DocDB FAQ

This FAQ provides help for performing various tasks within the DocDB framework.

How can I get complete help on a topic? 

In the footer of every page, there is a Help link which gives you complete instructions. Also, all of the pages have several hyperlinks which will open a pop-up window giving you a brief explanation of an item.

How do I log into DocDB? -what password do I use? 

PUBLIC:
unrestricted access/ no passwd

PRIVATE:
Use your JLab CUE credentials

How do I add an author? 

  • login as with your JLab CUE credentials
  • click List Authors under the navy-colored navigation bar along the top of the DocDB page
  • Above the alphabet click Add new user
  • Add the first and last name and select the institution from the adjacent drop down list
  • New institution: contact the DocDB administrator to add it

How do I add an institution? 

  • login as docdbadm
  • click create or change
  • click administer authors, institutions, topics
  • add institution first (enter passwd again -- needed for every such change)
  • go back to administer page and refresh it; new inst. should appear in inst list next to authors, in administer authors part of page
  • click new inst, type in author, click 'new' radio button, passwd, change author info.

How do I add a journal? 

  • login as docdbadm
  • click create or change
  • click administer authors, institutions, topics
  • scroll down to Administer Journals
  • click new and fill out all information fields (including password)
  • click Change Journal Info
  • go back to administer page and refresh, the new journal should appear
  • if adding another, make sure to click new again, the button may move around

How do I add a new document? 

  • click on Documents and enter the Private area with writer
  • click on Create/Change docs or metadata
  • click on Create a New Document from... local or web, your choice
  • enter title: 'Software VideoConference Minutes, Month, Date, year'
  • abstract: the theme, or agenda, and participants if you wish
  • keywords: your choice (if you need new ones let me know)
  • browse and add files (if more than 3 files, type in number of files on step 3 above)
  • doc type: Minutes
  • requester (person submitting minutes) and author both need to be assigned
  • security should be set to Writer (all other docs are public so far)
  • topic should be Collaboration/Minutes

How do I upload an entire directory of HTML files? 

  • from the DocDB homepage click create or change documents or metadata
  • click on See below if you need more flexibility... choose 'adding' for new one, 'modifying' for existing.
  • in the custom table, select your options, starting with 'New' or 'Update existing document'. Enter doc-# if you are updating, and then select the upload type. Make other choices as appropriate. Click Give me my customized form.
  • on the next page add the info as usual, or modify existing (if this is an update). Choose your upload archive from local disk or http, specify the main file (home page, should be index.html, index.shtml, or index.php in the archive using archive directory name and describe it (eg Main HTML page). [Specifying Overall/index.html will not work due to a perl bug that converts the '/' into '%2F' .]
  • Don't forget to select the Security (it always becomes unselected in any type of update to prompt the user for an accurate update of this record -- defaults to Public), and submit.

How do I upload Keynote presentations to the DocDB? 

The PDF and PPT uploads are single-file ones; however, Keynote's presentations are in fact directories, and NOT single files. (You can see this by launching a Terminal on your Mac and doing 'ls' in the directory containing your Keynote "file"). As a result, Keynote talks have to be tar-gzipped to be uploaded to the portal. Here's how:

First, archive your Keynote file, using the Terminal (or your favourite application such as StuffIt). I will use the Terminal example here.

cd ~/Desktop
tar cvfz talk-detrev.tar.gz keynote_talk.key

This creates a true (archive) file called talk-detrev.tar.gz

From DocDB's Home page:

  1. Click on 'Create or change documents or metadata'
  2. On next page, click on the word 'modifying' in 'See below if you need more flexibility in modifying documents...'
  3. This brings you to the Customized Insert/Modify form. Select type (New doc, or Update existing doc and enter Doc# in box), and under Upload Type click on 'Archive (.tar/.zip) Upload. All other default selections are fine.
  4. Fill out the next page as usual. Click 'Choose File' button to browser your computer for the talk-detrev.tar.gz archive you created above. Main file in archive: use 'presentation.apxl' (or any dummy file name); the portal will complain no matter what you enter, but you can ignore its warning. Description of file: "Keynote presentation". Fill out the rest of the form and submit.
  5. Revisit this page to add your PPT and PDF files by clicking on your document from the DocDB Home page and then clicking 'Add Files to Document' at the bottom of the page.

GlueX Pages: