NOTE: For those who wish to do a traditional binder book, open the file old_school_index.htm in your downloaded Plant ID files.

Introduction

This page will help you create a plant identification notebook on CD. The instructions are intended to show you a method for organizing your plant photographs and identification sheets into a self-contained hyperlinked library whose pages can be used the same way you would use a plant identification notebook. You can display plant information and images for yourself, and you can show your images and information to potential clients and customers.

You can also add new plant information and images into your plant identification library at any time in the future, so this can be a long term asset to you in your horticultural career.

Image Requirements

All photographs in your image collection must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. In addition, the images must be large enough to display well in the image areas we provide. Specifically, images must be a minimum of 350 pixels wide. Small, low resolution images defeat the purpose of the collection and should not be used. You can also provide several images for each page and the use of close-up and overall pictures is encouraged. All images must be labeled with common and botanical names below the image. Do not place captions or text on the images themselves. In addition, be sure that all pictures that you use are stored in the provided image directory. This assures that the hyperlinks you create will function correctly.

Organization

Your ID notebook CD will contain a master index that will be displayed as the opening page. Be sure to include your name, the class name and semester and your instructor’s name on this page, along with an introductory image of your choosing. The categories listed here tell you how to divide up your plant ID pages. Each category has its own set of alphabetized index pages ready for your use. These will allow you to list plant names under each corresponding letter of the alphabet. The A page under each category contains an example of how the names should appear. You are responsible for placing the plant names in the correct categories and correct alphabetical listings. Each plant name listed in the index will be hyperlinked (as shown in the examples) to its corresponding page and images found in the main portion of the CD. The final result is then burned to a fresh CD that will auto-run and will open to the master index page.

Procedure

In addition to the auto-run files and pre-made Index pages, there are three additional directories:

• IMAGES, where you will put all your picture files
• HTML, containing all the ID sheets in HTML format (these are the files your index entries will be linked to)
• PDF, containing all the ID sheets in PDF format, in case you wish to print out hard copies

There is also one text file, Plant_List_plain_text.txt, which contains all the plant names in plain text

When you have completed all of your ID pages, Index pages, and images, copy all the individual files and folders and burn them to the root directory of a blank CD. Do not include the original folder you created or the disk will not auto-run.

If you need technical assistance, ASK FOR IT EARLY IN THE SEMESTER. We can provide plenty of help if we are given sufficient time! Good luck with your plant ID project. We hope that you find it useful now and in the future.