Introduction

If you have just installed Metabrowser and want to step through the features of the product for the first time then it is worthwhile selecting one of the following functions from the menu -

- Metabrowser as a Metadata Authoring Tool for Dublin Core (see Dublin Core Metabrowser Tutorial below)

- Customising Metabrowser to work with your own set of Metadata Elements

- Creating an RSS Channel (Rich Site Summary)

- Working with a Metadata Repository

 

Dublin Core Metabrowser Tutorial

This Tutorial uses Dublin Core elements as specified by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative.

In practice, core Dublin Core elements are only the building blocks for a collection of Metadata.

Most Dublin Core implementations adapt the core set of elements and add extensions to suit the information being cataloged.

Before progressing to customising Dublin Core this tutorial will concern itself with mandatory fields and how to create them.

Using Metabrowser for the first time

The first thing to notice when Metabrowser starts up is that the Web Page and the metadata are displayed at the same time. This is a simple idea but makes a huge difference both in being able to--

• See the data you are cataloging.
• Drag descriptions and keywords directly from the browser into metadata.
• Allow peer review of those records. People will often mail a Web Manager with spelling mistakes for a Web Page, but it never happens with metadata because no-one can normally see it without using 'View Source'.

Step 1 - Downloading Metabrowser and activating the Tutorial

You must be running this page from within Metabrowser for it to work. To do this-

• Download Metabrowser and install it by double clicking the downloaded file

• Launch Metabrowser from the start menu and select "Run Tutorial Now" when the licence panel appears (or paste in this URL - http://metabrowser.com.au/tutorial/DC.html)

When the page loads in you will see that the Tutorial AND the Metadata associated with it are displayed. This is the default behaviour of Metabrowser.

Step 2 - Selecting Elements from Dublin Core

To understand about Metabrowser and the inbuilt Macro Language it contains it is useful to start with the Dublin Core Schema itself and then move to using Templates.

Delete the current metadata by clicking on the "Delete" link. This link to an "mtp://" URL has the effect of telling Metabrowser to delete the working copy of metadata loaded into Metabrowser.

Display the Dublin Core Schema. Click on this link to display a list of Dublin Core elements.

Note: You can achieve the same effect by selecting the Dublin Core schema from the Metadata Resources menu.

Click the following elements in the schema to add a basic record -

- DC.Identifier
- DC.Title
- DC.Description
- DC.Subject
- DC.Date.created

When you finish clicking on these elements from the Dublin Core list you will see that Metabrowser has placed default values in DC.Identifier, DC.Title and DC.Date.created

You can complete this record without having to type in any metadata by select a description from this page (the web browser)-

- Highlight the text you want
- Drag it over the DC.Description element or DC.Subject and let go.

This will enter the data directly into the metadata for you.

Metabrowser is a product that recognises the value of human input to create good metadata.

It helps you by making the creation process as simple as possible.

If you want to look at your Metadata then go to the edit menu and select "Copy Metadata to Clip as HTML".

This will copy the data you entered into the Clipboard. To view it paste it into a text file, word document or blank email.

Step 3 - Entering a record using a template

Metadata can be created for a resource by select Metadata Elements from a list (a schema) or by using a Template.

A Template is by far the most common way in which users will enter metadata. As an administrator you should complete this tutorial and then cover the section on customising metadata for your own Metadata Elements.

Metabrowser supports the use of customisable templates for simplified entry of metadata records.

A template is a set of elements, optionally with hard coded content in some of the elements,

A template can be used directly off the Web or can be customised for personal use. Let start by using the mandatory element set template

• Delete the current metadata.

• Now run this Mandatory Element Template to create the fields to enter.

• Now enter the data yourself into the page. Metabrowser works very much like Excel. Click the field in the list you want to enter and then type the values.
  • DC.Identifier. This will normally be filled in for you. If you click on DC.Identifier then an "Add Current URI" button will appear. Because Metabrowser is its own Web Browser it already knows the URL of the page you're editing. Click the button and the URL is added automatically.

  • DC.Title Because Metabrowser is its own Web Browser it already knows the title of the page you're editing. If this title is NOT the full title of the resource (or it makes no sense), then modify this as needed.

  • DC.Subject. Metabrowser works in an specific environment by supporting the the entry of Controlled Vocabulary terms. If you pull down the Schemes Menu you will see that many possible Schemes exist. Select one of these if you wish. You will need to enter terms manually. If you have your own Scheme for DC.Subject it is easy to incorporate your scheme into Metabrowser.
    
    This tutorial will not cover the role of DC.Subject adequately. Creating your own Subject Scheme in your schemes folder is very important for well formed metadata.
    
  • DC.Description. Enter a narrative sentence or phrase of 120-200 characters. You can do this by dragging text directly from the Browser. 

  • DC.Creator The most common use of Metabrowser Templates is to eliminate having to enter Creator and Publisher manually. For this exercise you need to type the Creator in.

  • DC.Date Enter the date using the pull down menus if the default date is not suitable.

  • DC.Format. This field has an encoding scheme of IMT. When you click on the field you get a "Load Scheme" button appear that will load in a list of allowable values. You can also load the scheme by clicking here.

  • DC.Language. This is another field often hardcoded into a Template. For now you can load the RFC1766 scheme in and select a value or click here to load it.

  • DC.Type This field is controlled by DCMIType. Click on the load scheme button or click here

  • DC.Coverage. This field can be free form or part of the ISO3166 code set (not public domain). Enter "All" or a relevant area.

  • DC.Publisher - This element is best incorporated into a Template, enter a value manually in this exercise.
    
  • DC.Source. Recommended best practice is to enter a reference to the resource by means of a string or number conforming to a formal identification system.

  • DC.Rights. If your resource is protected by copyright enter this information here.

  • DC.Contributor. Examples of a Contributor include a person, an organisation, or a service. Typically, the name of a Contributor should be used to indicate the entity.

• Save your work. Go to the File menu and select Save As and HTML File. Alternatively you can go to the Edit Menu and copy the metadata as RDF or HTML for pasting into a document.

 

End of Tutorial

This tutorial was designed to make you familiar with editing metadata in Metabrowser.

• We displayed the Dublin Core schema and added elements to a Metadata Record
• We used a standard Dublin Core template, recieved over the Internet, to enter in a Metadata Record

However, to create well formed metadata with a minimum of effort it is worth knowing how to create your own Schemas and Templates

 

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Customising Metadata to work with your own set of Metadata Elements

Metabrowser works best when it is customised for use.

You customise Metabrowser by -

- Creating Templates
- Creating your own Schema
- Creating Schemes (Schemes are lists of valid values for a metadata element)

Creating Templates

Most of the drudge work in creating metadata consists of entering fields that are the same for each record.

Metabrowser Templates can be loaded from disk or over the Internet. The example in this tutorial was loaded in from the Metabrowser Server.

To make a local Template and assign it to an F-Key:

• Decide which fields are going to be the same for your site. For example, the DC.Creator DC.Publisher DC.Contributor and DC.Rights will likely be the same for all pages in your site.

• Delete the current metadata.

• Run this Core Template

• Enter in those fields that will not change and blank out the other fields. This is the basis for the template.
  
• You should blank out DC.Identifier, DC.Title and DC.Date as these will change for each page
  
• Fields like DC.Publisher and DC.Creator should be filled in.
  
• Go to the File->Save As Menu and instead of saving as HTML, save as Template.

• Enter a file name for your template

• When you click Save, Metabrowser will ask you if you want to assign the Template to an F-Key. Say yes and Metabrowser will display the Edit Macros panel showing the Macro that has been created as "Load Macro from Disk". You can change the title at this point if you want.

• Test your Template out by deleting the current record (or right click in the Metadata Panel and select "Delete all Lines") and then applying the Template by hitting the F-Key your Template is assigned to.

The Template will now be assigned and any other implicit metadata such as Title and Identifier will be added for you.

This should have the effect of eliminating a lot of the repetetive work in creating metadata.

 

Metabrowser has a couple of unique features--

• When cataloging a Web page, you actually get to see the Web page which is the best way to make the correct decision.

• Controlled lists are loaded in live over the Net so that changes can be done once and update on all computers using the product.

• The built-in macro language makes it simple to customize the system whether that is at a top level of metadata administration, a Web manager, or an end-cataloger.

• Training is simple because macro commands can be embedded into web based tutorials.

 

Creating your own Schema

Macros

To create a schema you must now understand more about Metabrowser's Macro Language.

At this point it is worthwhile accessing the Edit Macros menu in the Macros menu and reviewing the Macro Edit Panel.

When you look at this panel you will see at the bottom of this panel a number of "mtp://" commands that have been logged as you have been carrying out the tutorials.

The most useful macro is the "field" Macro which adds metadata to the Metadata Panel.

Close the panel and then try this macro -

mtp://field=DC.Publisher&content=Metabrowser Systems.fld/

A field macro has 3 elements -

- The name of the Metadata Element (field)
- Optionally the content for the Element
- Optionally the scheme for an element (a controlled list or vocabulary)

Here is another example -

mtp://field=DC.Identifier&content=http://metabrowser.com.au&scheme=URI.fld/

Lists

To create a schema you need to create a list of the elements in the Schema.

Against each element in the list you place a Macro that will insert your field when the user clicks on it.

Here is a portion of the Dublin Core schema-

DC.Contributor|mtp://field=DC.Contributor.fld/ DC.Coverage| DC.Coverage|DC.Coverage|mtp://field=DC.Coverage.jurisdiction.fld/ DC.Coverage|DC.Coverage.spatial|mtp://field=DC.Coverage.spatial.fld/ DC.Coverage|DC.Coverage.temporal|mtp://field=DC.Coverage.temporal.fld/ DC.Creator|mtp://field=DC.Creator.fld/
DC.Date|
DC.Date|DC.Date|mtp://field=DC.Date&scheme=ISO8601.fld/ DC.Date|DC.Date.available|mtp://field=DC.Date.availableated&scheme=DCMI Period.fld/ DC.Date|DC.Date.created|mtp://field=DC.Date.created&scheme=DCMI Period.fld/ DC.Date|DC.Date.issued|mtp://field=DC.Date.issued&&scheme=DCMI Period.fld/ DC.Date|DC.Date.modified|mtp://field=DC.Date.modified&scheme=DCMI Period.fld/ DC.Date|DC.Date.valid|mtp://field=DC.Date.valid&scheme=DCMI Period.fld/ DC.Description| DC.Description|DC.Description|mtp://field=DC.Description.fld/ DC.Description|DC.Description.abstract|mtp://field=DC.Description.abstract.fld/ DC.Description|DC.Description.tableOfContents|mtp://field=DC.Description.tableOfContents.fld/ DC.Format| DC.Format|DC.Format|mtp://field=DC.Format.fld/ DC.Format|DC.Format.extent|mtp://field=DC.Format.extent.fld/ DC.Format|DC.Format.medium|mtp://field=DC.Format.medium&scheme=IMT.fld/ DC.Identifier|mtp://field=DC.Identifier&scheme=URI.fld/ DC.Language|mtp://field=DC.Language&scheme=RFC1766.fld/

A schema is a text file that will contain a simple or hierarchical list of terms. If the line contains a macro then this will be executed when the user clicks.

You can modify the Dublin Core schema easily to your own requirements.

You will find a cached copy under - Program Files\Metabrowser\Cache\Schema\Dublin Core.mbs

Copy this file and save it outside of the cache folders for it to work.

Now you can load the Schema in this way-

- Go to File Menu, select Open and select Metadata Scheme or Schema
- Locate your schema and open it

The Schema should now be loaded into your treeview panel.

To assign the loading of this schema to an F-Key -

- Go to Macros->Edit Macros and locate the macro that looks like -

mtp://open=Program Files/Metabrowser/mySchema.mbs

- Double click on this to assign the macro to an F-Key. You can also give it a customised name

Creating your own Scheme

A Scheme is a controlled list of values.

You can use Schemes available under the Metadata Resources menu or create your own.

Click on this macro - mtp://field=DC.Subject&scheme=mySubjects.fld

In the scheme column of the metadata there will now be a "mySubjects" scheme. Click on this.

What happens is that Metabrowser checks to see if it can find a scheme by that name in the Schemes folder in Metabrowser. If it finds one then the scheme is loaded.

You can create your own schemes in this folder and you can even share this folder on a a shared drive so other people can use the same schemes.

In Metabrowser the format of a Schema and a Scheme are exactly the same. Typically a scheme will look very much like this-

Collection|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Collection&scheme=DCMIType.fld Dataset|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Dataset&scheme=DCMIType.fld Event|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Event&scheme=DCMIType.fld Image|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Image&scheme=DCMIType.fld Interactive Resource|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Interactive Resource&scheme=DCMIType.fld Service|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Service&scheme=DCMIType.fld Software|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Software&scheme=DCMIType.fld Sound|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Sound&scheme=DCMIType.fld Text|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Text&scheme=DCMIType.fld Physical Object|mtp://field=DC.Type&content=Physical Object&scheme=DCMIType.fld

In the above example the controlled list is for DC.Type and each macro contains this as the field.

The scheme is DCMIType and the content changes according to the value selected.

Metabrowser can load schemes in for elements that have a named scheme.

To do this-

- Create a scheme (using the above example if you like as <schemeName>.mbs. For example, if you were going to have a scheme for DC.Subject called mySubjects you would call the file mySubjects.mbs

- Place this file in the Schemes folder in the Metabrowser Folder (if no schemes folder exists then creat it first)

To use the Scheme you can -

- Open it directly from the File->Open menu and select items
- Include the scheme in a Field Macro so that it can be part of a Template or a Schema

Normally you will define a Template that has the Scheme listed for the Element it belongs to.

Once that is done then the scheme should load into the TreeView ready for user selection when the user clicks on the scheme in the Metapanel view.

End of Tutorial

This tutorial has introduced the idea of a Macro and how groups of macros can be included in customised Schemas and Schemes

- A Schema and Scheme is a list of Terms that have macros attached to them.
- Template is a text file containing a list of Macros to execute.
- In a customised environment these customisations are drawn together by linking them to F-Keys in the Edit Macros Panel