nitrc:Future User Guide - Search
From NITRC Wiki
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NITRC provides a mechanism to search for public tools/resources or information related to public tools/resources that are registered with NITRC. NITRC also provides easy access to search for information with the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF). The NITRC search mechanism is displayed in the banner and is always accessible.
Search arguments always shown:
- Related Web Pages
- Tools/Resources
- People
- NIF
Search arguments shown when a tool/resource is selected:
- Search within this tool/resource
- This tool/resource’s trackers
- This tool/resource’s forums
- This tool/resource’s tasks
- This tool/resource’s releases
- This tool/resource’s documents
- This tool/resource’s news
Select the search argument, enter your search text, and then click the Go button to initiate the search.
| Note: As you type in the search box, suggested neuroscience search terms are displayed. These search terms are pulled from the semantic wiki at NeuroLex.org, The Neuroscience Lexicon. |
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Related Web Pages
You may search by keyword(s) across all public tools/resources registered with NITRC. This gives you the ability to find public information in forum discussions, mailings lists, wikis, and all other NITRC functionality used by the tools/resources, as well as any external links used by those tools/resources. At the same time the Attribute List is searched for matching attributes. Boolean logic is supported, and the search is not case sensitive. (Refer to the Search Syntax page for more on searching options.)
Related Web Pages Results Tab
If no matching results are found, "No Related Web Pages Results" is displayed on the Related Web Pages results tab on the Search page. If any matches are found, those pages are displayed on the Related Web Pages results tab, along with a snippet of information from the resulting Web page. If applicable, the name of the NITRC tool/resource and the associated NITRC module are displayed for the resulting page.
Web Page Link
Clicking the page link takes you to that Web page.
Tool/Resource Summary
Clicking the tool/resource name takes you to the Summary page for that tool/resource.
Tool/Resource Module
Clicking the module name takes to that tool/resource module.
Related Attributes
If no matching attributes are found, "No attributes found" is displayed to the left of the Related Web Pages tab. If any matching attributes are found, they are listed to the left of the Related Web Pages tab. Clicking on an attribute name takes you to the Tools/Resources results tab, listing tools/resources with that assigned attribute.
Direct Browser Search
The Related Web Pages search can be added to your browser location bar and/or search box by OpenSearch description documents provided by NITRC or by direct browser configuration. Refer to the Search in Browser page for more information.
Tools/Resources
You may search for a public tool/resource based on its name, public description, or assigned attribute. Boolean logic is supported, and the search is not case sensitive. (Refer to the Search Syntax page for more on searching options.)
Tools/Resources Results Tab
If no matching results are found, "No Tools/Resources Results" is displayed on the Tools/Resources results tab on the Search page. If any matches are found, those tools/resources are listed on the Tools/Resources results tab. Each listed tool/resource includes the public description, any assigned categories, the date of the latest file release (if applicable), the activity percentile, the number of downloads, and the average user rating.
Narrowing Search Results
Your search words are shown at the top of the page. You may narrow your results by entering additional words in the search box and clicking the Search button, or you may broaden your results by clicking the 
next to any of the words you want to remove from the search.
Narrowing by Attribute
The Attribute List is shown to the left of the Tools/Resources tab on the Search page. You may select any of the attributes shown to narrow your results. The number in parentheses next to the attribute name indicates the number of tools/resources assigned with that attribute (or one of its sub-attributes) based on your current search criteria.
The assigned attributes for each tool/resource are shown below the public description on the Tools/Resources tab. Clicking on a category name narrows your results to only those tools/resources assigned with that category or one of its sub-categories. You may click on "Show all specifications" to see other assigned attributes. Clicking on any of the assigned attributes narrows your results to only those tools/resources with the selected attribute or one of its sub-attributes.
As you narrow your search results, the Attribute List to the left of the Tools/Resources tab is limited to the attributes assigned to tools/resources in your result set. If applicable, the top-level attribute is open for any attribute you selected on the Tools/Resources tab.
If you need the definition of an attribute, click the Glossary link in the footer.
Results per Page
Initially, the first 20 results are shown, but you may increase the number of results displayed on the page through the "Results per page" drop-down box.
Sorting
The default sort order for the list is by relevance with a secondary sort alphabetically by tool/resource name. For relevance, the ranking is highest when search terms appear in the title, followed by the number of times the search terms appear in the description or as an attribute. For example, a tool/resource with the search terms in the title and many times in the description and as an attribute will appear before any tools/resources with the search terms in the title but only once in the description or as an attribute, and these will be followed by any tools/resources that have search terms in the description or as an attribute but do not have the search terms in the title.
You may re-sort the list by activity percentile, alphabetical listing of tool/resource names, average overall ratings, number of downloads, latest file date, or number of user ratings. For all sort options except the alphabetically listing, there is a secondary sort alphabetically by tool/resource name.
Tool/Resource Summary
Clicking on the tool/resource name takes you to the Summary page for that tool/resource.
Downloading Files
Clicking on the "Download Now" link downloads the selected file or takes you to the tool/resource Downloads page when you select "Show all files..."
Reviews/Ratings
The average overall rating is represented by the circles. You may hover over the average rating circles to see how many ratings contributed the overall rating. Clicking on the rating circles takes you to the Display Reviews/Ratings page for that tool/resource, where you can see the individual ratings and read the user reviews.
Comparing Tools/Resources
You may compare tools/resources by checking the boxes next to the tool/resource names and clicking the Compare button. Refer to the Compare section of this User Guide for more information.
Direct Browser Search
The Tools/Resources search can be added to your browser location bar and/or search box by OpenSearch description documents provided by NITRC or by direct browser configuration. Refer to the Search in Browser page for more information.
People
You may search for a registered user based on the user's name. The search is not case sensitive, and the login name, first name, and last name are used for the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed on the Search page. If only one match is found, the User Profile page for that resulting user is displayed. If more than one match is found, a list of user login names along with their real names is displayed on the Search page. Clicking on the login name will then take you to the User Profile page for the selected user.
NIF
You may search by keyword(s) for information and images associated with any neuroscience relevant topic using the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF). To access NIF from NITRC, initiate a search from the NITRC banner with "NIF" selected as the search argument or click the Search NIF button toward the top of the Search page (to the right of the Tools/Resources, Related Web Pages, and Comparison tabs). Depending on your browser, a new tab or window is opened for the NIF search. If you have entered search text in NITRC, results will be displayed in the NIF window based on the keyword(s) entered. "AND" terms and phrases are maintained through the link to NIF, but "OR" and "NOT" are dropped from the terms and replaced with "AND." Once you are in the NIF window you can use "OR" and "NOT" (in the Edit Query box) and follow other rules for searching as specified by NIF. Additional searching that you do in the NIF window is not recognized by NITRC.
Searching Within a Particular Tool/Resource
You may also search within a tool/resource. Once you have selected a particular tool/resource, additional search arguments appear in the search selection box:
- Search within this tool/resource
- This tool/resource’s trackers
- This tool/resource’s forums
- This tool/resource’s tasks
- This tool/resource’s releases
- This tool/resource’s documents
- This tool/resource’s news
When one of these search arguments is selected, only information from the current tool/resource that matches the search text is displayed in the results list. Selecting "Search within this tool/resource" will return all matching trackers, forums, tasks, releases, documents, and news. For more information on the fields searched and the results list for each of these, refer to the sections below.
Trackers
You can perform a simple search for tracker items. To search within a particular tracker, navigate to that tracker, and that tracker name will be shown in the search drop down box in the banner. For a more general tracker search, select "This tool/resource’s trackers" in the search drop down box in the banner. Enter the search text (at least three characters) and click the "Go" button. The tracker id, summary, detailed description, and responses are used for the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed. If one match is found the Tracker Detail page for the resulting tracker item is displayed. If more than one match is found, a list of resulting tracker items is displayed, grouped by tracker for the general search. Clicking on a tracker item’s summary takes you to the Tracker Detail page.
You can perform an advanced search for trackers.
Forums
You can perform a simple search for forum discussions. To search within a particular forum, navigate to that forum, and "This forum" will be shown in the search drop down box in the banner. For a more general search, select "This tool/resource’s forums" in the search drop down box in the banner. Enter the search text (at least three characters) and click the "Go" button. The thread subject and message are used for the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed. If one or more matches are found, a threaded list of messages is displayed, grouped by forum for the general search. Clicking on the thread subject/reply text takes you to the Forum Message page, where you can view the message and post a response.
You can perform an advanced search for forum discussions.
Tasks
You can perform a simple search for tasks. Make sure "This tool/resource’s tasks" is selected in the search drop down box in the banner. Enter the search text (at least three characters) and click the "Go" button. The task summary and original comments are used for the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed. If one or more matches are found, a list of tasks is displayed, grouped by task subproject. Clicking on the task summary name takes you to the Task Detail page, where you can view all the task information.
You can perform an advanced search for tasks.
Releases (Downloadable Files)
You can perform a simple search for file releases. Make sure "This tool/resource’s releases" is selected in the search drop down box in the banner. Enter the search text (at least three characters) and click the "Go" button. The release name and notes are used for the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed. If one or more matches are found, a list of releases is displayed, grouped by package. Clicking on the release name takes you to a page that displays the release notes. From here, you can click on the release name to get to the list of all file releases.
Documents
You can perform a simple search for tool/resource documents. Make sure "This tool/resource’s documents" is selected in the search drop down box in the banner. Enter the search text (at least three characters) and click the "Go" button. The document title and description are used for the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed. If one or more matches are found, a list of documents is displayed, grouped by category folder. Clicking on the document name opens the document.
You can perform an advanced search for tool/resource documents.
News
You can perform a simple search for news items. Make sure "This tool/resource’s news" is selected in the search drop down box in the banner. Enter the search text (at least three characters) and click the "Go" button. The news item name and description are used in the search. If no matching results are found, "No matches found for <search text>" is displayed. If one or more matches are found, a list of news items is displayed. Clicking on the news item name shows the news message and the discussion forum related to that news item.
You can perform an advanced search for news items.
Advanced
Clicking the tool/resource menu "Advanced Search" link provides a way of searching within the selected tool/resource. Advanced search allows you to select any combination of forums, trackers, tasks, document folders (only folders that contain documents), and news as appropriate for that tool/resource.
| Note: If a tool/resource has elected not to use one of these NITRC features, then that feature will not be displayed on the Advanced Search page. If a tool/resource has elected not to use any of these NITRC features, then the Advanced Search link will not be in the tool/resource menu. |
Advanced search gives the option of searching "with all words" or "with one word" so that you may specify a particular search phrase, or multiple words, or just one of a few search words.
The search text must be at least three characters long.
If no matching results are found, "No matches found" is displayed under each heading (Forums Search Result, Tracker Search Result, Tasks Search Result, Docs Search Results, and News Search Result) on the Advanced Search page. If one or more matches are found, a list of hits is displayed under each appropriate result heading on the Advanced Search page. Clicking on the thread, title, or summary will open the appropriate page for more detailed information on the selected item.
Saving Searches
A search that a registered user initiates can be saved by bookmarking the search results. After you have initiated the search you want to save, click "Bookmark This Page" under the "My NITRC" menu. All bookmarks are listed on your Personal Page in the "My Bookmarks" section. The default bookmark title is "Search." On your Personal Page you can edit the title of the bookmark to give it a meaningful name related to the search you saved.
Note: Looking at a large number of results per page (50, 100, or All) affects the way the system performs the next search you initiate, and that subsequent search does not contain all the information needed to save the search by bookmarking the page. If you see only "www.nitrc.org/search/" in your browser's address bar, you will get an error that indicates that the search is invalid when you bookmark the page. Perform the following steps to save your search:
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