Introduction: Guide to GeNIe On-Line Help

From DSL

About HTML Help

GeNIe on-line help is implemented in the HTML Help standard for on-line help, based on HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). HTML Help takes advantage of the latest developments in Internet technology, integrating text, graphics, multi-media, Active-X controls, and Internet access.

In HTML Help, the help window has the functionality of an Internet browser. Similarly to World Wide Web, hyperlinks provide a way to navigate through GeNIe help system help topics and in addition link the on-line help to relevant Web sites.

The Contents tab, on the left-hand side of the help window, is a tree outline capable of displaying topics in an expandable/collapsible hierarchy. The Index tab contains a hierarchical, multi-level list of topics and keywords that are part of the help system. The Search tab supports full-text searching of all text that appears within help topics.

Using HTML Help

The default HTML help window is designed as a tri-pane window with table of Contents, Index, and Search tabs at the left-hand side, topic content at the right-hand side, and navigation controls at the top. It is possible to change this default using the Options button from among the control buttons.

The control buttons have an intuitive meaning shared by most internet browsers. The Forward and Back buttons move you forward and backward in the topic tree. Stop button aborts loading of the current page and is useful in case a link to an external site is slow. Hide and Show buttons hide and show the Content, Index, and Search tabs respectively. Refresh button refreshes the content of the help window. Options displays a menu of options. Print displays the print dialog for printing the topic. Two customized buttons, DSL and GeNIe will bring you to the DSL Web site and GeNIe Web site respectively.

It is also possible to display the content of GeNIe on-line help systems in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser (version 4.0 is recommended for full functionality).

Contents of GeNIe on-line help

GeNIe help consists of the following sections:

Introduction

Information about GeNIe and SMILE, a list of new features in GeNIe 2.0, a copyright notice, a disclaimer, listing of organizations that took active part in supporting the development of GeNIe and SMILE, individuals who contributed directly to the development, and finally this guide.

Decision Theoretic Modeling

General documents describing basic concepts of decision analysis, modeling, graphical probabilistic models such as Bayesian networks and influence diagrams, algorithms for Bayesian updating and expected utility computation, qualitative concepts of independence, relevance, and manipulation (change in model structure).

GeNIe Tutorials

Tutorial introductions to the basic functional modules of GeNIe.

Elements of GeNIe

Description of the main elements of GeNIe architecture: its workspace, model editor, tools for model building and model navigation, file formats, inference algorithms and diagnostic support tools.

GeNIe Reference Manual

A systematic description of GeNIe functions organized by menus and toolbars.

Resources

A list of resources useful in decision-theoretic modeling, including books, articles, conferences, software, and WWW sites, frequently asked questions, and a list of literature references used in this help system.

Decision Systems Laboratory

Information about the Decision Systems Laboratory, its mission, its members, and its contact addresses.