Resource Browser Contents

Introduction

The Resource Browser is a facility for searching the Astrogrid Registry. The registry is THE critical repository of information in Astrogrid, containing information on astronomical datasources, on tools that can be used to process those datasources or data derived from those datasources in a workflow, and on the location of MySpace servers (Jeff: yet to be implemented). The main page Resource Browser (reachable by using the portal's navigation bar) is indeed a tool for exploring the Registry. You can examine the results of the searches, but the searches are read only. You cannnot update the registry using this facility. Moreover, the results cannot be immediately used. It is more of an exploratory medium to get to grips with the registry.



The emphasis with the microbrowsers is somewhat different. These provide the same facilities as depicted here and in the same format (in fact if you're not careful you can mistake a microbrowser for the main browser they look so similar), but at the service of another Astrogrid component. In these situations, the search is being done in a specific context, like finding a suitable astronomical datasource for building a query, or finding a suitable task for processing votable in a workflow. In contradistinction, the main browser (the Resource Browser) is really for your intellectual curiosity in what is possible to find in the registry.



On initial entry the main page gives a choice of the three search dialogues available.

Go to Contents

Catalog Search

The catalog search box is divided into two main areas, one labelled General Constraints and the other area divided into specific searches based on Wavelength, Mission and Keyword. There is also a control area at the bottom.

General Constraints

Every resource in the registry has a name, publisher, title and description. You can enter text for all or any of these fields to search upon. The idea to grasp is that searching using these particular fields is always on a "contains" basis and is always case insensitive. So, for instance, if you enter "mssl" in the name field, the search will find all resources which have the string "mssl" (or "MSSL") somewhere in their name. There is a control field at the bottom which enables the constraints to be switched from logical AND to logical OR. So the alternatives are:

  • [Resource name] AND [Resource publisher] AND [Resource title] AND [Description]
  • [Resource name] OR [Resource publisher] OR [Resource title] OR [Description]
Just to emphasize once more, each of these constraints is always on a contains basis.

Wavelength Mission Keyword

The right hand area contains three list boxes labeled Wavelength, Mission and Keyword:

  • Wavelength. Each datasource in the registry can have one or more entries against waveband, indicating that the source contains data for those wavebands.
  • Mission. Each datasource can be tagged by the observatory or facility used to collect the data.
  • Keyword. Each datasource can have a number of relevant keywords entered against it in the registry. The keywords are drawn from the IAU Astronomy Thesaurus
In each list box more than one choice can be selected by using the Ctrl key with the left mouse button.

Using The Search Facility

The default search technique is

  • For each area to logically AND its individual search arguments together. For instance, it is possible to choose datasources covering Radio and Xray by making sure both are selected in the Wavelength list box.
  • For all four areas to logically AND together. For instance, you can choose a catalog with resource name containing "mssl" with wavelength "radio" and ignore mission and keyword. Areas where nothing is selected are not used.
The defaults can be changed selectively by the control fields at the bottom of each area and between each area from logical ANDs to logical ORs. The bottom box of the dialogue provides for a blanket change of search action between the areas, again switching between AND and OR. And if you need to, you can reset the whole form by choosing the reset button. Reasonably sophisticated searches can be built up using combinations of AND-ing and OR-ing criteria together. However, there is a balance to be struck and if you are too restrictive the search is likely to find no appropriate entries.

Examining The Results

You can see the basic display of a search that returned one item here. For each item returned there is some high level information and at least two buttons: one for curation details and one giving the actual XML entry held in the registry. The latter can be rather verbose and will only be of interest to those wanting to delve into the lower levels of the registry. If the catalogue entry contains table information, there will also be third column button present, which when pressed will show a line of details for each column. The details shown are, for each column:

  • Name
  • Description if present
  • Type
  • Units if present
  • UCD if present

Catalog Search in the Microbrowser

The catalog search facility is invocable from the Query Editor, when it is then known as a microbrowser. At that point it is possible to select a table from the search results to be included in the current query being edited. The above example, but in the microbrowser version, is shown here. The Select button is the trigger for the metadata to be pasted into the query.

Go to Contents

Task Search

The task search is a much simpler search than the catalog search. It will retrieve instances of software programs that can be run as tasks within a workflow. As a program (e.g. SExtractor) can have many instances registered as available across the Astrogrid network, it is possible to retrieve a number of items for even a very basic search, where the same task has been deployed on more than one site.

General Constraints

The task search box only has General Constraints with a control at the bottom to switch between logical AND and logical OR. The example shows its use after a search using the string "extractor" in the Task Name field. As with the catalog search General Constraints, the search is undertaken on a "contains" basis, so all tasks whose name contains the string "extractor" have been retrieved. The application definition given in this example has been expanded here.

Task Search in the Microbrowser

The task search facility is invocable from the Workflow Editor, when it is then known as a microbrowser. At that point it is possible to select a task from the search results to be included in the current workflow step being edited. The above example, but in the microbrowser version, is shown here. The Select button is the trigger for the task to be inserted into the workflow step.

Go to Contents

Browse Filestores

This facility is still to be developed

Go to Contents