navigating in VKB 2 Right click on that object s border to view the options menu 3 Click Bring to Center Navigational Links VKB offers internal hyperlinks between objects within a workspace These navigational links are quick to create and remove and offer yet another way to quickly navigate between sub collections and objects To create a navigational link 1 Select the object to link from 2 Click the Create N avigational Link button on the tool bar see Figure 17 E Figure 17 3 Navigate to the target object or collection 4 Select the target object or collection where to link to 5 Click the Create N avigational Link button on the tool bar to create link A link icon will appear on the source object s border as in Figure 18 Figure 18 To open a navigational link 1 Move the cursor over the link icon on the border of a source object 2 Click the link icon to navigate to the target object or collection 28 Chapter 4 VKB Feature Definitions Navigating in VKB To remove a navigational link 1 Select an object containing a navigational link the link icon is visible on the object s border 2 Click Edit on the menu bar 3 Click Remove Link VKB Objects amp Collections Objects and collections are the basis of VK B s structure O bjects store te
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