Structure

Terms

This is a definition of some terms used in the eprints documentation and comments. Many of these are "objects" within the code and the perl module which handle them is listed.

archive 

EPrints::Archive

An archive is a eprints archive with it's own website configuration and data. One install of the eprints software can run serveral seperate archives. Sharing code but with totally different configurations.

session 

EPrints::Session

A session is created every time a cgi script or a bin script is executed, and terminated afterwards.

eprint 

EPrints::EPrint

An eprint is a record in the system which has one or more documents and some metadata. Usually, more than one document is to provide the same information in multiple formats, although this is not compulsary.

document 

EPrints::Document

A document is a single format of an eprint, eg. HTML, PDF, PS etc. It can contain more than one file, for example HTML may contain more than one html page + image files. The actual files are stored in the filesystem.

user 

EPrints::User

A user registered with the system. (NOT necesarily the author of the eprints they deposit).

subject 

EPrints::Subject

A subject has an id and a list of who it's parents are. There is a build in subject with the id "ROOT" to act as the top level. A subject can have more than one parent to allow you to create a rich lattice, rather than just a tree, but loops are not allowed.

type or usertype or eprinttype 

users, eprints and documents all have a "type". This controls how they are "cited" and also for users and eprints it controls what fields may be edited, and which are required.

dataobj or item 

EPrints::DataObj

The "super class" of subjects, users, eprints and documents. In the very core of the system these are all treated identically and much of the configuration and methods of these classes of "thing" are identical. We use the term item to speak about the general case.

dataset 

EPrints::DataSet

A dataset is a collection of items of the same type. It can be searched. Some datasets all have the same "config id". The "config id" is used to get information about the dataset from the archive config - inbox, buffer, archive and deletion all have the same metadata fields and types. Core datasets are:

  DATASET ID | CONFIG ID    | COMMENT
             |              |
  inbox      | eprint       | Eprints which users are still working on.
  buffer     | eprint       | Eprints submitted for editorial approval.
  archive    | eprint       | Eprints live in the archive.
  deletion   | eprint       | Eprints which have been deleted from the archive.
  user       | user         | Users registered.
  subject    | subject      | The subject tree or lattice.
  document   | document     | The documents belonging to ALL 
             |              | eprints in the system.
subscription | subscription | The subscriptions which users have requested.

database 

EPrints::Database

The connection to the MySQL back end. datasets are stored in the MySQL system, but you do not have to address it directly.

fields or metadata fields 

EPrints::MetaField

A single field in a dataset. Each dataset has a few "system" fields which eprints uses to manage the system and then any number of archive specific fields which you may configure.

subscriptions (sometimes called alerts in other archives) 

EPrints::Subscription

A stored search which is performed every day/week/month and any new results are the mailed to the user who owns the subscription.

This diagram does not show "Subscription". Subscription is a subclass of DataObj (like EPrint, User etc.). A Subscription is associated with one User. A User is associated with 0..n Subscription's.