Users can search to narrow down or find a specific data point. The search function is accessed on the left side of Plot-It.
General search
Users can enter their search term into the search box on the left side of Plot-It. You can search by typing dates, locations, or keyword into the search field.
As users type in the search box the results will narrow down automatically. Currently, this
search feature does not support Boolean searching.
Users can view the search results in either the timeline or map.
To view more information about the events users have searched for, select the icon or the
event title to bring up the metadata associated with it. When the user clicks on the event
in the timeline or map, the information will appear in the text box located between the
timeline and the map.
Search filters
Users can narrow down their search results or the events listed in the timeline and map, by selecting different facets on the left side of the page. Limiting options include date of event, type of event, and country.
- Date of event range: Toggle the date range using the two arrows available. The text boxes at the bottom of the page display the exact year that the arrows have settled on.
- Event type: Select the type of events that you want to narrow the results down to. You can select multiple events types.
- Country: Select the country you want to narrow down the results to. You can select multiple countries.
Date of event range
The Date of event range allows users to adjust what events users see between a specific period of time.
Users can adjust the date of event range by toggling the arrows along the date range. When
the user moves the white arrows along the date range, the years will automatically change in
the text boxes below. Additionally, users can type in the years manually (in the text
boxes).
Once the users has moved one or both of the arrows (or typed in a year manually), the timeline and map will automatically update with events that fall into that date range. Users can also limit events to a single year by moving the arrows until the are completely overlapping or typing the same year into both text boxes.
When using the white arrows, you can change the position of them. For example, if the left
arrow is on 1995 and you move the right arrow to the left of that, the right arrow becomes
the left arrow (and vice versa).
To reset the date range, either move the arrows back to the edges of the filter or select “Reset All Filters” option above the map.
Event type
Users can narrow down what type of events appear in the timeline or the map by selecting from a list on the left side of the page.
Events are categorized into five different types: bibliographical, biographical, literary,
political, social, and mixed.
Once the user checks one of these options, the timeline and map will automatically narrow down to events that belong in that type category(ies). When using this facet, users can select multiple events types to narrow down the event found in Plot-It. Simply check multiple terms. The check box at the top of the “Event type” field tells the user how many of the filters have been checked.
The (grey) numbers listed beside the categories refers to how many events of that type are available in the timeline and map.
To reset the event type, uncheck the top checkbox (or individually selected boxes) or select “Reset All Filters” option above the map.
Country
Users can filter what country events are located in by selecting from a list on the left side of the page. This will narrow down the results from both the timeline and the map.
This filter contains all the locations attached to an event, as well as events that do not
have a location (they are represented in a lighter grey colour as “missing this
field”).
Once the user checks one of those options, the timeline and map will automatically narrow down to the events that belong in that category(ies). When using this facet, users can select multiple countries to narrow down events found in Plot-It. Simply check multiple terms. The check box at the top of the “Country” field tells the user how many of the filters have been checked.
The (grey) numbers listed beside the country names refers to how many events from that location are available in the timeline and map. If the event does not have a location attached to it, it still appears in this list, only in light grey with the qualifier “(missing this field)”.
To reset the country, uncheck the top checkbox (or individually selected boxes) or select
“Reset All Filters” option above the map.
Reset all Filters
Users can reset both searches and the filters in multiple ways.
To reset the filters (for both the search box and the faceted search filters) click on the
"Reset Search Filters" above the map in Plot-It or uncheck the selected facets. Searches can
only be reset by using the “Reset Search Filters” option.
The “Reset All Filters” option only appears once the users has conducted a search or has selected a filter.
If users want to unselect only one facet, they can do so by unchecking the selected checkboxes.
Once a user has reset or unselected the checkboxes, the timeline and map will re-populate with all events.
