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Line 1: − ==InfoSlicer: an overview==+ − InfoSlicer is a tool for aggregating content off the internet, rearranging and creating new content, and publishing this content. The basic element of InfoSlicer is an article. This can correspond to anything. A page from Wikipedia. A news article. A story taken off the web. Any content which can be displayed online could be represented as an article. The prototype version of InfoSlicer uses Wikipedia as its article source.+ − The tool gives users the option of downloading articles from Wikipedia. There are then a number of stages where users can slice content from these articles into their own articles. They can format the article and insert images. Articles can then be arranged into themes. A theme is a collection of articles all based around the same topic. For example, a theme entitled “Animals” could contain articles on “Lion”, “Tiger”, “Giraffe” etc.+ − Once the user has created their own content and arranged it into themes, they can publish this content. Depending on the platform, this has a different effect. The prototype version of InfoSlicer runs on three platforms; Windows, Linux and the Sugar interface. + − In Windows and Linux, the user can publish articles to a zip file. The zip file contains a mini, self-contained encyclopaedia which can be viewed in any browser. − The Sugar interface is the GUI for the One-Laptop-Per-Child laptops. It has a very distinct look and feel, and some peculiar style guidelines. When the user is running the Sugar environment, publishing creates an entry in the sugar Journal, and adds a “Book” to the browser application.+ + − You can download the [http://sugarlabs.org/wiki/images/9/9f/InfoSlicer-1.xo current version (1) here.]+ − A [[Image:Infoslicer-tutorial.pdf|PDF manual]] is available here.+ − + + + + + + + + + + + + + Line 29:
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<noinclude>{{TOCright}}
[[Category:Activities|Info Slicer]]</noinclude>
[[Image:InfoSlicer.png|55px]]
''InfoSlicer is an open source tool to enable teachers to quickly and easily select web-based content to edit, package, and distribute as teaching materials.''
==Info Slicer: an overview==
InfoSlicer is a tool for aggregating content off of the Internet, rearranging and creating new content, and then publishing this content. The basic element of InfoSlicer is an article. This can correspond to anything: a page from Wikipedia; a news article; or a story downloaded from the WWW. Any content which can be displayed online could be represented as an article.
The prototype version of InfoSlicer gives users the option of downloading articles from Wikipedia. There are a number of stages during which users can slice content from these articles into their own articles. They can format the article and insert images. Articles can then be arranged into themes. (A theme is a collection of articles all based around the same topic. For example, a theme entitled “Animals” could contain articles on “Lion”, “Tiger”, “Giraffe” etc.)
Once the user has created their own content and arranged it into themes, they can publish this content as a Sugar library package (.xol file) which automatically gets picked up by the Browse activity on the same laptop and added to the off-line content available. The .xol file is also available in the Journal so that the user can copy it to a USB stick for sharing on other laptops or uploading to a server.
==The InfoSlicer GUI panes==
The Sugar interface is the GUI originally designed for the One-Laptop-per-Child XO-1 laptop. Sugar is bundled with most major GNU/Linux distributions and hence it is possible to run Sugar on almost any computer. Sugar has a very distinct look and feel, and some specific interaction style guidelines. When the user is running the Sugar environment, publishing creates an entry in the sugar Journal, and adds a “Book” to the Browser application.
You can download Infoslicer from [http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4042 here]. Get [http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/downloads/latest/4042/platform:3 version 5 here].
The source is available in [http://git.sugarlabs.org/projects/infoslicer gitorious.]
A [[Image:Infoslicer-tutorial.pdf|PDF manual]] is available here. (This has not been updated for recent versions of InfoSlicer, and is known to be incompatible with InfoSlicer 8).
An [http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/images/c/c6/Infoslicer.xol xol documentation bundle] is available here.
==The Info Slicer User Interface==
All of the screenshots are based on the Giraffe Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe in September 2008.
All of the screenshots are based on the Giraffe Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe in September 2008.
The screenshots have not been updated for recent versions of InfoSlicer, such as InfoSlicer 8, and have more tabs. Use these screenshots as a guide only.
===The Library Pane===
===The Library Pane===
The user selects which article is to be used as the source, and which article is to be edited. They would then proceed to the edit pane.
The user selects which article is to be used as the source, and which article is to be edited. They would then proceed to the edit pane.
<div class="visualClear"></div>
===The Edit Pane===
===The Edit Pane===
The source article is displayed on the left, and the user's editing version is displayed on the right. The user can select text on the left but editing is disabled. There is a drop-down menu for users to select different source articles from the theme they are currently working in.
The source article is displayed on the left, and the user's editing version is displayed on the right. The user can select text on the left but editing is disabled. There is a drop-down menu for users to select different source articles from the theme they are currently working in.
<div class="visualClear"></div>
===The Format Pane===
===The Format Pane===
The format pane only deals with the user's working version. It gives them a standard formatting toolbar and they can apply formatting like they would in any regular text editor. Most of the formatting options are disabled in the prototype InfoSlicer tool.
The format pane only deals with the user's working version. It gives them a standard formatting toolbar and they can apply formatting like they would in any regular text editor. Most of the formatting options are disabled in the prototype InfoSlicer tool.
[[Image:Infoslicer-format.png|thumb|left|The Format pane]]
[[Image:Infoslicer-format.png|thumb|left|The Format pane]]
<div class="visualClear"></div>
===The Images Pane===
===The Images Pane===
Much like the Edit pane, there is a drop-down menu for users to change article to other articles in the current theme. Clicking and dragging an image from the left will allow users to insert the image and caption into their article. The example shows that an image of a giraffe has been inserted.
Much like the Edit pane, there is a drop-down menu for users to change article to other articles in the current theme. Clicking and dragging an image from the left will allow users to insert the image and caption into their article. The example shows that an image of a giraffe has been inserted.
<div class="visualClear"></div>
===The Publish Pane===
===The Publish Pane===
[[Image:Infoslicer-publish.png|thumb|left|The publish pane]]
[[Image:Infoslicer-publish.png|thumb|left|The publish pane]]
<div class="visualClear"></div>
===Output===
===Output===
On the Sugar platform, publishing content results in a book being added to the browse application. The diagram below shows this.
On the Sugar platform, publishing content results in a book being added to the browse application. [[Image:Infoslicer-output.png|thumb|left|The index in the Browse homepage]]
Clicking on the book brings up the index web page. In a Windows or Linux environment, the user would double-click on the output file, which would open the same page below but in their default browser.
Clicking on the book brings up the index web page. In a Windows or Linux environment, the user would double-click on the output file, which would open the same page below but in their default browser.
[[Image:Infoslicer-output.png|thumb|left|The output article]]
[[Image:Infoslicer-output1.png|thumb|left|The output article]]
<div class="visualClear"></div>
==Future directions==
==Future directions==
The application could be enhanced with the use of collaboration tools such as comment posting, in order to allow students to share their thoughts and views on the published material. This could also allow teachers to collaborate on content both on a local network and on the internet as a whole.
The application could be enhanced with the use of collaboration tools such as comment posting, in order to allow students to share their thoughts and views on the published material. This could also allow teachers to collaborate on content both on a local network and on the internet as a whole.
===Deleting Files when no longer required by the user===
===Deleting files when no longer required by the user===
Deleting downloaded image files presents a problem, as they may be referenced by several user-generated articles. As such it is not feasible in the current implementation to remove images and guarantee link integrity. In future versions of the application, this could be solved by implementing more advanced data tracking tools.
Deleting downloaded image files presents a problem, as they may be referenced by several user-generated articles. As such it is not feasible in the current implementation to remove images and guarantee link integrity. In future versions of the application, this could be solved by implementing more advanced data-tracking tools.
===Attribution===
===Attribution===
===Interaction with the Library===
===Interaction with the Library===
The Library has no real precedent in the Sugar environment and feedback from users suggested that that part of the application would benefit from some re-design work to make it more intuitive.
The Library has no real precedent in the Sugar environment and feedback from users suggested that that part of the application would benefit from some re-design work to make it more intuitive.
==Resources==
* [http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4042 Activity Library page]
* [http://git.sugarlabs.org/projects/infoslicer Sources]
* [http://download.sugarlabs.org/sources/honey/InfoSlicer/ Sources tarball]
* Trac Tickets: [http://trac.sugarlabs.org/query?status=accepted&status=assigned&status=closed&status=new&status=reopened&groupdesc=1&group=milestone&component=InfoSlicer&order=priority&col=id&col=summary&col=status&col=owner&col=type&col=priority&col=version&col=severity&col=resolution&col=status_field&col=reporter&col=time&col=changetime Sugar Labs]