Difference between revisions of "Documentation:The Editor and data format"

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To specify that a year is BC/BCE use the minus sign. Note, that the minus should go before the year, not entire date. For example: <code>03.15.-44</code> is correct, and <code>-03.15.44</code> is not. Also note that even though we use the minus sign, we don’t use the astronomical year numbering system where 1 BC corresponds to year Zero, 2 BC to year -1 and so on. There is no year Zero on the Timeline, and minus simply means BC. For example year -44 is year 44 BC.
To specify that a year is BC/BCE use the minus sign. Note, that the minus should go before the year, not entire date. For example: <code>03.15.-44</code> is correct, and <code>-03.15.44</code> is not. Also note that even though we use the minus sign, we don’t use the astronomical year numbering system where 1 BC corresponds to year Zero, 2 BC to year -1 and so on. There is no year Zero on the Timeline, and minus simply means BC. For example year -44 is year 44 BC.
Sometimes you need to show that some event happened in the beginning of month, or the end of month. You can use letters <code>b</code> (for 'beginning') and <code>e</code> (for 'end') in dates. For example <code>07b.2000</code> means beginning of July 2000, and <code>07e.2000</code> means end of July 2000. These instructions:
<blockquote><poem>
Beginning of July;;;;07b.2000;;
Only year and month is specified;;;;07.2000;;
End of July;;;;07e.2000;;
</poem></blockquote>
produce these events on the Timeline:
[[File:MonthEvents.png]]
By default ‘the beginning of month’ is between 2nd and 3rd day of the month, and ‘the end of month’ is between 27th and 28th day (so I don’t need to account for varying month lengths and leap day in February). But if you need to, you can always change the date and still make the event point between two days. Just use <code>b</code> or <code>e</code> on the day instead of on the month. For example <code>07.30b.2000</code> would place the event between 29th and 30th of July 2000.
Sometimes you want to put an event right between two adjacent years. Just use <code>b</code> and <code>e</code> on the year. For example, these two events point to the same moment in time:
<blockquote><poem>
End of 1999;;;;1999e;;
Beginning of 2000;;;;2000b;;
</poem></blockquote>
And so they are shown both in one card:
[[File:BeginningAndEndOfYear.png]]
Usually you use this technique on ancient events where the date is round and approximate. For example:
[[File:Event3100.png]]
When you select another timeline in the Menu (Holocene Calendar or the Old Era) the date will be converted to nice and round 6900 instead of 6901:
[[File:Event6900.png]]
You can use the same syntax to specify start and end dates of time intervals. For example, the source I used to create the layer on Ptolemaic dynasty says that Ptolemy VI Philometor briefly ruled jointly with Ptolemy Eupator in 152 BCE. I didn’t dig any deeper to find out more precise dates, so all I know is that Ptolemy Eupator ruled for some time in 152 BCE. I showed his rule like this:
[[File:PtolemyEupator152.png]]
This is what the instructions look like on the server:
<blockquote>
Ptolemy Eupator;;;;-152b;-152e;
</blockquote>
Because the ends of the time interval point to the beginning and the end of the year, you understand that you can’t take them literally. Ptolemy Eupator could have easily ruled for a couple of months or just a few days, as far as I'm concerned.


''Color'' - All events of a layer have the default color. So usually you don’t need to put anything in this field. However, if you need to give some events a different color, you put color index in this field. For this to work you need to have the needed color in the list of colours. More on that below. Also you can make the background of the time interval transparent by putting letter <code>t</code> into the ''Color'' field. Let's see an example of events with transparent backgrounds:
''Color'' - All events of a layer have the default color. So usually you don’t need to put anything in this field. However, if you need to give some events a different color, you put color index in this field. For this to work you need to have the needed color in the list of colours. More on that below. Also you can make the background of the time interval transparent by putting letter <code>t</code> into the ''Color'' field. Let's see an example of events with transparent backgrounds:

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