The user will have two ways of initiating queries: a search box to directly enter a query and a drop-down menu of pertinent queries based on context. Once a query has been initiated, each result will be formatted,and the list of results will be printed onto the screen.
To format a datum, the website will call the “format” function for the type of the datum. For example, the format function for a work may return a bibliographic entry, and the format function for a project may return the title of the project and collapsible lists of the names of the contributors, the titles, authors, and dates of the works pursuing the project, the institutions that have people working on the project, and the organizations which are providing funding for the project. As much as possible will be hyperlinked. Clicking on a hyperlink for, say, a person, will initiate the query for exactly that person.
The user can also generate customized graphical displays of data.
Examples:
Show programs, projects, and works as different colors of nodes; draw edges between projects that pursue programs, works that pursue projects, and works that pursue programs.
Show people working in categorical logic as nodes; show the number of works coauthored as the thickness of the edge between nodes.