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- How to manage hypertext cross-links
- ===================================
-
- Once you've entered all the angle-bracket links between files, the REFALL
- program <FILE64 DESCRIPTION> lets you see and analyze your link structure.
-
- You can set the REFALL program to read a single file, a class of file, or
- all files in a directory. The program automatically locates all angle
- bracket filenames in each ASCII file and creates a MaxThink format file
- listing these cross-links.
-
- For example, if the REFALL program reads each of a set of 500 ASCII files,
- the program creates an outline with 500 angle-bracket filename topics. The
- subtopics of each would contain the angle-bracket filenames of the
- cross-links found in each topic. Together, this list contains the master
- map of all the hypertext links in the ASCII files. <FILE30 BUILDING>
-
- I load this REFALL list into MaxThink or HOUDINI for further analysis.
- For example, HOUDINI easily shows the hierarchical and circular structures
- of my cross links.
-
- To locate knowledge areas, I use the FILE OUTPUT command of HOUDINI
- which automatically identifies the natural network partitions. The natural
- partition is the complete set of ASCII files that each file in the set may
- cross-link to.
-
- Once I've identified my natural partition, I use HOUDINI to organize a
- separate knowledge network covering just that subject area. Again, this
- approach reduces the circularity of the overall hypertext system.
-
- Having completed the ASCII linking, I use our IC program (Integrity Checker)
- to verify each cross-link.
-
- The IC program uses the REFALL file, then tries to open each file listed in
- the complete system. The IC program finds errors in naming and references
- to non-existent files.
-
- For example, the types of hypertext cross-link error I want to avoid are:
-
- ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
- │ Links to non-existent files (incomplete system) │
- │ Files that are not referenced by other files (isolated files) │
- │ Files that have no links to other files (dead-end information) │
- └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
-
- The REFALL, IC programs along with MaxThink and HOUDINI eliminate these
- types of hypertext cross-link errors.
-
- Neil Larson 1/16/88 FILE34
- 44 Rincon Rd., Kensington, CA 94707
- Copyright MaxThink 1988 -- Call 415-428-0104 for permission to reprint
-