Editing text data

Text data may be stored in short text, long text, or discrete attributes.

• Short text attributes are limited to a maximum of 255 characters and so are typically used for names or very short descriptions, for example, Project code or Common Name. Some short text attributes may be required to have unique values - for example, an ID (this is a property that is set on the attribute in MI:Admin).
• Long text attributes are typically used when more detailed and lengthy text is needed, for example, Typical uses or Safety information.  The text in a long text attribute can be formatted to make it easier to read, for example, using bulleted or numbered lists, and bold or italic fonts; see Using Markdown below.
• Discrete attributes can take one (or more) of a set of discrete text values. For example, a Transparency attribute may have the possible values Opaque, Translucent, Transparent, or Optical Quality. Some discrete attributes may take more than one value; for example, in a polymer datasheet, the Additive attribute may have one or more of these values: Flame retardant, Impact modifier, Plasticizer/oil.

To edit text data

1. Ensure that the system is in Edit Mode.
2. Open the datasheet of interest and click Edit this data on the left of the text attribute name.
3. On the Data tab, enter the text in the text field.
4. For long text attributes, you can set the Format to Plain Text or Markdown. Markdown allows text to be shown as formatted text on the datasheet, for example, to emphasize words, to add headings and lists, or to ensure that superscript and subscript characters are displayed correctly on the datasheet; see Using Markdown below.
5. For discrete attributes:
   1. For an attribute that can take only one value (e.g. Poor, Satisfactory, Good), select the value from the list.
   2. For a discrete that can take multiple values (sometimes referred to as a multi-value discrete), select a value from the list and then add more  values by clicking Add another value.
6. Not Applicable: select this check box if this attribute is not relevant for this record. Note that selecting Not Applicable will result in all existing data defined for this attribute being deleted when you click Save.
7. (Optional) You may be able to add metadata about the data value, such as statistical information or notes about the source of the data.
8. (Optional) You can add information about any changes that you make on the Notes tab.
9. Click Save to save all your changes.

Note: if a short text attribute requires a unique value (configured in MI:Admin), MI:Viewer will check to see if the value you entered is already being used in another record; if yes, you will be unable to save your changes to the data, and a message similar to this will be displayed with the name of the attribute and the duplicate value:  "No changes have been saved. There is already a record with attribute 'AttributeA' set to value 'ValueX'.

Using Markdown

Long text data on datasheets can be formatted using Markdown formatting syntax. The Markdown syntax has been extended in MI:Viewer to support superscript and subscript text; see the table below for examples.

For more detailed information on Markdown syntax, see Find out more about Markdown. Note that inline HTML formatting cannot be used to format text in GRANTA MI.

Supported Markdown syntax

Formatting	Markdown syntax	Example	Output
Span elements
Emphasis	Italic: single asterisk ( * ) or single underscore ( _ ) on each side of the text Bold: two asterisks ( ** ) or two underscores ( __ ) on each side of the text	Some *italic* or _italic_ text. Some **bold** or __bold__ text.
Links	[link text](http://url.com "Title") "Title" is optional and specifies the text displayed when the mouse is moved over the link text.	A link to my [website](http://acme.com/ "ACME website")
Images	 [alt text] and "Title" are optional. [alt text] specifies text to be displayed instead of the specified image when the image is not available. "Title" specifies the text displayed when  the mouse is moved over the image.	
Linked images	[](http://url.com) To link an image, place square brackets around the image code, and then place the link URL in round brackets immediately after it.	[](http://acme.com)
Code	Single backtick ( ` ) quote on each side of the text.	Example: `Domain\Group`
Superscript	Single caret ^ character on each side of the text, for example: ^x^     The scripted text cannot include spaces.	x^2^ b^4^/12 θ^16^ 2^(10-3)^ T^max^ L^∞^ example^(Δ~i~)^ 2L(C~e~i^2^t)^1/2^
Subscript	Single tilde (swung dash) ~ character on each side of the text; for example: ~x~     The scripted text cannot include spaces.	H~2~0 l~y~ = π (d~o~^4^ - d~i~^4^)/64 example~(10-2)~ example~(a^2^+1)~ Cu~2-K~Te£ σ~max~ example~⊥~
Block elements
Headers	Top-level heading: three or more consecutive equals ( === ) characters on a line. Second-level heading: three or more consecutive hyphens ( --- ) on a line.	Heading 1 === some text Heading 2 --- some more text
Blockquotes	Greater than character ( > ) at the start of each line.   Block quotes can be nested.	A profile that includes the **MI:Training** database > line 1of block quote > line 2 of block quote Some more text
Lists, ordered	Line starting with any number followed by a period (.), followed by a space	6. first item 11. next item
Lists, unordered	Line starting with an asterisk followed by a space.	* A bullet list item * Another list item * And another list item
Horizontal rule	Three or more asterisks ( *** ), or underscores ( ___ ) on a line by themselves.	some text *** some more text ___
Miscellaneous
Backslash escapes	Markdown allows you to use backslash escapes to generate literal characters which would otherwise have special meaning in Markdown’s formatting syntax. Markdown provides backslash escapes for the following characters: \ backslash ` backtick * asterisk _ underscore {} curly braces [] square brackets () parentheses # hash mark + plus sign - minus sign (hyphen) . dot ! exclamation mark	\*literal asterisks\*   \_literal underscores\_   \[literal square brackets\]

Find out more about Markdown

You can refer to Daring Fireball’s Markdown (external link) site for additional syntax examples and a useful cheat sheet, but remember that inline HTML in Markdown-formatted text will not work in GRANTA MI.