User Manual: Special Fields and Interfaces

Owned by Megan Forbes
Last updated: Jan 12, 2024 by Kristina Spurgin
5 min read

DATES


  • Calendar dates may be entered using the provided date picker or via the text-entry field.
  • Dates may be entered in a variety of formats, including YYYY-MM-DD and MM/DD/YYYY.
  • Leading zeros are not required.
  • In the default CollectionSpace configuration, dates entered in formats other than YYYY-MM-DD will be returned in that format after pressing enter. You may configure an alternative default date format for your organization.
  • Structured dates may be entered in any form; data in the display date form will remain as entered
  • Tab after entering a date to auto-fill structured date fields
    • Structured date fields may be edited after auto-fill




DROPDOWNS


  • Many fields in the system include controlled lists
  • To select an item from the list, select the down-facing triangle from the right of the field and then mouse or tab to the desired item in the list

  • Users may enter characters into the dropdown field before making a selection to limit available choices



FOLDING AND UNFOLDING SECTIONS


  • To decrease screen clutter and facilitate focus, elements of the main edit screen and right sidebar that are not in use may be folded away
  • To fold or collapse an element, select the downward facing arrow in the gray bar or anywhere else on top of the element
  • To unfold or expand, select the right facing arrow in the gray bar
  • Folded and unfolded sections are "sticky," that is, they will stay folded, even if the user opens a new record, until the user chooses to unfold them




NUMERIC FIELDS


  • Certain fields in CollectionSpace can only be assigned numeric values
  • There are two types of numeric fields: Float fields and Integer fields
  • Float fields may include digits 0-9 and one decimal point (e.g. all currency and dimensions value fields)
  • Integer fields may only include digits 0-9 (e.g. number of objects, dates, ages)
  • Entering textual data into a numeric field will result in an error message





NUMBER PATTERNS


  • Records in CollectionSpace may be assigned an identification number based on a preset pattern (e.g. Year.Number for Acquisitions)
  • To select the next available number in a given pattern, click in an ID number field and mouse or tab to the preferred pattern
  • The pattern list includes the name of the pattern and its last generated value
  • After the pattern generator is used, the text in the field may be edited
  • Users do not have to use the pattern number generator





PREDICTIVE SEARCH FOR AUTHORITIES


  • Within all types of records, authorities are accessed via a predictive text interface
  • Fields containing links to controlled vocabularies are designated with a downward-facing gray arrow

  • To begin searching the vocabulary, type in at least three letters in a term
  • A list of matches will appear below the field
  • Use the mouse or tab to the term you wish
  • if the term does not appear, you may add it to a vocabulary by selecting one of the options in green
  • The predictive text interface will return both preferred and non-preferred terms

Tip: Limit results using wildcards and anchors

Standard predictive text searches have implicit wildcards (asterisks *) at the beginning and end of the entered text; e.g. a search for “Norris” will return “Mark Norris,” “Arnorris Computing,” and “Norrison Museum of Art.”

Adding an anchor ^ before the term will return only results that begin with your term: “^Norris” returns only “Norrison Museum of Art.”

An anchor at the end does the opposite, returning only “Mark Norris.”

Anchors can be combined with wildcards for more precise searches.

  • Non-preferred terms will be below the preferred term and indented
  • Depending on your institution's configuration, you may or may not be able to select non-preferred terms



REPEATABLE FIELDS AND FIELD ORDERING


  • Many fields in CollectionSpace are multi-valued / repeatable
  • These fields have a + (plus sign) button at their bottom left

  • The numbers to the left of each field indicate in which order the fields should be presented
  • Fields in the top position are used to populate the record header and search results
  • Select the number to the left of a field to move it to the top position


  • To delete an instance of a field, select the - (minus sign) to the right of the field



REQUIRED FIELDS


  • Each record has fields that must contain values before a new record may be saved
  • These fields are marked with a red asterisk