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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a set?
A set is an (annotated) collection of objects from the Virtual Laboratory compiled by registered users according to their personal interests.

How do I create a new set?
Just type in a short decriptive title on your My Account page and click the 'add' button. This will create a new set and bring you to its 'Edit' view where you can provide some additional information and manage the set properties.

How to add objects to my set?
To add items to a set you have to select it as your active set first. You can do this in the My Sets list or in the set itself. To add any objects from inside the Virtual Laboratory to the active set, please locate them and click the 'add to set' link on the bottom of the page or the 'add to set' button in lists respectivly.

Why don't I see the 'add to set' links?
You must be logged in and have an active set selected. Both is indicated at the log-in message box on top of the page. You can always jump directly to My Sets to select a set by clicking on your user name, while clicking on the set title will bring you to the 'Edit' view of the active set.

Where do I write the comments to my set?
Click the set title in the log-in message box to go to the 'Edit' view of your active set or choose the 'Edit' link next to the title of any other set. On top of this page you can edit the title, short description, and comment to the complete set. Comments to individual items can be given in the lower part of the page. There is the possibility to add simple text elements as well. For your convenience an object for (external) links is also available. Please don't forget to save any changes, both parts of the page are independent, so saving the edited set information will not save changes to the set contents and vice versa.

May I add my own images to a set?
Well, yes and no. No, because there is no special image object and an image added as a file object (see below) is not displayed in the list, but only gives you a download link. On the other hand, if you are familiar with HTML, you can integrate external images to your comments and text objects.

Can I change the order of the items in a set?
Sure, please use the 'top', 'up', 'down', and 'bottom' links to move an item in the list. This applies to the My Sets list as well.

How do I remove items from a set?
Items can be deleted in the 'Edit' view of a set.

Who can access my sets?
You can control the visibility to others in the 'Edit' view of the set: a hidden set is for your eyes only, all other sets can be accessed if the address (URL) is known, e.g. given to a friend. A private set will not show up in any public list, while an open_intern set is intended to be viewed by other registered users and published to 'User Sets'. Collaborators of the project may send their sets to the 'Public Sets' list open for all visitors.

Is it possible to work together with other users on one set?
Yes, you can add other users as an editor or administrator for your set on its 'Manage access rights' page (available from the 'Edit' view). Both editors and admins may work on the content of this set, but only administrators are allowed to change its publication status and can grant or deny permissions to other co-users.

May I provide files for download, e.g. papers for my students?
Yes, there is a file object available. You will be asked for a local file to upload when you add it to a set. The file can be updated at any time.

How to delete a set?
You can delete a set in the 'Manage' view of the My Sets list.

What are xLinks?
An xLink is an HTML/XML-like reference to an object in the Virtual Laboratory you can use in your set comments (and contributions). It is heavily utilized by the project team in our databases and articles to link to objects. The system will resolve it automatically to the correct HTML link so you don't have to know about the actual status and address of the object. Like HTML links an xLink consists of a start and an end tag in angle brackets, enclosing the text of the link. The start tag holds the reference information, the link text can be any text: <link ref="objectID">link text</link>. Preformatted xLinks are provided on the bottom of all data sheets and article pages as well as on every library page.

May I use HTML in my comments?
Yes. This probably will be limited to selected tags in the future, so it is recommended to use only simple mark-up, e.g. text styles like bold or italics. Please note, that there is no reason to use HTML line breaks, since line breaks will be converted automatically.