1. ark.lparchaeology.com
The Archaeological Recording Kit
An open source solution to
project recording
Jessica Ogden
Stuart Eve
Andrew Dufton

2. ARK Workshop Agenda
}
1. Introducing ARK
2. Example projects and
live demo
3. Installing ARK
4. Getting started with Questions
customising ARK throughout!

3. Introducing ARK
1. The Origins of ARK
2. The Aims of ARK
3. What is ARK
4. Beyond ARK

4. Introducing ARK : Origins

5. Introducing ARK : Origins

6. Introducing ARK : Origins

7. Introducing ARK : Origins

8. Introducing ARK : Origins

9. Introducing ARK : Aims
Reflexivity and Multi-Vocality
• To be completely adaptable to any project’s recording
system, be it digital or paper-based
• Does not impose data standards (but can be imposed if
you want them!)

10. Introducing ARK : Aims
Collaborative from Start to Finish
• A tool for digital storage, collection, collaboration, and
dissemination.
• Everyone is together in the field, but after the season is over
people return to their institutions.

11. Introducing ARK : Aims
Open-Source
• Open source - ARK code is hosted on a SVN repository, and all
code is released on Sourceforge under a GNU GPL license
• Improvements and Enhancements made on one project are rolled
out to all projects

12. Introducing ARK : What is it?
• Runs on industry standard, cross-
platform, open source web
technologies
• Uses modules, fields, subforms, and
pages to display data through a
web browser as XHTML
• WFS/WMS (web mapping) capable

13. Introducing ARK : What is it?
• Uses ‘main pages’, subforms, and
configuration files
• Multi-user, with highly customisable
security settings. As open or closed
as you like!
• Multi-lingual through the use of
markup and aliases

14. Introducing ARK : & Beyond
• Has export tools to view data in
CSV, XML, RSS and Atom feeds,
and linked data as RDF
• Uses industry standard spatial data
interoperability toolkits: GeoRSS,
KML, WFS/WMS, and GeoNames
API
• Transclusion of ARK subforms
• Hybrid publication and seamless
integration with web-based project
outputs

15. Introducing ARK : & Beyond
• Since its release in August 2011, ARK v1.0
has had over 625 downloads from 60
countries around the world
• +1,350 downloads since Sourceforge

16. Introducing ARK : Demos

17. Installing ARK
1. Setup a web server ... in 5 easy steps!
2. Download ARK
3. Adjust environment
settings
4. Create database and
import SQL
5. Login! “I connected my food processor to
my word processor in case I have to
eat my words.”

18. Installing ARK : Server
Download:
Mac OSx: • MAMP: www.mamp.info
• MS4W: www.maptools.org/ms4w/
Windows:
• WAMP: www.wampserver.com/
Linux: • LAMP or
All of Above: • XAMPP: www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

19. Windows
Installing ARK : MS4W
Download:
• MS4W does not include:
phpMyAdmin: http://www.phpmyadmin.net/
home_page/downloads.php
MySQL: http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql
• See walkthrough

20. Installing ARK : Download
1. Locate your htdocs folder
Mac OSx: Applications/MAMP/htdocs
Windows: C:ms4wApachehtdocs
2. Download / Copy Over ARK v1.1:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/arkdb/files/arkdb
3. Place ARK v1.1 in the root of the htdocs folder - call the
You will need a good text editor for the next step:
TextMate (free trial), Text Wrangler, JEdit, etc.

21. Installing ARK : Env Settings
1. Locate the ARK environment settings (env_settings.php):
ark/config/env_settings.php
2. Adjust according to your setup:
#1 Setup Case #2 Setup SQL
$server = "mac"; $sql_user = 'sqluser';
$sql_pwd = 'sqlpassword';

22. Installing ARK : Env Settings
#1
#2

23. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
1. Locate the ARK v1.1 SQL (ark.sql):
ark/ark.sql
2. Locate your phpMyAdmin interface through the browser:
http://localhost/phpMyAdmin
3. Create a new empty database: ark_db / UTF-8 Unicode
4. Import the ark.sql to create the required ARK tables

24. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
Create a new empty
database: ark_db
UTF-8 Unicode

25. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
Import the ark.sql

26. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
A brief word about tables..
• cor tables (data)
• cor lut tables (lookup)
• cor lvu tables (live user)
• mod specific tables

27. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
A brief word about tables..
• cor tables (data)
one for each dataclass, holds the data
• cor lut tables (lookup)
• cor lvu tables (live user)
• mod specific tables

28. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
A brief word about tables..
• cor tables (data)
one for each dataclass, holds the data
• cor lut tables (lookup)
one for each dataclass, holds info about that dataclass
• cor lvu tables (live user)
• mod specific tables

29. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
A brief word about tables..
• cor tables (data)
one for each dataclass, holds the data
• cor lut tables (lookup)
one for each dataclass, holds info about that dataclass
• cor lvu tables (live user)
holds live user (pear) security data
• mod specific tables

30. Installing ARK : SQL dbase
A brief word about tables..
• cor tables (data)
one for each dataclass, holds the data
• cor lut tables (lookup)
one for each dataclass, holds info about that dataclass
• cor lvu tables (live user)
holds live user (pear) security data
• mod specific tables
one for each module, and lut for those that have types

31. Installing ARK : Login!
http://localhost/ark
User name: doe_jd
Password: janedoe

32. Explore your ARK
• User Admin: Create and manage your users
• Data Entry: Enter new data using the
register, and add detailed info to the record
in the form view
• Search: Create filters and save them, add
fields to your view, export to CSV
• Record View:View your complete records in
all their glory, edit data, delete a record,
change a record number

33. Customise your ARK
Before getting stuck in, 1. Settings files are your
a few helpful hints... friends! (And so is PHP)
2. Use the alias admin page
to add new classtypes
and aliases
3. It’s all about the
subforms. If you want it,
there’s probably a
subform for it.

34. Customise ARK : Single Cxt
Included pre-configured Set up single
recording systems context system
• Single Context recording based on 1. Copy over the settings
Museum of London Archaeology files from ark_cxt into the
system config folder
• Stratigraphic Units, the Italian 2. Import the ark_cxt.sql into
flavor your ark_db database
**Disclaimer: SU settings have not yet been
updated to v1.1, but continue to watch this space..

35. Customise ARK : Settings
General Settings
• Environment
• Settings
• Page Settings
• Field Settings
• Validation Settings

36. Customise ARK : Settings
General Settings
• Environment
server and directory settings
• Settings
• Page Settings
• Field Settings
• Validation Settings

37. Customise ARK : Settings
General Settings
• Environment
server and directory settings
• Settings
security, defaults, language settings
• Page Settings
• Field Settings
• Validation Settings

38. Customise ARK : Settings
General Settings
• Environment
server and directory settings
• Settings
security, defaults, language settings
• Page Settings
display, navigation, views
• Field Settings
• Validation Settings

39. Customise ARK : Settings
General Settings
• Environment
server and directory settings
• Settings
security, defaults, language settings
• Page Settings
display, navigation, views
• Field Settings
all fields
• Validation Settings

40. Customise ARK : Settings
General Settings
• Environment
server and directory settings
• Settings
security, defaults, language settings
• Page Settings
display, navigation, views
• Field Settings
all fields
• Validation Settings
validation settings for all fields

41. Customise ARK : Fields
Data Classtypes 5. Action - somebody doing
something, often combining
1. Text - text strings
with a person from the abk
2. Number
6. XMI - a link between two
different module items
3. Date
7. Span - matrices,
4. Attribute - control lists, drop comparanda, spanning ranges
downs, tick boxes and radio (e.g. date ranges)
buttons
8. File - files, media resources

42. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
(line 169)

43. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
(line 169)

44. Customise ARK : Settings
field_settings.php
mod_abk_settings.php
(line 169)

45. Customise ARK : Settings
field_settings.php
mod_abk_settings.php
(line 169)
(line 119)

46. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A register to add new abk items

47. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A register to add new abk items

48. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
field_settings.php A register to add new abk items

49. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
field_settings.php A register to add new abk items

50. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
field_settings.php A register to add new abk items

51. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
field_settings.php A register to add new abk items

52. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A detailed form for abk items

53. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A detailed form for abk items

54. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A detailed form for abk items
column
subforms
fields

55. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A record view for abk items

56. Customise ARK : Settings
mod_abk_settings.php
A record view for abk items
column
subform
fields subforms
columns

57. Customise ARK : Admin
Advanced..
1. Add new fields to field_settings and
new aliases via alias admin
2. Use the wiki to add example
subforms to a module
3. Import legacy data..
4. Setup mapping..

58. Customise ARK : Resources
Get involved!
• Wiki: ark.lparchaeology.com/wiki
• Google Group(s):
ARK Users: groups.google.com/group/arkusers
ARK Developers: groups.google.com/group/arkdev
• Or just get in touch: j.ogden@lparchaeology.com