1.4 Structure of the Inquiry Program

The DYA inquiry program uses a few menus to control complete access to any DYABOLA database, however complex it might be. Apart from the functions of the four control menus, it is possible to navigate through the data. From any chosen point in the data, for example, a result can be produced or changed with the aid of context menus. To begin with, only the important control menus, the result window and the remaining visual appearance of the program are to be presented. In the third section of this manual, you will find a detailed overview of the functions, arranged according to the elements presented here.

Main menu The Main menu contains all inquiry and result functions that are possible in each DYABOLA database and bears the name of the currently active DYABOLA database as a header. From here, you get to the database-specific Quick search menu (see below). You receive hierarchic access to the Classifier tree (subject). Key-word enables you to make a general search in all key-word lists contained in the headings tree. Title enables you to make a direct jump to all titles with the standard type of title text (generally only the sections of the database). The free text search in any part of title/comment enables you to search in all title texts and comments. The display result function allows you to see a result which you can select from the results list (see below). Tools leads to another menu of the same name (see below). By selecting Quit, you exit the current database. This takes you to the database selection from which you can select one of the installed DYABOLA databases or leave the program completely.

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Quick search menu In contrast to the Main menu, the quick search menu is database-specific. It thus contains special search functions concerning a particular database. In a literature database, this can be the authors or the monograph list, for example. Two main types of search function must be distinguished: on the one hand, the direct jump into the database tree (monograph list) and, on the other, a search via a key-word list (authors' names) which in this case can also comprise title texts or be composed of various different key-word lists. In addition to the two search functions mentioned, a pre-linked search is also possible in the quick search menu. For example, in the search for a book according to author, in which one selects the name of the author from a key-word list and as a result receives all books by the author or authors.

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Tools menu The edit result menu contains all functions necessary to change and adapt a result Combine makes it possible to combine two results with the logical operators AND, OR, XOR and DIFF. Date range of publication makes it possible to restrict a time-specific result in time, such as literature on a particular topic. (only in literature databases - more complex databases as for e.g. the CENSUS have a more complex concept of time: see CENSUS MANUAL s.v. date range) Sort orders the titles of a result according to title text or according to any particular relevant key-word list, for example books according to authors' names. Delete, copy, rename, save and load relate to the results of the results window within the DYA program. The results are saved in the subdirectory dya\dyaerg\dya_???\ alongside the DYABOLA master index. They can only be opened again within DYA. Export, in contrast, is used to export a result in a specified form to a printer or hard disk. For copyright reasons, the result is limited to 300 titles. It is always saved under the name dyabola.txt in the subdirectory dya\dyaerg\dya_???\ alongside the DYABOLA master index.

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Special functions menu The special functions menu (Shift-F10) offers various different program settings. Select language allows you to select between up to four languages (generally German, English, French and Italian or Spanish). It is also possible to initialise the printer. The polyhierarchic search is used to find a key-word in different key-word lists. The general key-word index links all r???? Search all superior entries in the hierarchy is used to ???? The function Show data sheets/dependent descriptors immediately ensures that when a title card is opened its first data sheet is also opened.

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Navigation functions The two elements title card and data sheet have already been explained in the previous section, but they are mentioned here again, because it is not only possible to navigate through the data from them. It is also possible to form different dependent results from all points using menus. The precise function is explained in the third section of this manual. (Section 3.5 Title card; 3.6 Data sheet)

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Online help The blue status bar at the bottom of the screen always shows the commands available. In addition, a help window can be opened at any point in the program by pressing "F1". The Online help of the web version is still in the development phase.

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