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Revision of FAQ from Fri, 03/29/2013 - 12:38

Here's what we suspect you're wondering; start here if you're having trouble with the site. If you have something else to ask, why not head over to the Forum and let us know? That way anyone who has the answer -- not just the site administrators -- can see and respond. If you'd rather email us privately, you can try us at help(at)writingstudiestree.org.

How do I add information about a person to the tree?

To add a new person, e.g. yourself, just follow these steps:

  1. Search or browse to confirm that what you're adding isn't already in the database.
    • If you see something you want to edit, you can just click the name to view their page, then click on the "edit" tab.
  2. Once you're sure, click Create > "Add Person" in the menu at the top. A simple form will come up; use it and press save.
    • Note that there is no place to enter school or relation information here. This is by design, to allow for more flexible data visualization. Trust us, you'll love it once you get the hang of it.
  3. You should now be looking at a page with that person's basic information. To connect to other people or schools in the database, use the Add Relationships box on the right side of that screen.
    • Note that the first "endpoint" is fixed: that's the person you're viewing.
    • The second "endpoint" field will auto-complete for the appropriate data type. For example, if you're building a "mentored by" connection to Sondra Perl, start typing a few letters of her name ("son" or "per" -- it's a pretty smart system) and Drupal will suggest the rest.
    • Fill out any other fields you want -- most are optional -- and press save.

And it's that easy!

Okay, but what about a school?

It works exactly the same way as adding a person: check that the school's not already there, and click Create > Add Institution in the top menu bar. You'll find a similar form (with different fields), and a similar Add Relationship box once you've created it.

Why Can't I List My Affiliations When Editing My Own Page?

In order to make the data structure friendly to a larger number of possible visualizations, we've set it up so that each person and each school/institution have their own page. To link a person to a school, such as your PhD-granting institution, you have to create a relation. See "How to Connect People and Institutions in the Writing Studies Tree" below.

How to Connect People and Institutions in the Writing Studies Tree

1. To create a relation, you need to be logged in and looking at one endpoint of the relationship -- for example, you might want to be on the page http://writingstudiestree.org/content/sondra-perl.

2. On that page, there should be a box on the right labeled "Add Relationships"; the only active part at first is the "Relation Type" menu, so use that pull-down to select the kind of connection you want to record, e.g. "studied at."

3. As soon as you select one of these relation types, the whole right column should come alive with new fields to fill in. The most important of these is "Endpoint 2," which designates (in this case) the school you studied at -- or, more generally, the other half of the relationship. When you start typing in the "Endpoint 2" box, the site will automatically begin suggesting matches.

4a. If you've got your match, add whatever other information you have on hand, and click the "Create Relation" button at the bottom of the box to save.

4b. If no match comes up, try a few variants -- sometimes a school or person goes by different names. If there's still no match in the database yet, you'll have to create that other endpoint (school or person) first, I'm afraid. To do that, use the links in the left margin, e.g. "Add Content > School or Institution." This will bring up a different form that just asks for the basics (name, mostly).

5. Once your second endpoint exists, you can create the relation starting from either end: just go back to step one and finish at step 4a.

So please, give us what you've got -- people, schools, relationships... and any questions!



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