User Manual

1. Browse and search

No account is required to browse public records.

1. Open the home page to search public metadata across all collections.
2. Enter a distinctive word, record number, agency, topic, person, or short phrase.
3. Use multiple words for AND search by default, or use OR, NOT, and quoted phrases for more specific searches.
4. Select a result, or open OPQ, ATIP, Other FOI, or Other Documents from the navigation.
5. Within a collection, use its search and available topic, agency, session, status, or other filters.
6. Adjust preview length when you want shorter or fuller table text.

The main home-page search uses the SQLite FTS index when it has been built. If the index is missing, the page falls back to a simpler CSV metadata search and shows a rebuild notice.

2. Read and verify a record

Each row can show the record identifier, title or abstract, primary document, cited sources, related material, public findings, workflow status, alert assessment, topics, concerns, and other metadata.

• Select Details for fields not visible in the compact table.
• Use the primary document link to open the official or locally preserved evidence.
• PDFs open in the self-hosted PDF viewer and remain downloadable.
• Related images, CSV files, and Excel files can open in their appropriate viewers.
• External links are supporting references and remain subject to their source website.
• Use the printable Details view when a record summary is needed on paper or as a PDF printout.

Always verify important claims against the source document. Metadata and contributor findings help organize evidence but do not replace it.

3. Public accounts and Bookmarks

A public account lets you sign in without contributor upload permission. Public accounts currently support Bookmarks, and later can support voting, comments, discussion, playlists, and follow-up lists.

1. Open Login and select Create a public account.
2. Enter a login name, optional display name, email, password, and matching password confirmation.
3. After submitting, check your email and open the confirmation link before signing in.
4. When signed in, open any collection table and select the star Bookmark button beside a record you want to keep.
5. Use the row checkboxes to export or print selected records; signed-in users can also bookmark selected rows in one step.
6. Use the left task panel to open Bookmarks, request Contributor role through Contact us, or Logout.

Bookmarks are private account conveniences. They do not change public record status or curator assessment.

4. Follow updates

The footer provides a combined RSS feed. Collection pages also provide collection-specific feeds. They report curator-approved public additions and meaningful updates; internal records are excluded.

Copy a feed URL into an RSS reader. Feed checks are periodic, so an update may not appear immediately.

5. Contributor login

Contributor, curator, tester, and administrator access is assigned. If you need access or cannot remember your credentials, use Contact us.

1. Select Login.
2. Enter the assigned user ID and password.
3. After login, use the left task panel. Contributors see Upload, Process documents, Guide, Bookmarks, and Logout. Curators and administrators see additional tools.

Do not share credentials or place them in metadata, notes, filenames, or documents.

6. Create a new record

1. Select New record and choose OPQ, ATIP, Other FOI, or Other Documents.
2. Enter the required stable Record ID.
3. Upload a primary PDF, provide an external primary-source URL, or use both.
4. Confirm the record title and enter a factual abstract, source, dates, agencies, topics, areas of concern, keywords, and other known metadata.
5. Add public findings only when they are suitable for public display.
6. Add cited sources, reviews, related URLs, or approved related files.
7. Review the preview carefully, then create the record.

Primary uploaded evidence is PDF-first, but a source-linked record does not require an uploaded file. Related uploads may include validated PDF, CSV, XLSX, JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF, or WEBP files within the displayed size limit.

Use neutral descriptions. Clearly distinguish source facts, quotation, interpretation, and AI-assisted content.

7. Batch upload

Batch mode allows multiple primary PDFs to be submitted to one collection. OPQ and ATIP identifiers are inferred from their established filename patterns. Other FOI and Other Documents receive deterministic identifiers from filename digits.

• Review filenames before upload.
• One invalid or duplicate file does not undo successful files in the same batch.
• Batch records use the normal canonical files, CSV schema, sidecars, audit log, and update feed.
• After upload, review and enrich each minimal record rather than assuming inferred metadata is complete.

8. Process documents

The protected Process documents workbench analyzes up to 25 existing records per request without an external AI service.

Results are private proposals stored under protected internal folders. Processing does not silently overwrite curated public metadata. A contributor or curator must review and apply useful results.

9. Edit records

1. Select Edit records and choose the collection.
2. Search for and select the record.
3. Correct or expand approved fields.
4. Check public versus internal information carefully.
5. Save the metadata and confirm the resulting workflow status.

Edits update the canonical CSV and sidecar where applicable, regenerate public output, record an audit event, and create history for recovery.

10. Related-record suggestions

On Upload or Edit, enter useful keywords and enable Show related documents? The application searches canonical collection metadata and ranks possible connections.

• The control is off by default.
• No external API or AI service is used.
• Review each suggestion before adding it.
• A suggestion is not proof of a relationship.

11. Curator tools

Curators can use Contributions to review records and contributor activity, inspect audit entries, manage workflow, restore earlier metadata, and perform soft undo.

• Restore recovers metadata from a stored history snapshot.
• Soft undo moves a record to internal/flagged review without deleting its source file.
• Confirm provenance, links, public fields, and status before publication.
• Use destructive file removal only as an exceptional, separately verified operation.

12. Administrator tools

Administrators can create or update users, assign roles, disable accounts, and review Contact Us onboarding records. Administrator access includes curator powers.

Assign the least access necessary. Do not disclose account registries, email addresses, password hashes, notes, or authentication details.

13. Workflow statuses and alert assessments

Workflow status describes record progress. Alert colour is a separate assessment aid.

An alert is not a legal finding and does not prove or disprove a claim.

14. Privacy, copyright, and safe use

• Assume public metadata, public findings, uploaded documents, and public links can be copied by anyone.
• Do not upload confidential, malicious, unlawfully disclosed, or clearly inappropriate material.
• Do not publish unnecessary personal information.
• Internal listing is not secure storage for confidential files.
• Respect source ownership, licences, and applicable terms.
• Check dates, citations, agencies, and original pages before relying on a record.
• Report suspected errors or broken links.

15. Topics and areas of concern

Records may have one or more Topics and one or more Areas of concern. They support filtering, comparison, assessment, and follow-up; they do not replace the source evidence.

This taxonomy remains tentative. Use Contact us to recommend additions or corrections.

16. Guidance by profile

• Public visitors: search or filter collections, open source documents, inspect Details, and verify important statements against the evidence.
• Signed-in public users: use Bookmarks and selected-row export or printing in addition to public browsing.
• Contributors: create or edit records, provide accurate neutral metadata, distinguish evidence from interpretation, and avoid private or inappropriate material.
• Curators: review provenance, identifiers, links, visibility, statuses, audit history, and recovery options before approving public information.
• Administrators: manage accounts and roles using the least access necessary.

The relevant step-by-step sections above provide the detailed workflow for each profile.

17. Troubleshooting and assistance

18. Help, corrections, and access

Use Contact us for access requests, corrections, broken links, accessibility difficulties, taxonomy recommendations, or contribution questions.

Include the collection, record number, page link, and a concise explanation. Do not send passwords or sensitive source material through an ordinary contact message.