The "Add Attribute" panel is used to add attributes and their values to mapObject descriptions.
On selection of "Add Attribute" from the MapObject Net Editor, LegendBurster establishes what kind of entity is in focus in the Semantic Net Viewer, and presents only valid attributes for selection in the "Add Attribute" panel.
In the example below, a mapObject itself was in focus at the time "Add Attribute" was selected. "Commodity" is a valid attribute of a mapObject, and has been selected by the user, who, in the example, is in the process of specifying certain commodities that are NOT present in the mineral deposit being described.
The numbered areas of the form are described below.
(1) Entity to which an attribute is being added <view example>, except when adding to the top level of the mapObject semantic net, in which case the shapefile value of the shapefile field associated with the current word list is shown. The latter situation is shown in the example above. The visibility of the shapefile attribute value on this form can be very useful when interpreting shapefile data - which sometimes amounts to translating it into a new standardised vocabulary.
(2) The class to which the entity in focus belongs, and to which an additional attribute is about to be added.
(3) These checkboxes tell LegendBurster which attributes to show in drop-down lists. Although LegendBurster can make extensive use of inherited attributes during matching, they are not incorporated into this version of the system, as they require sophisticated understanding of ontology design to be used correctly. Please contact Georeference Online Ltd if you believe you have an application that needs this level of sophistication. During normal operation, only the "Primary Only" checkbox should be checked.
(4) In this drop-down list, selection is made of which attribute is to be added. (Only attributes valid for the selected entity are shown.)
(5) In these drop-down lists the attribute values of interest are selected. Note that if the value extends beyond the width of the display column, the full text of the highlighted value is shown in the form's status bar (just below the Comment field (Item 8 above)).
(6) A drop-down list offers a choice between "Pr" for attributes which are present (coloured green), and "Ab" for attributes which are absent (coloured red).
(7) If they were input in the Ontology Editor, descriptions are provided of the entities and attributes in focus, to ensure consistent understanding of terms. Special considerations regarding the "links" between entities and their attributes are also noted when appropriate. (If the description extends beyond the form margin, resting the mouse pointer on the description will cause the complete text to be displayed.)
(8) Space for the entry of comments relevant to the attribute value entered.
(9) Click on the "View Hierarchy" button to see the hierarchical arrangement of all possible attribute values (example shown below), which can be searched by entry of a term of interest in the search field. Double clicking on any value in the hierarchy will transfer that value to the input box. Click on the "Hide Hierarchy" button to remove the hierarchy.
(10) Click on the "Add item" button to complete the insertion of the new attribute value or values.
Proceed to "Extending Semantic Nets"