Wikimecum:Final CD

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In order to make possible the continuation of your projects by future IQP groups, all project teams are REQUIRED to submit complete and well-organized CD-ROM(s) containing the entire PQP and IQP results. The CD will be organized as described herein and it will all be accessible through a web interface (your project’s web page) as a standalone web site.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Generally speaking, the following basic instructions must be followed by ALL teams (the sections that follow contain more details):

  • Organize all your project files in appropriately-named directories (see below)
    • Remove all unneeded files. The CD-ROM should contain ONLY the FINAL versions of all the files! Please, NO JUNK. This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
    • Rename all your files, using proper naming conventions.
  • Index the CD, by using a simple index.html file
  • Make a CD containing ALL your project files
  • Label the CD and the jewel case
  • Verify the validity of the data on the disks! To do this:
    • use your web page (with RELATIVE links) to link to the appropriate files, then
    • open the files with the appropriate program, reading them directly from the CD-ROM drive.
    • this will also be useful to check if some necessary files are missing.
  • Link your folders to an index.html file. Also, if your project has a web page or a WordPress CMS, make sure it contains links to your project Report, Presentation and Poster, as well as to the overall folder on our server where your CD files are stored (more below)


The following sections provide step-by-step instructions about the preparation of the computer files and should be carried out in the order presented here.

ORGANIZE FILES

Appropriately Name Root Directory for all Project Files (on Hard Drive)

All of your well-organized and appropriately named directories should be placed under a ROOT directory called: TERM_<short project name>, for example:

  • B08_Move
  • B08_Young

Create Appropriate Directories (on HARD DISK)

On your hard disks, under the above-named root directory, create the following FOLDERS, when applicable:

  • CD LABELS, containing the file(s) you uesed to create the label for the CD (round) and jewel case (square). THis enables us to create a professional duplicate of your CD, if needed.
  • REPORT, containing the report, organized appropriately (including appendices), and divided into:
    • Word for the Word Processor files (.docx or .DOC) and
    • Acrobat for the (.PDF) files (the entire report including appendices in ONE file)
  • PRESENTATION, Powerpoint slides (.pptx or .PPT) (BE CAREFUL with accessory files, like sound effects)
  • DATABASE, for the (Access) database files (.accdb or .MDB).
  • MAPS, for the (Mapinfo) map files (.DAT, :TAB, .MAP, .ID, .WOR.) and/or ESRI files and/or KML/KMZ files
This should be divided into as many sub-folders as there are layers! BE CAREFUL! Mapinfo and ESRI create a lot of files and it is easy to FORGET some of them!
Each subfolder will contain 4-5 files belonging to the same layer.
Double check the success of the copy by trying to open the COPIES of the Mapinfo layers.
WARNING: once you move the files, your WORKSPACES will often no longer work. (You can edit the WOR file with NOTEPAD and change the path inside it to the new location to make it work again -- a similar fix may exist for ESRI).
  • EXCEL, for Excel Worksheets and graphs (.xlss or .XLS).
  • GRAPHICS, for graphs NOT done with Excel, also may include any raster (JPG) image of graphs used in text.
  • DESIGN, for all design files, typically produced with Adobe products or CAD.
  • DIAGRAMS, for all diagrams produced with VISIO.
  • PUBLISHING, If you have created a Poster or any other layout for publishing, include the appropriate files (Publisher, In-Design, etc.) containing the layouts.
  • FIGURES, for all raster images that were used as FIGURES in the text of the report. These should be also included in the IMAGES directory (where applicable). Suggested format is JPEG (.JPG).
  • IMAGES, for all other raster images (e.g. Photoshop, Scanner, .WMF, .BMP, .JPG, .TIF, etc.). Since this directory may be rather crowded, create SUB-FOLDERS as needed, to organize the files, using appropriate mnemonic names for sub-directories. If your project includes many images used to document your field inventories, you may decide to put all of those images in one or more separate CDs or DVD.
  • VIDEO, for all video files, if applicable (these may be too large to fit in the main CD, so create a separate one if needed)
  • AUDIO, for all audio files, if applicable (see above if too large)
  • WEB, All HTML web pages, including Frontpage or Sharepoint files (.HTM or .HTML) and others (BE CAREFUL with images and other accessory files – include the respective folders).
  • CODE if you have produced any type of code or script, save it here.
  • RECEIVED FILES, for all files you received from somebody else (e.g. from the City, from other Institutions, downloaded off the web, etc.) whether you used them in the project or not (if you deem they might be useful in the future).
  • OTHER, for all files you don't know where to put.

Copy appropriate files to above Directories on Hard Drive

Copy the appropriate files into each of the above directories. If you have any questions, ask Prof. Carrera. Test files by opening them at their new location!

Rename files using appropriate naming conventions

You should make sure that each file in the various directories has a self-explanatory name that clearly identifies it for posterity. Rename files and give them proper, useful names (on Hard Disk). Make sure you use DESCRIPTIVE file names, using the syntax:

<what it is>_<short project name>-<term>.EXT

Use underscores instead of spaces (makes it easier later when we put stuff on the web). Here are some examples:

  • Presentation_B08_Moving_.doc
  • Report_B08_Old.doc
  • Survey_List_B08_Live.xls

Even though the figures may have been saved with the .DOC file(s), it is useful to keep the original raster images, if they are available, on separate files. These should be saved in the FIGURES directory and should very simply be named according to the figure number: FIG_01, FIG_02, etc. The extensions don't matter, even if they are all different. For single-digit figures, use leading zeros to facilitate sorting (FIG_01, FIG_02 etc.).

CREATE INDEX

Create a simple Index Web Page to links to your files

We highly recommend that you use a simple html WEB PAGE as an INDEX to your CD! You can get a sample online.

  • Download it by right-clicking on this link and "Save Target As..." to your hard drive, so you can modify it to point to your files.
  • Move it to the top level of your directory structure, right inside your ROOT folder (called B08_Move, B08_Young, etc.).
  • Leave the INDEX.html file on the root of the CD and test that it properly links to all the files. If you don't know how to do this, just make sure that the Wordpress CMS points to the online copy of the CD (see above).

If possible, try not to hardcode the actual UNIX directories of your files into the HTML web pages. Instead, try to use relative links off of the main web page that will reside on the root directory of the CD. For example, since your project report (let’s say it is called Report_EIR-D05.doc) will be inside the folder called Report/Word on the CD, your main web page (assume it is called Boston_EIR-D05.html) will link to the report like this:

  • Report/Word/Report_EIR-D05.doc

Instead of

  • /home/smith/IQP/REPORT/WORD/Report_EIR-D05.doc (assuming the student’s username is Smith)

PRODUCE FINAL CD-ROM(s)

The Final CD ROM will consist of an image of your Hard Drive Directory, which will have the main HTML file in the root and will behave as a standalone web site thanks to all the RELATIVE links in it. For the IQP, you’ll need to burn multiple copies (see separate handout about final deliverables). You probably will want to make a copy for yourselves too. The process can take hours, so enough time must be allotted for this final step, so that everyone gets a CD-ROM made before departing. Priority will be given to official CD-ROMs. Other copies will be made only if time permits. It is possible that you may have to separate digital photos if too numerous (as usually happens in the case of catalog projects) and burn a CD or DVD just for them.

Use an Appropriate Volume Label for the CD

You should make sure that you assign the CD a VOLUME label. This will be the label of the CD ROM when looking at the Drives list. Use an even shorter version of your Root Directory name if needed (12 characters max): TERM_<shorter project name>. For example:

  • E00_Wellheads
  • E00_Belltowers
  • E03_Traffic, etc.


Remember that this is the label that will show up next to the CD icon under the File Manager or Explorer in Windows.

Check Final CD-ROM(s)

You should check that the Final CD-ROM is OK, by opening the various files directly from the CD. In particular, you should:

  1. Open the .DOC file(s) in Word
  2. Open the PDF file in Acrobat
  3. Open the project MAPS in Mapinfo
  4. Open the Access Database(s)
  5. Open the Excel Spreadsheet(s)
  6. Open the Powerpoint Presentation
  7. Browse the Web pages locally
  8. Thoroughly check all other files.

LABEL CD-ROM(s)

Professional-looking labels should be used to produce covers for both the CD disk and Jewel Case.
It is important that the SPINE of the CD case shows the title and term of your project.
The labels will contain the following information:

  • Title of Project
  • Name and Logo of Sponsoring Agency
  • WPI logo
  • a "cool" killer-graphic or killer-image as background
  • Term (e.g. B09)
  • Contents (FINAL REPORT, IMAGES, etc.) – on back of jewel case
  • Disk Number (Disk 1 of 2, Disk 2 of 2, etc.) - on Disk and back of jewel case

More information about free labeling software and samples can be found on line.

  • Make sure the CD Label file(s) are _included_ in the final CD itself!!
  • Make your Labels look PROFESSIONAL!!! Impressions are important too!!! Let your pride in the project be reflected by the label!
  • Do not leave any JUNK in the CD (old files, temp files, useless files). Clean everything up and make it tight and PROFESSIONAL.


Remember that the CD is probably the MOST IMPORTANT heritage you'll leave behind, even more valuable than your project report
(which is contained therein anyway).


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