OI Tutorial: Difference between revisions

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If you haven’t yet navigated to your Editing queue, click the “Editing” link in the login box on the front page, or at the top of any page.  You will see a list of all the issues you have reserved.  Click on any one to open it for editing.
If you haven’t yet navigated to your Editing queue, click the “Editing” link in the login box on the front page, or at the top of any page.  You will see a list of all the issues you have reserved.  Click on any one to open it for editing.
(upload a new image of a Records You Are Editing page)
 
[[Image:Editing_Quque.JPG|||800px]]




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At the top of an issue page, you will see the Series Title (with the year began), Publisher, and Issue Number.  We’ve chosen Mad (1952 series) (EC) #50.
At the top of an issue page, you will see the Series Title (with the year began), Publisher, and Issue Number.  We’ve chosen Mad (1952 series) (EC) #50.
[[Image:Issue_Editing_Page_Blank.jpg|||800px]]
 
[[Image:Issue_Editing_Page_Blank.JPG|||800px]]


Press the “Edit Issue Fields” button to begin.  You will see a screen with information that pertains to the entire issue.  It is important to fill in as much of this as you can, because the volume and date info is used for sorting, the brand and indicia info links the issue to other issues, and the page count helps to insure whether any sequences are missing later.  Follow the instructions below each field box when entering data.  Some areas of special concern are:
Press the “Edit Issue Fields” button to begin.  You will see a screen with information that pertains to the entire issue.  It is important to fill in as much of this as you can, because the volume and date info is used for sorting, the brand and indicia info links the issue to other issues, and the page count helps to insure whether any sequences are missing later.  Follow the instructions below each field box when entering data.  Some areas of special concern are:
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Click the "Add Story button" to add the first sequence to the issue.  The first sequence is always the Cover, and is automatically numbered “0”, as shown in the box at the right of this line. You should now be at the top of an Adding Story page.
Click the "Add Story button" to add the first sequence to the issue.  The first sequence is always the Cover, and is automatically numbered “0”, as shown in the box at the right of this line. You should now be at the top of an Adding Story page.


(upload a new image of Adding Story page)
[[Image:Add_A_Story.JPG|||800px]]


Add information for this sequence. Follow the instructions below each field box when entering data.  Some areas of special concern are:
Add information for this sequence. Follow the instructions below each field box when entering data.  Some areas of special concern are:
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'''6. Reviewing your work when you’re done'''
'''6. Reviewing your work when you’re done'''


When you think you have finished entering all the information you wanted to enter, please click on the Preview link near the bottom of your editing page.  This will show you what the finished page will look like if an editor approves it as is.
When you think you have finished entering all the information you wanted to enter, please click on the Preview link near the bottom of your editing page.  This will show you what the finished page will look like if an editor approves it as is. A partial view of the data for Mad #50 is shown below.
(upload a new image of a Preview page)
 
[[Image:Preview_page.JPG|||800px]]
 
If you see anything that did not work, that does not look right, or that is missing from what you intended, you can still add or change information before you submit the index.  Please check carefully for simple typographical errors.  If you see any of the following errors, please check the [[Formatting Documentation]] for more information.  If you have questions for the editor who will review this index, pleas include some Comments in your index.
If you see anything that did not work, that does not look right, or that is missing from what you intended, you can still add or change information before you submit the index.  Please check carefully for simple typographical errors.  If you see any of the following errors, please check the [[Formatting Documentation]] for more information.  If you have questions for the editor who will review this index, pleas include some Comments in your index.


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After you have made and verified all the changes you intended, are satisfied you have properly formatted items, and have included any Comments to ask the editor, hit the "Submit Changes for Approval" button at the bottom of the issue editing page.
After you have made and verified all the changes you intended, are satisfied you have properly formatted items, and have included any Comments to ask the editor, hit the "Submit Changes for Approval" button at the bottom of the issue editing page.
(upload a new image of a completed index page)
 
[[Image:Submit_Button.JPG|||800px]]





Revision as of 20:19, 31 December 2010

An Illustrated OI Tutorial

Logging in

Log into the system on the front page by using the username/email and password you used when you created your account. If you have problems logging in, check if you've got the caps lock on - it may affect the login procedure. Fill in the two fields and click "Login". File:Login box.jpg

You can also log in from any page on the site by using the "Log In" button at the right of the search bar. Searchbar.jpg

You should have cookies turned on in your browser. If the first thing that comes to mind is Oreos, you've probably got them on already...

Your first screen

If you have logged in, you will see the same page you logged in from, only now and "edit"-type buttons will actually work!

How do I create my first index?

If you want to index a comic, find out if the comic is available for indexing by searching the database. To use the Search bar at the top of any page, enter the name of the comic and search for “Series.” A tip is that it is often best to use only a simple part of the name, because this search is by exact match only. Thus, a search on “The Muppet Show Comic Book” will NOT return a series named “Muppet Show: The Comic Book.” A better search would be simply “Muppet Show” and then choose the appropriate series from the list returned. You should note that the GCD uses the official name of a publication as printed in its indicia or publication data within the book: this may not be the same as the name on the cover.

If you find the Series you wanted, look in the "Index Status Grid" on the Series page for the issue you want. If the issue you want to index is shown in white in the grid, then it should be available for you to make a reservation.

If you do not find the comic you want, one of the following may be missing:

If you have navigated to the series you wanted, you may reserve the issues you need by clicking through to them on the grid and then clicking the "Edit" button in the top right corner of any Issue page. All aspects of that issue are then available for you to index.

Indexing Step-by-step

So you are now logged in, you have an issue reserved, and are ready to edit its information. What follows is a step-by-step illustrated tutorial. A complete, new index will be used for the sample; if you are adding only a few of these information items, you will need only those steps. The information is a sampling of the most common requirements and formatting for an index. For detailed information on any item, please see the Formatting Documentation or the individual item links listed below.


1. Choose an issue to edit

If you haven’t yet navigated to your Editing queue, click the “Editing” link in the login box on the front page, or at the top of any page. You will see a list of all the issues you have reserved. Click on any one to open it for editing.

Editing Quque.JPG


2. Edit issue fields

At the top of an issue page, you will see the Series Title (with the year began), Publisher, and Issue Number. We’ve chosen Mad (1952 series) (EC) #50.

Issue Editing Page Blank.JPG

Press the “Edit Issue Fields” button to begin. You will see a screen with information that pertains to the entire issue. It is important to fill in as much of this as you can, because the volume and date info is used for sorting, the brand and indicia info links the issue to other issues, and the page count helps to insure whether any sequences are missing later. Follow the instructions below each field box when entering data. Some areas of special concern are: Indicia Publisher: You may choose from the drop-down list. If the publisher listed in your book is not shown in this drop-down list, please see Adding an Indicia Publisher. Brand: You may choose from the drop-down list. If the brand shown on your book is not shown in this drop-down list, please see Adding a New Brand. Indicia frequency: use only the frequency actually printed in the book. If none exists, leave this blank or enter [None Listed] using square brackets. Notes: are encouraged for any information that pertains to the entire issue but does not fit elsewhere. For example, in Mad #46, the Note “April Fool cover printed on the BACK cover of magazine. Contents herein is indexed beginning from the front of magazine.” explains why the contents of the index may appear to be listed backwards. When you have finished with the issue information, click the "Save And Return To Changeset" button at the bottom of the page.


3. Create a cover record

Click the "Add Story button" to add the first sequence to the issue. The first sequence is always the Cover, and is automatically numbered “0”, as shown in the box at the right of this line. You should now be at the top of an Adding Story page.

Add A Story.JPG

Add information for this sequence. Follow the instructions below each field box when entering data. Some areas of special concern are: Editing: Most sequences will leave this blank and have the No Editing box checked below it. The reason for this is that for most books, the editor is listed in the issue information you just entered. He generally edits the entire book. Exceptions are when a story actually has a separate editor, or when a story is a reprint and you want to reference the original editor. Characters: see Character Appearances for more detailed information on the correct formats. Reprint Notes: see Reprints for more detailed information on the correct formats. When you have finished with the story information, click the Save Story button at the bottom of the page.


4. Add more sequences

You can now add as many stories or other sequences as the comic contains. While you can index sequences covering every page of the comic, you do not need to. Including only story and text story sequences is acceptable to create what we define as a minimally complete index.


5. Other Buttons and Links

Besides adding stories, there are some other functions you can perform on your editing page. Near the top of the page is a “Reorder issue stories” button, that allows you to change the order of the sequences you have in the index. This is useful when you forget a sequence and need to insert it between other sequences you have added. See Sequence Number for more information. You can also remove any sequence you have added, or delete any sequences that existed before you reserved the issue. This is accomplished with the “Remove New Story” or “Mark To Delete” buttons that appear with each sequence. Instead of entering your data in this OI web form, you can upload text files (a.k.a. "Flat Files"). This is performed using the “Import Sequences” button that is located below all of your story sequences. Please see Indexing Offline for more information on that method of indexing; the link to that information is also on your editing page. The “Compare Changes” button provides you with a different view of your editing progress.


6. Reviewing your work when you’re done

When you think you have finished entering all the information you wanted to enter, please click on the Preview link near the bottom of your editing page. This will show you what the finished page will look like if an editor approves it as is. A partial view of the data for Mad #50 is shown below.

Preview page.JPG

If you see anything that did not work, that does not look right, or that is missing from what you intended, you can still add or change information before you submit the index. Please check carefully for simple typographical errors. If you see any of the following errors, please check the Formatting Documentation for more information. If you have questions for the editor who will review this index, pleas include some Comments in your index.


7. Some of the most common errors for people's first indexes include:

  • Mis-entering (or misunderstanding) the Keydate. See Keydate for detailed information on using this field.
  • Not putting ?s on creator credits which are not known. All creator fields (except 'script' for covers and 'editor' for sequences other than the first cover) must have a name, a "?", or have the "No Script" (for example) box checked.
  • Not using [ ] and ( ) correctly. Do not use { } anywhere in an index.
  • [ ] is for alternate names, such as character secret identities, writer/artist pen names or studio names. Pen names are noted like this: [as Jane Doe] while character names do not use "as".
  • ( ) is for explanatory notes, such as the fact that this is the introduction of a character, or that one artist credited for pencils drew only the first half of the book, while the other artist drew the second half.
  • [ ] is also generally used for information not present in the comic, such as a made-up story title.
  • Using unapproved genres. See the Official Genres List.
  • Using commas instead of semi-colons to separate data. All Characters lists and creator name lists should be separated by semi-colons.
  • Missing page counts for one or more sequences. Don't forget to put the page count of the whole book in the Edit Issue Fields page and not the first cover record (as used to be done).


8. Submit your index

After you have made and verified all the changes you intended, are satisfied you have properly formatted items, and have included any Comments to ask the editor, hit the "Submit Changes for Approval" button at the bottom of the issue editing page.

Submit Button.JPG


9. What happens next?

First time indexers will be contacted by one of the Editors at the GCD to be mentored and to help them along with some of our more specific formatting. All indexes are reviewed by an editor (usually within a week). If there is a problem, the index may be put back in your editing queue with comments and you may be contacted by e-mail for comment. We require the data to be in one consistent format so that it is easily searchable. Please do not be discouraged if you get back a list of stuff to be corrected. The editors can be a picky bunch, and they have to be. Some of the seemingly strange things we require are needed due to the fact that a large part of our data was created in older databases, that did not allow for modern relationships and formatting. Some details are covered below. But once you've done a few indexes it becomes old hat!


10. What if I want to make a change before it is approved?

You can view the status of your index at any time on your Editing page. It will show whether it is still in the pending queue and who has been assigned to review and approve it. If it is no longer shown on this page, it has been approved! However, if you want to change some information before it is approved, you can click the “Retract and edit further” button and then reedit the index. If you decide you want to throw out your entire work on the index, you can hit the “Discard” button.


11. What's up with all these crazy rules anyway?

Currently most of the fields in the database are free-form text. In the future we will change this so that they are more structured, and then the system will handle a lot of the formatting automatically. For instance, right now you must put a semi-colon between multiple pencilers for a story, and that all gets stuffed in one field and displayed with the punctuation you used. In the future, each penciler will be a separate credit, and you will not need to worry about what sort of punctuation to put between them - the system will add it automatically. For now please bear with our rules as following them will help us move to an improved system more quickly!


Thank you again for signing up with the Grand Comics Database for an indexing account and have fun indexing!