Archive 1.x:OSF-Drupal Tools

The core OSF-Drupal and its supporting modules come bundled with a number of discrete tools for working with your structured data. Short descriptions of these tools are provided below. See the Demos site for Citizen Dan to actually play with and use these tools.

Because of the data structure-driven nature of OSF-Drupal, many of these tools are also able to present context-specific dropdown list choices and context-specific auto-completion of entered values while working with their user interfaces.

Note, in general, most of these tools also correspond to a specific Web service as discussed more under the OSF Web Service architecture.



Create Dataset
The Create Dataset tool enables new datasets with their metadata to be registerd to the system. The user initially registering a dataset is by default its owner.



Read Dataset
The Read Dataset tool basically sets whether a given user or role has access rights to a particular dataset. Without access rights, not individual record actions or data viewing is allowed.



Update Dataset
After having selected a dataset of interest, the Update Dataset tool enables a user with sufficient rights to change dataset metadata or grant access permissions to others.



Delete Dataset(s)
With appropriate privileges, the Delete Dataset tool enables either the entire dataset to be removed from the system, or for the local linkage to a remote dataset to be broken and removed. Only owners and perhaps curators have access to this tool.



Create Record
The Create Record tool is the first of the CRUD (create-read-update-delete) data management series that is basic to the core OSF-Drupal module. This tool enables you to create new instance records for existing instance types (e.g., Persons, Organizations, various Things, etc.) within your system. The entry form presents the attributes in context for the chosen instance type.



Read Record
The Read Record tool is common to any of the instance records and datasets for which a user has access privileges. Often the Read Record functionality is not invoked directly, but is embedded in other tools.



Update Record
After having selected a record of interest, the Update Record tool brings up the same contextual presentation of attributes as for the Create Record tool, allowing correction of existing entries or the entry of additional information into missing fields.



Delete Record(s)
With appropriate privileges for a given dataset, the Delete Record(s) tool allows records to be removed from the system.



Browse Records
The Browse Records tool begins by presenting a categorical (hierarchical) listing of all instance types and their record counts for all currently active datasets. Browsing this tree enables specific instance types to be clicked, presenting a listed display of record results with title labels. The listing itself may be further selected by attribute, with eventually a specific record displayed. Depending on user permissions, the interface may also allow updating or deleting of records from this tool.



Search Records
The Search Records tool presents a standard search engine interface, but with the addition of facet selections by instance types. Once results are returned, they may also be further filtered by the matching instance types. Complete structured data records are presented for the selected instance. Depending on user permissions, the interface may also allow updating or deleting of records from this tool.



Import Record(s)
The Import Record(s) tool enables new data to be input into the system. The fetch is based on an input URL, but may also include an entire dataset. Standard supported file input formats are RDF, TSV, JSON and certain XML.



Export Record(s)
Structured data within the system ranging from individual data records to entire datasets may be shared externally via the Export Record(s) tool. Selections may also be based on instance type(s) and dataset(s). Once selected, standard export formats include RDF (RDF/XML and N3 serializations), TSV and JSON.



Manage Data Displays
OSF-Drupal has a quite powerful Data Display and templating system. The Manage Data Displays tool enables new displays to be cloned or created, as well as existing ones to be applied in a given context. See further the structDisplay section on this topic.



Settings
The Settings tool enables users to manage various Drupal settings related to these OSF-Drupal tools given appropriate permissions.