• Summary:
• Background - Registry Harvesting
• How to Search
• Simple Search
• Full Text Search
• Embedded Registry Browsers
• Application Launcher
• Workflow Builder

Summary

Use the Resource Browser to search for  data collections (e.g. NVSS) or tools (e.g. SExtractor). It is available from the System Services view of the Workbench and is also launched when relevant within the Task Launcher and the Workflow Builder.

Background - Registry Harvesting

The AstroGrid Registry collects details from registered resource providers anywhere in the world, e.g. the LEDAS data centre (UK), the Solar data manipulation services provided by MSSL (UK), the NASA HEASARC data centre (USA), etc. The resource provider is responsible for the registry entries and we cannot guarantee that any particular link is always available or that descriptions are complete. The format is standard but descriptions are free text, so you may get different results if you search for XMM or for XMM-Newton, for example.

How to Search

Simple Search

A simple search for a term like Subaru will give you a list of resources where that word appears in the Resource (Title, Short name or Identifier) or Content (Description) fields. Clicking on an entry shows brief details. The number of matching entries (here, 10) is shown at the bottom. Searching is not case-sensitive. * can be used as a wild card - Subar* will return entries containing Subaru, subarcsecond etc. If you enter multiple strings separated by spaces, each term is searched for separately (non-exclusive OR), e.g. Subaru OR XMM Subaru XMM are equivalent Subaru AND XMM will give you only entries containing both words (anywhere in the fields searched, in any order). There is a maximum of 1000 entries returned for any one query If your words are not found, a pop-up 'io error' appears.

Full Text Search

If the Full-text Search box is ticked, then the search includes all the fields under details and any material inside tags in the XML Registry entry, including colum names or Unified Content Descriptors (ucd1+ or old UCD).

Embedded Resource Browsers

A Resource Browser is also launched automatically when you need to select a resource:

Task Launcher

If you select the Task Launcher from the Workbench, a Task Launcher appears which offers you a Chooser to search for an application. This will return a list of only those resources which are stand-alone applications for example there are now only two Subaru datasets available, a Simple Image Access service and a catalogue. Select this by checking the tickbox next to the resource name and you get a dialogue box for query parameters.

Workflow Builder

If you insert a Step into a Workflow, after you have defined it (name, etc.) a Task Editor appears which offers you a Chooser to search for an application. This will return a list of only those resources which can be used in a workflow. Select this by checking the tickbox next to the resource name and you get a dialogue box for query parameters. You can use this similarly to select tools such as SExtractor and build up your Workflow (see below).

Author: Anita M S Richards
Last revised : 5 November 2006