March 3, 2009
For
more information, contact:
Lisa
Schiff
(510) 987-0881
The California Digital Library (CDL)
is pleased to announce the availability of an extensive self-guided tutorial for
its eXtensible Text Framework (XTF) application (http://xtf.wiki.sourceforge.net/).
XTF is an open source, highly customizable piece of software supporting the
search, browse, and display of heterogeneous digital content and offering
efficient and practical methods for creating customized end-user interfaces for
distinct digital collections. The tutorial provides guidance for implementing
and customizing XTF, from core functionality to overall look and feel. Downloads
for the Mac and Windows operating
systems (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=119724) are available from the XTF Project page on
SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/xtf/),
along with the complete distribution and documentation.
The tutorial comes with a complete
XTF package that is ready to run when uncompressed; no other installation is
required. It contains nine modules spanning the most powerful and popular
features, including how to:
XTF Background and
Overview
Since first developing and deploying this indexing and display technology
in 2005, the CDL has worked to build and maintain XTF as a highly customizable
application built upon tested components already in use by the digital library
and search communities - in particular the Lucene text search engine, Java, XML,
and XSLT. By coordinating these pieces in a
single platform that can be used to create multiple unique applications, the CDL
has succeeded in dramatically reducing the investment in infrastructure, staff
training, and development for new digital content projects.
XTF offers the following core
features out of the box:
A sampling of XTF-based applications
include: