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A Catalog is a file which contains structured information. It can contain information about other files (such as annotation of data files), or it can be self contained (such as a list of samples or protocols). Like a spreadsheet or database, you can store tables of data in a catalog; but a catalog can also have a structure of folders and subfolders. Catalogs are just saved as files, and you can also publish them as websites.
A class is a type of record, and has a name and a list of fields. An example class could be "Image" which specifies the fields "filename", "width" and "height". Another could be "Reference" with fields "author", "link to pdf", "title", "abstract". Every record has a single class, and is a specific instance of that class - so a record of class "Reference" will have the values filled in for the different fields (like "author", "title", "abstract". In Catalyzer you can create your own classes, and some are created automatically for you when you import data from files or a spreadsheet.
"Comma Separated Value" - a simple "lowest common denominator" standard file format for tabular data, where the values are separated by commas and each entry starts on a new line. Most spreadsheets and databases will be able to import/export data in "CSV" format. Catalyzer can import CSV files (see the section on importing CSV files).
A Class defines a number of Fields (such as "Author", "Title", "Abstract"). A Record fills in the values for the fields (such as "Bob", "Killer Rabbits", "This paper describes a new breed of dangerous rabbits.") Fields also have a Field Type - such as "Text", "Number", "Date".
The basic type of Fields is "Text" - just a single line of text. Catalyzer supports a number of other types, including Dates, Numbers, Menus, Lists, Resources, Text Boxes etc. You can set the Field Type in the Class Editing window, see section Setting The Field Type.
In a catalog, a "Folder" is a built in class of record which can have a list of subrecords. So it is useful for organising your catalogs; you can make "Folder" records and subrecords in the same way as you make folders to organise your data files. Making a "Folder" record in catalyzer does *not* make an actual folder in the file system - just one internal to the catalog.
Information about a file which is embedded in the file. For example, JPEG images from a digital camera include some header information which holds the camera settings, image size, and the date the picture was taken. Word documents include header information detailing the title and author of a document. Catalyzer will extract the header information from a variety of formats and automatically populate a catalog with all the information (see section Import Files).
Information about data. If your "data" is a list of numbers gathered from a piece of equipment, the "metadata" would be things like the date you gathered it, the settings of the machine, details of the sample you were analysing etc etc. Catalogs are concerned mostly with storing metadata, along with links to the actual data files.
A module in Catalyzer that will import extra information from data files and make thumbnails.
A set of options that you can configure and apply when building a website, such as the colours and style of your website.
A record is the basic unit of information storage in Catalyzer. Every record has a single Class which specifies which fields must be filled in. For example a class "Publication" may specify you need fields including "author", "date", "journal", "title". A record of class "Publication" is a specific instance - and could be composed of values "Bob", "1 Jan", "Nature", "Rabbits gone crazy".
A "resource" is a link to a data file (on hard disk, CD or a network drive). It can also be used for a link to a website (a URL such as "http://www.axiope.com"). "Resource" is one of the field types available when you make a class, so you can make references to files from records.
The first item in a catalog file hierarchy - when you first start Catalyzer it is a folder called "untitled".
A record that is stored in another record. One of the Field Types available is "Record" - this lets you embed a record in another record.
A miniature display of an image or datafile which provides a preview. Catalyzer will generate thumbnails from a number of image formats, and display them along with the record in the main window.
The view of the hierarchy of records in a catalog, with a structure of folders and subfolders which is similar to the Windows Explorer view of a filesyste,
The structure used by a catalog, including all classes and types. A type catalog does not contain any records. It is saved along with the catalog in the ".axz" file.
You can define complex menus for fields to represent e.g. a species taxonomy - but what if you want to reuse the same taxonomy in different fields? This is where a user defined type comes in; you can save the field type and give it a name (e.g. "MyTaxonomy"). This is now a user defined type which you can use in other fields. Section User Defined Types has more details.
The abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. For example "http://www.axiope.com", "file://c:/My Documents/test.doc". Resource fields in Catalyzer use URLs, so you can refer to either files or websites.
A piece of data that you enter into a record for a field. For example, the value for field "title" in a record of class "Book" could be "101 Ways To Catch A Rabbit". A typical record will have a number of values for its different fields.