Modifying associations
Associations link topics together into doubles, triplets etc. Association is a named hyper-edge connecting topics. In Wandora, an association is added by selecting Add association.... Association is modified by selecting association row in association table and selecting option Modify association.... Both options open up an association editor. Next image views Wandora's traditional topic panel of a topic In No Sense? Nonsense! (album) which appears to be one of The Art of Noise's album. Red circle marks associations where the album plays a role i.e. associations which somehow connect the album topic to other topics.
Adding association results empty association editor while Modify association fills editor fields with roles, players and type of the selected association. Association editor is used to add and modify one association at time. Next image views an association editor where type and roles have not been selected yet.
To create an association the user must pick a type, player and role topics for the association. Association creation is discussed more detailed in Create new association.
Wandora includes also more sophisticated association modification options. To reveal available options right click on association table. Context menu should contain at least:
- Delete associations... is used to remove selected associations in current topic table. Deletion is confirmed from Wandora user.
- Change type... is used to change association type topic of selected association in current topic table. Wandora asks new type topic with topic request dialog.
- Change role... is used to change one of the association roles of selected association in current topic table. Wandora asks which role is replaced and which topic replaces old role.
- Insert player... inserts user selected player (with user selected role) to selected associations. This option is especially handy if you need to add same player to numerous associations.
- Delete players... is used to remove selected columns i.e. players from selected associations. Note that your selection in association table really defines what players Wandora removes. Wandora confirms deletion from user.
- Swap players within changes player roles in selected associations. Option creates a symmetric association that has different role order. Option is useful when roles are somehow similar (for example neighbour-1 and neighbour-2) and you need to refactor large number of associations.
- Create symmetric associations... is similar to Swap players within but doesn't remove original associations.
- Delete symmetric associations... compares selected associations to all other associations in Wandora and deletes association if symmetric duplicate is found. Symmetric duplicate is an association with same players and roles but role order is different.
- Collect binary to n-ary... is used to change multiple binary associations into a single association with multiple players. To work properly all binary association should share one player.
- Split n-ary to binary... converts one association with multiple players to multiple binary associations. User must select one player as shared player. Shared player ties binary associations together.
