Resource submittal template

The resource submittal template is a stand-alone Access application file providing a standardized format for submitting resource records to the Info Centers. It also provides the means to produce complete DPR523 site records. Below are some instructions for installing and using the template.

Installation

The application can be used on any Windows computer with Access 2007 or newer. Simply copy the file to your computer and double-click to open it. On the first run, you may be prompted to 'Enable Content' before proceeding. Depending on your version of Access, and your computer settings, you may also be prompted to make the file a Trusted Document, which will suppress further security warnings.

If you do not have Access, you can install the free Access runtime from the Microsoft web site. This software allows you to open Access applications such as this one.

First Time Opening the Application

The first time you open the application, you'll be prompted on how you want to use it: either as a simple list of resources that you can submit to the Info Center; or as a template for creating DPR523 records, which you can also submit to the Info Center. You can also set a default county, if all of your resources are in the same county.

When done, click Start Adding Records. You will be taken to the Add Resource dialog, as shown below. (You can return to this Settings dialog at any time, by clicking Settings on the lower right of the Resource List view.)

Adding Resources

When adding a resource, you must enter a county for the resource and at least one unique identifier. If the resource is newly recorded, the “Resource Name or #” field will accommodate any temporary or field designation. If it is an update, “Resource Name or #” may be used for an agency designation, such as a BLM or US Forest Service number. Immediately below “Resource Name or #”, the “What type of ID is this?” field is available to indicate the type of resource number or designation entered.

Note that the template does not permit more than one site record or resource entry for a given resource. Consequently, duplicate values are not allowed in any identifier field. If a duplicate Primary No, Trinomial, HRI No., or Resource Name designation is entered, an error message will appear.

After clicking Add, you will see the Resource List view, with the resource you added showing there. To add more resources, you can return to this dialog from the Resource List view at any time. You can also add resources from the Table view, as described further below.

Resource List View

The list shows the main identifiers that are found in the banner area of a typical DPR523 record (Primary number, HRI number, trinomial, resource name), and whether the record is an update of a previously recorded resource.

To add a resource, click the [Add new] button at the lower right of the screen, or select [Table view] and add resources there.

To delete a resource, highlight the row by clicking on the box to the left of the row, and press the [Delete] key on your keyboard. Be aware that deletions cannot be undone!

Once entered, you can view details on a single resource by clicking the the [Detail] button at the right side of the row; or, you can view your resource records in a table format by clicking [Table View] at the bottom of the list view.

You can also add certain attributes to your records en masse by clicking [Add attributes...].

If you are using the template to generate DPR523 records, you can print them by clicking [Print DPR523...]

Resource Detail View

The Resource Detail view will vary depending on whether you chose to use the template for preparing DPR523 records. If you selected the resource list-only option, the Detail view looks like the image below. If you chose to create DPR523 records, you will see the DPR523 Record Switchboard described in the next section.

Certain fields on this screen (e.g., quad, UTM coordinates, attribute codes) allow you to enter more than one value, or set of values. To enter an additional row in one of these areas, just click on the empty row at the bottom of the list. To delete a row, highlight it by clicking the selection box on the left side of the row, then press the [Delete] key on your keyboard. If you are mid-way through entering a new row, and change your mind, press [Esc] on your keyboard to back out of adding the row.

You can page between resource detail views for resources in your list, by clicking the [Prev] and [Next] buttons on the upper right of the screen. To return to the list view, click the [Close] button.

If you have a large number of resources all with similar attribute codes, or that are on the same USGS quad

DPR523 Record Switchboard

According to the Instructions for Recording Historical Resources (PDF), a DPR523 form consists at a minimum of a DPR523A Primary Record, followed by a DPR523J Location Map. For more complete documentation, other appropriate attachments can be added. The DPR523B Building/Structure/Object form, DPR523C Archaeological Record, and DPR523D District Record can only be attached once; other types of attachments can be added as many times as necessary.

Primary Record. Every DPR523 form you fill out with this template has a Primary Record as its first page. To edit the primary record, click its [Edit] button. To see a print preview, click its [Preview] button. This version of the primary record has a few non-printing fields for information collected by the Info Centers.

Adding and Editing Attachments. To add an attachment, click the [Add attachment...] button to the right of the attachment list. A dialog box will appear showing the available attachment types. Highlight the attachment you want to add, and click the [Add] button. (Per OHP instructions, certain attachment types, i.e., Building/Structure/Object, Archaeological Site, and District records, can only be attached once for a given record.) The selected attachment will appear in the attachment list.

As with the primary record, to edit an attachment, click its [Edit] button; to see a print preview, click its [Preview] button. Use the [More...] button to re-order or delete attachments.

The application offers a couple of specialized continuation sheet formats:

• The embedded-object continuation sheet may be used to display Excel sheets or Word documents (e.g., tables) in the record. This will allow you to display custom-formatted content that you can't accommodate in the standard form layout. However, it has limitations. Most importantly, each sheet will only accommodate a single page of content, laid out so that it can all appear in the 7 x 8-inch content area. If your content can't fit in this area, it must be divided into one-page-sized files and added individually to separate continuation sheets. To upload a spreadsheet or document, first add a Continuation Sheet (embedded object) to your list of attachments with the [Add] button. Then open the continuation sheet by clicking the [Edit] button next to it, and click the [Select File] button. Navigate to desired Word or Excel file and choose [OK]. To edit the document, double click on the page and the program will open the table in Excel or Word. Changes will be saved automatically when you close the sheet or table.

• The photo continuation sheet holds two photos, uploaded separately. Each photo will occupy half of the page (approximately 4 x 6 inches).There is space below each photo to add a caption.

Attachment Pagination. By default, the application will handle attachment pagination for you automatically. It is best to use this option whenever possible. You can control the order in which attachments appear, by using the [Move Up] and [Move Down] buttons. Highlight the attachment whose position in the list you want to change, and click [More...], then [Move attachment up] or [Move attachment down] as appropriate.

If you need manual control of pagination, uncheck the 'automatic pagination' check box. You will have to enter the starting page number of each attachment. Keep in mind that some types of attachments run to more than one page, so you will have to inspect each attachment in order to number the following ones correctly. If you leave the page number blank, the attachment will not print.

Printing DPR523 Records. The completed record can be printed to your default printer, or exported as a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file, using the buttons at the bottom of the screen. When you choose the [Create PDFs] option, the application will prompt you for a location to save the completed PDF. The application will check to see if you have a copy of Acrobat (i.e., the full application, not the free Reader), and if you do, will go on to combine the separate pages into a single PDF file. If you do not have a copy of Acrobat, you will get a separate PDF for each attachment. (You can also print multiple DPR523 records by returning to the Resource List view and selecting [Print DPR523...].)

General Tips for Editing DPR523 Data.

• Special formatting (bold, italics, different font sizes) is not currently offered.

• The data you enter is saved automatically when you close any detail view, or move between records in a table view. As a consequence, there is no way to undo changes or revert to prior versions of the file by closing out of the program, as is possible with other types of documents. However, you may restore the contents of a field to its prior state by pressing the [Esc] key on the computer keyboard BEFORE leaving the field. This is a one-step function that affects all changes made to the field; it does not reverse changes one at a time. Once you leave the field, you may no longer undo edits to that particular field. However, you can press [Esc] again to abandon all of your changes to the record.

• Some fields allow you to enter more than one value, or set of values. To enter an additional row, just click on the empty row at the bottom of the list. To delete a row, highlight it by clicking the box on the left side of the row, then press the [Delete] key on your keyboard. If you are mid-way through entering a new row, and change your mind, press [Esc] on your keyboard to back out of adding the row.

• Images embedded on the Primary Record, BSO Record, and other places can include either JPG or PNG formats. PNG is generally better for line art, JPG for photos. You can export nearly any image format to JPG or PNG and then embed those in the forms. Note that these are permanently embedded in the database application file, not linked. If you embed a lot of images, your database file size will increase accordingly. Access has a file size limit of 2 GB.

Resource Table View

The table view allows you to view and edit detailed information for resources. The columns showing in this view will vary according to whether you chose the resource-list-only option or to create DPR523 records. In both cases, you can click on the Detail hyperlink for a given resource, to go to the Resource Detail or DPR523 Switchboard view. Note that not all fields are visible in the table view. Those that allow multiple values (attribute codes, quads, UTM) are visible only in Resource Detail View.

Add Attributes to Multiple Resources

If you have a large number of resources all with the same attribute codes or on the same USGS quad, you can add that information en masse to all (or some) of your records. From the Resource List view, click the [Add attributes...] button. You can then select an attribute to add (quad or attribute code), select the value to add, then select the records to which you want to add those codes. You may get a message that the routine failed for certain resources, if you attempt to add a quad or attribute code that is already entered for a given resource, or to enter a quad that doesn't fall within the county specified.

Add Information from Your Own List or Database

If your organization already has a list of resources in a database, Excel sheet, or other tabular format, you may wish to import that data into this format, to facilitate data transfers with the Info Centers, or to take advantage of the DPR523 format. Some expertise with databases will be required. You can access the underlying tables in this application by closing the main menu/resource list (not clicking [Quit]) and then pressing F11 to show the Access navigation pane. You can import your data using Access' built-in data-import tools, and then design an append/insert query that adds the contents of your list into the appropriate places in the application's tables.