Identification Forms

There are up to five identification forms of a similar layout containing one or more button groups. The exact number and appearance will depend on the database you have selected and which form you have open. You answer questions on these forms by clicking on buttons below them. When you have answered all the questions you can, a click on the Match button will attempt to find those species in the current database that best match your answers.

If you are unsure of an answer, it is always better not to click on one at all rather than geuss, as a wrong answer reduces the chance of a correct identification. It may be that you will then get more than one possible match, but you can then choose between them by looking at the pictures that will be presented to you.

Note that when you click on the Match button the entire database is re-sorted so that the best matches to your criteria come first. Because the database is sorted, you may use the match button to select plants with one or more specific characteristics rather than identify a single plant. For example, if you press the "up to 8m" button in the trees database and then the match button, the trees shown first in the Thumbnail Browser and the Name Browser will be those less than 8m high when fully grown.

Note that you cannot remove the first identification form although you may minimise it if you wish. Restore from the control box, the toolbar or the View Menu. For convenience, to reduce clutter when cascading pages, you may remove the other identifications forms. Any button selections you have already made are retained. When you use the Next or back buttons on an identification form the required form will open automatically.

The Button Groups

A button group is a block of two or more buttons. The number of groups on a page depends on the database and the questions. Each button group is headed by a numbered question. Below is a varying number of answer buttons. At left is a help button and an information button.

• The Answer Buttons
  Each individual button has a possible answer to the question below it. You do not have to answer any question if are unsure of the answer, otherwise you can usually select just one answer. Selection is by left mouse click on the button, when that button will be highlighted. The means of highlighting varies but will always readily distinguish the selected button from the others. A second click on the same button cancels the selection. Sometimes there may be more than one right answer, for example, the Blackthorn flowers between March and May so any of these months should lead to an indentification. In a very few cases the question will indicate you can make more than one selection. In this case, selecting a button will not automatically deselect a previously selected button.



• Help Button
  (question mark) Left click brings up a Context Sensitive Help Box that gives you a further information on how best to answer the question. Sometimes answering questions about plants can be quite difficult or the question needs clarification. These help boxes give you some practical tips, for example, how to estimate of the height of a tree.



• Information Button
  (book) Left click opens an InformatIon Page about the database at a point appropriate to the question, for example that next to the "How are seeds dispersed?" Button Group in the Wild Flowers database tells you all about seed dispersal. Note that click on the title bar of the Toolbar opens the same page, but at the top. You may scroll down to find a specific section.





The Form Controls

These are the group of controls on the left of the form. They are the same for all identification forms.

Last Button
Goes back to the previous identification form if any. If you are already on the first page this control will be absent. The back button on the Toolbar performs the same function.

Next Button
Gives you another identification form if there is one. If you are already on the last page this control will be absent. The forward button on the Toolbar performs the same function.

Match Button
Causes the database to be ordered so that the best matches to your answers are at the top, and then displays the matches in one or more windows. The matches are either shown on the Thumbnail Browser or presented as Species Plates according to the options you have selected on the Options Menu.

Help Button
(question mark) Left click brings up a Context Sensitive Help Box that provides general help on using the form similar to that given here but in less detail. The help button on the Toolbar performs the same function.

Choice Indicator
(small dialog) Left click brings up the Choice Indicator Box. This simply indicates the choices you have made for each question. It is the same as the box you get when you click on a choice button but remains there until you dismiss it. A blank choice indicates you have not anwered the question. You do not have to do so.