TUTORIAL 5: Adding Text and Images to the Taxa
The Lucid Builder Version 2.0 stores its taxon data text files in HTML format and the taxon image files in bitmap, JPEG or GIF formats. This means that you have considerable flexibility with respect to how both text and images are attached. The text and images can be attached separately to the taxon or the images can be embedded in a HTML text file. Because HTML files are used, you have the option of building them using either the built-in HTML editor supplied with Lucid, or any commercial software capable of writing and saving HTML files. If you choose the latter, the file must be saved in the key's HTML directory so that the Builder can find it for attachment to the taxon.
In the steps below, only the simple process of adding text and images as separate entities will be addressed. Users familiar with HTML procedures will immediately see how the images can also be embedded in the HTML script in their entirety, or as thumbnails with hypertext links to the full image or just as simple hypertext links.
1. Open the Builder and the Banksia key file. Select the Taxa panel and highlight Banksia integrifolia var. integrifolia. (Note that the Builder cannot display italic font.) Now press the right mouse button and select Taxon Properties from the menu (or use the keyboard combination of Ctrl+P and the Taxon Properties panel will open). You will note that there are three options, Notes, Multimedia and Subkey. Subkey is used if you wish to attach a secondary key to the taxon, for example a key to the varieties or subspecies, etc. Multimedia allows you to attach bitmap, JPEG and GIF images as well as video films and audio files in any combination, and Notes provides you with a HTML editor for attaching text files.
2. Select the Notes tab at the top of the Taxon Properties panel to open the Notes subpanel. The notes to be attached must be given a suitable topic name. There are three icons under the text Topics and in order from the left to right they allow you to create, delete or edit a topic name. Select the first icon and a data entry panel opens which allows you to enter a topic name. Enter the text Species Description followed by OK. The topic text will now appear in the list of available topic names. You can add more topic names if you wish.
3. Write and attach the text file to the taxon. Move the cursor to the lower half of the Taxon Properties panel and select the left icon under the text HTML Notes (Attach HTML file to topic). This opens a selection panel, select New at the top of the panel to open the HTML editor. Now enter the data for Banksia integrifolia var. integrifolia as a copy from the text given in this tutorial. Format the text as required.
4. On completion of text entry, select File from the main menu followed by Save As to open a standard file browsing panel. A suggested suitable name is integrifol and you must then browse the files to find the html directory in the Banksia key directory. Make sure that the html directory is selected as the directory in which you wish to save the file. Close the HTML text editor and return to the Select HTML File to Attach selection panel where your new text file will now appear. (This also demonstrates how easy and flexible it is to use an external HTML editor for text file building. All you do is save your text files in this directory and use the selection panel to attach files to the appropriate taxon.)
5. Highlight the HTML text file you built in steps 3 & 4 and attach the text file to the Topic name by clicking the Select button. The selection panel will disappear and you will return automatically to the taxon properties panel. The entered text will be present in the lower part of the panel, the path of the attached file will be displayed and two icons at the right of the panel will now be available. These icons allow you to edit the text or preview the text in the default browser.
6. With the Taxon Properties panel still open, select the right pointing arrow at the top of the panel and move to the next taxon. Select the Add Topic icon to open the Enter New Topic for Taxon selection panel. Use the down arrow to see the already present topic Species Description, select it and click OK. The topic name will now appear in the Topics subpanel. Attach text to the taxon as you did in steps 3, 4 & 5. Continue by adding text to all the taxa. (While you can just step from taxon to taxon, you may prefer to be cautious and save after each major change.)
7. Attach images to the taxa. Images in bitmap form are supplied for two of the taxa, Banksia integrifolia and Banksia spinulosa. Select Banksia integrifolia var. integrifolia and open the Taxon Properties panel. Select the Multimedia tab followed by the Add medium icon (it is the only active icon on the panel). Use the standard file selection window to browse your directories until you locate the file integrif.jpg and select it. The file selection panel will disappear and the selected image will now be displayed in the preview area. Selection of the magnifying glass icon will display the image in full size and also allows operation of the macro controls which allow you to control the cursor temporarily in the player if it is desired to demonstrate special points of the image. Any necessary text about the image, such as copyright holders or points of interest can now be added in the text entry panel at the bottom of the Multimedia panel.
Note: For images in particular, the acknowledgement of copyright is essential. To use the copyright symbol © in the image notes section, the simplest method is to use any word processing program to find this symbol and then copy it to the clipboard. In the Builder, the © symbol is then pasted in by using the keyboard combination of Alt+22 where the 22 is selected from the side keypad, not the top keyboard numbers. When using this process, the number lock must NOT be activated.
8. Now continue by adding spinulos1.jpg and spinulos2.jpg to Banksia spinulosa var. collina and add any comments as necessary. Save the file.
9. Compile and run the key to examine the results.