The Dbxref Library allows users to keep a database of frequently used dbxrefs to save the effort of typing long or obscure dbxrefs each time they want to add a dbxref to a term or a definition.
A dbxref library file is simply a text file with one dbxref on each line. Usually dbxrefs have a database identifier, a colon, and a term identifier (e.g., GOC:cr), but sometimes they are a URL or a text string. Optionally, each dbxref can have a description after the db:ID, e.g., "MetaCyc:PWY-881 Cell Cycle, Mitotic".
To load a dbxref library, foollow the instructions for "Modifying the Library" or using the "Import dbxrefs" button, both described below.
The list of dbxrefs is sorted by description (if any) and then by db:ID. Any dbxrefs that have a description will appear before those with no description.
To add a dbxref from the library to one or more terms, select the dbxref from the list. Press the "Add as dbxref" or "Add as def dbxref" button to add the selected dbxref to the currently selected term (the one that is shown in the Text Editor). If you want to add dbxrefs to multiple terms, select the desired terms in an Ontology Tree Editor that is in global selection mode, and check the "Apply to all selected terms" checkbox before pressing one of the Add buttons.
To add new dbxrefs or remove items from the list, press the "Configure dbxrefs" button. The Dbxref Library configuration window will appear:
This window contains a dbxref editor list that works much like a dbxref tab, except that a dbxref is selected by a single click. See Text Editing for more information on the fields. Press "Save configuration" to save your changes.
Dbxref libraries can be saved to an external file. Dbxref lists can be imported into other installations of OBO-Edit.
To export your dbxref list to a file, press the "Export dbxrefs" button. A file browser window will appear where a save file can be specified.
To import a dbxref list from a file, press the "Import dbxrefs" button. A file browser window will appear where a file can be chosen off the disk. Beware! The imported dbxrefs will replace the existing dbxref library.