mdJSONdictio functions are built to work in concert with the mdEditor web application.
The following describes how to finish an mdJSON data dictionary after
using build.mdJSON(), as well how to prepare an mdJSON data
dictionary before using build.table().
After using build.mdJSON()
Import the mdJSON data dictionary to mdEditor
Open mdEditor in your browser and navigate to the Import tab at the top of the page. Drag and drop the newly written mdJSON file and click “Import Data.” This will generate a Dictionary Record with the dictionary title you specified in the function. You may need to refresh your browser if the dictionary does not immediately appear.
Fix errors in the Dictionary Record
When viewing your Dictionary Record, you will notice an orange exclamation mark next to the title that indicates the dictionary is incomplete and has missing or erroneous elements. Click the orange exclamation mark to view error details. These errors can be remedied by completing the Responsible Party field in the Main tab and the Entity Code Name and Definition fields in the Entities tab. For more information about these fields, refer to the mdEditor User Manual. You will know your dictionary is free of errors when the orange triangle disappears and the edit icon next to your Dictionary Record in the left-hand menu is green. If you see more than these three errors, make sure the tabular data dictionary is filled out as described in the Tabular Data Dictionary Template article.
Associate and maintain the Dictionary Record
Once the Dictionary Record is free of errors, it can be associated
with the Metadata record(s) it describes (e.g. tabular dataset,
shapefiles) to help create archival quality project metadata. For
details of this process and other information, refer to the mdEditor User Manual. Any future
updates to your Dictionary Record can be done manually in the mdEditor
web application.
Before using build.table()
Complete required mdEditor fields
Open mdEditor in your browser and import your mdJSON data
dictionary file as described in Import
the mdJSON data dictionary to mdEditor.Navigate to your Dictionary
Record and verify the contents and check for errors. You will
know your dictionary is free of errors when the orange triangle
disappears and the edit icon next to your Dictionary Record in the
left-hand menu is green. While build.table() only requires
an entity with at least one defined attribute, an error-free Dictionary
Record is more likely to be exported with a structure that can be
processed by the function. Please note, if your Dictionary Record
contains two entities, they will be processed into a single tabular data
dictionary.
Export the mdJSON data dictionary
Navigate to the Export tab at the top of the page.
Make sure no Metadata records, Contacts or undesired Dictionaries are
selected (select and deselect the checkboxes under the search bars).
Select the desired dictionary and click “Export Selected” to the
right of the screen. Save the file to your working space. If
you are not prompted to select a save location, the file may have
automatically saved to your local Downloads folder. If you intend to
translate more than one Dictionary Record into a table, you can select
and export them together into a single mdJSON file and specify which
dictionary is processed by build.table() with the parameter
dictionary_num.
