Database Help for Instant Web Publishing (Advanced) Interface

FileMaker provides detailed help for its Instant Web Publishing interface and it is available to you even before you sign on to the database or here if you have already logged onto the database.

When you sign on, you will see the window below appear in your browser. It consists of a status area or bar on the left, which will always be present, no matter what the contents of the database shows to the right. In this case, the area at the right provides navigation to common queries (you can click on the or on the text to navigate, notice that your cursor will turn to a pointer to indicate a link).
You can always return to this page by clicking on the icon, which is usually found in the bottom left of the database screen (just to the right of the status bar).

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The Status Bar

The status bar has two modes: Browse mode for viewing records,

and Find mode for creating simple or complex queries (searches).

Browse Mode

In browse mode, the status bar helps you to navigate from record to record; to see how many records you have found in a search out of the number present in the database (here, found set = total number of records = 8017)

or

to see which record you are on (in the first instance, you are on record number 1,
in the second you type in 350 and click the icon to go to record 350 out of 8017);

and gives you tools to sort your records,

and to show all records in a table (this will vary by table).

By showing the additional toolbar

you can also omit one

or more records from your found set,

or show the records that have been omitted
.

Constructing a find query (=searching)

WebMandala presents you with starting queries on the opening navigation page, but you can search ANY database page just by going into find mode from the status bar and using the tools described below.

and type your find criteria into the desired field. Keep your criteria as simple as possible.

You can use symbols to refine your query
,

add more than one query
,

duplicate a find request and change a small piece of the data to save retyping
,

or delete a find request
.

You can omit the data in a query (e.g., find all animals but omit anything having to do with the Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, & katydids) and review each part of a complex request

before performing it
.

Although some pages you navigate to will have buttons helping you get into (enter find mode) and out of find mode (cancel find) you must always use the Perform Find button in the status bar to execute (=do) any find.

You can also constrain a found set (narrow it) or extend (broaden) it.

Limitations of Instant Web Publishing (IWP)

As cool as this real database experience is, there are limitations to IWP, the most serious being that you cannot export data and you cannot print data that cannot be seen on your browser screen. Serious also for those without a broadband connection to the internet, IWP is very graphics intensive and impractical to use with a dialup modem connection. These limitations will be addressed with the php interface that is under development.

Losing your Connection

Efforts will be made to not interrupt your access to Fiji WebMandala, but periodically it is necessary to take down the server for brief periods of time (usually only minutes) to perform backups, server maintenance, and file updates. These are usually done early in the day (ca. 8:15 AM Central Time in the USA), but may occasionally occur at other times. Note too that inactivity will also disconnect you from the database, with the following type of warning (may differ by browser)

and you are then returned to a list of database files that are available via IWP on this server. You should choose Fiji WebMandala and re-enter, logging in as "Guest".

What are tables in a database?

Tables are collections of data and Fiji WebMandala currently has 8 of them all in a single file. They are filled with data from the working database, which is more full-featured, but would be even more confusing for the casual user to navigate. Fiji WebMandala includes the following tables:

• Navigation - pivot point to travel to various tables and layouts; includes acknowledgements, about information, & help
• Taxa - all ranks of taxonomic names from kingdom to subspecies
• Localities - political descriptions of place names, named geographic features, latitude and longitude, altitude
• Collecting Events - collector(s), date(s) of collection, collection method, abiotic conditions (temperature, sky, etc.)
• Specimens - includes links to a taxon, locality, collecting event, gender, determination, dissection, deposition, type, life stage
• Museums - coden identifier, name of collection, location, primary curator and associated staff, contact information, website
• People - names and contact information for people associated with the project as well as collectors, & authors of taxonomic names
• Literature - literature citations pertaining to arthropods found in Fiji

Currently, the last three tables are not connected to any other table except Navigation, and are included for informational purposes only. Each collecting event is connected to a locality and each locality may be associated with one or more collecting events. Each locality/collecting event may be associated with one or more specimens, nearly all bearing a taxonomic name of some sort, but most are only identified to order or family at this time until specialists further identify them to genus and species. Data in each table all have unique identifiers.

Help for Fiji WebMandala

For more specific help about Fiji WebMandala and with the icons used, click on the , which appears on most pages and leads here:

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Note that the icon, which is present on all pages, will take you back to the original navigation page to choose another option to try or should you feel lost. Remember that you can often drill down to more detail or related links by clicking on the magnifier icon .

One last thing...OK, maybe two things:

Please log out, don't just leave...

Before closing your browser window or quitting from your browser application, ALWAYS log out of the database when you are done (see Log Out button at bottom of status area). Here's why... Logging out will take you to a list of databases on the server, including FijiWebMandala.

Lastly, if you have any further questions or suggestions, please contact Gail Kampmeier

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