-- PAGE 1 -- 16 August 95 About this Document This is a brief textual introduction to the use and administration of the UNIX SilverPlatter Information Retrieval Software (UNIX-SPIRS) on ERL. You can print this document on any local printer; the pages include page breaks so that the format is maintained. If you have a choice of printing fonts, a monospaced font, such as Courier, is best. Table of Contents About This Document Page 1 Table of Contents Page 1 What is UNIX-SPIRS? Page 2 Who is SilverPlatter? Page 2 What is ERL? Page 2 Use of UNIX-SPIRS Keymappings Page 3 *** Quick Reference Page Page 4 *** Starting UNIX-SPIRS Page 5 Onscreen Help/Guides Page 5 Available Commands Page 6 Available Operators Page 15 Search Strategies Page 16 Broadening Your Search Narrowing Your Search Getting Output Page 19 Show, Print, Download Marking Records Shortcuts and Navigation Tools Page 20 Getting Help Page 21 Administration of UNIX-SPIRS Running UNIX-SPIRS from Any Directory Page 22 Reconfiguring UNIX-SPIRS Page 23 Editing the erlclnt.cfg File Page 24 (for using different servers) Security Page 25 FORMAT NOTE: Keystrokes given in double square brackets, [[like this]], are configurable to the needs of individual sites. SilverPlatter ships UNIX-SPIRS with default keymappings for a VT100 terminal. These defaults are listed in a table on page 3. The onscreen help and messages on UNIX-SPIRS reflect the keymappings specific to your site. See page 3 for information on modifying your keymappings. -- PAGE 2 -- What is UNIX-SPIRS? The SilverPlatter Information Retrieval System (UNIX-SPIRS) lets you search for terms of your choice throughout a database. SilverPlatter releases databases on compact discs (CDs), and also on hard drives. A database is an organized collection of "records." Each record represents an article, book, conference, chemical record, etc. Records consist of standard fields (such as Author, Descriptors, and Publication Year) in which you can search. You control UNIX-SPIRS by making choices from a menu of commands. With UNIX-SPIRS you can search for terms, display retrieved records, Print or Download your search results and save your search history to reuse in later sessions. Who Is SilverPlatter? SilverPlatter intends to provide the best information in the world. Our intent is to serve our customers, our industry, our employees, and our investors. To this end, we provide retrieval software and databases containing the most accurate, up to date information about the world. What is ERL? ERL (Electronic Reference Library) allows a user to retrieve information from databases which are in a central location. The ERL is an open-architecture, information delivery platform that provides efficient access to SilverPlatter data over local and wide-area networks. ERL supports clients on several platforms, and uses client/server architecture, UNIX servers, and the TCP/IP protocol. -- PAGE 3 -- Keymappings The keymappings for a particular terminal should be in a file located in the /unixspirs/dbase directory. The name of the file should be xxxx.cfg, where "xxxx" is the name of the terminal (for example, vt100.cfg). Edit this file using any standard text editor. PC-SPIRS keystrokes have been included for reference. Function vt100 default PC-SPIRS Your terminal 1 Help F1 F1 ________ 2 Find F2 F2 ________ 3 Guide F3 F3 ________ 4 Show F4 F4 ________ 5 Index Ctrl-N F5 ________ 6 Print Ctrl-P F6 ________ 7 Restart Ctrl-R F7 ________ 8 Xchange Ctrl-X F8 ________ 9 Thesaurus Ctrl-T F9 ________ 10 Command Menu Ctrl-U F10 ________ 11 Download Ctrl-D F11 ________ 12 Clear Searches Ctrl-K F12 ________ 13 Help Index Ctrl-Y Ctrl-F1 ________ 14 Display Terms Ctrl-E Ctrl-F4 ________ 15 FSI List Ctrl-O Ctrl-F5 ________ 16 History Popup Ctrl-G Ctrl-F2 ________ 17 Field List Ctrl-L Ctrl-F3 ________ 18 Home Ctrl-A Home ________ 19 End Ctrl-Z End ________ 20 Page Up Ctrl-B PgUp ________ 21 Page Down Ctrl-F PgDn ________ 22 Next Record Plus Ctrl-PgDn or Plus ________ 23 Prev. Record Minus Ctrl-PgUp or Minus ________ 24 Screen Redraw Ctrl-M (no equivalent) ________ The keystrokes that you map are used by UNIX-SPIRS in all keystroke references and help screens. In this document, keystrokes given in double brackets [[like this]] are vt100 defaults. You can configure them to suit your terminal. NOTE: UNIX-SPIRS uses the TERM env variable to determine which configuration file (xxxx.cfg) to use. -- PAGE 4 -- Quick Reference Page This page gives the essentials for maneuvering in UNIX-SPIRS. If you only read one page, read this one. Getting Help There are three kinds of Help available during the search session: [[F1]] HELP is context sensitive. [[Ctrl-Y]] HELP presents a general list of Help topics. [[F3]] GUIDES gives help specific to the current database. Searching Press [[F2]] FIND to display the Find prompt. Type a search statement. Press [Enter] to begin the search. Displaying Search Results Press [[F4]] SHOW to display the results of the current search. Use the [O] Options dialog box to change the way that records are displayed. Browse the records using [[Ctrl-B]] and [[Ctrl-F]]. Printing Records Display the search you want to print from. Press [[Ctrl-P]] PRINT to display the Print options dialog box. Press [C] Change Options to determine the printing options. Press [Enter] to accept the changes. Press [S] Start Print to begin printing records. Downloading Records Display the search you want to download from. Press [[Ctrl-D]] to display the Download options box. Press [C] Change Options to determine the printing options. Press [Enter] to accept the changes. Press [S] Start Download to begin downloading records. Using the Index Press [[Ctrl-N]] INDEX to display the Index prompt. Type a word or root and press [Enter] to look up a word. Use the arrow keys to move up and down in the Index. Press [S] Select Search Term, when the cursor is on the term you want to find, to mark the term. You can select multiple terms. Press [F] Find to search for the selected term(s). Changing Databases Press [[Ctrl-X]] XCHANGE to display the Database Selection Screen. Select another database. Quitting UNIX-SPIRS Press [[Ctrl-U]]-[Q] to quit UNIX-SPIRS and return to the system. -- PAGE 5 -- Starting UNIX-SPIRS To start UNIX-SPIRS, you must have previously accessed the client, either through installation on your hard disk, or connection to a server. If you have not done that, see your ERL system administrator for instructions. To Start UNIX-SPIRS: 1. If necessary, attach yourself to the server. 2. Change to the SPIRS subdirectory and type "spirs", then type your username and password. (Contact the ERL system administrator to obtain a username and password.) 3a. If the Title screen is displayed, Begin your search by typing a term at the Find prompt at the bottom of the screen. 3b. If the Database Selection screen is displayed: >> Press the [up] or [down] arrow keys to move to the database you want and press [Spacebar] to highlight your selection. You can select more than one disc, but only if it is in the same database. An asterisk will appear to show your selection(s). To deselect a database choice, press the [up] or [down] arrow keys to move to a database title and press [Spacebar]. >> Press [Enter] to load the database disc(s) you have chosen. The Title screen for the selected database will be displayed. Restarting UNIX-SPIRS If the computer is already on and UNIX-SPIRS is running, press [[Ctrl-R]] Restart to display either the Database Title screen or the Database Selection screen. Onscreen Help and Guides Access the context-sensitive onscreen Help by pressing [[F1]]. Access the general onscreen Help by pressing [[Ctrl-Y]]. Access the database-specific Guide files by pressing [[F3]]. -- PAGE 6 -- Available Commands for UNIX-SPIRS CLEAR Command [[Ctrl-U]] then [C] (or [[Ctrl-K]]) Clear lets you erase all or a selected portion of your current search history. How to Clear 1. Press [[Ctrl-U]] then [C] Clear. The Clear prompt appears. 2. Type ALL to clear the entire history. Type specific statement numbers (separated with commas, such as 1,3,6-15) to clear only those search statements. 3. Press [Enter]. The desired statements are Cleared immediately. DOWNLOAD Command [[Ctrl-U]] then [D] (or [[Ctrl-D]]) Download saves records from either your most recent search or the marked set to a directory on the workstation running the client or to an internet mail address. How to Download 1. Ensure that the search you want Downloaded is the current search. 2. Press [[Ctrl-U]] then [D] Download. The Download Options dialog box appears. (You can also choose Download from the Show menu.) 3. Adjust the options as necessary (press [[F1]] for Help). a. Press [C] Change Options. b. Press [Tab] to move between options. c. Change any of the options (details below). d. Press [Enter] to accept the new options. 4. Press [S] Start Download to begin Downloading records. 5. To interrupt Downloading, press [Ctrl-C]. When Downloading is complete, the Find prompt appears. Downloading to a file If you choose to download to a file, you can specify the exact location by giving a full pathname and filename in the Filename option. If you do not specify a pathname, the file will go to the location specified by the system administrator. Downloading to an Internet address If you choose to download records to an internet address, choose the Internet Address option as the Download Destination, and then type in the complete Internet address at the Filename/Address: option. An email containing the records will appear at that address. -- PAGE 7 -- Available Commands, continued FIND Command [[F2]] FIND searches the database for terms you specify and reports the number of records containing the search terms. How to Find at the Find Prompt 1. Press [[F2]] FIND to display the Find prompt. 2. Type a search term. 3. Press [Enter] to begin the search. The total number of records containing the search term appears on the Search History screen. 4. To interrupt a search, press [Ctrl-C]. If you break a search, the number displayed is incomplete and is preceded with the > sign. You can Show ([[F4]]) the results of an interrupted or broken search, but be aware that they are incomplete. GUIDE Command [[F3]] The Guides provide unique and specific information about the database you are currently using. Once you select GUIDE, you can choose from different topics describing the database. Topics may include the following: Introduction Fields Terminology Stopwords Examples Thesaurus (if available) How to Use the Guides 1. Press [[F3]] Guide to display the Guide Index. 2. Select the Guide topic you want to view. a. Press [left arrow] or [right arrow] to highlight the desired topic. b. Press [S] to view information on that topic. 3. Press [[Ctrl-F]] and [[Ctrl-B]] to scroll through the Guide screens. 4. Press [G] Guide Index to go back to the Guide Index and select another topic. 5. When finished, press [R] Resume to return to what you were doing before choosing Guide. -- PAGE 8 -- Available Commands, continued HELP Command [[F1]] Help provides information about using the UNIX-SPIRS software. There are two kinds of Help: Context Sensitive Help and Topic Help. How to Use Context Sensitive Help Context Sensitive Help gives you information on your current task. 1. Press [[F1]] HELP. A window appears, explaining whatever you were doing at the time you requested Help. If there is additional information, use the [[Ctrl-B]] and [[Ctrl-F]] keys to view more Help. 2. If you want help on another topic, press [H] for the Help Index. 3. Press [R] Resume to go back to what you were doing before Help. How to Use Topic Help Topic Help lets you choose a help topic from an index of topics. 1. Press [[Ctrl-Y]] to immediately display the Help index of topics. You can also access the Help index as described in steps 1-2 above. 2. Press the [up] or [down] arrow to move to the topic you want. 3. Press [S] to Select the topic. A window appears, explaining the topic you selected. 4. Press [H] Help Index to go back to the index and select another topic. 5. When finished, press [R] Resume to go back to what you were doing before choosing Help. -- PAGE 9 -- Available Commands, continued HISTORY Command [[Ctrl-U]] then [H] (or [[Ctrl-G]]) History lets you save your current search history to disk for later use, run a previously saved search history to reuse in your current search, or delete saved searches from disk. Saving Your Current Search The Save choice on the History menu lets you save your search history to a directory on the workstation running the client. You can then use that saved search history later, in another search session, by using Run on the History menu. Save saves your entire search history. How to Save the Current Search 1. Press [[Ctrl-U]] then [H] History to display the History menu. 2. Press [S] Save to display the Save Search Options dialog box. 3. If desired, change the options (press [[F1]] for Help). a. Press [C] Change Options. b. Press [Tab] to move between Options. c. Change any options as desired. d. Press [Enter] to accept the new options. 4. Press [S] to Start Saving. When saving is complete, you will be returned to the History menu. NOTE: The filename must have the extension .his, and you may enter any description of up to 70 characters. Running Saved Searches The Run choice on the History menu lets you use a previously saved search history in your current search session. How to Run Saved Searches 1. Press [[Ctrl-U]] then [H] History to display the History menu. (Or type [[Ctrl-G]] from the Find prompt.) 2. Press [R] Run to display the Run Searches dialog box, listing the saved searches. 3. Use the [up] and [down] arrow keys to select a search file. The files are listed alphabetically by filename; all history files are listed. 4. Press [Enter] to run the selected search. The search is performed immediately and displays on the Search History screen with a message telling you which file the search was from. 5. To interrupt running, press [Ctrl-C]. 6. When running is complete, press [Esc] to return to the Search History menu. Note: If the saved search file was from a different database than the one you are currently using, you can still run the search. However, if there are references in the saved search to fields that do not exist in the current database, those particular search statements will be displayed with n/a in the results column; in other words, the results are not available. -- PAGE 10 -- Available Commands, continued HISTORY Command, continued Deleting Saved Searches The Delete choice on the History menu lets you erase a previously saved search history. How to Delete Saved Searches 1. Press [[Ctrl-U]] then [H] History to display the History menu. 2. Press [D] Delete to display the Delete Searches dialog box, listing the saved searches. 3. Choose a saved search to delete. Press [up] and [down] to select a search file. The files are listed alphabetically by filename; all history files are listed. 4. Press [Enter] to delete the selected search. The search will be erased from the disk immediately. 5. Press [Esc] to return to the History menu or press [[Ctrl-U]] to display the Command menu. INDEX Command [[Ctrl-N]] INDEX gives you access to the alphabetical list of all words, descriptors, and hyphenated phrases indexed in the free text fields of the database (information in limit fields is not included in the Index). Each Index entry is listed with the number of times it occurs in the database and the number of records in which it occurs. You can use the Index to look for related terms, more specific terms, or to check spelling variations. The Index is especially useful when searching for an author or for finding descriptor terms. You can select terms from the Index and search for them directly, without having to retype them at the Find prompt. The Index is an effective search tool because all Index terms appear in the database-- you will always retrieve records when you search with Index terms. How to Browse the Index 1. Press [[Ctrl-N]] Index to display the Index prompt. 2. Type a word or word root at the prompt. 3. Press [Enter]. The portion of the Index beginning with that word is displayed. -- PAGE 11 -- Available Commands, continued INDEX Command, continued How to Select and Search for Index Terms 1. Select a term for searching. a. Use the [up] and [down] arrow keys to move to the desired term. b. Press [S] to Select the term. 2. Repeat step 1 to select more terms. You can select up to 50 terms. 3. Press [F] Find to search for the selected terms. If you select multiple terms, UNIX-SPIRS combines them with the OR operator. How to Display Selected Terms 1. Press [D] Display Terms to display the Search Terms list box. 2. If necessary, use the [up] and [down] arrow keys to scroll through the list of terms. You cannot make changes to this box. 3. Press [Esc] to close the Search Terms box and return to the Index menu. How to Clear (Unselect) Individual Selected Terms 1. Press the [up] and [down] arrow keys to position the cursor on the desired selected term. 2. Press [U] Unselect Term to clear the term. (The Select Term menu choice changes to Unselect Term when the cursor is on a selected term.) How to Clear (Unselect) All Selected Terms -- Press [C] Clear Terms. All selected terms are immediately cleared. Selected terms are cleared automatically after you search for them by choosing Find. OPTIONS Command [[Ctrl-U]] then [O] Options is a convenient command that lets you change the options for Show, Print, Download, and Save Searches. (You can also change the options for these commands through the Change Options choice on their individual menus.) Many of the changes you make to the options remain in effect until you change them again or until you press [[Ctrl-R]] Restart. At Restart, all options return to their default values. How to Change Options for Show, Print, Download, or Saving Searches 1. Press [[Ctrl-U]] then [O] Options to display the Options menu. 2. Press [S] Show, [P] Print, [D] Download, or [A] sAve Searches to access the appropriate Options dialog box. 3. Press [Tab] to move between options. 4. Change any options you want (press [[F1]] for Help). 5. Press [Enter] to accept the new options. 6. Press [R] Resume to go back to the Command menu. -- PAGE 12 -- Available Commands, continued PRINT Command [[Ctrl-P]] Print outputs your search results to either the default print queue at the workstation running the client or to an internet mail address. The system administrator may have set a limit on the number of records you can Print, or Printing may not be allowed at your workstation. How to Print 1. Ensure that the search you want PRINTed is the current search. 2. Press [[Ctrl-P]] Print to display the Print Options dialog box. 3. If desired, change the options (press [[F1]] for Help). a. Press [C] Change Options. b. Press [Tab] to move between options. c. Change any of the options. d. Press [Enter] to accept the new options. 4. Press [S] Start Print to begin Printing records. 5. To interrupt Printing, press [Ctrl-C]. 6. When you are finished Printing, you will be returned to the Find prompt. QUIT Command [[Ctrl-U]] then [Q] Quit UNIX-SPIRS by pressing [[Ctrl-U]] then [Q]. RESTART Command [[Ctrl-R]] Use RESTART to end a search session. RESTART returns you to either the Database Title screen or the Database Selection screen, depending on your workstation setup. Your search history is erased and all options are reset to their default values. Use the Save choice on the History menu before Restarting to retain your search history. 1. Press [[Ctrl-R]] RESTART. You will see a message about restarting. 2. Press [[Ctrl-R]] RESTART again. Depending on your workstation setup and the current disc, you see either the Database Title screen or the Database Selection screen. Your search history, if any, is cleared and the workstation is ready for the next user. Automatic Restart There may be an automatic restart period on your system. If there has been no activity at the workstation (keystrokes or disc reads) during the set time period, UNIX-SPIRS automatically Restarts and erases your search history. See your system administrator for details. A warning message alerts you two minutes prior to the Restart. To cancel the automatic Restart, press any key. There may also be a session time limit set for your system. At the end of this limit, regardless of keyboard activity, UNIX-SPIRS will restart. -- PAGE 13 -- Available Commands, continued SHOW Command [[F4]] Show lets you display the records retrieved by your search. Show displays either the results of the most recent search or the marked set of records, depending on how you set the Show options. You can select additional search terms from the displayed records; this is called Lateral Searching. Also, you can mark individual records for later Showing, Printing, or Downloading. You can display records in a variety of formats by changing the settings for the Show options, as described below. How to Show Records 1. Make the search you want Shown the current search: a. Press [[F2]] Find to display the Find prompt. b. Type the search statement number with the # sign, like #5, and press [Enter]. 2. Press [[F4]] Show to display the first record. 3. Press any of the following keys to browse the records: [[Ctrl-F]] to see the next screen [[Ctrl-B]] to see the previous screen [[Plus]] to see the next record [[Minus]] to see the previous record [up arrow] to move down one line at a time [down arrow] to move up one line at a time How to Mark a Record While the cursor is within that record, press [M] Mark Record. Asterisks appear to the left of the record to show that it is marked. Unmarking a Single Record While the cursor is within that record, press [U] Unmark Record to clear the marked record and remove the asterisks. How to Select Search Terms (Lateral Searching) 1. When the cursor is on a term, press [S] Select Term to highlight the search term. 2. Press [F] Find to search for the selected terms. How to Display Selected Terms Press [[Ctrl-E]] to display the list of selected terms. How to Clear (Unselect) All Selected Terms 1. Press [O] to choose Options from the Show menu. 2. Press [Tab] to move to the Clear All Selected Terms option. 3. Press [left] or [right] to change the option to Yes. 4. Press [Enter] to accept the new options and clear the terms immediately. -- PAGE 14 -- Available Commands, continued THESAURUS Command [[Ctrl-T]] (or [[Ctrl-U]] then [T]) The THESAURUS command gives you access to the online thesaurus for the current database. This command is only available if the database has an online thesaurus. Use the Thesaurus to find the most precise controlled vocabulary term for your search and to find related search terms. In some SilverPlatter thesauri, you can also view the thesaurus structure (trees) and conduct a special type of search called an explosion. How to Access the Thesaurus 1. Press [[Ctrl-T]] Thesaurus to display the Thesaurus prompt. 2. Type a word, word root, or phrase at the prompt. 3. Press [Enter] to display the portion of the Thesaurus containing your term. For further details on using the Thesaurus, see the chapter or quick reference guide for the specific database you are using. You can also get Context Sensitive Help when you are using the Thesaurus by pressing [[F1]]. XCHANGE Command [[Ctrl-X]] (or [[Ctrl-U]] then [X]) XCHANGE lets you search another database, either on the same disc or another disc. It also lets you search the same database on another disc. 1. Press [[Ctrl-X]] XCHANGE. 2. The Database Selection screen is displayed. 3. Press [up] or [down] to move to the desired database. 4. Press [Spacebar] to select the database. You can select multiple discs from the same database by repeating steps 3 and 4. 5. Press [Enter] to load the database you chose. 6. If you have chosen a new database, you will see the Title screen; press [Esc] to continue. Your search history is retained and a message lists the database in which the searches were originally used. 7. Repeat any of the previous searches on the new database by typing the search statement numbers, like #5. You must repeat the search on the new disc before you can use the results. The actual records retrieved in searches from the previous database are no longer available for Show, Print, or Download. Note: If you had done a field-specific search in the first database, such as "py>1990", and the PY field is not available in the second database, n/a will be displayed in the records retrieved column, meaning the results are not available. -- PAGE 15 -- Operators Available in UNIX-SPIRS AND Operator Use the AND operator in your search statement to retrieve records containing both search terms. For example, the statement "dyslexia and child" retrieves only those records containing both dyslexia and child. Records containing only one of the terms are not retrieved. IN Operator Use the IN operator in your search statement to limit your search to occurrences of your term within a particular database field. For example, "dyslexia in ti" searches for records with the term dyslexia in the Title (TI) field only. If dyslexia is in another field but not in the Title field, the record is not retrieved. NEAR Operator Use the NEAR operator in your search statement to retrieve records that have two search terms in the same sentence. For example, "dyslexia near treatment" finds only those records where dyslexia and treatment are in the same sentence--either term can appear first. Add a number to NEAR to specify exactly how close the terms must be to each other. For example, "dyslexia near2 treatment" further limits your search to records where dyslexia and treatment occur within two words of each other in the same sentence. NOT Operator Use the NOT operator in your search statement to limit your search by excluding records containing a particular term. For example, "dog not puppy" retrieves records containing dog but excludes those containing puppy. NOT should be used carefully since it can also eliminate relevant records. For example, "dog not puppy" would eliminate relevant records containing references to both dog and puppy. OR Operator Use the OR operator in your search statement to broaden your search by looking for more than one term at a time, especially when there are several synonymous or related terms for your search concept. For example, "dyslexia or learning disabilities" retrieves records containing either dyslexia or learning disabilities or both. WITH Operator Use the WITH operator in your search statement to limit your search by retrieving records that have two search terms in the same field. For example, "dyslexia with research" finds only those records where dyslexia and research are in the same field; either term can appear first. -- PAGE 16 -- Search Strategies BROADENING YOUR SEARCH When your search retrieves too few records, use one or more of the following techniques to increase the number of records retrieved: Using the OR Operator to Broaden a Search Or retrieves all records that contain either of two or more search terms. For example, "dyslexia or learning disabilities" retrieves all records containing just dyslexia, or just learning disabilities, or both terms. This way you retrieve more records than if you had only searched for one of the terms. Using Truncation to Broaden a Search Truncation lets you broaden your search by searching for occurrences of any term that begins with the same letters you specify. Use an asterisk or a series of question marks to truncate the end of a word or word root. The asterisk retrieves an unlimited number of characters at the end of a search term. Using Wildcards to Broaden a Search Use the wildcard symbol (a question mark) to search for alternate spellings of a word. For example, "colo?r" retrieves all records containing terms that begin with colo and have zero or one letter before ending with the letter r: color and colour. Using the Index to Broaden a Search The Index works in conjunction with the OR operator to help you broaden a search. For example, if you look up the word "food" in the Index, you can select two related terms to search: food-and-nutrition and food-consumption. When you select these two terms and choose Find, UNIX-SPIRS automatically combines them with the OR operator. Omitting Hyphens from Descriptors to Broaden a Search Databases commonly have special descriptor fields that indicate the main topic or focus of the record. These descriptor fields contain hyphenated terms, like "teachers-of-the-blind". You can broaden a search by searching without the hyphens. For example, if you search for the term "teachers" in the Descriptors (DE) field, without the hyphen, you retrieve all records with an occurrence of teachers, including mentions such as teachers-administrators, teachers- elementary, high-school-teachers, etc. -- PAGE 17 -- Search Strategies, continued Using Lateral Searching to Broaden a Search Lateral Searching is the technique of selecting additional search terms from previously retrieved records. For example, If you search for "river blindness" and then Show ([[F4]]) the results of that search, you are likely to run across the Latin term oncocerciasis while you are scrolling through the records. You can then search for that term to retrieve records that may not have been included in the previous search. You can select more than one term at a time for Lateral Searching. Lateral Searching is especially effective when terms are selected from the Descriptor (DE) or equivalent fields. Searching Multiple Discs in a Database Set If the database you are searching is contained on several discs, repeating your search on all discs in the set will increase the number of retrieved records. Searching Additional Databases Another way to broaden your search is to continue it on a different database. Use XCHANGE [[Ctrl-X]] to switch discs. Keep in mind that field-specific searches may not work on different databases. NARROWING YOUR SEARCH When your search retrieves too many records, you can use any of the following techniques to narrow it: Using Operators to Narrow a Search AND retrieves only those records containing both search terms. Since AND requires that both terms be in the same record, it retrieves fewer records than if you searched for records containing either one of the terms by itself. WITH searches for two terms that appear in the same field. Records that contain the two terms in different fields are eliminated. NEAR searches for two terms that appear in the same sentence. By adding a number to NEAR, you can specify exactly how close the terms should be. NOT excludes records containing the search term from your results. NOT should be used carefully, however, because it can also eliminate useful records. For example, if you searched for "dog not puppy", you would miss records that discuss both dog and puppy. -- PAGE 18 -- Search Strategies, continued Using Fields to Narrow a Search Another way to narrow your search results is to look for your search term in a particular field, using the IN operator. For example, search for "woodward in au" to find articles authored by Bob Woodward, not necessarily those that mention him. Using Descriptors to Narrow a Search Databases commonly have special descriptor fields that indicate the main topic or focus of the record. For the most precise results, use hyphens when searching for descriptors. For example, if you are interested in teachers of the blind, search for the hyphenated phrase "teachers-of-the-blind in de". You will retrieve only those records covering teachers of the blind. Using Limit Fields to Narrow a Search A limit field search may not be particularly useful if it is your only search statement, but it can be very helpful in further narrowing other search statements. For example, if you wanted to limit your search to English-language records, you would use the search statement "english in la" (English in the Language field). When searching limit fields, you can substitute the equal sign (=) for the in operator; for example, "la=english". Using Lateral Searching to Narrow a Search You can use lateral searching to narrow searches by choosing more specific search terms from the displayed records. You may find more specific terms that you had not thought of. Combining Techniques to Narrow a Search You can combine any of the above techniques to narrow searches. For example, you can use operators with field-specific searching. When you combine techniques in this way, you may need to use parentheses to make the meaning of your search statement clear. For example, if you were conducting research on salmonella in poultry eggs, you might use the statement "(salmonella and eggs) in de". In this statement you use the AND operator to search for only those records that contain both salmonella and eggs. In addition, by using the IN operator to restrict your search to the Descriptor field (DE), you ensure that salmonella and eggs are the main focus of the record. Notice the use of parentheses to group salmonella and eggs. Parentheses are often required in complex search statements to ensure that UNIX-SPIRS interprets your statement correctly. If you omit the parentheses, UNIX-SPIRS searches for "salmonella and (eggs in de)", which is not what you intended. -- PAGE 19 -- Getting Output Showing Records (Current or Marked Set) 1. At the Find prompt, type the search statement number with the # sign, like #5, and press [Enter]. 2. Press [[F4]] SHOW. The first record is displayed. 3. Press any of the following keys to browse the records: [[Ctrl-F]], [[Ctrl-B]], [[Plus]], [[Minus]], [down arrow], [up arrow]. 4. Press [O] Options to change the SHOW options. Printing Search Results 1. Display the search you want to print. 2. Press [[Ctrl-P]] PRINT to display the Print Options dialog box. 3. If desired, press [C] to access the Change Options box. 4. Press [S] Start Print to begin Printing records. 5. To interrupt Printing, press [Ctrl-C]. Downloading Search Results 1. Make sure the search you want Downloaded is the current search. At the Find ([[F2]]) prompt, type the search statement number with the # sign, like #5, and press [Enter]. 2. Press [[Ctrl-U]], then [D] Download to display the Download Options dialog box. 3. If desired, press [C] to access the Change Options box. 4. Press [S] Start Download to begin Downloading records. 5. To interrupt Downloading press [Ctrl-C]. Marking and Unmarking Records Marking records is a convenient way to select relevant records from your search results. 1. While in the SHOW screen, Use the [[Ctrl-F]], [[Ctrl-B]], [up arrow] and [down arrow] keys to position the cursor within the record you want to mark or unmark. 2. Press [M] Mark Record, or [U] Unmark Record. Asterisks appear, or disappear, on the left side of the record to show whether it is marked. When you are Showing records, you can clear the entire set of marked records immediately by changing the Clear All Marked Records option to Yes. The set of marked records is automatically cleared after Printing or Downloading, unless the Clear Marked Set option is set to No. -- PAGE 20 -- Shortcuts and Navigation Keys Below is a table of the special keys to use for UNIX-SPIRS. (vt100 default keymappings; see page 3) Key Where It Is Used What It Does ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [right arrow] Dialog boxes Changes option value [left arrow] Dialog boxes Changes option value [Ctrl-C] Find; Show; Print; Download; Interrupts command Run History [[Ctrl-L]] Show, Print, or Download - Displays list of Fields option database fields [[Plus]] Show Displays next record [[Minus]] Show Displays previous record [End] -Find, Index, or Thesaurus -Redisplays last term prompt -Show; Index; Thesaurus -Moves cursor to lower left of screen [Esc] -Menus -Moves back one menu -Find, Index, or Thesaurus -Deletes entire term prompt [Home] Show; Index; Thesaurus Moves cursor to top left of screen # Find prompt Used with a number to specify a previous search statement () Find prompt Combine and clarify complex search statements "" Find prompt Used to search for operators as search terms [Spacebar] Dialog boxes Changes option value [Tab] -Menus -Moves among selections -Dialog boxes -Moves among options -- PAGE 21 -- Getting Help If you have trouble using UNIX-SPIRS on ERL, call your system administrator, library, or local help desk. They may be available to help if you have trouble installing or running SilverPlatter ERL software, accessing your server, or searching a SilverPlatter database. Please call from a telephone near your workstation. THE INDIVIDUAL SUPPLYING HELP MAY ASK YOU... Before you call for help, you should review the following list and make a note of the details as they apply to your system. By preparing this information in advance, you will help to address your problem quickly and efficiently. General Information ---Name ---Database and disc in use ---Phone number for return calls Description of Problem or Question ---When does the problem occur? ---Does the problem happen repeatedly or is it intermittent? Software Information ---Version of the SilverPlatter software ---Version of DOS/UNIX ---Error message and error number, if any, at the bottom of the screen ---Search history from the Search History screen ---Whether you have used Clear or Restart since starting the software ---How the Options are set for Find, Show, Print, and Download Hardware Information ---Type of computer ---Amount of Random Access Memory ---Type of monitor (monochrome or color) ---Type of graphics card installed ---Type of peripherals installed -- PAGE 22 -- Running UNIX-SPIRS from Any Directory (Setting up users to run UNIX-SPIRS in their own directory) UNIX-SPIRS can be run from any directory, as long as the SPIRSDIR environment variable is set and one of the following conditions applies: 1. There is a path set to it in the PATH environment variable 2. The full path name is entered on the command line One advantage of this method is the ability to set up users in their own directory (usually their home directory), without having to install UNIX-SPIRS more than once. This enables users to use their own configuration files for custom default settings. It also enables users to save download files and search histories in their own directory, rather than the main UNIX-SPIRS directory, which usually has limited permissions set for security purposes. To set up a user in a personal directory, the user must have an environment variable called SPIRSDIR pointing to the directory where UNIX-SPIRS was installed (ex: SPIRSDIR=/applications/unixspirs). SPIRSDIR allows the local user to locate the configuration files and resource files necessary to run UNIX-SPIRS in their home directory. The user can have some or all of the configuration files present in his home directory. Any files that are not in the current directory, are searched for in the SPIRSDIR directory. The configuration files that most likely will be located in the user's home directory are: 1) spirs.cfg - contains most of the default configurations for downloading, printing, saving search histories 2) erlclnt.cfg - contains the addresses of the ERL servers UNIX-SPIRS searches for configuration files and resource files in the following order: 1. CurrentDirectory 2. CurrentDirectory/dbase 3. $SPIRSDIR 4. $SPIRSDIR/dbase -- PAGE 23 -- Reconfiguring UNIX-SPIRS Use the UNIX-SPIRS Reconfiguration Program (reconfig.exe) to change certain options within UNIX-SPIRS. Reconfig runs automatically at the end of the installation process. Run reconfig at any time by typing the following at the UNIX-SPIRS directory prompt: ./reconfig You will see the Main Menu, which contains three options: 1. View Current Configuration Tag Values 2. Change Configuration Tag Values 3. Configuration Tag Definitions Option 1 (View Current Configuration Tag Values) This option shows the current values for tags in the UNIX-SPIRS configuration files. Most of the tag values are toggles (0 for off, 1 for on). Explanations of these values are in options 2 and 3. Option 2 (Change Configuration Tag Values) This option allows you to change the current tag values. You enter the screen at the first tag. The help window at the bottom of the screen explains each tag value as you scroll down the list. Type the value that you want the tag to have. Press [Enter] to move to the next tag value. After you have entered all the options, the Save/Abandon/Change menu gives you the opportunity to either save the changes you have made, abandon those changes, or edit a particular option. Option 3 (Configuration Tag Definitions) This option shows you a quick explanation of each configuration option. -- PAGE 24 -- Editing the erlclnt.cfg File (for using different servers) The ERL configuration file (erlclnt.cfg) is a text file located in the UNIX-SPIRS directory that contains information necessary for locating ERL servers. The erlclnt.cfg shipped with UNIX-SPIRS is preconfigured to login to SilverPlatter's Guest ERL server. You can change this setup with the following steps: 1. Open the erlclnt.cfg file for editing. 2. Place a comment mark (/*) in front of the server_addr1 line (serveraddr1 = /2/erl2.silverplatter.com/416) in the "Guest Server" section of the erlclnt.cfg file. 3. Remove the comment mark from in front of the server_addr1 line in the section of the erlclnt.cfg file that corresponds to the other server: Your ERL Server serveraddr1 = /2/your_server_name_or_ip_address_here/416 Subscription Server serveraddr1 = /2/erl.silverplatter.com/5000 MEDLINE Current Server serveraddr1 = /2/erl3.silverplatter.com/416 4. Save erlclnt.cfg in text-only format. NOTE: If your server does not have name resolution capabilities, use the IP address instead of the server name in the serveraddr1 line. -- PAGE 25 -- Security UNIX-SPIRS provides security through IP address checking. Three ascii files located in the /unixspirs/dbase directory allow UNIX-SPIRS to determine which addresses are authorized to use the UNIX-SPIRS client. The files are as follows: ipincl contains IP addresses or ranges of addresses that are authorized to use UNIX-SPIRS ipexcl contains IP addresses or ranges of addresses that are excluded from using UNIX-SPIRS offsite contains usernames that (with a proper password) are automatically authorized regardless of IP address Address Checking Algorithm 1. The user logs in with a username and password; the offsite file is checked to see if the username exists. If the username exists in the offsite file, no address checking is performed and the user (with a proper password) is granted access. 2. If the ipincl file exists, then address checking is turned ON. Note that if the ipincl file exists, then the ipexcl and offsite files must also exist (but can be empty). 3. When address checking is on, the ipexcl file is checked to see if the user's IP address is included. If the user's IP address is included in the ipexcl file, the user is denied access, regardless of whether their address is in the ipincl file. 4. When address checking is on and the user's address is not included in the ipexcl file, the ipincl file is checked to see if the user's IP address is included. Users (with a proper password) are then granted access only if their IP address is included in the ipincl file. Access to UNIX-SPIRS Granted 1. IP address checking turned off; proper username and password 2. IP address checking turned on; username included in the offsite file; proper password 3. IP address checking turned on; IP address included in the ipincl file, and IP address not included in the ipexcl file; proper username and password -- PAGE 26 -- Security, continued Access to UNIX-SPIRS Denied 1. IP address checking is turned on; IP address is included in the ipexcl file (regardless of whether it is included in the ipincl file) 2. IP address checking is turned on; IP address is not included in the ipincl file 3. improper username or password (regardless of whether IP address checking is on) File Structures Include file (ipincl) There are three columns, each separated by at least one space. Each entry begins in the first column, with only one entry on a line. The first column contains the IP address, the second column contains the Network Mask, and the third column is for Comments. IP Address: specifies the addresses of workstations that are to be given access to UNIX-SPIRS. Network Mask: specifies how much of the address is significant. Where there is a 255 in the mask, the corresponding place in the address is significant. Where there is a 0 in the mask, the corresponding place in the address is not significant. For example, if the IP address is 192.82.71.99 and the network mask is 255.255.0.0, then the significant bytes are 192.82, which would authorize access for all 192.82 addresses. Comment: must begin with a "#". Everything after the "#" is ignored. A "#" may also be used in the first column on a line to make the entire line a comment. Exclude file (ipexcl) The structure of the ipexcl file is the same as that of the ipincl file, with the exception that these addresses are not to be given access. Offsite file (offsite) The offsite file consists of two columns separated by at least one space. The first column contains the user name; the second column contains the comment. User Name: specifies the usernames that will be given access regardless of IP address. Comment: must begin with a "#". Everything after the "#" is ignored. A "#" may also be used in the first column on a line to make the entire line a comment.