Help:Navigation Bar
| This page is a help or manual page for the ISFDB database. It describes standards or methods for entering or maintaining data in the ISFDB database, or otherwise working with the database. Other help pages may be found via the category below. To discuss what should go on this page, use the talk page.
If, after exploring the Help system, you still have a question, please visit the Help desk and let us know. We probably know the answer, but we need your help to know what we left out of the help pages. If you are new to editing the ISFDB, please see Help:Getting Started. For more on this and other header templates, see Header templates. |
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The Navigation bar is the section of an ISFDB database page on the left of the screen containing various possibly helpful links to other database pages, to ISFDB wiki pages, to pages on external sites, or to perform various database functions or queries. Not all links are present at all times -- the links available depend on the nature of the page currently shown.
Search section
At the top is the Search section. This includes the Basic Search group, which consists of an edit box, a combo box listing the available types of search, and a "GO" button. Below the basic search group is a link to the Advanced Search form.
Logged In As section
Below the search section is the "Logged In As" section. This displays or links to information about the current user.
User ID
The first line of this section displays the User ID of the logged in user, or "Not Logged In" if the page is displayed without a logged in user. Noter that all editing features and all user-specific links require that a user be logged in with a (free) registered ISFDB account.
Log Out / In
If a user is logged in, this link will log the user out of the ISFDB (but not the ISFDB Wiki). If the user is not logged in, this link will take the user to a log in page, where the user may log in to an existing account or create a new account.
Links to this help page.
My Recent Edits
This links to a page that displays the user's recent accepted edits, with the most recent ones at the top. The Timestamp, edit type, approving moderator ("reviewer"), and subject (generally the title of the publication or work, or name of the author or publisher, affected) are listed for each accepted edit.
Only available for logged in users.
My Pending Edits
Shows edits submitted but not yet approved, in the same format as recent edits.
Only available for logged in users.
My Rejected Edits
Shows edits rejected by a moderator, in the same format as recent edits. The "Reason" column shows the rejection reason given by the moderator who rejected the edit. More detail may be found on your wiki talk page.
Only available for logged in users.
My Votes
Shows title for which the lodged in user has recorded a 'vote" (quality assessment).
Only available for logged in users.
My Tags
Shows the title tags which the logged in user has assigned, and links to the titles so tagged.
Only available for logged in users.
Other Pages section
This includes various links to possibly useful pages on the ISFDB and the ISFDB wiki. None of these perform any editing or data entry function, although of course some of them lead to pages from which a user can launch such a function.
ISFDB Wiki
Links to the Main Page of the ISFDB wiki, from which a user may navigate to many wiki functions, or search for any wiki page, or log in to the wiki (a user must log in to the wiki separately, even though the User ID and password are the same).
What's New
News abut the ISFDB, posted irregularly. Stored on the wiki.
Recent Edits
Links to a page showing the most recent changes to the database. Shown for each edit are the timestamp of the submission's approval, the submission number and type of the change, the editor who submitted the edit (with a link to the editor's wiki page), the moderator who approved the edit (with a similar link), and the subject, which is the title of the work concerned, or the name of the author or publisher concerned.
Recent Verifications
Links to a page showing the most recent changes to the verification flags. These indicate that a particular publication has or has not been checked against a particualr source. "Primary" verification is checking against the physical (actual for ebooks) publication. See Help:How to verify data for more on verification.
The page shows the publication record number for each pub (with a link to the pub record display), the publication title, the source verified against (the "reference"), the user ID of the verifier, and the timestamp of the verification.
Magazines
Links to the wiki Magazines page which is an index to the various wiki pages on specific magazines. These generally give overall information about the magazine, and link to records for specific issues.
Author Directory
Links to an index by the first two letters of an author's last name. From here, a user can link to any auhtor record on file.
ISFDB Lists
Links to various lists, stored on the wiki but derived from queries against the database, of titles, authors, award-related data, age-related data, etc.
Publishers
Link to Category:Publishers, which shows all wiki pages about specific publishers, provided that the page has been properly tagged for inclusion in the category.
Statistics
Links to a page that displays the curent numbers of titles and publications by type, of authors, award records, verified publications, and other such statistics. Derived from the current database.
Top 100 Novels
Links to a list based on recorded user votes.
Top Forthcoming
A list of announced but unpublished works, based on the frequency with which users have visited the records for those works.
Editing Tools section
Moderator
Links to the New Submissions page, where moderators an approve, hold or reject submissions, and have access to other moderator-only tools. For non-moderators, this page is a way to access the Top Lists pages, but has no other use.
Key Maintenance
Links to a page used to set up keys for the Web API, used for remote (automated) submissions to the ISFDB, and for automated data retrieval from the ISFDB. Normal online editing does not require use of this page.
Add New Novel
Links to a blank form for entering data for a novel not yet recorded in the ISFDB. Ideally, this should not be used to enter data for a new publication of a novel that already has other publications recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or author and see if the work is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Add Publication, Clone, Edit Title, or Edit Publication as appropriate.
See Help:How to enter a new novel and Help:Screen:NewNovel for more information.
Add New Magazine
Links to a blank form for entering data for a magazine issue not yet recorded in the ISFDB. This should not be used to enter additional data for an issue that is already recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or editor and see if the issue is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Edit Publication.
Detailed contents as well as title metadata can be entered on this form. See Help:Screen:NewPub for more information.
Add New Anthology
Links to a blank form for entering data for an anthology not yet recorded in the ISFDB. Ideally, this should not be used to enter data for a new publication of an anthology that already has other publications recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or editor and see if the work is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Add Publication, Clone, Edit Title, or Edit Publication as appropriate.
Detailed contents as well as title metadata can be entered on this form. See Help:How to enter a new book and Help:Screen:NewPub for more information.
Add New Collection
Links to a blank form for entering data for a collection not yet recorded in the ISFDB. Ideally, this should not be used to enter data for a new publication of a collection that already has other publications recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or author and see if the work is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Add Publication, Clone, Edit Title, or Edit Publication as appropriate.
Detailed contents as well as title metadata can be entered on this form. See Help:How to enter a new book and Help:Screen:NewPub for more information.
Add New Omnibus
Links to a blank form for entering data for an omnibus not yet recorded in the ISFDB. Ideally, this should not be used to enter data for a new publication of an omnibus that already has other publications recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or author and see if the work is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Add Publication, Clone, Edit Title, or Edit Publication as appropriate.
Detailed contents as well as title metadata can be entered on this form. See Help:How to enter a new book and Help:Screen:NewPub for more information.
Add New Nonfiction
Links to a blank form for entering data for a book-length work of non-fiction not yet recorded in the ISFDB. Ideally, this should not be used to enter data for a new publication of a book that already has other publications recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or author and see if the work is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Add Publication, Clone, Edit Title, or Edit Publication as appropriate.
Detailed contents as well as title metadata can be entered on this form. See Help:How to enter a new book and Help:Screen:NewPub for more information.
This should not be used to record an essay or other non-fiction work that was not published s a separate book.
Add New Fanzine
Links to a blank form for entering data for a fanzine issue not yet recorded in the ISFDB. This should not be used to enter additional data for an issue that is already recorded in the database. The best practice is to search by title or editor and see if the issue is already on file. If it is, navigate to it and use Edit Publication.
Detailed contents as well as title metadata can be entered on this form. See Help:Screen:NewPub for more information.
Tools Used to Create This Site section
Links to various third-party tools used in the creation of the ISFDB site.