vsm-box is a web-component for entering or showing a VSM-sentence.
A VSM-sentence is a computer-understandable, natural-looking statement, where each term is linked to an ID, and terms are organized with VSM-connectors.
VSM (Visual Syntax Method) is an intuitive method to translate any knowledge, no matter its type or complexity, into an elegant form that is understandable by both humans and computers. - A full description of this general-purpose method for structuring information into a computable form, is available on vsm.github.io.
A web-component is something that can be shown in a web page by simply
inserting an HTML-tag, like a <button>, <input>, or here a <vsm-box>.
For web-developers who embed a vsm-box in a web-app, there are lots of customization features to support the needs of various user groups. For end-users who capture structured information, a vsm-box is an elegant and powerful tool; and even more so when they can fill out VSM-templates.
See:
- the info on vsm.github.io, with a concise intro on how to use a vsm-box in your web-app;
- a larger introduction on this poster;
- a live vsm-box to interact with;
- many explained VSM examples (using an earlier vsm-box prototype);
- the examples below.
This section shows:
- a vsm-box animated example
(what you see is: 1. entering two terms, 2. checking one term's definition (by mousehovering), 3. adding a connector that creates an unintended meaning ('chicken with fork') (+ see that connectors are automatically reordered for optimal layout), 4. removing it, 5. adding the second connector correctly) :
- several vsm-box examples (screenshots + information) :
See the Documentation for full technical details on:
- VSM-sentence/term/connector data-model (and examples),
- VsmBox props (i.e. html-attributes),
- VsmBox emitted events,
- user interaction,
- customized content (for term labels, term popups, and autocomplete panel items),
- and more.
This project's configuration (webpack + npm + Vue + testing + linting) is as
described in
github.com/stcruy/building-a-reusable-vue-web-component.
This makes that vsm-box is built, or can be used as:
1) a standalone web-component, 2) a slim web-component,
and 3) a Vue component.
The latest version's built files are available at unpkg:
- vsm-box.standalone.min.js (standalone; use it like here);
- vsm-box.min.js (slim, needs Vue etc. as external dependencies; use it like here).
Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct, and the process for submitting pull requests.
- Steven Vercruysse - Main developer, VSM creator, project leader - stcruy
- Martin Kuiper - Design feedback, VSM project guidance, outreach - makuintnu
- John Zobolas - Design suggestions - bblodfon
- Vasundra Touré - Design suggestions - vtoure
- Maria K. Andersen - Design feedback - mariakarand
This project is licensed under the AGPL-3.0 license - see LICENSE.md.
The AGPL license protects your right to freely use the vsm-box and other vsm modules. But if you modify the source code, the goal is that you have to contribute those modifications back to the community.
Note* however that it is NOT required that applications be published
if, for entering and/or showing VSM-based information,
they use only unchanged, not-augmented vsm modules.
The copyleft applies only to the vsm-box and other vsm modules.
Your application, even though it talks to vsm-box, is a
separate program and "work".
*(That
is our interpretation and intention with AGPL, similar to how MongoDB does it.
If you know a legally better way to achieve this goal,
let us know.)
Why AGPL
With VSM, we aim for unification of life science's efforts towards digital transformation of all its research findings. We want to promote community-building, and move forward with everyone together broadening the application set.
Because the vsm-box software directly reflects the core design of VSM, as a shareable semantic-data / knowledge format, we believe that modifications or enhancements to it must be made public as well. Otherwise a private actor could easily use an "embrace, extend, extinguish" approach to privatize an evolving technology that was originally meant to transform our scientific knowledge into a more open digital form.
We are inspired by the copyleft licensing that contributed to the success of Linux-based systems, for the same reason. We may revise this policy, if along the way we would learn that a most permissive license would give more benefit to society.
