Glossary

Working with the glossary

Glossary - Introduction

Glossaries can be used to provide dictionaries and collections of term definitions. One or more definitions can be assigned to the individual terms. The glossary entries can be designed with text, images, and multimedia elements.
Glossaries are used to present the conceptual background of a topic field

• present the conceptual background of a topic: Teachers create glossaries and learners work through the glossaries.
• to work out together: Learners develop a glossary on a topic, if necessary under guidance, and write the entries themselves. The collaborative creation of glossaries requires an appropriate assignment of rights by an administrator.

Instead of a glossary, a wiki or a data collection could also be used. Compared to these two tools, the glossary has some special features:

• Glossary terms can be directly integrated into ILIAS learning modules. The definitions of the glossary then offer learners background information on the content of the learning module. This way, prerequisite-rich or extensive content can still be presented and streamlined in the learning module. If needed, learners can click on the learning module and have the definition displayed. They do not lose the "narrative thread" of the learning module but remain in context.
• A collective glossary also contains all terms from all glossaries that are on the same or a subordinate level beyond the terms and definitions of this glossary.
• Glossaries can be structured with taxonomies for content. Glossaries are classically organized like dictionaries, and the terms they contain are sorted alphabetically. However, using taxonomies, the terms can be grouped by topic. The taxonomy is displayed in a tree next to the glossary.

Look up terms and their definitions.

The glossary is presented in one of two ways:

• It is displayed as a list of terms and definitions. The terms are displayed with their complete definitions one below the other.
• It is displayed as a table. The first column contains the term, and the second column contains the associated definition. Often the definitions are shortened a bit. To read the complete definition, click on the glossary term whose definition you want to view.

Above the list of terms in both displays, you will find a list of quick access. Quick access allows you to navigate all glossary terms with these initial letters quickly. This can be very useful for extensive glossaries. Just click on the desired letter. To view the entire glossary again, click All.

Filter and search the glossary.

You want to display only glossary terms or definitions of glossary terms that contain a specific text. This can help you quickly find the term you want, especially in larger glossaries.

1. Open the Terms tab.
2. Click on the link Show filter.
3. ILIAS opens the filter.
4. Enter the term to which you want to apply the filter:
   - To filter the glossary terms based on your input, use the Term text input field.
   - To filter the definitions based on your input, use the Definition text input field.
   - Note: In addition to the default filters Term and Definition, ILIAS may display other filters your instructors/tutors created. If necessary, select a filter there or enter text.
5. Click on the Apply Filter button.
6. ILIAS filters the term list according to your selection.

Note: Click the Reset Filter button to deactivate the filter again.

Print Glossary

You want to print the glossary. You can either print the entire glossary or only select terms. The print image is displayed as a preview.

1. Click on the Print Preview tab.
2. ILIAS presents you with two possible print views:
   Entire Glossary: all terms will be printed.
   Selected terms: Check the boxes before the terms you want to print.
   Optional: Selected topic: This option is displayed if taxonomies have been activated in the glossary settings. All terms of the selected topic will then be printed. To do this, select the desired topic from the list.
3. Activate the radio button in front of the desired option.
4. Click on the button Print preview.
5. ILIAS creates the print preview and opens the print dialog of your browser.
6. Print as usual.

Use glossary offline

Depending on the settings, it is possible to download the complete glossary as an HTML file for use outside ILIAS.

Prerequisite: This function must be enabled by the creator of the glossary or an administrator in the settings. Also, you can only download export files that have been previously created. You can create export files in the Export tab in the Edit view.

1. Open the glossary.
2. Click on the Download tab.
3. ILIAS shows you a table with the available versions of the glossary:
   HTML: You can download the glossary as a web page and open it in a browser to work through or print it even without an Internet connection.
   XML: Learners cannot do anything with this format; it is used for import into ILIAS.
4. Click on the Download link behind the desired file format.
5. ILIAS opens the download dialog of your browser.
6. Save the file on your computer.
7. For HTML download: Open the file index.html with your browser.
8. The glossary will open in your browser.

Adding and editing terms and definitions

Adding a new glossary term

You want to add a new term to the glossary.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the editing view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. ILIAS presents the glossary in the edit view.
2. Enter the new glossary term in the New term text input field.
3. You can maintain the term in multiple, different languages. To do so, use the Language drop-down menu at the top of the tab.
4. Click the Add new term button.
5. ILIAS creates a new page. The newly created glossary term is the title of the page.
6. Click the horizontal bar to add a definition to the glossary term.
7. ILIAS opens a selection menu. Choose whether you want to add text or other content or design elements.
8. Create the definition you want.
9. Click the Save and return buttons.
10. ILIAS saves the newly created content and closes the edit mode.

Edit glossary entry

You want to change a glossary term.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the edit view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. ILIAS presents the glossary in the edit view. You will see a table with the terms and definitions.
2. Click the Actions link at the end of the row of the glossary term you want to edit.
3. ILIAS opens a drop-down menu with the entries:
   Edit Term: To edit the term, select this entry. If there is a taxonomy for the glossary, you can also assign the term to the taxonomy here.
   Edit Definition: Select this entry to customize the existing definition, and add or change text or images.
   Add definition: Select this entry to add another definition to a term.
4. ILIAS opens a new page.
5. Make the desired changes.

Add additional definition

You want to add one or more definitions to an already-defined glossary term. This is useful if there are several competing definitions, for example, if different disciplines use the same term differently.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the editing view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. ILIAS presents the glossary in the editing view. You will see a table with the terms and definitions.
2. Click the Actions link at the end of the row of the glossary term you want to edit.
3. ILIAS opens a selection menu
4. Select the entry Add definition.
5. ILIAS opens a new page. The page's title is the glossary term for which you want to add another definition.
6. Click on the crossbar to add a definition to the glossary term.
7. ILIAS opens a selection menu. Choose whether you want to add text or other content or design elements.
8. Create the definition you want.
9. Click the Save and return buttons.
10. ILIAS saves the newly created content and closes the edit mode.

Search Glossary

You want only glossary terms or definitions of glossary terms to be displayed that contain a specific text. This can help quickly find the desired term, especially in larger glossaries.

1. Open the Terms tab.
2. Click on the link Show filter.
3. ILIAS opens the filter.
4. Enter the term to which you want to apply the filter:
   - To filter the glossary terms based on your input, use the Term text input field.
   - To filter the definitions based on your input, use the Definition text input field.
5. Click the Apply Filter button.
6. ILIAS filters the term list according to your selection.

Note: To deactivate the filter again, click the Reset Filter button.

Copy glossary entries

You want to copy one or more glossary terms and paste them into the same or another glossary.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the editing view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar. ILIAS displays the Terms tab in the Edit view of the glossary.

1. Activate the checkboxes in front of the terms you want to copy.
2. Select Copy from the drop-down menu above or below the table.
3. Click on Execute.
4. ILIAS reports that the term(s) has/have been copied to the clipboard.
5. In the repository, open the glossary where you want to paste the term or terms. It would help if you opened the target glossary in edit mode. Alternatively, you can paste the glossary terms within the source glossary.
6. Click the Insert button in the toolbar.
7. ILIAS inserts the term(s).

Linking glossary terms

You want to create a link to a glossary term. Links to glossary terms in the target glossary always point to the entry in the source glossary. In this sense, links are not equivalent to the entry in the source glossary and are "subordinate references" to the source glossary. The term can only be changed if you have to write permission on the originating glossary.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the edit view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. Activate the checkboxes in front of the terms you want to link to.
2. Select the Link from the drop-down menu above or below the table.
3. Click Execute.
4. ILIAS reports that the term(s) have been copied to the clipboard.
5. In the repository, open the glossary where you want to paste the term(s). You have to open the target glossary in the edit view.
6. Click the Paste button in the toolbar.
7. ILIAS inserts the terms.

Delete glossary entry

You want to delete a term from the glossary.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the editing view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. ILIAS presents the glossary in the edit view. You will see a table with the terms and definitions.
2. Activate the checkbox next to the glossary term you want to delete. You can also select multiple terms.
3. Click the Delete button above or below the table of terms.
4. ILIAS opens a new page and asks you if you are sure you want to delete the terms.
5. To delete the glossary term permanently, click Confirm.
6. ILIAS deletes the term and its definitions.

Bundle or filter glossary terms thematically

With the help of metadata, it is possible to categorize all glossary terms freely according to your wishes. This allows users to maintain an overview even in a large glossary. All metadata records are later available as filters in the presentation view.

To use this feature, open the Metadata tab in the Edit view of your glossary and follow the action instructions for creating and using custom metadata.

28.3 Editing glossary settings

Rename glossary

You want to give your glossary a different title.

1. Open the Settings tab in the glossary.
2. In the Title input field, change the name of the glossary.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS changes the name of the glossary.

Note: You can also use the Description input field to add an explanatory subtitle that will be displayed in smaller font below the title.

Define the settings of the glossary.

You want to define the settings of the glossary, its availability, scope, and presentation method.

Prerequisite: You must open the glossary in the Edit view: Click on the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. ILIAS presents you with the following options under the Settings tab:
   - Check the Online checkbox to make your glossary visible and usable by other users.
   - Under Mode, you define the scope of the glossary: Depending on the setting, you can expand your glossary to include terms and definitions found in other glossaries:
    Normal glossary: displays only your glossary and the terms and definitions created in it.
    Collective glossary - a current level only: The glossary additionally contains terms and definitions from glossaries that are on the same level as the glossary in the repository.
    Collective glossary - whole subtree: The glossary contains both terms from glossaries that are on the same level or in subordinate levels.
   - Under View, choose how the glossary is displayed to the user:
    Table: the glossary is displayed in a two-column overview. However, only the beginning of the definitions is displayed. You can specify how many characters to display. Users need to click more than scroll with this presentation view.
    List: All terms of the glossary and definitions are displayed in full. Users have to scroll more than click in this presentation view.
   - If you select Taxonomy, a term tree is displayed in the presentation view, which the learner can use for additional navigation in the glossary. A taxonomy represents the conceptual order of a topic.
   - To enable users to use the glossary offline, activate the Download checkbox. Users can only read the glossary within ILIAS if they do not select this checkbox.
   - You can display custom metadata in the presentation view, print view, and HTML export of the glossary. If you activate the checkbox, you can change the order in which the metadata records are displayed. To do this, click the small arrows under Column Order to move the entry.
2. Select the desired options.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS sets the selected settings.

Link glossary terms automatically

You want to automatically link two glossaries (Glossary A and Glossary B). The terms and definitions of one glossary (Glossary B) are based on the terms of the other (Glossary A).

Prerequisite: There are two glossaries, each of which is online. You have to open glossary B in the edit view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. Click the Automatically linked glossaries tab just below the tab navigation.
3. ILIAS displays a table of Automatically linked glossaries.
4. Click on the Add button.
5. ILIAS displays the tree structure of the repository. Navigate to glossary A.
6. Link glossary A by clicking on the title.    
   Note: You can also link a glossary to itself.
7. ILIAS will ask you a question.
8. Click on Yes.
9. ILIAS will display the glossary you selected in the Automatically linked glossaries table.

Within glossary B, all terms from glossary A are now automatically linked.

Cancel automatic linking of glossary terms.

You want to cancel the automatic linking of glossary terms.

Prerequisite: You have to open the glossary in the edit view: Click the Edit View link at the right end of the tab bar.

1. In the glossary, open the Settings tab.
2. Click the Automatically linked glossaries link just below the tab navigation.
3. ILIAS shows the linked glossaries in the Automatically linked glossaries table.
4. Click the Remove link in the table.
5. ILIAS removes the automatic linking.

Include terms from other glossaries in your glossary

You would like to include entries from other glossaries created on the same ILIAS installation in your glossary and the terms you have created yourself. You have the following options:

1. Open the Settings tab of the glossary.
2. ILIAS presents the tab to you.
3. In the Content composition section, select one of the following options:
   Normal glossary: displays only your glossary and the terms and definitions created in it.
   Collection glossary - a current level only: The glossary contains additional terms and definitions from the repository at the same level as the glossary.
   Collective glossary - whole subtree: The glossary contains terms from glossaries located on the same level as the glossary or in subordinate levels.
4. Select the desired option.
5. Click the Save button.
6. ILIAS takes over the terms and definitions from other glossaries.

Note: If the included terms from the other glossaries are edited, the entry in your collective glossary will also change. You have not created a copy but created "virtual" entries.