enLighter User Manual

table of contents

previous

next

enLighter Categories

This section applies to: All Products

Categories Topics

What are Categories? The Categories Manager   Libraries ( Professional and Networks only)   New Category   Editing a Category   Deleting a Category   Saving changes What is an Archived Category? Removing the default (General) Category

What are Categories?

Categories top

enLighter Categories provide ways to organize Highlights, Comments, and Documents.  Each Library has a set of Categories (enLighter Retriever users have a single Core Library).  The number and types of Categories will depend on the Library's intended content.  Every Highlight and Comment will have a single specific Category.  Each Document in a Library will be categorized by the Highlights and Notes it contains. 

Categories allow for more efficient searching.  Searches can use Category filters, returning results only withing certain Categories.  By setting up appropriate Categories, you allow Highlights and Comments to be added immediately to a relevant Category.  This up-front filtering is easier than sorting information at a later date, although that is still possible. 

Category labels are obviously important to establish the content of the Category (e.g. "Author", "Science Jokes", "Shakespeare Essay").  Category styles can be used to make highlights stand out from a page (see Editing a Category below), and aid recognition through visual cues.  Set up your Categories early, and save the effort of re-organizing later.

The Categories Manager

Categories top

Topics:   Libraries ( Professional and Networks only)   New Category   Editing a Category   Deleting a Category   Saving changes

The Categories Manager provides a control screen for adding, editing, and organizing your Categories.  You can open the Categories Manager by selecting "Manage Categories..." from the highlight menu, or the main menus' Manage list, or by clicking on the Categories tab when on another control screen.


The Categories Manager is available from the Highlight menu.
The currently selected Library's Categories will be listed in a table (the Core Library is always shown for enLighter Retriever users).  Each Category can be edited and tested within the table.


The Categories Manager components.  enLighter Retriever omits the topmost Library selector.
The Categories Manager components are as follows:

1. Currently Shown Library - label of the Library the currently displayed Categories belong to.  The Core Library is always shown for enLighter Retriever users thus this component is not visible.  See the Libraries section below for more.
2. Change Library - select another Library to view.
3. Active / Archived - Archived categories are only accessible when Searching.  See Archiving Categories below.
4. Samples - displays how a Highlight in this Category will appear.  Pass your mouse over the sample to see how Comments will appear.  See Editing Categories for more.
5. Edit / Delete - click these buttons to alter the associated Category. 
6. New - create a new Category in this Library.
7. Save / Close - save any changes or close the manager.

Archiving Categories
When a Category is no longer in use but has content that you would like to continue having the option to filter for searches, you may archive that Category.  An archived Category will not show up on the Highlight and Comment lists, so users will not be able to add new Highlights and Comments to that Category.  The archived Category will still be available during searches, however.  You cannot archive the default category. 

Libraries

Cat Manager Categories top

enLighter Retriever: All Categories are part of the Core Library.  Any changes made in the Category Manager will affect your Core Library.

Each Library has its own set of Categories.  Only a single Library's Categories will be listed at a time.  In order to change Libraries, use the "change" button at the upper right of the screen to select another Library.  For more on Libraries, see the Libraries section of this manual.

New Category

Cat Manager Categories top

Click on the NEW button in the lower left corner to add a new Category.  The category will have a default label of " New Category" so it will sort to the top of the list.  Select the "edit" button beside it to alter the label and other settings (see Editing Categories below for more details.

Editing Categories

Cat Manager Categories top

Beside each active Category in the list will be an "edit" button.  Selecting this button will open another dialog with the specifics of the chosen Category.  On the left are samples to illustrate the Category settings as they will appear in Highlights and Comments.  The right side of the dialog contains the editable settings.


Customize the Category using style and color.
Label for Display
Type the label to describe and differentiate this Category and its intended content.

Background
Select a color for the background of both the Highlight and the Comment popup (see below for Choosing Colors).  Color is an excellent way to ease recognition.

Text
The text of the Highlight and (if the option is set) the Comment can have both size and color set.  Use both for emphasis and to make certain Categories stand out.

Border
Set the Comment border for this Category as you determine best for both contrast and recognition.  Notice how the left samples change to reflect your settings.  Use this to help determine the best combinations.

Choosing Colors
When a "color" button is pressed, the following dialog will appear:


Click anywhere to select that color.
You may choose a color from the spectrum across the top, a tone variant in the bottom gradient, or standard black or white in the upper right.  The original color is located in the bottom right.  Your color selection will appear both in a box to the right of the color button as well as in the samples to the left.  You can cancel the color change, or "keep" it by pressing the appropriate button.  Try to use contrasting colors between text and background to keep it readable.

Deleting Categories

Cat Manager Categories top

Each Category has a "delete" button to the right that will remove that Category from the Library.  Any existing Highlights or Comments will be treated as General (or whatever you have named the default Category).  Deleting Categories can be disruptive if other users are using your Libraries, so consider the effects of deletion when dealing with multi-user Libraries (Professional and Networks only). 

A Library requires at least one Category. The default for any Library is the "General" Category.  You cannot delete or archive the default Category, but you can edit and relabel it.

Saving Changes

Cat Manager Categories top

You can change and try out as many changes as you like in the Category Manager without committing those changes.  Only by pressing the "Save" button in the lower right do you commit all the changes you have made.  If you try to change the Library or close the Category Manager, you will be prompted if you want to save all changes.  Should you desire to "undo" all you've done, you can continue navigating away and all changes will be ignored.

©2002-2004 enLighter Systems Inc., N-LITER Inc. All Rights Reserved