Partitions, Categories, Groups, and Options

Another design decision was to utilize groups with a limited number of options for characterizing properties of different records. Dealing with short, editable lists is easier than attempting to engage with all possibilities.

For example, consider the stone artifact material property. While it may include all known stones and minerals, for all practical purposes, a list of 20 options or fewer will be sufficent to describe it for any excavation.

“Unassigned” and “Unknown” options may be added to a list of options to complete the group's partition.

The general idea of "limited selection" can be expanded to include required/optional and single/multiple selections. The list of "options" (simple textual labels) may be edited to fit specific needs.

Below is an example of groups and options we may define for the ceramics module that deal with chronological indicators of any specific basket or artifact:

• Periods: [Unassigned, Unknown, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze, Iron, ...] (required/multiple)
• Cultures: [Yarmukian, Wadi Rabah, Khirbet Kerak, ...] (optional/multiple)
• Technology: [Gray Wash, Metallic, Grain-Wash, ...] (optional/multiple)

Due to the potentialy large number of groups required to characterize any specific record, they are grouped together into separate categories.

Every module has its unique structure of Categories/Groups/Options. It is referred to as the "Trio."