make printable

new: v1.4: - drop optional transfer to w4; replace entry for QC_DIR in config file (to start with /home/qc/qc)

see also: databases none dfos tools none output used by trendPlotter; QC web pages upload/download created navigation bars uploaded to configured web site

webNavBar

Description

This tool helps the QC scientist to create and maintain navigation bars for their web pages, mainly for the calChecker, QC and HC web pages. The tool creates standardized output, for easy cross-instrument navigation bar. It makes creation and maintenance of navigation bars simple. The user is no longer responsible for design, or design changes. The tool also supports creation of a TOC (table of contents, or sitemap) file.

The tool uses standardized web styles, coded in cascaded style sheets (CSS). These are files describing format attributes like color, size etc. All styles used by webNavBar are defined under /qc/ALL/common/qc_eso.style. Needless to say, you are not supposed to edit that file unless authorized.

The tool uses extensively the 'include virtual' mechanism which provides automatic embedding of the output HTML code into other web pages. If the navigation bar is updated using webNavBar, it immediately becomes visible and updated in all web pages where it is included. This is an important aspect: the navigation bars are maintained centrally. 'Maintenance' has two aspects here: content (maintained by you in the configuration files), and makeup (maintained centrally in the style file). Changing e.g. the color for style 'this-nav-subitem' will reflect immediately in all QC web pages.

Furthermore, the QC navigation bars have typically several components, again linked by the include virtual mechanism: a user-defined component, and one or more externally controlled components (see below), typically used to create standard further links.

Also, there are the score HTML files used for the HealthCheck scoring (QUICK-LOOK versions). Upon user's prompt, they are uploaded to the web server for those navigation bars of TYPE=HEALTH. In a similar way, the calScores on the calChecker monitor are embedded in the navigation bar, and also the instrument scores on the main HC navigation bar (TYPE=HEALTH_MAIN).

The user defined navigation bars are collected under /qc/<instr>/common/, the externally controlled components (since they are common to all instruments) under /qc/ALL/common/. These paths need to be configured (under $QC_DIR). Once done, you don't need to care about those navigation items anymore.

CAL, HEALTH and QC navigation. These are currently the main types of configuration files. They are marked in the configuration file by TYPE=CAL, HEALTH or STANDARD. The main differences are:

• CLASS nav-dailyitem can be used for TYPE=HEALTH only
• the SUBLEVEL functionality supports TYPE=STANDARD only
• the CAL type is very similar to the HEALTH type and differs only by the name of the included score files.

TOC creation. Each QC web site should contain a standard table of contents (TOC). While its content follows closely the navigation bar items, it offers more freedom both in structure and text. While names of navigation bar items have to be concise, you can expand explanatory text in the TOC. Content alignment between the QC web site navigation bar and the TOC is not enforced by the tool but should of course be a design goal. The TOC configuration is marked by the key TYPE=TOC. Find an example here.

Highlighting. This feature is a key to user-friendly navigation. It marks the current link, so that after reading the web page, or after further navigation, the user still has a clue about the current position. Technically, highlighting requires cloning of the navigation bar into n copies, with each copy having a different link highlighted; plus a naming convention for these navigation bars.

For TYPE=HEALTH pages, the naming convention is that the bar has to be called 'vnavbar_HC_<group_name>.html' where group_name is the name of the navigation group, as used in the trendPlotter group file. Set VNAVBAR to YES in all trendPlotter configuration files for the reports of that group.

For TYPE=STANDARD, there is currently no tool to manage the navigation bar names in the web pages. It is good practice to use the convention 'vnavbar_QC_<page_name>.html'.

SUBLEVEL. This feature can be used for TYPE=STANDARD navigation only. If in a set of web pages the first one is marked as PARENT and the others as CHILD, only the PARENT item will display if any of the other items is selected, while the PARENT plus all CHILD items display if any of these is selected. In other words: the SUBLEVEL mechanism is a 'close-up' mechanism which helps avoiding too much navigation options at the general level. Find an example here (click first on 'general info' and then on 'trending&QC1' to see the difference).

Additional parts. To construct a fully operational navigation bar, there are typically standard parts to be added on top and at bottom. These are configured under INCLUDE_TOP and INCLUDE_BOTTOM. The template files have these standard parts configured correctly, you are not supposed to edit them.

In order to create these additional parts with webNavBar as well, there is the option to specify FULL=NO which, for these 'partial' navigation bars, would only create the table rows and cells needed, but not the other HTML tags. The standard user can ignore that configuration part. User-configurable navigation bars always have FULL=YES!

Available styles. Check out the style file here: /qc/ALL/common/qc_eso.style

These are the currently defined navigation items:

style	example		configurable?	TYPE	comment
headlines:
nav-head	HealthCheck Monitor		yes		major headline
nav-div	HealthCheck Monitor		yes		headline level2
navigation items:
nav-item	UT1		yes		item (only used without links)
nav-subitem	MIDI		yes	STANDARD, TOC	style for standard navigation link
nav-subitem	MIDI		yes	HEALTH	style for standard navigation link; the additional cell is auto-inserted and filled with score result file by trendPlotter
[nav-noscoreitem]	fibre efficiency		yes	HEALTH	special style for TYPE=HEALTH, if no scoring is supported for this link (same makeup as nav-subitem for STANDARD or TOC ). NOTE: this style should be used only exceptionally!
separators, used for additional structure:
nav-dailyitem	daily ...		yes	HEALTH only	separator, to distinguish DAILY and NONDAILY HC plots; values: "daily ..." or "other ..."
nav-subitem	<empty line>		yes		enter "SPACE" under 'TEXT' and 'LINK' if you want an empty line
additional classes, set by the tool or used by the included parts (not configurable by the user!)
this-nav-subitem	MIDI		no		like nav-subitem, marks current link; used by webNavbar, not configurable
nav-otheritem	UT3		no	for INCLUDEs only	like nav-item, for "other" items
nav-othersubitem	FORS1		no	for INCLUDEs only	like nav-subitem, for "other" subitems

Example: this is the current composition of the HC_GIRAFFE navigation bar:

	INCLUDE_TOP	HealthCheck Monitor     HOME | UsersGuide
		FLAMES/GIRAFFE:
	auto-entered by webNavbar ->	score overview
	user configured	detector
		grating position
	HIGHLIGHT=YES --> all groups get their own highlighted copy of the navigation bar	calib lamps
		flat level
		wavelength calib
		fibre localization
		fibre efficiency
	INCLUDE_BOTTOM (navbar_HC_bottom.html) This part uses a slightly paler background color (as defined for nav-otheritem and nav-othersubitem). It links to all other HC sites, for easy cross-navigation within the HC domain.	Other HC:
		UT1
		CRIRES
		FORS2
		ISAAC
		UT2
		FORS1
		FLAMES/GIRAFFE
		FLAMES/UVES
		UVES
		etc.
	INCLUDE_BOTTOM (navbar_QC_links.html) This part is a standard QC navigation, always offered at bottom. It uses the same classes as the other INCLUDE_BOTTOM.	QC links:
		QC home
		Health Checks
		Reference Frames
		QC1 database
		Paranal autrep database
		(ESO internal)
[best viewing with style sheets and javascript enabled]

Output

• a navigation bar (named after the configuration file), or a family of navigation bars, or a TOC file; scp'ed to the configured directory on the QC web server

How to use

Type webNavBar -h for on-line help, webNavBar -v for the version number, and

webNavBar

for interactive selection of the navigation bar to be created.

At the end, you are prompted about transfer and publication on the web site. If reply is 'N', the navigation bar is visible only locally in the $TMP_DIR.

Group score defaults. For TYPE=HEALTH navigation bars only, there will be scoring symbols in the HC navigation bar. webNavBar supports them by providing the necessary HTML structure, and default entries. These are then updated by trendPlotter.You will be prompted at the end of the creation of a HC navigation bar:

"Transfer empty score files?"

Typing "Y" then replaces any existing group score file by the default again (as a cleaning-up mechanism). The default is "N" which preserves any existing group score file. In any case, the next trendPlotter call will re-create non-empty score files.

Configuration

The tool needs a tool configuration file, and one configuration file per navigation bar or TOC file. All these go to $DFO_CONFIG_DIR/webNavBar (!).

1. The tool configuration file (config.webNavBar) defines the start menu:

The template/example file has four example items:

• 01: the QC navigation bar for your web pages
• 02: the HC navigation bar for your HC pages
• SPACE
• 99: the TOC page

2. The navigation bar configuration files have the following format:

3. The TOC configuration file has the following format: