Vascular Plant Image Library    
     Full Text Index and Query System
    Each plant image present in the Image Library, associated with text provided by the image contributor, is treated as an individual 'document' in a full text index.   The Image Library system will return, as an HTML page, all 'documents' (linked image references) that carry a string of characters matching the string inserted in the box below:
 

    Does the library include images of plant structures, such as an aril, drupe or follicle; or plants from a given location, such as a Texas County (Travis), Park (Big Bend) or Garden (Lady Bird Johnson)?  Thus type of query can be accomplished by entering any string of text into the box above (or substring, such as 'bend') and all 'documents' (image records with a link to the images) that carry a matching string will be returned.

    It is also possible to query the index directly (not using this page) via URL and, as a result, the system can be used as a WWW content resource.  If, for instance, you are developing a web page relating to the bluebonnet genus Lupinus, the URL construct: 

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gallery_query?q=Lupinus
can be inserted into the page to return image references that carry 'Lupinus'. In addition, this can be refined by using the '+' character to obtain image file 'documents' that carry a combination of two (or more) strings. The construct: 
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gallery_query?q=lupinus+subcarnosus
will return only those 'documents' that carry both query strings 'lupinus' and 'subcarnosus' thereby limiting the return to photos of the Texas Sand Bluebonnet.  It is also possible to exclude image files using the '!' character in the URL. The URL: 
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gallery_query?q=lupinus+!polyphyllus
will return all 'documents' carrying the string 'lupinus' except those with the string 'polyphyllus'. These 'tags' can also be used for queries entered into the input box (above), using a '&' instead of a '+'.

    Once a useful query URL is established for a given topic using this interface, it can be 'cut' from your browser's 'location' box and pasted into local HTML pages or bookmarked for later reference or you can simply edit the query string your browser's location box to explore library contents without returning to this page.

Initial development of this system was for the Digital Flora of Texas Project by members of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group with support from Advanced Research Program grants from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The site is not designed for commercial use or publication and images accessed via this system are the property of the photographers.  Data processing for this digital library is accomplished by the programs, imawwwo1.ipf (index and family pages) and imawwwo2.ipf (entry pages and summary), written by Hugh Wilson, TAMU Department of Biology Herbarium.  File indexing and CGI code for this prototype were produced initially by Erich Schneider during his tenure as a grad student with the TAMU Department of Computer Science with subsequent student revisions.  The system, now used as a teaching resource, is maintained without funding by the TAMU Center for the Study of Digital Libaries, and updated - when time permints - by Hugh D. Wilson.
This page last updated: 15 February 2008.