Metadata Support

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Global metadata. 1

Local metadata. 3

 

Ebase Xi provides generic support for metadata that allows any metadata content to be generated. All metadata is added to the <head> section of the generated HTML for all web pages e.g.

 

<meta name="eGMS.title" content="Complaints Form">

 

Metadata can be specified both globally and locally: global metadata is added to the HTML for all forms; local metadata is added only to the one form where it is configured.

 

Global metadata

Global metadata is added to the HTML for all forms. It is maintained using the Server Administration Application and is contained within file metadata.xml within the Ebase Xi configuration area on the server – the default location for this file is UfsServer/tomcat/ufs/ebaseConf/metadata.xml. Here is an example:

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>

<globalMetadata version="5.0.0">

  <element name="eGMS.title" content="$FORM_TITLE"/>

  <element name="eGMS.accessibility" content="Triple-A"/>

  <element name="eGMS.publisher" content="Ebase Xi Technology"/>

  <element name="DC.language" content="$LANGUAGE"/>

</globalMetadata>

 

Each XML <element> tag corresponds with a single HTML <meta> tag in the generated page. Attributes of name, content, scheme and httpEquiv can be specified and these correspond with the attributes of the same name within an HTML <meta> tag.

 

A number of variables can be entered in the content attribute, and these variables are dynamically substituted at runtime with the appropriate values as follows:

  • $LANGUAGE is the ISO standard two character abbreviation for the language being used for the form, e.g. EN, FR, SP, etc.
  • $FORM_TITLE  is the form title if specified, or the form heading text if no title exists
  • $FORM_IMPORT_DATE is the date the form was imported, or the date the form was created if no import date exists

 

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UK local authorities may consider adding metadata to meet the UK Government Metadata standard, some items of which are mandatory:

  <element name="DC.creator" content="Put organisation name here - see www.govtalk.gov.uk/gdsc/html/default.htm"/>

  <element name="DC.date.available" content="$FORM_IMPORT_DATE"/>

  <element name="eGMS.title" content="$FORM_TITLE"/>

  <element name="eGMS.accessibility" content="Triple-A"/>

  <element name="eGMS.publisher" content="Put organisation name here - see www.govtalk.gov.uk/gdsc/html/default.htm"/>

  <element name="DC.language" content="$LANGUAGE"/>

] 

 

Local metadata

Local metadata is added only to the one form where it is configured. See also global metadata which is added to all forms.

Local metadata is maintained in the Ebase Xi Designer by clicking the form metadata icon  on the form toolbar within the Form Editor. The form metadata editor dialog is displayed as shown below.

 

 

The Name, Content, Scheme and Http Equivalent columns correspond with the attributes of the HTML <META> tag of the same names.

 

A number of variables can be entered in the Content column, and these variables are dynamically substituted at runtime with the appropriate values as follows:

  • $LANGUAGE is the code for the language being used for the form, e.g. EN, FR, ES, etc. (See Language Codes)
  • $FORM_TITLE  is the form title if specified, or the form heading text
  • $FORM_IMPORT_DATE is the date the form was imported, or the date the form was created if no import date exists

 

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The Add UK e-GMS mandatory items button is provided to help organizations who are complying with the UK Government Metadata standard.  Clicking this button will add all mandatory elements from V3.0 of the standard that can be applied at the local level.

  <element name="eGMS.subject.category" content="Local government"/>

  <element name="DC.identifier" content="Add unique form number here"/>

Note that additional mandatory items can be added at the global level.

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