Records

Browsing records

Select a table from the sidebar, then click Data management to open the record list (DataView). The list shows the configured preview fields in a paginated table.

Controls in the DataView toolbar:

Control	Action
New	Create a new record
Export	Download visible records as CSV, XLSX or JSON
Columns	Toggle which columns are visible
Harris Matrix	Open the stratigraphic matrix (only for tables with RS configured)
Search bar	Fast text search across preview fields
Advanced	Open the advanced search panel

Click any row to open that record in RecordView.

Reading a record

RecordView displays all field values for a single record, organised into sections:

• Core fields — the table's own columns
• File gallery — attached images and documents
• Plugin tables — inline editable sub-tables
• Related records — cross-table links defined in Config → Relations
• Stratigraphic relations — RS panel (if configured)
• Bibliography — Zotero citations (if configured)

Creating a record

Click New in the DataView toolbar (or the floating + button). An empty edit form opens with all fields blank (or pre-filled with defaults).

Fill in the fields and click Save. Required fields are marked and the form will not save until all required values are provided.

Editing a record

Open a record in RecordView and click Edit in the header. The same form used for creation opens with current values pre-filled.

• Changes are not saved until you click Save.
• Navigating away with unsaved changes triggers a confirmation dialog.
• Validation errors are shown inline next to each offending field.

Deleting a record

In RecordView, click the Delete button in the record header. A confirmation dialog prevents accidental deletion.

Deleted records are soft-deleted and can be recovered from Deleted records for a configurable retention period.

File attachments

Viewing files

In RecordView (read mode), the file gallery panel shows all files attached to the record. Clicking any thumbnail or filename opens an in-app preview without leaving the page:

• Images — displayed in a fullscreen lightbox overlay.
• Documents (PDF, etc.) — displayed in an inline viewer panel.

Managing files (edit mode)

In RecordView (edit mode), the file gallery panel allows:

Action	How
Upload	Click Upload file or drag & drop a file anywhere on the drop zone
Link existing	Click Link existing file to pick a file already in the library — no re-upload needed
Reorder	Drag the grip handle to change the display order
Unlink	Click the chain icon (🔗) to remove the file from this record only — the file is kept in the library
Delete	Click the trash icon to permanently delete the file from the whole application

Images are automatically downscaled on upload if Max image size is set in App settings.

File management view

The File management page (sidebar → File management) lists all files uploaded to the application, regardless of which record they are attached to. For each file you can:

• Browse thumbnails and previews (click to open inline)
• Edit the description and keywords in-place (auto-saved on blur / Enter)
• See which records the file is linked to
• Filter for orphan files — files not linked to any record
• Replace the file binary while keeping metadata
• Delete the file permanently

Duplicating a record

In RecordView (read mode), click Duplicate in the record header. A new record is immediately created with all the same field values. You are then taken directly to the new record so you can review and adjust it before saving.

The creator field of the duplicate is automatically set to the logged-in user. Privilege required: add new.

Manual links

Manual links connect any two records across any two tables without requiring a formal FK relation to be defined in Config. They appear in their own section in RecordView, grouped by target table.

Adding a manual link

In RecordView (edit mode), open the Linked records section:

1. Click Add link.
2. Select the target table.
3. Type to search for the target record.
4. Optionally type a relation label — a short free-text description of what the link means (e.g. cites, is part of, parallels). The label is shown as a small chip next to the link in both records.
5. Select the record from the autocomplete list; the link is saved immediately.

Typed links

The relation label turns a generic link into a typed link. You can use any label you like — there is no controlled vocabulary enforced by the system. Typed links are the foundation for the planned graph visualisation feature (C2), which will render the network of typed links as an interactive diagram.

Graph view

When at least one link exists, a small icon button appears in the Linked records section header. Click it to switch between the default list view and an interactive graph view:

• The current record is shown as an orange node in the centre.
• Linked records appear as blue nodes labelled with their identifier value.
• Edges carry the relation label if one was assigned.
• Click any node to navigate directly to that record.
• Use the mouse wheel to zoom; drag to pan.

The graph uses a force-directed layout and is read-only — add or delete links from the list view.

Deleting a manual link

In edit mode, click the × button next to the link. Links are bidirectional — deleting it removes it from both records.

INFO

Manual links are stored in the bdus_userlinks system table. They are not affected by deleting the linked record — orphaned link entries are cleaned up when the surviving record is next opened.