Basics of Scalar, quick start guide

2. Scalar
Sign up: http://scalar.usc.edu/scalar/sign-up/
Or
Sign in: http://scalar.usc.edu/works/

3. Examples of Possibilities on Index Page
(sign in page)

4. After Sign in go to Dashboard

5. Different Projects Viewed Through Dropdown Menu:
“Reimagining LA: Design Fiction for Los Angeles 2066”

6. Basic Elements and Process
Elements:
• Pages
• Media
• Paths
• Annotations
• Tags
Process:
Put in data > Organize|Create Relationships

7. Book Properties

8. Sharing|Users Tabs
Sharing
• Default is private, but you
can make public or make
viewable via link (but not put
in the index)
Collaboration (Book Users Tab)
• You can have multiple
authors
• Comments are possible and
share or not, moderate or
note

9. Basic Principles:
“Anything is Anything”
• Mantra #1 Everything is a page (a media object is a
page, tag is a page)
• Mantra #2 Anything can be linked to anything else.
1. This makes it different from most publications (print
or web) in that a multimedia can be an annotation,
the annotation can be a page in its own right, or
could be a tag!
2. Great possibilities for linear and non-linear writing

10. Add work: Dashboard >
Pages tab>Create Page

11. Or Toolbar on Book page: Scroll over for
assorted tasks (edit, add page, dashboard)

12. Import Media
from partner archives, web, desktop

13. Or Import Media from Book Page

14. Horizontal Links/Partner
Archives/Context
• Media is hosted elsewhere (video especially)
• You can upload 2mb or less (e.g. images, but can
upload larger images to flickr, google drive, dropbox
and use the url to upload).
• Practically, this means you don’t have to pay for huge
server space, and your video will play!
• Your media is not ripped from context
• Partner archives: Internet Archives, Shoah Foundation,
Critical Commons, etc.

15. Editing
Scroll Over Toolbar at
Top: Insert Media (Ref and
Inline), Word Insert
At Bottom, Format
and Save

16. Finding Media/Pages:
Dashboard or Left Drop Down Menu

17. Annotating Images:
Media> Paper Clip> +>
Draw Box>Title>Save

18. Adding your annotations to your page.
Create at any point, then either embed or reformat
video by clicking wheel in upper right of video

19. Annotating Video:
Media>Paper Clip> +
> Set Start and End>Title>Save

20. To Make a Scalar Path
Page >Edit>Relationships> Save

21. Table of Contents: Can add from
anywhere, drag and drop order>save

22. Layout Options at bottom of page
when editing

23. Front Page
• Default blank page as front page (named index)
• You can make any page a front page by going to
dashboard>pages> edit the default index page
(rename the url or delete)
• Edit url of page you want as front page> name:
index> save

24. Scalar and Structure (relationship tab
at bottom of page when editing)
• Paths – connection as sequence,
can be linear or can branch or
loop, pages in a sequence
• Remember anything can be a
page (so anything can be a
path/sequence – all annotations)
But may want to create a page to
start a path (so that it sets it out
by topic_
• Tags, not a sequence, non-
hierarchical structure

25. Paths – Page that has sequence

26. Parent Page with Path

27. To Make a Scalar Path
Page >Edit>Relationships> Save

28. End of Path, can direct
anywhere

29. Book Structure (Page can be
on multiple paths)

30. Back to main page or
beginning

31. Nesting, dive down and return

32. Table of Contents: Can add anything (path, page, etc),
drag and drop order>save

33. Front Page Table of Contents

34. Tags – non hierarchical
Create Page and Tag elements

35. Or can visualize tags:
Layout>Tag

36. Layout Options at bottom of page
when editing

37. Front Page
• Default blank page as front page (named index)
• You can make any page a front page by going to
dashboard>pages> edit the default index page
(rename the url or delete)
• Edit url of page you want as front page> name:
index> save