It describes the system used to create machine-readable users' guides from OSIRIS III or OSIRIS IV machine-readable dictionaries. The system uses a special purpose program to merge dictionary information from OSIRIS into a format input file. Two libraries of format macros and functions are then used to expand the dictionary and labeling information into a printed users' guide. Although the system has been designed around the format document processing language, it is directly applicable to any document processing language with a macro facility. By suitable redefining of format macros, the same file can serve as a machine-readable codebook, a paper questionnaire, a driver for a computer assisted telephone interviewing program, and an input file to an information retrieval system. An example of a machine-readable users' guide, in conformance with the style outlined in 'a style manual for machine-readable data and their documentation' and containing examples of the use of all macros and functions in CBFMT, is appended. Footnotes are provided. (Author Abstract Modified)
CBFMT - A STYLE FILE FOR PRODUCING MACHINE READABLE USERS' GUIDES
NCJ Number
68008
Date Published
Unknown
Length
23 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT DESCRIBES A FORMAT STYLE FILE FOR PRODUCING USERS' GUIDES FOR MACHINE-READABLE DATA SETS AND DEMONSTRATES ALL OF THE MACROS AND FUNCTIONS USED TO PRODUCE USERS'GUIDES FOR MACHINE-READABLE DATA SETS.
Abstract