MetaData Builder User Interface for Encoded Archival Description

MetaData Builder attaches XML metadata to bibliographic records in Cataloging. The system provides the following tools for metadata creation and editing:

• Buttons to manage XML metadata records
• Base record pane
• XML tree
• Viewing and editing pane with three tabs:
  • Edit tab
  • Source tab
  • XSL tab

Metadata Management Buttons

MetaData Builder provides four buttons, below the standard toolbar, to perform general metadata tasks. Active and inactive buttons depend on the existence of metadata currently attached to the base bibliographic record.

New
Loads a template for new metadata to attach to the base record. Opens the Choose Type dialog box if your system supports multiple templates. Active when creating a new metadata record.

Delete
Deletes the current metadata document. Active when editing an existing metadata record.

Import
Opens the Choose input file dialog box for selecting an XML metadata document to import. Active when creating a new metadata record.

Export
Opens the Choose output file dialog box for saving existing metadata as an XML file. Active when editing an existing metadata record.

Base Record Pane

The base record pane appears in the upper-left of the workspace. The pane presents the information found in the brief record display.

You cannot edit data in this pane. To change the information appearing here, use the Edit tab or edit the fixed-length fields in the base record with the Cataloging editor.

XML Tree

The XML tree appears beneath the base record pane and provides an hierarchical representation of the XML elements and nesting relationships prescribed by the Document Type Definition (DTD). The top level, or root, represents the document wrapper, in this case, the EAD element. Click a branch to edit the data in the Edit tab or the Source tab. Double-click any branch, or click the key icon to the left of a branch, to open lower, nested levels when they exist. Each branch terminates with the corresponding data content.

Viewing and Editing Pane

The viewing and editing pane includes three tabs. You can enter, edit, and view metadata in the Edit tab and the Source tab. The XSL tab applies instructions from the eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) to present the resulting HTML, base record, or Advanced Word Searching indexing data. You can review, but not edit, data in the XSL tab.

Edit Tab

EAD is a complex, hierarchical schema with highly nested elements. The MetaData Builder Edit tab provides tools for adding and removing elements and element attributes and for entering and editing data content, all in conformance with the associated document type description (DTD). The tools and buttons appearing in the tab depend on the properties of the branch selected in the XML tree. In this way, the Edit tab guides your work to ensure correct formatting of the resulting XML document.

Editing Data Content

In the Edit tab, you enter and edit data content in a free-text window similar to the one that appears in the Source tab. MetaData Builder applies the appropriate tags in conformance with the DTD.

Editing Elements and Attributes

The Edit tab presents strictly-controlled elements as uneditable labels with Help and Attr buttons. Nested elements appear below the parent element along with Edit, Add, and Remove buttons, as appropriate. The buttons in the strict editing display perform the following functions:

Help
Opens the EAD Elements Web page in your default browser, providing information about the currently active element.

Attr
Opens the Edit Attributes window. To add an attribute to the active element:

Edit
Depending on the element's properties defined in the DTD, the Edit button:

Add
Depending on the element's properties defined in the DTD, the Add button either presents an editing pane in which you can insert, append, or remove nested elements or adds the element to the metadata record and opens a text window for you to enter data content.

Remove
Removes the element and its content. The element no longer appears in the XML tree, but remains visible in the Edit pane. After you remove an element, you must re-enter its content if you decide to add the element back to the record.

Less strictly-controlled elements also appear on the Edit tab as uneditable labels with Help and Attr buttons. Below the parent element is a pane in which you can edit the element heading and insert, append, or remove nested elements.

To edit data that appears in the pane, double-click a row in the list. A text window opens, enabling you to edit the content.

The buttons in this type of pane perform as described above, with the following additions at the bottom of the pane:

Insert
Opens the Choose Tag window to add a new element to the list, before the active row. The Choose Tag window offers a list of element tags valid for the current element. To add an element to the list, click a tag in the Choose Tag window, and then click OK.

Append
Opens the Choose Tag window to add a new element at the end of the list.

Remove
Removes the active element from the element list. (The upper Remove button, affecting the Heading element, behaves as described previously.)

After editing the metadata, click Save on the toolbar to preserve your edits.

Source Tab

The Source tab offers direct text editing of the source XML, including both tags and content. The Source tab works with the XML tree to target the data you want to edit. Click a branch of the tree to view and edit the corresponding data. Click the root element in the XML tree to view and edit the entire document.

Click Reset to remove your most recent edits and restore the last saved data.

Click Save on the toolbar to preserve your edits.

XSL Tab

The XSL tab provides previews of the HTML, base record, and Advanced Word Search indexing XSL transformations. To view the XSLT output, select a transform from the drop-down list and then click Apply.

You can change some limited aspects of the transformation results by editing the data and element attributes in the Edit tab. For substantial changes, contact Innovative to alter the XSL and XSLT documents.

For additional information on metadata and EAD, see the MetaData Builder Overview.