Category: Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder v4 Help

Lucid Builder Removing Media

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Remove Feature Media

Available via the Key…Media…Remove Feature Media menu option.

This options allows all media to be easily removed in one action from either the selected feature or state or all features and states.

Lucid Builder Remove Feature media dialog.

Media type options

Remove all image media

If selected, will remove all image attachments from the Features and States.

Remove all text media

If selected, will remove all HTML and PDF attachments from the Features and States.

Remove all descriptions

Not available for features. This option is only available when removing media from Entities.

Path type options

Remove File references

This option will remove any file based media referenced found in the Feature tree.

Remove URL references

This option will remove any URL based media references found in the Feature tree.

Option Buttons

All

If chosen, media (based on the above selected options) will be removed from all items found in Features tree. Prior to removal you will be asked to confirm the operation.

Lucid Builder remove media from all features and states confirmation dialog.

Selected

If chosen, only media from selected items within the Feature tree will be removed. Prior to removal you will be asked to confirm the operation, as shown in the dialog below.

Cancel

Will close the ‘Remove Feature Media’ dialog without any removal actions taking place.

Remove Entity Media

Available via the Key…Media…Remove Entity Media menu option.

This options allows all media, including descriptions, to be easily removed in one action from either the selected Entities or all Entities.

Lucid Builder remove Entities media dialog — Lucid Builder Remove Entities media dialog

Media type options

Remove all image media

If selected, will remove all image attachments from the Entities.

Remove all text media

If selected, will remove all HTML and PDF attachments from the Entities.

Remove all descriptions

This option will remove all automatically generated and attached descriptions created by the Builder. See Creating Natural Language Descriptions for more information.

Path type options

Remove File references

This option will remove any file based media referenced found in the Entities tree.

Remove URL references

This option will remove any URL based media references found in the Entities tree.

Option Buttons

All

If chosen, media (based on the above selected options) will be removed from all items found in Entities tree. Prior to removal you will be asked to confirm the operation.

Lucid Builder Remove Media from all entities confirmation dialog.

Selected

If chosen, only media from selected items within the Feature tree will be removed. Prior to removal you will be asked to confirm the operation, as shown in the dialog below.

Cancel

Will close the ‘Remove Entity Media’ dialog without any removal actions taking place.

Tags Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Media Lists

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Applies to Matrix and Pathway key projects

Media List is an open XML based format that enables the Lucid Builder to import media data for Entities, Features or Couplets.

The media files referenced within the Media List file must be located within the keys media folder, normally within the HTML or Images folders, prior to importing. Unless you are using a Force or Ignore option within the ‘Other options’ dialog section.

Importing a Media List file

From the menu File > Import > Import Media List

Select the Media List file by browsing your computer file system. Before importing you have the following options.

Import Options

Import Feature/Couplet media

Match and import media specified by the selected Media File to the keys Feature or Couplet list, depending on the project key type.

Import Entities media

Match and import media specified by the selected Media File to the key Entity list.

Matching Options

Match partial names

Your media list may not contain an exact match for the Entity or Feature/Couplet name label listed in the Builder. For example, within your key you may have the taxonomic name for the Entity followed by a common name, where the media list file may only contain the taxonomic name. The builder can use a partial match method to link the media to the correct Entity or Feature. If no match can be found then the non-matching items from the Media List file will be reported prior to the import occurring.

Attach to best match

When the Builder is matching the Media List item to a Feature/Couplet or Entity it may encounter multiple valid matches, especial when the ‘Match partial names’ option is selected. The ‘Attach to best match’ will try to determine the best (closest matched) Entity or Feature/Couplet and only perform one attachment for that Media List item. If this option is not selected and the Builder encounters multiple valid matches, then the Media List item will be attached to multiple items in the Feature/Couplet or Entity tree.

Media Options

Import image media

Check this option if you want image media types from the Media List to be imported.

Import text media

Check this option if you want HTML media types from the Media List to be imported.

Import File references

Check this option if you want to import media items that are file references found in the selected Media List file.

Import URL references

Check this option if you want to import media that are URL references found in the selected Media List file.

Other Options

Remove Existing Media

This option will remove all the media associated with all the Entities or Features within the key, depending on which is selected in the Import Options section of the dialog. Use this with caution if you have manually attached other media to the entities prior to using this option. Re-importing a Media List that contains the same items will not cause duplicate media attachments within the key.

Create or replace thumbnails

If selected, during the import process, any image attachments from the Media List will be thumbnailed. Reattachments will also be thumbnailed. Thumbnail sizes will be set based on the maximum thumbnail dimensions set within the Key Options dialog.

Force import of all media

The Builder will create the media linkage based on the Media List location reference, even if the media location doesn’t match what the Builder is expecting based on the keys Media folder structure.

Ignore missing files

The Builder by default checks for the presence of the file prior to attaching it during the import process, unless this option is checked. If this option is checked the Builder will create the media linkage in the key regardless if the media image exists where specified by the Media List. If you use this option, you are are expected to deal with any broken media linkages within the key. You can check for ‘broken’ or missing media attachments via the ‘Tools…Check Media’ report tool from the main menu.

Tip

The Fact Sheet Fusion content editor supports the export of media lists, which can be used in the Lucid Builder to quickly attach all your media.

Tags Import, Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Setting Properties for Media items

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Properties for media items (images and web pages) are set using edit and check boxes on the Media panel.

The properties are:

Path and Thumbnail path – Displays the name and file system path of the selected file (and of its thumbnail for image files). This is not editable, and is displayed to enable you to locate files in the file system

Caption – When an image is displayed at full size in the Lucid Player it is annotated with a caption. The caption is also used to refer to the image in a menu list of images, when several images are attached to one item.

Copyright When an image is displayed at full size in the Lucid Player it is annotated with a copyright attribution. Use this box to enter copyright information for the image. The copyright button can be used to insert the copyright symbol (©) before the text.

Comments – When an image is displayed at full size in the Lucid Player it may be annotated with comments. Use this box to enter the comment text.

Needs Revision – Check this to bookmark (for yourself and other key builders) that a media item needs to be revised later. Media items marked as needing revision can also be excluded from the key deployment process.

Publish – Check this to specify that the currently selected media item should be published when the key is deployed. This option is checked by default.

Tags Media, Properties

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Viewing, removing and deleting items from the Media folders

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

To view files that are currently attached to any item, select the item in the Features or Entities panels. The files attached to the selected item will be listed.

To view the full image or full web page for any attached file, either double click on the image or web page icon or thumbnail, or right click on the media item name and choose Open. The file will be displayed at full size in a popup window.

Media files that have been attached to an item may be unattached from that item by selecting the file in the Media panel’s file list and clicking the Remove Media button, or right-clicking on the file in the appropriate directory and choosing Remove. The file will be removed from the currently selected item, but will not be deleted from the Media directory.

You may delete media files from the Media directory by right-clicking on the file in the appropriate directory and choosing Delete. The file will be removed from the currently selected item and from any other items to which it has been attached, then deleted from the Media directory.

Note

Deleting web page files from the HTML directory may cause broken links on other pages. Lucid does not check for this. Use a Link Checker application to ensure your keys HTML content doesn't have any broken links.
For a great free open source link checker see https://wummel.github.io/linkchecker/

Tags Html, Images, Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder How to attach an image to a Feature or Entity

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

JPEG, GIF or PNG images may be attached to any Feature or Entity. If an image is selected outside the scope of the keys Media folder, a copy of the selected file will be made to the key’s Images folder. Images are copied to the Keys Image folder (or sub folder) so that all images are accessible when compiling the key, even if the original images have been moved or are on an inaccessible drive.

To attach an image to an item (Feature or Entity), first select the appropriate item. Right-click the Images folder in the Media panel or click the Attach Media button. To attach a local image file, choose the Attach Image File menu option and choose the file using the Open File dialog box that appears.

Note

When attaching local image files to your key, remember that a copy of the original file is created in the key’s Images directory. Editing the original file will have no effect on the key. You may edit the copy of the image in the Images directory using third-party image manipulation software.

Tags Images, Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Images and Image Thumbnails

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Lucid Builder Key Options - Thumbnail settings — Lucid Builder Key Options – Thumbnail settings

When you attach an image to an item (Feature or Entity), the Lucid Builder will create a thumbnail image from the original, and store it in a Thumbs directory in the key’s folder with the same file name. Thumbnails are used for displaying the images in the Player’s Features and Images panels.

By default, thumbnail images are created with a maximum dimension (height or width) of 128 pixels, with the aspect ratio of the original image preserved by default. You may choose to set the thumbnail images to a size other than default maximum pixels by selecting from the menu Key…Key Options, then select the media icon. Within the Media options enter your preferred maximum thumbnail dimension in pixels. The Builder will then offer to automatically recreate any existing thumbnails. A warning will be given prior to this action occurring due to the amount of time potentially required to complete this operation in large keys with many image attachments. Alternatively, you can manually trigger the recreation of the keys thumbnails, via the main menu option ‘Key…Media…Update Thumbnails’.

In some cases, you may find it useful to create your own thumbnails instead of using the thumbnails generated automatically by Lucid. Remember to size the thumbnails to the dimensions specified in the Options dialog.

Tags Images, Media

Lucid Builder v4

How to attach a web page to a Feature, Couplet or Entity

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Applies to Matrix and Pathway key projects

Web pages may be attached to any Feature, Couplet or Entity. The page may be remote to your local computer (that is, located on a Internet Web server accessible via a URL), or it may be a page that you have created and saved to the key’s HTML folder. If it is a local page in the key’s HTML folder, you should ensure that any media (images etc) associated with the page, and any linked pages, are also either saved to the key’s HTML folder or are remote World Wide Web resources.

To attach a web page to an item (Feature, Couplet or Entity), first select the appropriate item. Right-click the Html folder in the Media panel or click the Attach Media button. To attach a local file, choose the Attach Html File (Shortcut key Ctrl + L) menu option and choose the file using the Open File dialog box that appears. To attach a file by URL, choose the Attach Html URL (shortcut key Ctrl + Shift + L) menu option and enter the URL address (or paste a copied URL) into the dialog box.

Important Note

When copying files to the HTML directory using your computer’s file management system, be aware that web pages often comprise many files (e.g. CSS, JavaScripts etc), all of which need to be copied correctly. Embedded images and hyperlinks to other pages will be broken if the files are not copied correctly, or if they have been assigned in the page using absolute rather than relative references. Consult your web page authoring software for more information.

Tags Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Understanding the Lucid Media Directory structure

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Before beginning to attach multimedia files (web pages and images) to items in the key, you should understand the Lucid directory structure. In some cases, it is necessary to create files at the correct location within this directory structure before they can be attached to the key.

When a Lucid key is first saved, the Lucid Builder creates a set of directories for storing the various data files required. The basic directory structure for a key is as follows:

Lucid Builder default key folder structure

Save Directory is the folder you chose to save the key into. Inside this directory the Builder will write a file called {Key Name}.lk5 (where Key Name is the name given to the key in the Save As dialog box). Key Name.lk5 stores information necessary for the Lucid Builder.

The Key Name directory is created by the Lucid Builder at the time you save the key, and given the same name as the .lk5 file.

Data is a directory that stores essential key data.

Warning

Never alter any content within the Data directory, you will almost certainly irretrievably corrupt your key.

The media directories Media, Html, Images and Thumbs are created by the Builder to hold media files attached to the key. You may, if you wish, create sub directories within the Html and Images directories.

Web pages for attachment to items in the key must be authored outside Lucid, using HTML authoring tools such as Fact Sheet Fusion (available from Lucidcentral.org. For details see https://www.lucidcentral.org/fact-sheet-fusion/). Web pages (except external web pages accessible via the Internet) must be created in the key’s HTML directory (or sub folder), and must not refer to images and other media elements (e.g. CSS, JavaScripts etc) outside the key’s media folders. Otherwise, links will be broken when the key is moved to a different folder or deployed.

Images for attachment to items in the key may be sourced outside the key’s folders, or manually placed into the key’s Images directory (or sub folder) and attached from there. If a media file located outside the key’s Images directory and is attached to an item, Lucid will automatically create a copy of the media file in the key’s Images directory.

Note

Editing an original file located outside the scope of the key folder, for instance, at its original location, will have no effect on the copy held within the keys media folder.

The Thumbs directory holds thumbnails, created by the Lucid Builder, for all images attached to items in the key.

Also see: Automatic backup of key data files

Tags Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Attaching media to items in the key

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Features and Entities in Lucid keys can be provided with images and web pages, to help users and provide further information about the items. For example, Features and States may be illustrated with images and notes to help users understand the terms involved, and Entities may be provided with web pages including images, descriptions, notes on ecology, distribution etc.

Valid multimedia items are:

Images in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats, and URL references to images on the Internet.
Web (html) pages, URL references to web pages on the Internet and PDFs.

(Note that video and sound multimedia are accommodated in Lucid via the web page attachments.)

The Media tab to the left of the main window provides access to the Media Panel. This panel allows the user to attach all multimedia to items in the Features and Entities trees.

Also see:

Attaching a web page to a Feature or Entity

Attaching an image to a Feature or Entity

Creating Natural Language Descriptions

Tags Media

Lucid Builder v4

Lucid Builder Setting properties for items

Post author By wp_help_lucidcentral
Post date 31 July 2020

Properties for key items (Features, States and Entities) and subsets are set using the Items properties tab at the left of the main panels.

Item ID

The Item ID is a unique value assigned by the Lucid Builder to every element within the key. This value is useful when posting keys to a Web Server where the value can be used, for example, to preselect feature states via a custom web interface (e.g. a mapping system). Or for allowing third party applications such as Fact Sheet Fusion to map by ID rather than a text label.

List view name

In Lucid, features and entities are often arranged into hierarchical trees. The name of any item in the tree will often be conditional on its position in the tree.

Thus, the name of the feature Overall Shape in the tree at left only makes sense because of its position as a child of Pileus.

At times, it is necessary to break up and rearrange the trees in the Lucid Player, as when the features are arranged in the Best order, or when entities are displayed ranked by their match value. At these times the features and entities are displayed as a list rather than a tree. For this reason, items should sometimes be provided with List View Names as well as Tree View Names.

By default, the Lucid Player creates a List View Name by recording an item’s path in its tree. Thus, the Overall Shape feature above would have a default List View Name of Pileus: Overall Shape.

The List View Name box on the Items properties panel is used to provide an alternative name to the default name. In the case above an appropriate name may be Pileus shape.

Lucid Builder Properties Panel - Items tab with Entity selected example — Lucid Builder Properties Panel – Items tab with Entity selected example

Note

List View Names for features only need to be provided for the lowest-level features - that is, those that have states as children or numeric feature nodes, since only these are displayed when the Player shows the feature in a list. Thus, the node Pileus above does not need a List View Name.

All nodes in the entities tree can be provided with List View Names, since all may be ranked in a list.

Item UID

The Item Universal Identifier (UID) is used for referencing the item in the Lucid Browser player and via JavaScript.

Comments

The Comments box is intended for annotating housekeeping comments to items. These comments are internal to the Builder and are not published with the key.

Needs revision

Check this box when the feature or entity is provisional and you intend to revise the data later (note that future releases of the Lucid Builder will include tools for finding and managing these items).

Feature Type

Lucid Builder Properties Panel - Feature selected example — Lucid Builder Properties Panel – Items tab – Feature State selected example.

The Feature Type box displays and sets the type of Feature in the Features panel. There are four types of Features:

Multi-state Features have states as children;
Grouping Features have other Features as children;
Numeric Features, that have no children and;
Text Features used in Natural Language Description generation and is not output in the key for use within the Lucid Player.

The Feature type may be set at the time the Feature is added to the Features panel, or may be changed at any time via the Items property panel. A multi-state Feature may not be changed to a numeric or Grouping Feature until all its states have been removed. A Grouping Feature may not be changed to a multi-state or numeric Feature until its children have been removed. If a numeric Feature has been scored and is changed to a multi-state or Grouping Feature, its score data will be lost and cannot be retrieved.

List View Node

When the Lucid Player displays its features in a list rather than a tree, all multi-state and numeric features are listed but grouping nodes are not. On the entities side, however, there are no predefined rules for inclusion in the list. Therefore, when the entities panel is active, the List View Node checkbox appears and is used by the author of the key to specify whether an entity is to be included or excluded from the entities list. By default all entities added to the Entities tree are checked for inclusion in the entities list; un-check the checkbox if you wish the entity to be excluded from the list. Entities that are terminal in the entities tree (that is, entities without children) must be list view nodes; the checkbox for these nodes cannot be unchecked.

The List View Node checkbox is only available when an entity is selected.

Default Subsets

Lucid Builder Properties Panel - Entity Subset selected example — Lucid Builder Properties Panel – Entity Subset selected example

See the Subsets topic for more information.

Lucid Builder Properties panel Items tab Feature selected example.

Include in Best

By default a multistate Feature is included in the Lucid Player’s Best algorithm. Instances where you have esoteric or difficult to answer Features you may wish to exclude them from being offered via the Best Function. In a large key with many Features excluding some Features can help speed up the Best algorithm on the Lucid Mobile Platform where some older devices may have under powered CPUs.

Tip

You can use the Key Reporter to reveal all Features excluded from Best.

Score Weight

The score weight setting modifies how the Feature is treated (weighted) in the Lucid Player’s Best algorithm. By default all Features are treated equally when calculating its rank within the list of Features available based on the Entities remaining. The ‘best’ feature (ranked first) is offered to the user for selection. By reducing the Features weight will cause the best algorithm to lower, not exclude, it’s ‘best’ ranking, while taking into account the weight settings of the other Features. For example, you may have a ‘powerful’ feature such as ‘Plant Family’ that is consistently offered as the ‘Best’ Feature to choose from, however your many of your keys users may not have this knowledge and will be forced to request the next best Feature. You can reduce the score weight of this so it may be ranked several orders down the ‘best’ rank and offered to the user as the best character when other easier Features have been exhausted.

Matching Type

In older versions of Lucid Builder you needed to decide at a global level for your key how the Lucid Player treated multi selections of States within the same Feature. That is using the logic of AND (Match all states) or OR (Match any states).

Lucid4 now allows you to set the matching logic on a per Feature basis. This flexibility is particularly useful in diagnostic keys.

By default multi-state Features are set to use the ‘Match any states’ setting (OR logic).

Single state selection

By default the Lucid Player allows the user to select one or more of the States of a multi-state Features. Selecting the Single state selection option will set the Feature to allow only a single State to selected on the Feature. After the user selects a State of the Feature further selections are disabled. As shown in the example screen shot below.

Tags Properties