The ISIS-software environment

an introduction

Automation of documentary information Definitions :

information : data with structure and meaning which have the potential to change the receiver’s knowledge

documentary : recorded knowledge, considered worth to be kept on a time- and space-persistent carrier

Automation : using the computer to optimize

management; in documentary systems : mainly retrieval of information

Automation of documentary information D.I. = info kept in ‘documents’ with a

mainly textual contents component variant : documents can also represent

real documents : e.g. bibliographic records, with or without abstracts

automation criteria : professional standards flexibility in structure words-recognition powerful formatting functions …

Automation of documentary information Professional standards :

ISO-2709 file format MARC (subfields, repeatable fields…) XML (!!) -> gaining importance

variable length and structure records e.g. cfr. XML : capable of dealing with

semi-structured text-entities (document elements are optional, repeatable, extensible, defineable…)

Automation of documentary information Typical software characteristics :

word recognition (<>field) flexible structures Inverted File (addressbook of all words) support additional features : stopwords, equivalency

lists, thesaurus (knowledge systems…), strong formatting, web-capabilities etc.

<> ‘library systems’ = integrated systems for catalogues and administrative data (e.g. loans)

The ISIS-environment Why ISIS ?

professional, academic concept by UNESCO (UNISIST, CCF, MARC…)

educational qualities multi-platform (DOS, Windows, Unix,

WWW, JAVA) non-commercial software (free) world-wide users’ community

(especially Latin-America, Eastern Europe, Asia…)

ISIS-history (1) I.L.O. 70’s: merging of ‘C.D.S’ and ‘I.S.I.S.’ UNESCO :

1985 : produces PC-version ‘Micro CDS/ISIS’ for DOS (as a series of separate softwares)

version 2.0 (1988) : added ISIS/Pascal 1990’s : version 2.3 (integrated menu system) 1992 : v.3.0 (networking, multi-user), new :

Unix-version 1998 : Winisis (graphical interface, hyperlinks) 2001-2004 : current version 1.5 (a.o. XML,

wizards)

ISIS-history (2) BIREME (Sao Paulo, Brazil) :

1995 : CISIS, a set of command-line utilities for ISIS-database management

1997 : ISIS-DLL, a programming library for graphical operating systems

1998 : WWWISIS : a server for CGI-web applications

2000 : WXIS = WWWISIS version 4.0

ISIS-history (3) Italy + UNESCO : JAVAISIS

JAVA : platform-independent programming language (RTE : free)

JAVAISIS allows to access (remote) ISIS-databases (based on BIREME WWWISIS-server)

interface : ‘copies’ WinISIS looks-’n-feel now : searching + basic data-entry

functions are available, but slow

ISIS-history (4) OPENISIS : re-programming ISIS using the

‘open source’ philosophy (OpenISIS Verein, http://www.openisis.org) 2002 : first initiatives 2003 : first results (but reworking needed) 2004 : version 1.0 expected

UNESCO also prepares to release ISIS-software as an open-source software : source code available, non-commercial best known example : Linux O.S. co-ordination and tight control still necessary, to

maintain the standards and a certain unity

ISIS history (5) : WEBLIS Since 2003 : fully integrated, web-based

library system based on ISIS is available from FAO Based on ISIS.DLL and www-isis.exe as a

dedicated database-server Functions :

simple, advanced and thesaurus-based searching

Data entry with lists and validation Loans circulation with advanced features

The basic concepts (1) ISO-2709 : a format to precisely describe

(bibliographic) records for transport between systems the ‘header’ and directory : fixed-format

numerical description of the record (how long, which fields/lenghts), start-position of text-content and field tags

the text-contents concatenated with a separator character

the records separated by a record-separator used as exchange format e.g. for all MARC-

tapes

ISO-2709 example record :00846000000000277000450000100310000000400040003102300090003512001140004400­

3000200158005000200160100001100162100001100173109003300184121006700217122001700284123001500301600000500316220013000321200001700451240004200468250001000510324002800520

332001000548343000500558350000500563#ABT­ASSOCIATES­INC./AGRICULTUR#AMS#19951205

#Conducting­Pan‑European­research:­a­preliminary­evaluation­of­a­new­methodology­for­European­aquaculture­research#B#K#Shaw,­S.A.#Bailly,­D.#^aUniv.­Strathclyde^bGlasgow^cUK#3.­Annu.­Conf.­of­the­European­Association­of­Fisheries­Economists#Dublin­(Ireland)#10‑12­Apr­1991#^aen#Proceedings­of­the­third­Annual­Conference­of­the­European­Association­of­Fisheries­Economists,­Dublin,­Ireland,­10‑12­April­1991#Hillis,­J.P.^ed.#^aDublin­(Ireland)^bThe­Stationery­Office#^p163‑175#Ir.­Fish.­Invest.­[B.­Mar.]#0578‑7467#1994#^i42#~

MARC-records ‘Machine Readable Catalogues’ (IFLA)

for international standardization of bibliographic data (-> exchange)

based on ISO-2709 file format field-tags 1-999 (defined by

implementation, e.g. UNIMARC, CCF…) variable fields and field lengths subfields, e.g. ^ade Smet^bEgbert

Inverted File support the IF contains all searchable elements

(terms) , sorted alphabetically, and their positions within the database: which record which field which occurrence of that field which position in that field (word-counting for

proximity retrieval) the IF in fact represents ‘all possible

searches’ already done - except for Boolean set-combinations (AND/OR/NOT) - and saved

ISIS-structures : the MST the database itself is a binary ISO-

2709 file with all the records concatenated no separators, binary header records can be active or non-active

(e.g. changed, logically deleted…) all new records are appended at the

end of the file, which always grows (-> needs ‘compacting’)

ISIS-structures : XRF the Cross-Reference file is a ‘first-phase’

normal index (list of pointers, i.e. relative addresses sequence with fixed records) to the records in the MST for fast access of records

an XRF-file completes a basic ISIS-database M+X = ISIS, cfr. CISIS-tool ‘MX’ (Bireme) can be reconstructed if absent by special

tools (e.g. UNESCO, Bireme)

ISIS-structures an ISIS-database = at least one

combination of MST + XRF plus IF all other files are :

supporting (e.g. Field Definition Table, data-entry FMT’s, presentation PFT’s…) or

optional (e.g. stopwords .STW, equivalency list .ANY) or

derived from MST : the Inverted File-components, defined by FST

ISIS-structures The Inverted File :

‘nodes’ and ‘leaves’ of a B-Tree organised (for quick positioning in very big files) table, separate for ‘short’ and ‘long’ entries

.L01 and .L02 .N01 and .N02

an index on the B-Tree (.CNT) the postings-file : .IFP, containing all

alphabetically sorted entries with their postings (record, field, occurrence, position)

temporary files for sorting (in WORK-directory)

The FDT Listing of :

data-entry worksheets (FMT) IF-definitions (FST) presentation formats (PFT) the actual fields (tag, name, length,

type and repeatability) mandatory in CDS/ISIS, WinISIS,

JAVAISIS but not in other family members

The Field Selection Table defines the strings to be put into the

IF three columns :

1 : identifier (a real or ‘alias’ tag) 2 : a method : 8 types (per field,

delimiters <> or /, per word, with or without prefixes)

3 : the extraction format, following the ISIS-Formatting Language (with all features of it, incl. ISIS/Pascal programs)

SYSPAR.PAR All ‘settings’ of the software, some

of them can be set using ‘configuration’

Line 5 : data folder -> either the database-files or their referral files DBN.PAR

In WinISIS : very much used CISIS : CIPAR.CPR

The Formatting Language = the real nucleus of the ISIS-software and its

main development tool defines which strings are produced as either :

database-values (taken from the fields); can be ‘processed’ values from the database, e.g. fields combined, computations, even data taken from other ISIS-databases by ‘REF-’function

or ‘literals’ : quoted strings, e.g. HTML- or XML-tags

in WinISIS : hyperlinks are added to enrich the presentation graphically and functionally

The Formatting Language FL is used in 5 basic ISIS-functions :

‘normal’ output of the database : display on screen or printing or ‘dumping’ in file

to define the strings extracted for the IF to convert values while importing or

exporting records from/to ISO-2709 using a ‘reformatting’ PFT

for sorting records for validation of data entry

FL basics 3 possible element types :

Vx : values from the fields, can be ‘processed’, even by a program (format exit)

Literals : texts to display Mode commands and links

Literals : 3 types ‘unconditional’ e.g. ‘ID=‘v1 |conditional| (with + : not last/first) e.g. |

Remarks: |+v500 “repeatable” e.g. (“Author: “v300)-> only

once

FL basics Mode commands : p/d/h

P: proofreading D: data mode (with . and space) H: heading mode -> end user

l/u : lower/uppercase {i/b/f/fs …} : italics, bold, fonts,

fontsize etc.

FL basics : logical routing IF condition THEN statements ELSE

other statements FI – nesting possible

Select Vx case ‘value’ : statements case ‘value’ : statements

elsecase : statements Endsel

FL basics : hyperLINKs LINK((‘prompt’),`COMMAND ‘,format)

Commands : e.g. OPENFILE, TEXTBOX E.g.

LINK((‘website’),(OPENFILE ),v445) LINK((‘abstract’),(TEXTBOX ),v600)

Textboxes can also contain images, e.g. link((‘Show'),'TEXTBOXIMG ',v50)

Can be ‘RCHILD’ -> closing with recorde.g. ‘TEXTBOXIMGRCHILD ‘,v50

To do on FL : hyperlinks (LINK) REF(L( )) on internal + external

database textboxes OPENFILE etc.

Assignment 1 : Install WinISIS on your PC Use the WinISIS-wizard to produce :

a FDT for a catalogue database a data-entry worksheet with 1 picklist one simple IF-FST at least one standard PFT

Enter a few sample bibliographic records

Assignment 2 : FL enter records with 1) repeatable fields

2) subfields 3) date field etc. Install ‘ASFA’-database apply basic FL commands to display,

using WinISIS PFT-editor, e.g. starting from ‘decorated’ PFT : literals (uncond. ‘ ‘ ; repeat. “ “ ; cond. | |) fs, cl, i, b, box() etc. modes : mpl, mhl, mdl

Assignment 3 : elaboration Create 2 new databases :

For users, I.e. names/addresses For ‘loans transactions’

Enter some data in both new databases

Develop PFT’s for bibliographic display with loans info, using ‘REF(L())’ functions

Assignment 4 : recapitulation Create new database ‘ABSTRA’ with only

two fields : v1 (title) and v2 (abstract), indexing on full title and all abstract words

export title- and abstract fields from ASFA-database using export FST

import into ABSTRA write ASFA-PFT to display abstract in

separate textbox, using ABSTRA as external database with REF-function (or write ABSTRA-PFT to display e.g. authors from ASFA-database)

use ABSTRA-database to test search techniques

Sources for self-study on ISIS WinISIS Handbook

Hopkinson&Buxton ‘Novice.htm’ (E. de Smet, intro) WinISIS.DOC : official manual WinISIS1_4.PDF : Guidebook

ISIS/DOS users (by Int. Trade Centre)

‘Training suite PPT slides’