Note Tecniche 1/5

( Throughout the text for the Visit, click on the phrases in this colour to see the relative FIGURES )

EXAMPLE OF A SYSTEM SEARCH

To start a data search, beginning at the page in Figure 1, click on the "DANTE'S WORKS and Information CARDS" command, this will display the page in Figure 2.

See Fig. 2 - Video-page explaining how to Search for data in the Document Files.

Before entering into the "heart of the System", see the "INDICES of COMEDY VERSES" command button in the Figure - this opens an easy way to consult a List of verses in alphabetical order and another alphabetically ordered list of verses, this time in alphabetical order of their last words. These lists are precious - they are not easily found in specialised publications and are certainly easier and quicker to use.

As can be deduced from the Vocal Messages, the System's "Documents" consist of the Comedy tercets (Dictionary term 'TERZINE') or Cards ('SCHEDE'). The Cards, in turn, are divided into Index-Cards (one for each extract in the Minor Works) and generic Information Cards.
To start a data search, activate the System's "search engine" by clicking the "RETRIEVAL of DOCUMENTS" command ; this will display the page in Figure 3.

See Figure 3 - video page dedicated to starting a Search.

This page lets you begin your search, i.e. a selection of Documents, by typing an "expression" in the appropriate space, in other words a combination of key words (Descriptors) from the Dictionary, linked to each other by appropriate "Operators" . In some cases, an expression may be just one Descriptor. For example, the expression 'TERZINE' (Tercets) corresponds to a selection of the entire Comedy.
At this point, we recommend a quick glance at the System's Dictionary (Click on the "Setting single Descriptor" button) and the rules for writing an expression (Click on the "Operators", "Rules" and "Examples" commands).
The "Setting single Descriptor" command displays a list of the Dictionary Terms and for each Descriptor gives a sequence of any relative information : whether it belongs to a Tree Structure, a Picture, a 'Vocal Comment' (for the time being only available in the Italian Edition) and a short comment. For the foreign editions we have given a translation of the Descriptor name where necessary.
The "Setting Proposed Search" command will display a list of the possible choices proposed by the Author, that should help the User understand the power of the System. Try clicking on one of the voices in the drop-down list and start your selection.

Now that the information on the page in Figure 3 is clear, let's move on and choose an expression proposed in the Examples and type:

NOVE * ( TERZINE + VITA NUOVA ) [ NINE * ( TERCETS + VITA NUOVA ]

This expression corresponds to a search for passages in the Comedy and Chapters from the Vita Nuova that treat the concept of the number "nine". Note that this time the System does not distinguish between capital and small letters; furthermore it makes no difference how many spaces there are between Descriptors and Operators. Type the given expression, click on the "Retrieval START" button, and as long as the expression is written correctly, the System will start its selection; it will give the number of Documents it has found ( in this case 9 ) and will colour the "Access to Data" button green; a click on the button will take you to the page in Figure 4.

See Figure 4 - Video-page dedicated to enjoying the chosen Documents.

Obviously the operations we suggested on the page in Figure 4 only refer to the Documents selected. Now let's try the "Display" function, by clicking the display button which will take us to the page in Figure 5 and Figure 10. There are two pages, since we have 9 selected Documents and each page can hold up to 6 Documents.