collaboration

• Installation and setup instructions are in the manual.
  
  
• Alternatively, you can read the discussions about installation and setup in the universal field guide users group.  (The 'Search this group' button is helpful in finding relevant discussions.)
  
  
• You are also welcome to join the universal field guide users group (even if you are not yet a user) and post a question or comment.
  
  
• Ultimately, if you have suggestions on how to improve the manual, submit them to the users group.  If you are more of a hands-on type person and would rather implement the improvements yourself, no permissions are necessary.  The manual has a GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL).
  
  

• universal field guide photographs group - for discussing the photographs included in universal field guide multimedia or discussing the process of getting photographs included
  
  
• universal field guide photographers group - for photographers who already have photographs included in the universal field guide multimedia.
  
  
• agreement for permission to use photographs (26 KB, PDF, 23 Feb 2009)
  
  
• cancellation of permission to use photographs (50 KB, PDF, 23 Feb 2009)
  
  

There are two types of species attributes:

• sets - a list of species with a particular attribute, and
• value ranges - a list of species each associated with a minimum and maximum value.

For example, being an introduced species is a set attribute, and clutch size is a value range attribute.

One of the advantages the universal field guide has over paperback field guides is that it can be used as an input device.  To input a species attribute,

• switch to the classification list,
• clear all checks (by selecting the 'check/clear all' menu item),
• check the species that have the attribute you are documenting,
• select the 'select/create list report', enter a name for the attribute (which will be the basis for the created attribute filename), check 'topic text', and tap the 'OK' button.

Once you have created a species attribute file, link to it (by selecting the 'select/link' menu item), and try it out (e.g., with check projections, etc.).  If you think your species attribute file might be helpful to others, consider sharing it (by posting it to the 'Files' section of the universal field guide users group).  After a little testing by the group, your species attribute file will be added to the topic text distribution.  The educational value of the guide increases with each added species attribute.  So if there is an undocumented species attribute that interests you (e.g., which species have females that sing), do a little research and document it for your sake and others'.

Wikipedia articles are being added all the time.  If you see a new article documenting a species and you would like to have the article text included in the universal field guide, submit a Wikipedia article inclusion form.  When 20 Wikipedia articles have been submitted, they will be included in a new release of the topic text.

Once the classification list is defined, the task of creating a new guide topic is mostly a matter of spreadsheet work and collecting the topic text and topic multimedia into a carefully named directory structure.  If you are interested in creating a new guide topic or porting an existing guide topic to a different geographical area (e.g., South America or Europe), join the universal field guide authors group.