Images Level: Sequence Number

Definition:  Arabic numeral assigned by the inputter to determine order of appearance of the various images on the web

Comment:  The field for sequence numbers exists at the three levels of Part, Text and Image, with the numbers beginning afresh at "1" for the children of each new parent record. Thus, a hypothetical MS 1, with two children parts, names them 1 and 2; the hypothetical MS 2 with three children parts, names them 1, 2, 3, and so forth. In the meantime, the three text children of part 1 are named, 1, 2, 3; the two kids of part 2 are named, 1, 2; the only child of part 3 is named 1. The same occurs at the following layer of descent. Each part, no matter what its own sequence or part number is, begins the count of its own texts at 1. Each text, no matter what its own number is, begins the count of its own images all over again at 1.

On the other hand, the computer-generated numbering (completely acheiropoietos, independent of human hands) that maintains the relationships between the various Manuscripts, Parts, Texts and Images allows us to add or delete any of these entities at any point along the chain, and for the option of moving one child segment to a new or a different parent in an orderly fashion, should the occasion arise; the program calls such movement "reassigning" (please see the User Guide, under Browse View). This is a behind-the-scenes reality; the computer-generated numbers need only be unique, not sequential.

But for the public, viewing this material on the web, the order of display is important. Because we may have reassigned a child to a new parent, or added new images that occur sparsim within the old ones, we need flexibility. Thus, the sequence numbers may be changed to meet with changed circumstances in the description; they are necessarily hand-entered by the inputter/cataloguer. These numbers will not be visible to the end-user.

Example:

Properties:  Data type: Number, as Long integer

Required?:  Yes