Here is one of SooSL's best features: you can search for a sign by handshape, location, motion, and other characteristics. All these characteristics are called parameters. 

Before people can search for them by parameter, you need to mark each sign for its parameters. We call this indexing by parameter. To index a sign, first study it carefully, then choose parameters that describe it.

Watch the video carefully

First, watch the sign video and think about how you make the sign. To notice all the details, you can play the sign slower, or move the slider manually. 

Pay attention to these things:

• Are both hands moving or just one?
• What handshape(s) are used on each hand?
• Where do the hands touch or come close to the body?
• How do the hands move? 
• Do they change location, handshape, or orientation?
• If they change location, what direction do they move? 
• Do they move straight, in an arc, in a circle, or something more complex?
• Does the sign have repeated motions?
• Does any other part of the body move?

Once you know exactly how to make the sign, you are ready to index it.

Index by different categories of parameters

First enter edit mode: click Edit sign in the toolbar. After you are in edit mode, if you see words instead of parameters, click Parameters in the toolbar. 

You will see this. There is an indexing area where you will put the parameters you choose. There are five tabs, for the five major categories of parameters. On the right, there is a trash can, for deleting parameters.

If you can't see all five tabs, you will see two scroll-buttons on the right.  Click the scroll buttons to scroll the tabs left and right. To see all the tabs, you can adjust the size of the window or the column.

You can click a tab to choose a category of parameters to index.

• Sign types
• Handshapes
• Locations
• Motion
• Face/head/body (non-manuals)

We suggest you start with sign types. 

Most categories have icons that represent parameters. Locations have a body map. In each category, choose the parameters that describe the sign.

• To find out what each icon means, hover the mouse over it to see a description.
• For most categories, double-click an icon to choose it, or drag it to the indexing area. For locations, just click the location on the body map.
• Maybe you change your mind, and decide that a parameter really doesn't describe the sign. Then right-click an icon in the indexing area or drag it to the trash can. For locations, you can also right-click the location on the body map. If you have a Mac, there are other ways to do the same thing as a right-click.
• If you want to delete all your choices in the indexing area, click the trash can.

When you are done with one category of parameters, click another tab to work on another category.

The most useful categories are sign types, handshapes and locations. So, if you have limited time, index only those categories.

To save your changes, click Save in the toolbar. 

If you are done making changes, exit edit mode to go back to normal mode.

If you have made changes and haven't saved them yet, SooSL will remind you to save them.

General advice about indexing

When you are indexing signs, don't try to describe the sign precisely. If you want to see how to make the sign, watch the video. The purpose of indexing is to help people find the signs, that's all. When you choose indexing parameters, think about what will help people find the signs. 

Sometimes you can't find a parameter that exactly fits the sign. That's okay. Just pick the closest one.

Some signs have more than one handshape, location, etc. This can happen for several reasons:

• Some two-handed signs have different handshapes on the two hands.
• Some signs change handshape or location.
• Fingerspelling has several handshapes, one for each letter.
• Some "signs" are really phrases, two or more signs in a row

Choose all the parameters that you see in the sign.

For any sign, you can only choose a specific parameter once. If that parameter occurs more than once in the sign, you only have to choose it once.

Created with the Personal Edition of HelpNDoc: Easy CHM and documentation editor