Result set View

The chief virtue of this search option is its simplicity: you select a field to search from the drop list and enter a search term. You can apply wildcard characters (* and ?) if necessary, but no other search options are available. Searches are not case sensitive and accents are ignored. And you do not need to specify a search operator as one is applied by default (details below).

That's basically it. Although there is, of course, more going on.

A strength of this search option is that fields in the drop list can be associated with related fields so that more than one field is searched your search term. If available in your system, the <Simple search>2 A different name might be used for this option in your Collections implementation. option is configured to search multiple fields at once. If you hover the cursor over a field or <Simple search>, a pop up displays the field tag A field tag is a unique two character identifier for a field. of all fields that will be searched for your search term (demonstrated below).

1. Click the Search icon to display the Search pop-up; click the drop list to view all available search fields:

   

   The drop list includes the system name of all indexed fields An index is a database table designed to speed up the search of a frequently queried field (it only contains values from the field and the id number of records in which that value appears). The quick search option in the Result set View toolbar and the Standard search tab only search indexed fields. Non-indexed fields can be searched in an Advanced search, but these searches are slower as the search engine checks the full contents of each record for the search value. in the current data source; it usually also includes <Simple search>.

   What is a field's system name?

   A field's label in the User Interface (UI), Name for instance, broadly describes the information expected in the field. Field labels are not unique and the same label can be used elsewhere in the same record. A field also has a system name and a tag, name (BA) for instance. These can be used to uniquely identify a field with the following qualification: in a multilingual environment a system name can be translated and it may not be unique; a field tag, BA in the previous example, is the same across all languages and it is an infallible identifier of a field.

   The simplest way to identify the system name and tag is to hover the mouse cursor over the field and a tooltip will display the field's system name and tag, name and BA respectively in this example:

   

   The system name is usually similar to the UI field name: almost always lower case and with an underscore or full stop in place of spaces. For example, the UI field name Institution name has a system name of institution.name.

2. Select a field name or <Simple search> from the drop list:
   1. Click the arrow in the first search field to display a drop list of fields.
   2. Scroll through the list and select a field:

      

      -OR-

      Start keying the name of a field in the text box to filter the drop list and hit ENTER to select the field with the blue highlight or select a field in the drop list:

      

      As we see here, when the cursor hovers over a system field name multiple field tags display: all of these fields will be searched for your search term.

3. Enter your search term in the second field.

   It is worth understanding which search operator is applied when your search is run as it can influence how you specify your search term.

   At Step 2 you selected:

   <Simple search>

   The contains all search operator is used by <Simple search> in Collections version 1.18 onwards.

   contains all tells Collections to locate your search value anywhere in the search field: your search value implicitly has left and right truncation with the * wildcard character so that, for example, a search for the will match: the, their, there, other, either, etc. contains all is less strict than equals and it is more likely to return matching records especially when you enter multiple search terms in an order that differs from the order in which they are stored in the record (notably personal names that might be recorded as last name, first name or first name last name).

   If your version of Collections is older than version 1.18, <Simple search> employs the equals search operator by default (details below).

   A field name

   When your search is run the equals search operator is used by default. Depending on how a field is indexed, your search value:

   • must match the entire contents of the field you are searching (typically Linked fields A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref)., e.g. creator, author.name). For example:

     

     -OR-

   • must match a value found somewhere in the field you are searching (typically long text fields: notes, description and book titles for instance). In this example a search is performed in the title field for the:

     

     Any records that contain the anywhere in the title field will be returned by this search.

   Rule of thumb

   A free text field (notes, description and book titles for instance) can be searched for values found in the field, a single word for instance; when searching a Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). your search value must exactly match the entire contents of the field.

   In either case, the * wildcard can be useful. The * substitutes zero or more characters at its position in a search value, so rather than searching for wood, gerard in a Linked field, a search for:

   

   will return any record for creators with the last name wood (assuming creator names are formatted as surname, firstname).

   A search for th* in the title field will return any records that contain words beginning with th anywhere in the field:

   

   Tip: To cancel the search without running it, click the Search button in the toolbar again.

4. Hit ENTER or click the magnifying glass beside the search fields to run the search.

   The result list will be replaced with records returned by your search.

More advanced searches:

• Select the Search icon in the top Toolbar to perform a more advanced search in the current data source The management of a collection can involve a vast amount of information about objects / items / books, people and organizations, events, administration and more. This information is stored as records in data sources. Each data source stores a specific type of information: details about collection items, people, events, loans, and so on..
• Select Search in the Main menu to select a different data source in which to perform a search.

Information for Application Administrators

By default, users are able to edit records in Result set View by clicking the Edit button in the Result set View toolbar. When editing records in this View, Collections automatically saves an edited record without asking the user to confirm that changes should be saved whenever the user closes or leaves the edited record. In other words, the Save Prompt does not display.

If it is preferable for users to always confirm that their edits are saved, it is possible to disable editing in Result set View and require users to edit records in Record details View, which always displays the Save Prompt.

Note: If the Edit button does not display in the Result set View toolbar, you are either not authorized to edit records or your organization has disabled editing in Result set View. If the latter, you will be able to edit records in Record details View.

To edit the current record The record currently displayed in Record details View or highlighted (with a solid grey background) in Result set View or Gallery View for instance.:

1. Select Edit in the Result set View toolbar.

   The fields in the current record become editable:

   

   Note: Not all fields are editable. Some fields are read-only (priref A record's unique identifier. Currently, the simplest way to view a record's unique identifier is to add the priref column to Result set View. The field tag for the priref field is %0. for instance, and media.reference (FN) is not editable in this View.

2. Make your changes.
3. If you want to edit another record, select (click) it:
   • Any changes you made to the previous record are automatically saved.
   • The selected record becomes editable.
4. If you have finished making changes to records, select the Edit button again.

   This will exit Edit mode and automatically save your changes.

   Note: In Result set View, Collections automatically saves an edited record without prompting you to confirm that changes should be saved when you exit Edit mode or leave the edited record.

Result set View only displays a subset of fields in a record:

• To edit all available data in a record you would use Record details View.
• Select Settings in the Result set View toolbar to change which fields display in this View.

Context menu

When editing a record you can right-click a field to access a contest menu with three options:

• Copy field

  Copy the contents of the field to the Collections Clipboard (from where they can be pasted into the same field in another record in Record details View).

• Copy value

  Copy the contents of the field to the Windows clipboard (from where they can be pasted anywhere you like).

• History

  View a list of changes to the field.

Details below.

Information for Application Administrators

The record linking options available from the Links drop list (Add to outgoing loan, Add to exhibition, for example) are specified in Axiell Designer as Connections. An overview of Connections is available here; details about configuring Connections is available here.

Note: Full details about how records are linked in Axiell Collections, and an explanation of link terminology, are available here.

The Links drop list provides shortcuts that simplify linking records for specific purposes. Rather than processing one link at a time, we can select one or more records in the current data source, locate one or more target records and automatically link the records. If a target record you want to link to does not exist, you can create it and link to it. The relevant Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). is updated in each primary record A link is made from one record (the primary) to another (the target). and details are added to the target record(s).

The options available in the Links drop list are configured by your Application Administrator.

If no Link options have been defined for a data source, the Links button and drop list will not display in the Result set View toolbar.

The Links button is disabled until one or more records have been marked Marking a record means selecting it by adding a tick to the record's checkbox in Result set View or Gallery View, and in Record Details View from Collections 1.15 onwards. One or more records can be marked and then actioned in some way (e.g. printed).:

1. Mark one or more records in Result set View (or Gallery View).
2. Select an option from the Links drop list, e.g.:

   

   The Search box displays:

   

   Unlike the standard Search box, this version includes an option to create a new record in the target data source in the event that the record you want to link to does not already exist.

   Note: Everything you need to know about searching in the Search box can be found here.

3. Search for or create record(s) to link to:
   Search: the record(s) you need to link to already exist

   1. Search the target data source and mark Marking a record means selecting it by adding a tick to the record's checkbox in Result set View or Gallery View, and in Record Details View from Collections 1.15 onwards. One or more records can be marked and then actioned in some way (e.g. printed). one or more records in the list of results:

      

      Records returned by your search are listed in a cut-down Result set View, and can be sorted and filtered as required.

   2. Click OK to process the link(s).

      A progress box will display and disappear when the links have been processed.

   Create: a record you want to link to does not already exist

   1. Select Create to open the New record box:

      

      The New record box operates in the same way as the Bulk create records box.

   2. Add details for the new record and click OK.
   3. Click OK in the Summary box that displays:

      

      A progress box will display and disappear when the links have been processed.

4. Click Cancel or X to exit the Search box.

While the Export tool provides a lot of flexibility in defining what and how your data is exported, the Export to Excel option greatly simplifies the export of selected records to an Excel spreadsheet:

• Data in marked records only will be exported.

  The Export to Excel button is disabled until at least one record is marked.

• Only data in the fields currently displaying in Result set View will be exported.

  See Settings for details about how to add / remove fields from Result set View.

  Exporting values from enumerative fields

  Fields in which values are selected from a drop list are called enumerative fields in Collections. Values in these fields are read-only; they are added and, in a multilingual system, translated by your Application Administrator in the Collections administration tool, Axiell Designer A tool for designing, creating, customizing and managing Axiell Collections applications and databases, broadly speaking, the Axiell Collections Model Application. As well as managing databases, including user access and permissions, Designer is used for such tasks as translating field labels, tooltips, values in drop lists, etc.. The value that you see in an enumerative field in the User Interface is a display value associated with the current interface language, but the actual value stored in the database is a language-independent neutral value.

  In versions of Collections prior to version 1.11, the neutral value is exported with the Export to Excel and Export > CSV functions; from Collections version 1.11 onwards the value in the current interface language is exported.

  Note

  When importing values into enumerative fields, it is always necessary to use the value stored in the database rather than the value that displays in the User Interface: if you have exported values in enumerative fields using the Export to Excel and Export > CSV functions, the export file cannot be used to import data into enumerative fields unless the interface value is replaced with the value actually stored in the database (details here).

• The order in which fields display in Result set View determines the order in which they will display in Excel.

  See Rearrange columns for details about changing the order of fields / columns in Result set View.

• All occurrences If a field in the current record can have more than one value, we add an occurrence of the field for each value (e.g. a book can have multiple authors so we add an occurrence of the author.name (au) field for each author). An occurrence can be a member of a group of fields, and adding an occurrence of the field adds all members of the group at once. of a repeated field will be exported to a single cell, separated by hard returns (e.g. if a book has two authors, both names will be exported and will display in the same spreadsheet cell).
• When exporting a media field (such as reproduction.reference), a thumbnail of the first linked image is included in the export file6 Collections version 1.14 onwards. In older versions of Collections, only a text reference to the media is included in the report, not the image itself.. The thumbnail size is specified in Settings. For other media such as movie or music files, an icon indicating the media type is included in the export file.

To export to excel:

1. Mark one or more records in Result set View.
2. Select the Export to Excel button.

   A box will display offering you the option to select an application to open the export data file or to save it (Excel is selected y default).

3. Click OK to open Excel and view the exported data:

   

When one or more values have been saved as favourites for the current field (using the Add to favourites option), a value can be selected from the list and copied to the field when editing a record. This can be useful if the same value (term, name, date, etc.) is entered into a field as it can be selected from the favourites list rather than being keyed into the field.

To copy a favourite value to a field when editing a record:

1. Right-click the field and hover the cursor over the Favourites option in the context menu to display the list of favourites.

2. Select the required value from the sub menu:

   

The value is copied to the field and will overwrite any value already entered in the field.

Note: If a value is cut off in the list because it is too long, you can select Manage favourites to view the full value.