Fields and help
The entry form is built from a small set of controls: text boxes, code-list drop-downs, selector dialogs, date pickers, a rich-text editor, tables and carousels for repeatable composites, and a Custom fields tab. This page explains how each control behaves, how to get help on a field, and how to jump to any field with the table of contents.
Where to find it
Every control lives in the entry form. With the Read right only, every control is read-only and the add/remove buttons are hidden; Modify (or Add for a new title) enables them. A locked title re-enables only the fields of your locked profile. Custom fields follow their own visibility and edit rights, set per user by your administrator. A value your administrator has protected disables that entry only — its fields and its Remove button — while Add stays available.
Screen overview
Field controls
| Control | How it works |
|---|---|
| Text box | Type the value. Some text boxes show a hint below: Character count: for the long description texts, a deprecation note for elements dropped in a later ONIX release, or a note for elements that exist only in ONIX 3.1. |
| Code list (drop-down) | The field is an auto-complete over an ONIX code list: type a few letters of the code or of its description, move with the arrow keys and press Enter. Options read code - description. To clear the value, delete the text and leave the field. |
| Country selector | Country fields show a globe icon. Click it to open Select country(ies), tick the countries (or WORLD where allowed), then press Ok. Clear empties the field. Region fields work the same way. |
| Tree selector | Hierarchical code lists (subject schemes such as Thema or BISAC) show a list icon that opens a tree dialog titled Current value: followed by the current code. Filter with the Search box, click a node to select it, double-click to select and close. Clear removes the value. |
| Date | Date fields open a calendar picker (Ok applies, Cancel closes). Dates typed as text follow the format announced by the field label, such as YYYYMMDD. |
| Check box | Toggles a yes/no element. |
| Rich text | Long texts (descriptions, biographies, reviews) show their tags in the field and offer an HTML button that opens the rich-text editor — see How to format a long text. |
| Table | Repeatable composites with few fields (identifiers, prices, measures) are tables. Add appends a row, Remove deletes one, and the chevron at the start of a row expands the fields that are not shown as columns. ONIX 3 identifier tables add Search to find the referenced title in your catalogue. |
| Carousel | Repeatable composites with many fields (contributors, supporting resources, text content) show one item at a time: a counter such as 2 / 5, Previous item / Next item, Add and Remove. Long lists add a More options menu with Go to... and Go to next invalid item.... |
| Supplier tabs | The Supply detail tab shows one sub-tab per supplier. Add new supplier creates one; Delete this supplier removes the current one after confirmation. |
A red label or a red tab header means the field, row or tab contains a validation error — see Title validation.
How to format a long text
- Click HTML above the text.
- Format the text with the toolbar — Bold, Italic, lists, headings, links and so on. ENTER starts a new paragraph and SHIFT + ENTER inserts a line break. HTML/XHTML source shows the tags, which you can edit directly; click it again to return to the formatted text.
- Click OK to put the text in the field, or Cancel to leave the field unchanged.
- If the text contains tags that are not recommended in ONIX, Non-recommended tags lists them. Keep applies the text as it is; Remove non-recommended tags keeps the words but removes those tags, along with colours, alignment and indents.
In an ONIX 3 catalogue the editor writes XHTML, unless the text's Textformat attribute is 02 (HTML). After OK, a text without Textformat, or with any other value, gets 05 (XHTML). To write HTML, set Textformat to 02 in the Attributes dialog before opening the editor. In an ONIX 2.1 catalogue the editor writes HTML.
How to get help on a field
- Open the Help menu of the top bar.
- Tick Show help fields.
- Click the question-mark icon that now appears at the right of a field. A small panel shows the description of the ONIX element, taken from the official ONIX documentation, in your interface language; click elsewhere or press Escape to close it.
- With the ONIXEDIT AI add-on, the panel also offers More with ONIXEDIT AI: click it to open the assistant, which explains the element and how to fill it in.
The setting is remembered for your next visits. Untick it to hide the icons.
How to jump to a field with the table of contents
- Click the TOC button (list icon) in the header or bottom toolbar.
- In the Table of Content dialog, expand the composites or type part of a field name in the Search box.
- Double-click a field (tooltip Double click to go to field). The form opens the tab that contains it and focuses the field.
How to edit ONIX attributes
In the advanced form, elements that accept attributes (language, text format, date format, source name…) show a Edit attributes icon when you hover or focus them; rows of tables and carousels have the same button. The Attributes dialog lists Datestamp, Sourcetype and Sourcename, then the attributes allowed on the element (Textcase, Collationkey, Dateformat, Language, Textformat, Textscript). Press Ok to apply.
How to pick a contributor from the authority list
When your catalogue is linked to an authority catalogue, Add in the contributor table or carousel first opens the Authority List dialog: filter with Search for an authority, press More to read the Authority's Information and Select to copy the authority into the title. Contributor Role does not filter the list: it sets the role given to the contributor you copy with Select, and left untouched it keeps the role stored on the authority. Create starts an empty contributor instead. Users holding the Edit authority list right can switch a contributor between MERGE ACTIVATED: The data in this contributor record will be merged to the existing data in the Authority module and OVERRIDE ACTIVATED: The data in this contributor will override existing data in the Authority module.
Auto-filled names
For contributors, Person name and Person name inverted are composed automatically from First name (bef. key), Prefix to key and Last name (key) as you type them, as long as the composed field is empty. Type your own value to override the composition.
Duplicate identifiers
The ISBN13 identifier is checked against the catalogue once you have entered a complete value — 13 digits, with or without separators. If the identifier already exists, the form offers to open the existing title; see How to add a title.
Custom fields
The Custom fields tab appears when your administrator defined custom fields for the catalogue and made at least one visible to you. Fields are grouped by category; a repeatable field shows + and − icons to add or drop a repeat. A field marked visible but not editable is shown read-only.
Languages and labels
The Language menu of the top bar has two entries. Interface changes the language of the application and, by default, of the ONIX tag names used as field labels. Lists changes the language of the ONIX code lists shown in drop-downs and selector dialogs, independently of the interface. The Translate ONIX Tags option below the interface languages decides whether the tag names follow the interface language (ticked, the default) or stay in English (unticked) — useful when your partners' documentation names the ONIX elements in English; the change applies to the open form at once. The option is disabled while the interface is in English.
Tips
Keyboard first
Every drop-down accepts typing: enter the code (BB) or a word of its description (hardback), then Enter.
Rich text keeps its tags
Text entered through the HTML editor is stored with its tags. Partners that do not accept HTML in ONIX texts will receive the tags as-is; keep plain text for those fields if in doubt.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see what an ONIX field means?
Open the Help menu of the top bar and tick Show help fields. A question-mark icon then appears next to every documented field; click it to read the description taken from the ONIX documentation; with the ONIXEDIT AI add-on, More with ONIXEDIT AI asks the assistant about the element.
How do I clear a value chosen from a drop-down list?
Click in the field, delete its content and leave the field. Selector dialogs (countries, subjects, table of contents) also have a Clear button.
Why can I not edit some fields?
Fields are read-only when you only have the Read right on the catalogue, when the title is locked and the field is not in your locked profile, or when a custom field was made visible but not editable by your administrator.
How do I write a description in HTML rather than XHTML?
In an ONIX 3 catalogue, set the Textformat attribute of the text to 02 in the Attributes dialog, then open the HTML editor. Without that attribute, or with any value other than 02, the editor writes XHTML and sets Textformat to 05.
Where do the drop-down values and their language come from?
They are the ONIX code lists. Their language follows the Lists entry of the Language menu, independently of the interface language.