Creating view stanza files

The view metadata is supplied in one or more ``view stanza files'' that ship with your HTML files. A view stanza file is a small database of view records. A single view record represents one item of a view. Each record has several field values. The syntax for view records is:

   viewID:
      Title = hot spot text
      URL = hot spot URL
      ParentView = viewID that includes this hot spot
      [Frame = node]
      [Class = U | C | T | D | new class]
      [Weight = numerical sort of arbitrary numbers]
      [OverviewURL = URL for text in right frame]

You can locate the stanza file in a given topic directory or in the default /TopicViews directory. To be recognized, the view stanza filename must have a .view filename suffix.

A topic directory generally has one view stanza file with records for all HTML nodes in that directory. The stanza files for any view items that are not associated with a given topic directory install into the /TopicViews directory.

The viewID is an ID name unique within the view system. View items that serve as containers (parents) for other items must have a name so that items can identify their parent. Vendors should append a company code to view IDs to avoid conflict with the standard SCO view names or other vendor view names.

The fields of a view stanza record are:

Title

The hot spot text to be displayed.

URL

The URL that the hot spot links to. This could be another view or an HTML node.

ParentView

The view ID that this hot spot should appear in. This also implies that such a view is to be regenerated when views are recompiled. The top-level view is named topview.

Frame

By default, the target of the URL in a view record is the left frame. This is appropriate if the URL is another view. If the URL is an HTML file, you can target it to appear in the right (node) frame by specifying Frame = node.

Class

The type of destination of the link, from one of the following classes. Items within a class are sorted together in a view with a rule line separator.

U

Unfocussed. Link to an HTML node that is not one of the classified types and which sorts at the top.

C

Concept node. Discussions of ideas, models, approaches, history, or underlying principles.

T

Task node. Basic instructions and essential core information needed to perform a task. Complex procedures can list the basic steps in a Task node, then elaborate each step in a separate Detail node.

D

Detail node. Additional information, elaborations, or variations of a point, step, or other information presented in another node; long examples and listings.

New Class

If a class is not one of the predefined classes, then create a new class within the Parent view. This field then represents the title of the class, and must be the same for all members of the class.

Weight

With each class, nodes are sorted according to the assigned number; nodes with higher weights are sorted lower in the view.

OverviewURL

A view can have an introductory HTML file that displays in the right-hand frame. This field specifies the URL for that introductory file.

   FSinstall:
     Title = Installing Filesystems
     URL = /TopicViews/filesys.html
     ParentView = FShome
     Class = T
     Weight = 1
     OverviewURL = /FSadmin/intro.html