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Please choose a help category from the list below:
  1. Browse
  2. Select
  3. Search
  4. Preferences
  5. Datasheets
  6. Subsets (Filters/Forms)
  7. Linked Records
  8. Exporting Data
  9. Graphical Data
  10. Glossary

Select

A selection allows materials to be found based on their properties.

To perform a selection :
  1. Click 'select' on the toolbar.
  2. The selection page for the current table will appear in the main area.
  3. Enter your selection criteria. The 'Reset' button will clear any entered criteria.
  4. Click the 'Select' button.
A list of matching selection results is displayed. To view a datasheet for a selection result, click on the link on the record's name.

At the top of the selection page, the following tools are provided : To change the selection table :
  1. Click 'Change Table' at the top of the selection page.
  2. A page will be displayed with a list of tables. Only tables that have selectable attributes are displayed.
  3. Click a table name.
  4. You are returned to the selection page for the new table.

Selection Criteria

The selection page shows all properties that it is possible to perform a selection on in the current table.

Selection criteria can be entered for more than one property. Each property is independent of the others. If criteria are entered for more than one property, the result is the intersection of the individual selections (this is equivalent to the AND operator in a search).

Selection criteria can be set by :
  1. Typing a limit for numeric properties.
  2. Selecting 'True' or 'False' from a drop down list for boolean properties.
  3. Ticking a box for discrete properties.
  4. Selecting a value or values from a scrolling list for discrete properties.
The 'Reset' button will clear all entered criteria.

Once all required criteria have been entered, click 'Select' to perform a selection.

Where there is no data for a property of a record, the record will fail a selection made on that property (unless the 'Pass Not Applicables' option has been selected).

After a selection has been made, clicking the 'refine' link in the selection results view will return you to the selection page with your selection criteria filled in.


Entering Criteria

Typing A Limit

For a numeric property, you can select on values that lie in a specified range, below a specified maximum or above a specified minimum, by typing a number or numers that act as limits in the appropriate boxes.
  • To specify a range, type the lower limit in the left hand box and the upper limit in the right hand box.
  • To select values below a specified maximum, type the specified maximum in the right hand box.
  • To select values above a specified minimum, type the specified minimum in the left hand box.
The units for the property and the lowest and highest values stored in the database are shown for each property.
The behaviour of the selection at the edges of a range can be altered using the 'Pass When' feature.


Selecting 'True' Or 'False'

For a boolean property, you can select on values that are 'True' or 'False' by selecting a value from a drop down list.
  • Selecting 'True' will select those records whose value for the property is true.
  • Selecting 'False' will select those records whose value for the property is false.

Ticking A Box

For a discrete property with only a few possible values, you can select on one or more values by ticking the appropriate box.


For a discrete property with the possible values of A, B and C :
 
  • Ticking only A will select those records with a value of A for that property.
  • Ticking only C will select those records with a value of C for that property.
  • Ticking A and C will select those records with a value of A for that property AND those records with a value of C for that property (equivalent to applying the OR operator to the set).


Selecting A Value From A Scrolling List

For a discrete property with lots of possible values, you can select on one or more values by choosing value from a scrolling list.
  • Use the scroll bar to view all possible values.
  • Click on a value in the list to select it.
  • To select more than one value, hold down the control (CTRL) key and click on the desired values in the list (equivalent to applying the OR operator to the set).
  • To unselect all of the chosen values, hold down the control (CTRL) key and click on all the selected values until there are no more selected.

Selection Behaviour

The selection behaviour of the application can be altered using the selection preferences on the preferences page.

Pass When Whole Record Is Within Criteria

You can specify whether the range of values for a property in a resultant record must lie wholly within the range of the selection criteria, or whether part of the range may lie outside the selection criteria. This is set using the 'Pass When Whole Record Is Within Criteria' preference.

'Pass When' behaviour   When 'Pass When Whole Record Is Within Criteria' is set to false, both records pass the selection and appear as results. If it is set to true, only record 1 passes and appears as a result.


Pass Not Applicables

Where there is no data for a property of a record, it is marked as 'Not Applicable'. Performing a selection on this means the record will fail a selection made on that property by default.

The 'Pass Not Applicables' preference reverses this behaviour and will pass any record that has a value of 'Not Applicable' for the property being selected on.


Selection On Composition

A selection can be made on the composition properties of records to find similar materials.

To do a selection based on composition :
  1. Click 'select' on the toolbar.
  2. Choose the appropriate table (eg. MaterialUniverse) from the drop down list and click 'Choose'.
  3. The selection page for that table will appear in the main area.
  4. Under the 'Composition' heading, click on one 'Base'1 component to select it.
  5. Under the 'General' heading, type in percentage values2 for any other components that you wish to specify.
  6. Click the 'Select' button.
A list of matching selection results is displayed. To view a datasheet for a selection result, click on the link on the record's name.

Notes

  1. The 'Base' component makes up the bulk (in terms of percentage weight) of the material.
  2. To select a material that contains a significant but unspecified amount (weight percentage) of a certain component, type '-1' in its minimum field. A zero (0%) entry indicates that there are trace amounts of the component, but the actual value ios not specified.

Selection Results

The selection results returned from a selection are a list of records that pass all of the selection criteria. The list gives the tree name of each record.

The number of results found and navigational tools to browse through the results are shown at the top of the list.

The 'refine' link in the selection results view will return you to the selection page with your selection criteria filled in, allowing you to select on additional criteria. The 'Reset' button will return your original criteria.

The number of results displayed per page is a user preference and can be altered on the preferences page.

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