Re: reorganizing from earlier versions

["Mervyn E. Bennun" <mebennun>]

I repeat a comment I have made before. Why have more than
one each of Ibid and Orbis databases? Someone tried to
explain this to me, and I was not convinced.

Part of the whole beauty of NB is the way unexpected or
forgotten connections can be made when one makes a search.
I've profited from this. On the other hand, if a reference
is utterly irrelevant it probably won't be thrown up by a
search and so won't waste your effort.
________________
Mervyn E. Bennun,
29 Marmion Road,
Oranjezicht,
Cape Town 8001,
SOUTH AFRICA.
mebennun
Tel/Fax (preferred) +27 (0)21 461 5535
Mobile (seldom carried) 082 738 9863
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Cox" <jeffcox>
To: "Multiple recipients of list NOTABENE"
<notabene>
Sent: Monday, 30 December, 2002 07:53
Subject: reorganizing from earlier versions


> Now that I have the (so far) admirable 6.1 up and running,
I am getting
> around to converting a number of different Ibidem
databases, some of them
> still in NBDOS.  It has been my practice over many years
to create separate
> Ibidem databases for different projects, including three
different book
> projects.  Now I would like to follow the advice of the
HELP file, and
> create one master database with all my entries.  What is
the best way to do
> this?  Create a new database, and append each of the old
ones (although
> old, they are now in 6.1)?  Is there some way to mark the
old databases so
> that they can be identified as subsets of the new master
database--some way
> other than inserting manually a new keyword in each entry?
>
> I assume one cost of this transition is that the old
record numbers will
> disappear as the new entries are renumbered (the numbering
at least appears
> to have survived conversion), ending any links I might
have with citations
> in converted text documents.  For instance, I used to
integrate Ibidem and
> Orbis in NBDOS by putting a footnote Ibidem citation at
the beginning of a
> file when I was taking notes on a book or article for
which I  had a Ibidem
> entry, and copy and paste the citation from the expanded
note into the text
> of the document--an early manual version of the "generate
orbis note form"
> feature.  This allowed me to use subsequent short form
entries in the note
> document, and also to cut and paste text with citations
between note-taking
> documents that each had the same Ibidem generated
formatting at the top. I
> have several hundred files like that, all neatly converted
from DOS or
> 5.1.  I assume I could redo each of these note files with
the new master
> database if I want to maintain links between my different
note files and
> the new Ibidem master database but I'm not sure it's worth
it.  Perhaps
> that would be necessary even if the record numbers were
preserved, since
> the formatting codes have changed.  I could also generate
a new "orbis note
> form" from the new master Ibidem database for each note
file, and paste it
> in. Sounds like a lot of work to update the note files,
though. Etc.
>
> Any additional disadvantages that I have not anticipated?
>
> Any short cuts or other advice welcome, with thanks in
advance.
>
> Jeff Cox
>
>
>
>