Instructions
What it's about
Welcome to webnotes.co.uk! Here you can enter your nature observations in free text format,| for example: | Holme 14:20 - 16:40
Collared Dove Jackdaws in tree by church Robin heard singing probable Long-tailed Tit heard calling * male Marsh Harrier over Redwell Marsh |
or using abbreviations
of your own choosing, for example: |
Holme 14:20 - 16:40
cd jds in tree by church rob hs prob ltt hc * male mha over rwm |
| • And your abbreviations will be
expanded and you will
see your notes in a neat, colourful and clickable form: |
 |
• You will also be able to search your notes by date, place and species - click here to try this feature with current users' data. (To come back to these instructions afterwards, use the 'back' button or click on the 'Help' link on the left-hand side.)
• You will be able to make lists for any date range and place - for example, your UK year list, or Cley life list. Click here to try this feature with current users' observations.
How to start
(Following some of these instructions may take you away from this page - to come back, just use the 'back' button or click on the 'Help' link on the left-hand side.)
1. Create your account by clicking in the 'Register' link on the top right. You'll need the 'current invitation key', which you can get from any current user.
2. Enter some places that you intend to visit - this is called
'configuration':
2.1 Click on the 'Configure' link which you can see on the left-hand side when you are
logged in.
2.2 Click on 'Create new config'
2.3 Enter a name for your config file in the 'Name:' box, for example 'stephens-config'
2.4 In the main text area, enter the first line below ("type Place contextual") followed
by some places you intend to visit. Use indentation to indicate which places are 'in' other
other places, and the '=' sign to indicate synonyms. You can make it as simple or as
complicated as you like - you always can come back and add more places later:
type Place contextual
Western Palearctic UK Bedfordshire = Beds. Everton Sandy The Lodge Norfolk North Norfolk Coast Cley area = Cley Cley Coastguards = Cley CG Cley Marshes Cley village |
2.5 As often as you want, click on 'Save config' to save your config file. (If you get any errors you don't understand, please contact Stephen.)
2.6 You can also configure abbreviations in the same file, using '->' (a hyphen followed by the 'greater than' symbol) as follows:
bb(s) -> Blackbird(s)
ccg -> Cley Coastguards |
3. You're now ready to enter some nature notes!
3.1 Click on the 'Enter notes' link which you can see on the left-hand side when you're
logged in.
3.2 Click on the date for which you want to enter notes.
3.3 Alongside the prompt 'Configuration used:' at the top, select 'shared-birds-uk' then
the config file you created in step 2.
3.4 In the main text area, enter your notes. You can type anything you want - that's why
it's called free text! You might want to include one or more of the places you've configured,
however. You can also use your abbreviations.
3.5 As often as you want, click on 'Save notes' to see what the notes look like when
processed. You can then click on the 'Edit notes' button at the bottom of the page to come
back to the raw text form and add more text, or change what you've already written.
That's it! You can now search your notes, make lists, enter more notes, add to your config file, and create more config
files. Have fun!