GEODESC Template Manager

Owned by jr_fackler (Unlicensed)
Dec 08, 2023
24 min read
Show and edit column attributes by groupShow and edit column attributes by groupShow and edit column attributes by group

Table of contents


Template Manager sign in

The GEODESC Template Manager (TM) application is used to select, modify and create project templates for core description and micropaleontology. It is used by scientists and support personnel and requires template maker credentials (ask your project manager or support person). TM will guide you through numerous interfaces to accomplish your tasks (Figure <TM user interface overview>).

Figure <TM user interface overview>.


To sign in to the TM application (Fig. <sign in>):

  • Enter your username 
  • Enter your password
  • Choose the project (if multiples are available)
  • Click the Sign-in button


Figure <sign in>.



Project templates

You are presented with a list of templates selected or created for use in your project by your template maker, and the functions to add, edit, and remove templates. The list is empty for a new project. The project templates table has five project template parameters given in the column headers. You can sort the table by any of these columns.

To add templates to the project:

  • Click the Copy from catalog button, which opens the Copy catalog template to project page.
    • This is the generally recommended action as it provides you with many proven templates from the GEODESC template catalog.
  • Alternatively, click the Create new template button, which opens the Create new project template form. 
    • This should only very rarely be necessary. This is considerably more laborious than modifying a catalog template.

To edit a project template:

  • Select a template and click the Edit button.
  • Alternatively, you can double-click a template.
    • This will open the Edit template 'dashboard'.

To delete a template from the project:

  • Select the template to be deleted.
  • Click the Delete button.
    • If data exist for the template, you will get an on-screen message alerting you that you first need to delete all data. This is to protect from accidental and fatal data loss.
    • If no data exist for the template, you only loose the work of constructing the template. You are asked to confirm the delete:
      • "Are you sure you want to delete this project template? This action cannot be undone."
      • Click the Delete button or the Cancel button.

Copy catalog template to project

  • Filter the catalog template list with one or both of the following methods to find the appropriate ones more easily:
    • Select a template scale or type from the dropdown menus.
    • Enter a term to filter by objective.
  • Select one or more templates in the catalog template table.
  • Click the Copy selected templates to the project button (or click the Cancel button.

Exception: if you are working on a template of type micropaleontology, and the template you are trying to add already exists in your project, you are prompted to to rename the objective to ensure template name uniqueness. See next section.

Rename copy template

You are getting this form because the template you are trying to add already exists in the project. You must change the objective (e.g., by extending the existing objective name) to ensure uniqueness of the the template names. The form has a similar explanation:

  • This template has already been copied to the project. If you need a second instance of this project template for a significantly different set of taxa within this microfossil group you have to modify the objective. Using multiple templates for the same microfossil group at the same site is NOT recommended.

To rename the objective:

  • Enter an objective that is explicit of why you are creating a clone, for example, add a geological time to the original objective.

  • You can explain even more using a few words in the extension. The objective and extension will be concatenated into the file name.
  • Click the Save button (or the Cancel button if you change your mind).

Create a new project template

To create a new template:

  • Fill in the form:
    • Scale - Select one of the three options: microscopic, macroscopic, summary
    • Type - Select one of the options general, igneous, micropaleontology, sediment, structure
    • Objective - Enter an objective (up to 30 characters)
    • Optional template name extension - Enter an additional term that will be part of the final file name.
      • This is mainly useful to modify catalog template names, for which the root name scale_type_objective cannot be changed.
  • Click the Save template button.
    • An "empty" project template will be created with only the Scope of description fields.
  • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and you return to the parent page without any changes.

Edit template

This is the template dashboard, with the following function layout (Fig. <edit template>).

  • The central feature is a table where the rows represent the columns in the data capture worksheet, and the columns represent attributes of those worksheet columns.
  • In the top left corner, the Template settings button opens the dialog described below.
  • On the left of the table is the Column filters area:
    • Core description templates have only one check box to show the scope columns of the template. Once you have adjusted the scope column's display attributes to suit your project, you don't need to see these columns and the box is therefore unchecked by default.
    • Templates of type micropaleontology have three additional check boxes for General, Taxa, and Taxa-like observables. These terms are explained in the section Add taxa type columns. A dropdown list allows you to filter by microfossil group for cases where a template is used for multiple microfossil groups. 
  • Also on the left of the table are buttons that open dialogs to add, delete and reorder columns.
    • note that if you edit a template of type micropaleontology, you'll get a few extra functions that don't show for core description templates.
  • Show and edit column attributes by group
    • Across the top of the table, you can select attribute groups for selected table row(s) and click the Edit button, which opens the dialogs described below.

To save all changes made to the template, click the Save button.

  • When you save individual changes in the various edit windows, they are locally saved. To save all changes to the database, you must use the Save button on this Edit template page.
    • If you return to the Project templates page without saving, all template changes are lost (you'll get a warning).
  • You will get a report of all existing data files for the template you changed. If you care about data consistency in your project, you should re-open those worksets in the Data Capture application and re-publish them. This will do two things:
    • Your data files will all have the same columns (in case you added or removed columns).
    • Errors may be indicated as a result of your validation rule changes and you can fix them.

Click the Return to template list button if you want to edit another template or exit the page without saving the changes to the template.


Figure <edit template>. This is the Template Manager dashboard from which any aspect of a template can be modified.

Template settings

To edit a set of parameters that affect the overall template behavior and look in the Data Capture application, click the Template settings button, which opens a form for the following settings.

  • Make template available to observers
  • Optional template name extension
    • The root name for all templates is scale_type_objective. The optional extension allows you to append more information to the template name in case this is useful for the team. This could be a version number to alert team members of changes to the template, or more specification about the template objective.
  • Expeditions this template can see
    • Expeditions are assigned to the project by authorized staff members, based on the science plan. This feature allows a project to describe samples from multiple expeditions. You cannot change this setting, it is displayed for your information. For more information on this topic, see the glossary entry Expeditions and projects.
  • Header row height and Data row height
    • The default or catalog settings for the row heights are in general a good fit, but template-specific preferences may exist. This is the place you can adjust the row heights to the settings that suit you when working in the Data Capture worksheet.
  • Sample types this template can use
    • This is a template-specific 'pre-filter' for the benefit of the observers in the Data Capture application, so they don't need to filter repeatedly for the appropriate sample types.
    • First you select whether the template shall use large or small sample types. This determines whether the offset columns will be editable in the worksheet or not.
      • Large sample types are described macroscopically. In the vast majority of cases this is the archive section half. Users need to specify top and bottom offset to define a description interval.
      • Small sample types are typically described microscopically. For small sample types, 'Offset in section' was registered at the time the sample was taken and observers cannot edit these offsets.
    • Next you select the specific sample types that the template can use.
  • Include intervals from WRND samples
    • This setting only applies to templates using large sample types and is checked by default.
    • If checked, adding a section half to the data capture worksheet will check if a whole-round sample was removed before section splitting, and if so, add that interval automatically. The observer can then select a value from the dropdown list of the No material present column to indicate why the sample was taken.
  • When section length has changed, adjust bottom of sample automatically
    • If this box is checked, the bottom offsets for large sample types are updated to the latest value in the database whenever the worksheet is recreated. This ensures that the latest (potentially updated) sample length will be used when the final product data files are generated.

Add columns

You arrived on this page in one of two ways:

  • by clicking the Add columns button on a template that is not of type micropaleontology;
  • by clicking the Add button in the Other columns to be added area on the the Add micropaleontology columns page.

Your first choice is to try and find suitable catalog observables and add them to the template. Filter the observable catalog records by using one of two filtering methods:

  • Enter any term of interest in the Search headers and definitions field and you get observables that have that character string in their observable definition or in the column header. This is most convenient if you are not yet familiar with the observable syntax.
  • Alternatively, use the Definition filters to select terms from the dropdown menus of one or more of the six observable qualifier liats.

If the search result contains what you are looking for:

  • Select the most suitable observable(s).
  • Click the Add to the list below button.
  • Click Save to add the selected observables to the template.

If your search does not result in any catalog observable, you are automatically presented with the Create new observable definition button, with the following three requirements (and correspondind error messages):

  • The Search field must be cleared
  • You must make a selection from the  Entry type qualifier list.
  • You must make at least one more selection from another qualifier dropdown lists.

To start the process of creating a new observable:

  • Click the Create new observable definition button, which presents you with a form to register the new observable.
  • Confirm that your observable qualifier terms make sense. You can keep modifying the term selections. If you create a combination that already exists in the catalog, you are automatically returned to the filtered catalog observable table.

To complete the new observable creation:

  • Select connecting words in front of your qualifier terms to create a meaningful English sentence for your observable definition. By default the words are separated by a space. 
  • Add a header for the column.
    • You can use the Copy definition to header button to 'seed' your header and then edit (shorten) it. Make a good choice because you cannot edit the header later, which is by design to ensure data integrity.
  • If you are happy with your definition and header, click Add to the list below.
  • You can create additional new observables and add them to the list.
  • When you are done creating new observables, click the Save button. You will be returned to the Edit template page.
  • Newly created observables will be of type text. To change that, follow the Edit entry controls process from the Edit template page.

Add micropaleontological columns

If you arrive at this page, your template type is micropaleontology and you clicked the Add columns button on the Edit template page. This is the dashboard for adding multiple types of columns in multiple ways to micropaleontology templates.

This page has four areas for four types of columns:

  • Taxa type columns to be added
    • Taxa-type column include actual taxa columns, and miscellaneous constituent columns (e.g., 'ash') that you want to be validated and formatted the same way as taxa columns.
  • Zone columns to be added
    • You can add one ore more zonal schemes and select the expected zones, which will appear in a dropdown menu in the Data Capture application.
  • Datum and age columns to be added
    • You can add one datum column per template and select the expected datums, which will appear in a dropdown menu in the Data Capture application.
    • You can add one or more age columns that are populated with ages in the Data Capture application based on published time scales.
  • Other columns to be added
    • Any column that does not fit the other three types.
    • This is the same process as the one for templates that are not of type micropaleontology, described in the Add columns section.

To add columns:

  • Click the Add button in the appropriate area.
    • The appropriate page or window will open for you to proceed (see below).

    • in the case of taxa-type columns, you need to select the desired method from the dropdown menu to proceed:

      • Taxa from catalog
      • Taxa from personal list
      • New taxon using form
      • Observables treated like taxa
    • For the other three column types, the appropriate page or window opens directly.
  • As you add columns, they will be listed in the corresponding area on this page.
  • Use the Remove button to remove a selected item from a list.

When you are done adding columns to the dashboard:

  • Click the Add columns to template and edit taxa column attributes button, which opens the Set attributes for taxa columns page.

    • Only the taxa-type columns will be included in the bulk formatting process. The other three column types can be formatted by following the standard procedure from the Edit template page.

    • If you click the Cancel button you get the following warning:

      • "You have taxa in your list that were not converted into template columns. Do you want to return and loose them?"

    • Make the appropriate choice.

Add taxa from catalog

To select and add taxa from the GEODESC taxonomic catalogs:

  • Select a microfossil group, which will filter the catalog accordingly and display more filtering options.
    • You can add taxa from multiple groups to a template, the filter simply helps reduce that large number of taxa for further filtering.
  • Filter the the pre-filtered taxa using one of two methods:
    • Enter any term in the Search field, which will search all parameters making up the taxa definitions.
    • Alternatively, make a selection from the dropdown lists for genus, species or family/informal group.
  • Select taxa and click the Add selected entry(s) to the list below button.
    • The program prevents addition of taxa that already exist in the template or in the cumulative list on the Add taxa type columns page.
  • You can optionally use the Modify selected entry button to modify one taxon at a time.
  • Wen you are satisfied with your selection of taxa, click the Save button.
  • If you click the Cancel button, all taxa selected on this page will not be added to the cumulative list on the Add taxa type columns page.

Modify selected taxon

You may hav good reasons to modify a taxon, for example, by using a species modifier instead of the species. To modify a selected taxon:

  • Click the Modify selected taxon button, which opens a form where you can modify the following parameters:
    • Species modifier
    • Subspecies modifier
    • Size
    • Suffix
    • Descriptive text
    • Sensu (reference)

Add taxa from personal list

If you have a personal list of taxa, you can turn them into template columns using this page. You can import an Excel file with your taxa, or add rows and enter new records manually, and you can edit the table. Your personal taxa list must pass a number of validations before it can be added to the template.

To import your list, have it validated, and then add it to the template:

  • Click the Download Excel file button, which downloads an Excel template to your directory. Use this template as a reference for formatting your list.
    • The Excel template has 11 columns that will be evaluated. Your column headers don't need to be correct, what matters is the column order, or the position of the relevant data.
    • Format your file according to the template, or copy-paste your data into the template file.
  • Click the Browse button, select your file, and open it.
    • The first up to 11 columns of data are imported, additional columns are ignored.
    • The  global taxa validation is triggered.
      • Errors are indicated with a red border around the table cell.
      • If you hover the curser over an erroneous cell, the type of error is described in a pop-up window.
  • Fix the errors. You have two options:
    • Fix the errors directly in the application (or delete erroneous records).
    • Alternatively, export the table to Excel using the Export list (with errors) to data file button.
      • The data including error flags and error descriptions are written to a file named export.
      • Fix the errors in Excel.
      • Re-import the corrected file, which again triggers the validation process.
  • When no more global taxa errors exist, click the Add taxa to template button.
    • This triggers the GEODESC taxa catalog validation.
      • First, for each taxon, the program is looking for an exact match between all 11 import file parameters and the corresponding parameters in the GEODESC taxa catalog. If none is found, the program is looking for an exact match in the synonym catalog (only for synonyms that are flagged ALLOWED, others are ignored).
        • If a match exists, the program passes the catalog record ID to the list for reference in the application.
      • For records that don't have an exact match in the catalog, the program is executing a search for a partial (4 parameter: OFIG, Genus, Species, Subspecies) match.
        • If a catalog match is found, the taxon passes as a modified taxon.
        • If no catalog match is found, you have two options:
          • Add the new taxon using the Add new taxon using form feature. It will be flagged so appropriate specialists can review it at a future time and potentially add it to the catalog.
          • Delete the record.
  • For all valid taxa in the list (those that passed global taxa validation and have an exact or partial catalog match), the program checks the accumulated taxa columns on the Add taxa type columns page as well as the existing taxa columns in the template to prevent duplication of taxa columns.
    • Redundant taxa in the personal list are indicated with a strike-through format. They will not be added.

Add taxa using form entry

If the Add taxa from catalog nor the Modify selected taxon features don't yield a desired taxon, and/or the Add taxa from personal list is not passing it as a modified taxon, you can still use it in your template using this form. To add a taxon using the form:

  • Enter as much information as possible in the form.
  • Click the Add to the list button.
    • The entry will be added to the temporary list at the bottom of the form.
  • Click the Clear form button to make another entry.
  • When you are done adding new taxa, click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and nothing will change.

The program will flag the records added in this manner as new taxa so GEODESC reviewers can gather them in the Catalog Manager application and potential add them to the catalog.

Add taxa from project

You are presented with a list of project taxa, i.e., taxa that didn't exist at the time in the GEODESC taxa catalog and were therefore added to this project. The purpose of this page to provide access to the new taxa added, and although rarely used, to add a project taxon to a different template.

To add a project taxon to the selected template:

  • Select the taxon
  • Click the Add selected taxon to list button.
    • If the taxon already exists in the template, you get the message "This taxaon already exists in the template."
    • Use the Remove selected taxon from the list button if you added it accidentally.
  • Click the Save button (or the Cancel button to loose all changes).

You can also modify a project taxon. To do so:

  • Select the taxon to be modified, either in the Project taxa list or the To be added list.
    • This will present the Modify selected taxon form. 
  • Add your modifier. You may have to use the display options at the top of the projext taxa list to see it.
  • Click the Save button (or the Cancel button to loose all changes).
    • The modifier will only be added to the taxon in the To be added list. If you have not added the taxon yet, the modified version will be added automatically.

Add observables treated like taxa

This is a simplified version of the page that core describers use to select or create observables. Observables added to the dashboard in this manner will be formatted in bulk together with the taxa columns so they will have the same validation rules and formats.

If you can't find what you need you are advised to use the more fully featured Add other columns option and/or talk with a support staff member.

To add observables treated like taxa:

  • Use the Search general observable definitions by keyword field to find observables of interest.
  • Select desired item from the search results.
  • Click the Add selected item to the list
    • The item will appear in the To be added list.
    • Use the Remove selected item from the list button if you accidentally added an item.
  • Click the Save button (or the Cancel button to loose all changes).

Add zone columns

To add one or more zone columns:

  • Select a microfossil group from the dropdown menu.
    • The available zone schemas are filtered accordingly.
  • Select one or more of the available zones.
  • Click the Add button.
    • The zone(s) are added to the temporary list below.
  • Add more zonal schemas if needed.

When you are done adding zones:

  • Click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and nothing changes.

Add datum and age columns

If you want to Add only datum column, no age columns, check that box and all features for selecting age columns will disappear.

To add one or more age columns, which automatically will also create a datum column:

  • Select a time
  • Click the Add button.
    • This will add the timescale to the To be added to template list.
    • You can remove items from this list by selecting an item and clicking the Remove button. 

When you are done adding age columns (time scales):

  • Click the Save button.
    • Alternative, click the Cancel button and nothing changes.

Set attributes for taxa-type columns

You are presented with column display and entry validation controls for the set of columns you added on the Add micropaleontological columns page, which are listed on the left in the Taxa and taxa-like columns in current selection area. You have 5 control areas (see links to GEODESC glossary for explanations):

If you are happy with the settings, click the Save and go to Edit template button. You can change column attributes from here at any time, for any set of columns.

Alternatively, click the Cancel button to loose all attribute changes and return to the the Add micropaleontological columns page, with your column selections still intact.

Replace with list from template

You are presented wit the Current list of entry values on the left, and a list of columns with validation lists used in the current template on the right. To replace the current list:

  • Select any column name in the Select another list area to see the associated value list.
  • Select the one you want to apply.
  • Click the Save button.
    • The list is applied to all columns on the Add taxa type columns page.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and the change you made is lost.

Reorder columns

Reorder the observable column positions the way you want them to appear by default in the data capture sheet.

Note: Scope of description columns cannot be reordered. They always appear to the left of all observable columns, and they are always in the same order. (You can hide those you don't want to appear in the the data capture sheet.)

The Reorder column blocks button appears at the top of the page if the template type is micropaleontology. It brings up a separate reorder window that is irrelevant for core description templates.

General reorder (all templates):

  • Select a single column or multiple contiguous column.
  • Use the four toggle buttons to the left of the column table:
    • Move to the top (meaning: to the left of the data capture sheet, right after the scope columns)
    • Move up (meaning one position to the right in the data capture sheet)
    • Move down (meaning one position to the left in the data capture sheet)
    • Move to the bottom (meaning: the right end of the capture sheet)
  • Click the Save button, or Cancel if you don't make or want to save the changes.

Reorder column blocks

Note: This window is only available for micropaleontology templates.

The functions available here allow you arrange your columns with high degree control. The process is sequential.

Start by arranging observables by type, and sorting within types:

  • Click the Collect columns into blocks by type button.
    • The list that pops up groups the columns into observable types, in the following default order:
      • GEN - General observables
      • TAXA - Taxa observables
      • LIKE TAXA - Observables treated like taxa
  • You can arrange the groups differently using the up and down arrows to the left of the list.
  • You can sort the columns within a group:
    • Select a group to be sorted alphabetically
    • Click the Sort alphabetically within selected block button.
    • Repeat for other groups if needed.

Next, you can arrange multiple microfossil groups within the TAXA group, and sort within the groups:

  • Click the Collect columns into microfossil group blocks button.
    • The list that pops up groups the TAXA type columns into microfossil groups, in alphabetical order:
  • You can arrange the microfossil groups differently using the up and down arrows to the left of the list.
  • You can sort the columns within a group:
    • Select a microfossil group to be sorted alphabetically
    • Click the Sort alphabetically within selected block button.
    • Repeat for other groups if needed.

Click the Keep changes and return button, or alternatively, the Return button to loose all change, and return to the Reorder columns page.

Edit entry validation

Edit entry validation list

On this page you establish the list of allowed values, and optionally add ranks in a separate rank column.

On the left of the page, the selected observable(s) is (are) displayed.

In the center area, the Current list values' are displayed.

  • In case of a single observable or multiple observables with the exact same list, the list values and their ranks, if they exist, are displayed.
  • In case of multiple observables with different lists, the message 'Columns have different lists' is displayed.

To reorder values:

  • Select the value you want to move
  • Click the Up or Down button.

To remove values from the list:

  • Select the value you want to remove from the list
  • Click the Remove button.

On the right side of the page are four action buttons:

  • Add values to the list button, opens the Select values to be added to the list window.
  • Edit ranks button
  • Replace with list from template button
  • Replace with list from catalog button

Each of these buttons opens a separate editor as described in the following sections.

Add values to the list

To select values from the GEODESC entry value catalog:

  • Browse or filter the catalog using one of two filters:
    • Enter any term of interest in the Search field and all records containing that character string will be returned.
    • Click the Terms button and navigate the up to three level hierarchy of terms in the catalog until you find the desired one.
  • Select the desired values from the records resulting from the search and click the Add selected value(s) to list button. This will add the values to the To be added list below the main table.
    • Terms that are already in the current list or in the To be added list are checked in the first column of the table. They cannot be added again.
    • You can also see the current list values in the Current list table below the main table.
  • When done selecting values to be added, click Save. 
    • Alternatively, click Cancel and loose any changes.

If the catalog doesn't yield your desired value, or the value exists but not in the group you think it belongs to:

  • Click the Create new entry value button

 GEODESC reviewers will consider adding new project values to the catalog at a later time, using the Catalog Manager application.

Create new entry value

To create a new value and add it to the list:

  • Select a first order term from the dropdown list. You cannot add a new first order term.
  • Select or enter a second order terms (mandatory)
    • To enter a new term, scroll to the bottom of the list and select CREATE NEW, then enter your term.
  • Select or enter a third order term (optional)
    • To enter a new term, scroll to the bottom of the list and select CREATE NEW, then enter your term.
  • Enter the value that you will ultimately use for data capture (mandatory)
    • Note: the first, second and third order terms will not be in your data file, they only serve to order the large number of values in the catalog.
    • However, the grouping terms for all value lists will be in the metadata file.
  • Enter a description (optional but highly recommended)
  • Click Save.
    • Alternatively, click Cancel if you you changed your mind.

Edit ranks

Ranks are useful for plotting list values that represent a specific order. All values in a list must have a rank, or none.

To add ranks:

  • Click the Add ranks button.
    • This assigns a contiguous sequence of integers to the values in the list.
  • Click the Plus and Minus buttons to change the rank assignments to your liking.

To clear ranks:

  • Click the Clear ranks button.

To reorder values by rank:

  • Click the Reorder values by rank button.
    • In the Data Capture application, list values appear in the order you place them on the Edit entry validation list page. This is a way to order the values quickly by rank.. 

To save any changes made to the ranks:

  • Click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button to loose all changes.

Replace with list from template

Note: The current list associated with the selected observable(s) is displayed in the Current list area on the left.

If you have a value list already in your template that you would like to apply to this observable instead of the current list:

  • Browse the template column list in the Select another list area.
  • Click on columns with a prospective replacement list and view the list items.
  • With the desired column selected, click the Save button.
    • Alternatively click the Cancel button and the list will not be replaced.

Replace with list from catalog

Note: The current list associated with the selected observable(s) is displayed in the Current list area on the left.

If you would like to replace your current list with a more suitable list from the matching catalog observable:

  • Browse the list of lists associated with the observable in the Select another list area.
  • Click on lists to view prospective replacement lists.
  • With the desired replacement list selected, click the Save button.
    • Alternatively click the Cancel button and the list will not be replaced.

This feature only works if your project observable was copied from the catalog, and not created as a new observable in the project.

Edit numeric validation

If observables are set to the entry type numeric, only numbers can be entered in the data capture worksheet. The numeric validation settings control what the observer can enter in the Data Capture application, and what is stored in the database. If your observations in this column(s) require a mixture of numbers and text, use free text or list validation.

The columns affected by this change are listed in the Selected columns area on the left.

To set the numeric constraints for the selected columns, enter your values in the three entry fields:

  • Maximum
  • Minimum
  • Number of decimals

Note: the current settings of the selected observable(s) are shown by default unless multiple selected columns do not have the exact same settings.

Edit formula

You can create template columns with formulas in a similar fashion as you do in other spreadsheet programs. However, formulas are restricted to taking only input values from existing template columns, from the same row. Formulas must be defined here in the Template Manager application, observers cannot create formulas in the Data Capture application by design.

To enter or edit a formula:

  • Construct the formula in the spreadsheet column corresponding to the selected column.
    • This works very similarly to Excel of Google sheets.
  • You can enter values in row 2 of the referenced columns and check if the formula result meets your expectations.
  • Click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button. 

Edit zone list

The selected zone column is displayed at the top with the author-year reference.

The table lists all the zones currently in the list with the following columns:

  • Zone code
  • Zone name

To add more zones:

  • Click the Add button.
    • This will open the Add zones window.

To delete zones:

  • Select a zone
  • Click the Delete button.

When you are done:

  • Click the Save button
  • Alternatively, click the Cancel button.

Add zones

The zonal scheme you are working with is displayed at the top.

The table lists all zones for the scheme. The zones already in the template list are checked in the first column Exists already. When you edit the list for the first time for a template, all zones are included in the list.

To add zones to the list:

  • Select the zones you want to add to the list.
  • Click the Add button.
    • The zones are added to the To be added list.

When you are done editing the zone list:

  • Click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and no changes are made to the current list.
    • Either way, you return to the Edit template page.

Edit datum list

You are presented with the current list of datums. The table has the following columns:

  • Datum name
  • As many age columns as configured on the Add datum and age columns page.
    • The table is sorted by the 'sort set' parameter, which can be modified by a reviewer but is not displayed in the table.

To add datums to the list:

  • Click the Add button, which  opens the Add datums window.

To delete a specific datum:

  • Enter (parts of) the name in the Search field.
  • Select the datum.
  • Click Delete.

When you are done editing the datum list:

  • Click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and no changes are made to the list.
    • Either way, you return to the Edit template page without changes.

Add datums

The datum list displays all datums that are part of the timescales added to the datum column on the Add datum and age columns page.

To add datums to the list:

  • Optionally filter the microfossil group list by entering (part of) the desired datum name in the Search field.
  • Select the datum(s) you want to add to the list or check the Select all button.
  • Click the Add button, which adds your selection to the temporary list below the main list.
    • You can remove items from that temporary list with the Remove button.
  • When done, click the Save button.
    • Alternatively, click the Cancel button and return to the Edit template page without changes.

Edit entry controls

Task: Set the the general entry requirement rules and the validation type for the selected column(s). Go to the appropriate editor for the specific validation settings.

To set the general entry requirement rules for the selected columns:

  • Entry required rule
  • Contiguity rule (no gap rule)
  • Exclusivity rule (no overlap rule)

The validation types you can chose from:

  • Text
  • List (single-select)
  • List (multi-select)
  • Numeric
  • Formula

Clicking the Edit button will get you to the specific validation editor based on your selection of validation type.


Edit display attributes

Task: Edit the display attributes of the columns to make their appearance in data capture as ergonomic as possible.

Note: Scope columns and catalog observable settings are already preset to generally reasonable values, you may just have to fine-tune them to your liking.

For an effective presentation of the display settings, they are broken into 3 groups, selectable using the radio buttons across the top of the column table on the Edit template page. However, they can all be edited on the same Edit display attribute page. The following are all the attributes you can edit:

Column display 

  • Visibility (set the default visibility to hide or unhide.
  • Lock visibility (to prevent observers from hiding or unhiding columns during data capture)
  • Column width (to use space effectively)
  • Background color (to highlight groups of columns, etc.)

Header display

  • Vertical align
  • Horizontal align
  • Word wrap (on or off)
  • Orientation (horizontal or vertical)

Data display

  • Vertical align
  • Horizontal align
  • Word wrap (on or off)