User Guide 1/1553-LXA 119 1929 Uen B

How to Get Started with Ericsson Library Explorer

Contents


1 About Ericsson Library Explorer

Ericsson Library Explorer, in short ELEX, is software that allows users to browse Ericsson Customer Product Information (CPI) libraries in a standard web browser. This document is an introduction to the use of Ericsson Library Explorer to read Ericsson CPI.

The document is written for Ericsson Library Explorer version 3.0 or later.

Ericsson Library Explorer is designed to handle all types of Ericsson product information in such a way that the same CPI library can be used both on web servers, on a Local Area Network (LAN) file server, on portable PCs with no network connection, and on mobiles including both smartphones and tablets. The modern design of Ericsson Library Explorer is based on responsive web design principles (HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3).

The ELEX SW packages will be made available for download and local installations in a later release.

Ericsson CPI is accessible for browsing online through the Product Manuals application at the Ericsson e-business portal: https://ebusiness.ericsson.net/.

1.1 Introducing Ericsson Library Explorer

Ericsson Library Explorer replaces the current Active Library Explorer (ALEX). Ericsson Library Explorer is a fully redesigned user interface focusing on optimal performance and usability. It also includes a Glossary Search and a new MyDocs feature.

The main changes in Ericsson Library Explorer compared to ALEX are:

  • Modern user experience – Improved usability, new look and feel

  • Mobility enabled – Accessible from any device

  • Improved performance – Faster than ever

  • Improved search and findability

With Ericsson Library Explorer, the user can now search for libraries using different filters, providing options for product categories and date of publishing.

Glossary Search allows searching for abbreviations and terms used in Ericsson CPI.

The MyDocs feature allows the user to collect interesting topics found in the CPI, add the user's own content, and share content with other users.

From the Ericsson Library Explorer library view, all CPI libraries are now opened in Ericsson Library Explorer. Libraries created before Q2 2018 are still opened in ALEX.

1.2 CPI Library Types

A CPI library is a container file that includes HTML, PDF, and Microsoft® Excel® files. HTML is the recommended format for viewing documents on screen. A PDF version of the document is also provided allowing documents to be printed.

A library collection is a group of related libraries that are browsed in the same window. It consists of a top-level library and sublibraries referenced from the top-level library. The top-level library of a collection is the entry point. Click the title of the top-level library to open the library collection for viewing.

A library collection can be downloaded as a single package.

The different CPI library types are shown in Figure 1 and described in Table 1.

Figure 1   CPI Library Types
Table 1   Description of CPI Library Types

Type

Description

ELEX Library Collection

A CPI library collection that can be opened in Ericsson Library Explorer content view.

ELEX Library

A CPI library that can be opened in Ericsson Library Explorer content view.

ALEX Library Collection

A CPI library collection in an older version that is opened in Active Library Explorer.

ALEX Library

A CPI library in an older version that is opened in Active Library Explorer.

Delivery Notice

A document in PDF format usually containing Delivery Notices.

Delivery Package

A CPI package containing product information in another format than can be opened in Ericsson Library Explorer or Active Library Explorer.

1.3 Document Formats

Ericsson Library Explorer supports the document formats shown in Table 2.

Table 2   Supported Document Formats

Icon

Format

HTML

PDF

Excel

1.4 Ericsson Library Explorer Variants

Ericsson Library Explorer is available in two variants, a server variant and a standalone Windows®-based variant:

  • Ericsson Library Explorer Server is used for web-based browsing. It is installed on a web server and is accessible from a web browser. Users do not need to install the software on a local workstation.

  • Ericsson Library Explorer for Windows is used on PCs with no web connection. It is a Windows program that displays downloaded locally stored libraries.

1.5 Ericsson Library Explorer Functions

Ericsson Library Explorer has two major sets of functions:

  • Library functions are available in the Library View. They are used for searching, downloading, and opening libraries in a library structure. There are also functions for searching Glossaries and MyDocs, which allows users to create their own documents by gathering any number of different topics of their choice.

  • Document functions are available when a library is opened in the Content View. These functions are used with documents in a library, for example, to search for a document.

Note: This document describes only the basic document functions. For information on library functions, see the Help information available at the entry page for each component in the Library View.

2 Ericsson Library Explorer, Library View

The Library View contains three main components:

Library Search  

The main purpose of ELEX is to improve the findability of libraries available on Ericsson CPI services with a modern responsive web design so everything works smoothly on any device, including mobiles with small screen sizes. For more help on this specific search type or on updated features, tap on the help tiles (Library Search, What's New, or Introduction Video) on the Library Search entry page.

Glossary Search  

This entirely new search type provides a quick and easy way to find an acronym or a term used in the documentation for all products that are part of a Product Category. For more help on this search type, tap on the help tiles (Glossary Search, What's New) on the Glossary Search entry page.

MyDocs  

MyDocs enables users to create their own documents including any number of different topics or their own choice. These topics can be referenced from any document in any library, and can be mixed with individually created topics, called User Generated Topics. When entering ELEX, all referenced and own topics are available from the MyDocs tab. For more information and help on this new feature, tap on the help tiles on the MyDocs entry page.

An example of the Library View is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2   Library Search Entry Page

System Bar

The System Bar contains the application name (Ericsson Library Explorer) along with the CPI central service name (Product Information). Tap the name to quickly return to the Library Search entry page. The system bar also includes a Help and a User menu.

The Help menu provides links to the Product Information service entry page (home), to the ELEX - Quick Help page, to Privacy Notice, and to About ELEX information.

The User menu includes options to switch between Product Category Filters and Product Folder Filters. Additionally it includes a Subscribe to Updates link.

Breadcrumbs

The Breadcrumbs shows the current Product Category or Product Folder filter selections. It can also be used to quickly reset filter settings on any level by clicking the links in the breadcrumbs.

Search

The Search field is used to search for libraries, glossary terms, and so on, depending on the selected component. For more information, click the Help information at the start page for each component.

Click the Show/hide filters panel button ( ) to toggle between showing and hiding the Filters panel.

Click Library, Glossary, or MyDocs to switch to the start page of another component.

Filters

The Filters panel displays the filters that are used to navigate the selected component structure.

View Panel

The View panel displays help information when first opened. When searching, the search results are displayed.

Saving Settings

The options and filter settings are automatically saved. They are reset to the same settings when returning back to ELEX. (Cookies must be enabled for this to work.) The settings are also retained when a user enters ELEX using another device.

3 Ericsson Library Explorer, Content View

Clicking a library from the Library View opens it in the Content View. The Content View includes functions on document and topic level that provide a user interface with optimized performance and functionality.

Only libraries created after Q2 2018 are supported in Content View. Older CPI libraries open in Active Library Explorer.

3.1 Content View Overview

Quick Action Bar

The Quick Action bar contains toggle buttons to show or hide the Filters and Contents panels, a Search Box, and Back and Forward buttons.

Filters Panel

The Filters panel contains the filter groups with all filter options defined for the library. Use filters to instantly limit the scope so that only relevant hits are shown in the search results and in document lists.

Filters are displayed only when filters are defined for a library. However, library collections have an automatically generated filters group with the header Libraries, listing sublibraries and the parent library of the collection. The Libraries filter is always displayed irrespective of filters defined on individual sublibraries.

All filter options selected are stored as cookies so that when re-entering ELEX all filters are set accordingly.

To reset all filters to library defaults, right-click in the Filters panel and select Reset filters from this library from the context menu.

Contents Panel

The Contents panel dynamically shows the library Table of Contents. Expand or collapse to navigate the structure, or open any document listed on the different hierarchical levels. The list of documents and subheaders defined are instantly shown on any level by clicking the tree.

For library collections, the Contents panel shows the structure of the top-level library and all the sublibraries selected in the Filters panel. Each sublibrary is separated by a horizontal line and also shows the library title. The front page of any sublibrary can be accessed by clicking the corresponding library title in the Contents panel.

When a document is open in the Data panel, the document structure can be expanded and collapsed. Topics can be selected from the Contents panel to jump forward in the displayed document.

docstructure.png

Data Panel

The Data panel shows alternatively the content of documents or topics included in the library, the search results, or a quick help page.

Context Menu

The context menu is activated by right-clicking inside Ericsson Library Explorer. It is not available in PDF documents: the Adobe® Reader® has its own context menu. The menu contents vary depending on where the mouse is pointing when right-clicking, showing only the commands that are relevant in that particular context. See the example in Figure 3.

Figure 3   Context Menu

Ordinary browser commands are shown by right-clicking while pressing the Ctrl key.

3.2 Search

Full text search is performed along with metadata search and the complete search results are displayed instantly as the user types. When typing the search term in the search field, if there is an exact match found with any of the words existing in full text of the documents, the full text hits are also displayed. The context extract is displayed for all full text hits.

3.2.1 Search Syntax

Capitalization  

Search is case-insensitive, treating all letters as lower-case. For example, searches for rbs, RBS, or Rbs give the same result.

Spacing  

Spaces between words in the search pattern are treated as a logical AND, that is, both words must be present somewhere in a document to make a match.

Wildcards  

Wildcard symbols expand the scope of a search. Search supports the following wildcard characters:

  • A question mark (?) representing any single character

  • An asterisk (*) representing an unlimited number of characters in a word

Wildcards cannot be used in phrase search.

Phrase Search  

Multiple consecutive words entered in the search field (for example, CPI for RBS), are treated as a phrase only when the phrase is placed within quotation marks ("CPI for RBS"). The context extract contains the topic title, and the surrounding text of the first phrase instance found in the document.

Logical Symbols  

Logical symbols define the relationships between words or groups of words and can be used to expand or limit the scope of the search. A logical symbol must be preceded by a space, otherwise it is treated as part of the search term.

Symbol

Purpose

|

Extends the search and retrieves items containing any of the words it separates (logical OR)

Limits the search and retrieves items that do not contain the term following it (logical NOT)

3.2.2 How to Search

Steps

  1. Begin entering the search term into the Search document, topic, keyword field.

    As the user types, search suggestions are shown in a list below the search field. The search suggestions are based on the matching words actually existing in the body text of document in the current library.

    Hits in document or topic titles or keywords are displayed in Search Results.

  2. Complete the search by selecting a word in the list of search suggestions.

    The search is completed and the hits displayed in the Search Results panel.

  3. Click any of the provided links to navigate to the document or topic.

3.2.3 Search Results

All hits are shown in the Search Results panel. A maximum of 100 results are shown. If the result exceeds 100, refine the search pattern or use filters to limit the search scope further.

The search result is sorted in the following order:

  • Document keyword

  • Document title

  • Document subtitle

  • Topic keyword

  • Topic title

  • Document identity

  • Full text

Hits in document or topic level title or keyword are shown as the corresponding document or topic title. The group of documents within each type of hits are sorted based on document type relevance, and further sorting is provided based on the document title, document type, and identity (if shown only).

By default, the Title and Type columns are shown. The Type and Identity columns can be selected to be shown or hidden dynamically (user preference) by clicking the Select columns shown icon to the upper right.

This selection is remembered and used in all search results and document lists shown in the Data panel.

The search results also shows the context of the search hit for body text hits. The context shown contains the topic title, along with the surrounding text of the first search pattern instance in the document.

3.3 Navigate

To navigate a library, ensure that the Contents panel is displayed. If not, click the Show/hide contents panel icon.

Navigate the library structure in the Contents panel, expanding and collapsing folders. In a library collection, the structure of each sublibrary is shown and can be navigated.

Click a folder name to show the included documents in the Data panel.

3.4 Provide Feedback

Notes allow readers to provide feedback on CPI. Notes are inserted at appropriate places in HTML documents in a CPI library. Notes can be read by other users, retrieved by the owner of the document and, when relevant, used to improve the next revision of the document.

Notes are used to provide comments, to suggest improvements, request clarifications, and so on. The function, however, does not replace a trouble report for a fault in a document. Always indicate missing or incorrect information using a trouble report.

  • The function is available only in CPI libraries in the Product Manuals application on the Ericsson e-business portal. It is not available in CPI libraries downloaded to local installations or in Ericsson Library Explorer for Windows.

  • Notes can be added only to those libraries that are enabled to allow notes to be added. This decision is made by the information owner.

  • Notes are visible to other users of the same company, but not to users from other companies.

  • Only the author of a note can edit or remove it.

3.4.1 Add Note

Steps

  1. Open the document in HTML view in Ericsson Library Explorer.
  2. Select the text about which to add a note.

    Ensure that sufficient text is selected to enable a reader to understand what the note is about.

  3. Right-click the selected text and select Add note from the context menu.

    The Add note dialog box is displayed. The selected text is provided in the read-only Selected text box.

  4. Select the appropriate note category from the Select Category list box based on the nature of the feedback.
  5. Enter the feedback text in the Enter your comments here field.
  6. Click OK.

Results

The note is added. The HTML document is refreshed automatically to show the Notes icon beside the title of the section to which the note refers.

3.4.2 View Notes

  1. Click the Actions icon in the upper right corner, and select Show notes inline.

    Result: All notes in the document are displayed in a yellow background at the beginning of the corresponding topic.

  2. To hide all notes, select the Hide inline notes option.

3.4.3 Edit or Delete Note

Steps

  1. Select Show notes inline as described in View Notes.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Edit the note in the Edit your comments here box and click OK, or delete the note by clicking Delete.

3.4.4 Content Rating

When any HTML document is opened, there is an option to rate the document to be either helpful or not helpful.

To rate the document, scroll to the beginning of the document and click the "+" (Rate as helpful) or "-" (Rate as not helpful) icon. When rating as not helpful, optionally specify the reason for the negative rating.

To remove a rating, click the same icon again.

3.5 Copy Links to Clipboard

Note: The available command options depends on the context, that is, what is opened in the Data panel and where the mouse is pointing when right-clicking.

Steps

  1. Click the Actions icon in the upper right corner of the Data panel, or right-click and select the command from the context menu.
  2. Select one of the following commands:
    Table 3   Copy Links Options

    Command

    Action

    Copy link to library

    Copy the URL address of the current library.

    Copy link to latest library

    Copy the URL address of the latest version of library.

    Copy link to document

    Copy the URL address of the current revision of document.

    Copy link to latest document

    Copy the URL address of the latest revision of document.

    Copy Topic to MyDocs

    Copy the topic to MyDocs. The user can select to include a reference to the topic in the current document and library version shown, or to the latest version of a library available (recommended).

    By selecting the latest option, the reference is dynamically showing the updated topic even when documents and libraries are frequently updated and the content is changed. This option can be altered later, as needed, when managing your topic references in MyDocs.

3.6 Show Document in PDF

Steps

  1. Click the Actions icon in the upper right corner of the Data panel.
  2. Select Show Document in PDF.

Results

The document currently open in the Data panel is opened in PDF format.

3.7 Save Document as PDF to Local Disk

Steps

  1. Click the Actions icon in the upper right corner of the Data panel, and select Save Document as PDF.
  2. Select the location on the local disk and click Save.

Results

The document currently open in the Data panel is downloaded in PDF format.