Import a TEI Collation
The previous tutorial demonstrated how to create a collation from scratch. However, for collating more than a few witnesses, most people should probably use the ITSEE Collation Editor. For more information about using the Collation Editor outside the support of ITSEE, IGNTP, or INTF, consult the documentation for the Criticus desktop application.
Apatosaurus can import the output from the Collation Editor or any TEI collation file that is formatted to match the structure of the open-cbgm example collation files. TEI is a very flexible standard and Apatosaurus will certainly not be able to import arbitrary TEI.
Note that the uploaded TEI file is not stored. It is processed and its data is imported into the Apatosaurus database, then it is discarded. This is a major difference between Apatosaurus and its predecessor, Apparatus Explorer. At any time, a user can export their collation data from the database. It can be exported at the verse, section, and complete collation levels. The exported data may be in a slightly different structure than the input format.
Since witnesses must exist in the database before they can be added to a reading, part of processing the uploaded TEI is in checking if each witness already exists in the database or if it must be added. After processing is complete (#2 below), you might also like to see which new witnesses were identified and added to your profile.
1.
To import your own collation file (provided that it is from the Collation Editor or made to match the open-cbgm examples), follow steps 1ΓÇô3 of the collation tutorial. Then click "Upload Collation File." Upload a TEI XML collation file. It may take a few minutes to process the file, especially if it includes many witnesses. The processing is done in the background so you can safely navigate away from the page after the initial upload is complete. Collation files should contain one or more <ab/> elements (usually these are verses). All verses found in the file will be added to the selected section. So, it is best to upload one chapter at a time.
2.
You can view all of your background processes by navigating to your profile and selecting the "Background Jobs" tab. This will list all of the long-running jobs that you have attempted. You can monitor the progress of currently running background jobs and also the success or failure message of completed jobs. If Apatosaurus can not parse your TEI file, it will appear as a red failure message here. If you think it should have been processed correctly, then please report the issue in the Digital Tools for Manuscript Studies Slack Group.
3.
After a few minutes, you should see all of the verses that Apatosaurus found in the uploaded TEI file. These may now be explored, edited, and extended.
