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CETEDOC Library of Christian Latin Texts

CLCLT-5 (2002): A Basic Helpsheet

Note:

There is an instruction booklet (in English and in French) that accompanies this CD-ROM; if you need further assistance after reviewing this helpsheet, please ask an Etext staffer for the booklet.

I. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURE AND CONTENT:

The CETEDOC Library of Christian Latin Texts (or CLCLT) is an electronic database on CD-ROM of Latin texts from the Western Christian tradition, along with a user interface (a software program) for searching these texts. The database is organized into two volumes, as follows:

  • Volume I -- works from the patristic period, including the Vulgate
  • Volume II -- works from the Middle Ages

The user interface allows you to search the database for one or more Latin words or forms, either in the entire database or in some part of it, as delimited by author, title, Clavis Patrum Latinorum code number, or era. The current version of the database is CLCLT-4, which is written for Windows. An older version, titled CLCLT-3 is also included on the CDs.

II. STARTING UP CLCLT:

  1. There are two CD-ROM discs for CLCLT. Place either disc on the CD-ROM tray of the PC, and close the tray.
  2. Click the Start button (in the lower left-hand corner of the screen). Move to Programs, and then click on CETEDOC Library. If you do not see these menu options, please ask a staff member for assistance.
  3. The program will launch. After an introductory screen, you will be prompted to choose the language (English, French, German, Italian) in which menu items, messages, and help screens will appear.

III. USING CLCLT:

NOTE: A printed manual accompanies the CLCLT CD-ROM set, including a complete list of the authors and titles in the database (pages 97-153). For more information on using the software and performing sophisticated searches, please refer to the printed manual, Chapter II "The Software" (pages 71-95). You may also wish to use the on-screen help system, which is available at any time from the Help menu.

The user interface for CLCLT is contained in a single window. You navigate among areas of the interface using the "tabs" that appear along the top of this main window.

IIIa. The Volumen tab.

Initially you are presented with the Volumen tab, where you choose which volumes of the database you want to use. You can use both volumes simultaneously or either one individually. (Note that using both volumes simultaneously will involve switching discs periodically.)

IIIb. The Inquisitio tab.

To move to the search area of the interface, click on the Inquisitio tab.

In this screen, you enter the search criteria you wish to use to search the database. Enter the form or forms you want to search for in the Formae box. To search the entire database for that form, leave the Auctor, Titulus, Clavis, and Aetas lines blank. To limit your search to particular authors, works, or eras, enter these search terms in the appropriate lines.

To assist you in entering valid search criteria, an Index function is available, with which you can select an author, title, form, etc. from a list (rather than typing in the author, title, or form yourself). To use the Index function:

  • Choose the appropriate option (Auctor, Titulus, Clavis, Aetas, or Formae) from the Index menu.
  • From the list that appears, choose the search term you want, and click OK.
  • The search term will appear automatically in the appropriate line.

NOTE: When using the Formae Index, the number of occurrences of each form are listed under the categories P, B, and M, where P stands for patristic works, B for Bible (Vulgate), and M for medieval works.

NOTE: The Clavis search criterion is for code numbers from Clavis Patrum Latinorum. ("Clavis" here does not mean "key" in the sense of "keyword," as one might expect. Keywords you wish to search for go in the Formae box.)

When you have filled in the search criteria you want and are ready to perform a search, press the Return key.

EXAMPLE SEARCH 1:
To search the entire database for the form "amor":

  • Click in the Formae box and type amor
  • Press Return.
  • Although it may appear that nothing has happened, in fact the software has searched the database and returned the results in the other areas of the interface. In the lower right-hand corner of the screen, the number of "hits" is indicated. In this example, 4169 instances of the form "amor" have been found.

EXAMPLE SEARCH 2:
To limit your search for "amor" to a particular author, Tertullian:

  • Type Tertullianus in the Auctor line and leave amor in the Formae box.
  • Press Return.
  • You will be presented with a dialog box indicating a choice of authors and indicating which of the two discs this author's texts are on (Vol. I to the left, Vol. II to the right--in this case the texts are on Vol. I). Click OK. (If disc 1 is not in the CD-ROM drive, you will receive a message to that effect; simply eject the disc currently in the drive, place disc 1 on the tray, and close the tray.)
  • The lower right-hand corner of the screen indicates that 5 instances of "amor" in Tertullian's works have been found.

NOTE: For more-detailed information on searching, including the use of Boolean operators, please see the printed manual, pages 74-95.

IIIc. The Sententiae tab.

The CLCLT search function returns search results in the form of sentences (sententiae), so that words are situated in their immediate context. To view the results of any search, click the Sententiae tab.

EXAMPLE CONTINUED: All of the instances of the form "amor" in Tertullian's works are listed, each in the context of the sentence in which it occurs. Each sentence is preceded by its exact citation (author and work, Clavis number, chapter, line number). The selected sentence is highlighted in blue. To select a different sentence, click on the sentence you want, or use the arrow keys to navigate among sentences.

IIId. The Textus tab.

You can view the entire text in which a search result occurs (not just the sentence) by clicking on the Textus tab. Whichever sentence is active (selected, highlighted) in the Sententiae tab determines the text that appears in the Textus tab.

EXAMPLE CONTINUED: Click on the second sentence in the Sententiae tab to select the search result from Tertullian's De spectaculis. Then click on the Textus tab. The entire text of De spectaculis appears, with the search result highlighted.

IIIe. The Memento tab.

To view bibliographic information on the text you are currently viewing, click the Memento tab.

IIIf. Advanced Features

For information on advanced features of the user interface--including using the List function (with which you can view a list of the search criteria you have used thus far) and saving search criteria to disk for later use--please refer to the printed manual.

IV. EXITING CLCLT AND REMOVING THE CD-ROM:

When you are finished working with CLCLT:

  • Choose Exit from the File menu.
  • Eject the disc from the CD-ROM drive. Please place both discs in their cases and return them to an Etext Center assistant.