Data Book Help

Introduction
Enhanced Functionality

T hank you for selecting the GPSA Engineering Data

Book Twelfth Edition (Electronic). We trust that it
will become a standby in your collection of
engineering reference materials. This electronic
version is enhanced with the search and hyperlink
features of Adobe Acrobat. If you are a novice or a
casual Acrobat user, please take a few brief minutes
to review this help file. It provides a description of
how the Electronic Data Book is organized, as well as
invaluable inside tips on navigating through the great
volume of data presented.
First Time Users
First time Electronic Data Book users and Acrobat
novices will benefit from a perusal of the Glossary. The
Data Book Description provides an overview of the
Electronic Data Book, while the basics of getting
around are covered in Layout & Navigation. Lastly,
theres a summary of the Data Books capabilities that
Note allows you to search in various ways: from a Data
Book menu bar; search all Sections; and find within a
Bright blue
Bright blue text
Section. Re-linking indexes is also covered.
always denotes a
hyperlink that will
jump to that This help file assumes that you have a working
information when knowledge of the Windows operating systems
you click on it. graphical user interface.

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article An Acrobat feature that
allows the user to follow a chain of
text columns within a Section or
multi-page figures. How To
bookmark A link to an Acrobat
view in a hierarchical list that allows
the user to quickly move from one
part of a document to another, as
well as between documents. How To
collection A group of Adobe PDF
files (also called documents).
display mode Acrobat has
three: Page Only, Page w/
Bookmarks and Page w/
Thumbnails. The Data Book
defaults to Page w/ Bookmarks.
Find An Acrobat command that
allows the user to locate a phrase
in the current Section only. How To
Link A predefined area on a
page that will, when clicked on,
execute any of a number of actions
(Go To View, Execute Menu Item,
etc.). The Go To View will jump to
another location in one of the
documents in the collection.
Back
Data Book Help
Glossary
relevance ranking A circle that
indicates how likely it is that the
Section contains the phrase you
searched for. The more filled it is,
the greater the likelihood that you
will find what youre looking for in
that Section.
Search An Acrobat command
that allows the user to locate all
the Sections in the collection that
contain a particular word or
phrase. A list of the Sections is
presented with a relevance
ranking. How To
Section A topical division of the
GPSA Electronic Data Book (i.e.,
Section 3 Measurements). Each
Section is a separate Acrobat
document file (*.pdf)
view In Acrobat, a term for the
display of document (PDF file) that
includes the file, page, area on a
page (or all of it), and magnification
setting. Acrobat allows you to
navigate between the ten most
recent views. How To
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 Data Book Help

Description of the Electronic Data Book

Organization

T he Electronic Data Book is composed of three main

groups of files: the installation files, Adobe Acrobat
Reader with Search (not included), and the collection.
Anatomy of the The installation routine will guide you through the
GPSA Electronic setup process; Acrobat Reader is the engine that
Data Book
powers the Electronic Data Book; and the collection is
Installation files the content of the printed Data Book along with
ancillary Acrobat document files that provide added
Acrobat Reader functionality and assistance to the Electronic Data
Book user.
The collection
The Collection
The collection contains a separate Acrobat document
Main screen
for each of the 26 Sections in the Data Book, another
Table of for the main screen that you see when you opened the
Contents Electronic Data Book; a Table of Contents that gives you
access to the Sections and introductory material; and a
Data Book fourth, Data Book Help, that you are now reading.
Help
Accessing Documents
You may access any of the documents in the collection
Docs
at any time during a session. Continue on to the next
page for some tips that will quickly help you get the
Section 1 most out of your Electronic Data Book.

Section 26

Index Files

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 Data Book Help

Layout & Navigation

The Screen Layout
In All Its Glory

T he Electronic Data Book screen may not be a pretty

picture, but then its designed for functionality.
Previous Acrobat users will immediately recognize it,
since the Electronic Data Book uses the Acrobat
toolbar and menu system for its power and flexibility.
Inside Scoop
However, whether you are an Acrobat newbie or an
old pro, a few minutes spent reviewing the next
B
several pages will give you the inside scoop you need
D to efficiently find your way around the Electronic
C E Data Book.
User Tips
Click on any letter for
important information on
the Electronic Data Books
layout and navigational
features. Also, see the
notes on monitor settings.

F
A

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 Data Book Help

Layout & Navigation

Monitor Settings
Ideal Screen Settings

T he page views in Electronic Data Book are optimized

for a screen that has an 1152 pixel x 864 pixel
desktop area (set in the Display window of your Windows
Control Panel). This resolution was selected because:

It is commonly available on todays monitors.

The font sizes of the printed publication, from
which this product was adapted, are relatively
small and require at least this size to display well.
To display as much of each page as possible, so
that the user does not become lost without any
margin references.
Just Gettin By
A monitor resolution as low as 800 x 600 will provide
somewhat viewable results. Any Windows-compatible
color monitor capable of displaying these resolutions
is sufficient.

If your monitor is not capable of the optimal setting

above, you may have to vary from the instructions in
this help file to attain viewable results. A feature of the
Data Book that users with lower resolution monitors
may appreciate is the Acrobat article mode. If you have
the Hand Tool selected and theres a down-arrow in
the center of the mouse pointer, you can click to zoom
in on a single column of text. The Reader Online Guide
has information on navigating with articles.

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 Data Book Help

Layout & Navigation

Viewing Recommendations A

I Can See Clearly

S etting your windows to an optimal configuration

will greatly enhance the ease with which you move
around the Electronic Data Book. Use the illustration
below as a guide for positioning the Sliding Bar with
your mouse. Of course, your monitor settings and
personal preference will influence the best position for
your situation.

Each page and figure in the Electronic Data Book is

programmed to fill the available width of the
Document Window. Moving the Sliding Bar to the left
will make the type larger.
Moving it to the right will
reveal more of the words
Sliding Bar

in the longer bookmarks.

Bookmark Document Window Windows with a

Window View. Adjust the
Sliding Bar so you
can read enough of
every bookmark
while maximizing
the width of the
Document Window.

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 Data Book Help

Layout & Navigation

Bookmarks B

Use Those Bookmarks!

E ach section has a hierarchical list of topics and

figures in a separate window on the left side of the
screen. Click on the icon or text to jump to that topic.
The Bookmark Window This is the key to quickly finding what you want in
the Electronic Data Book. Note that the bookmarks for
the figures follow the topical list for each Section, 1 .
3 5
2
Jumping to Other Documents
4 In addition, there are extra bookmarks at the top of
the list to help you navigate outside of the current
document to other sections (e.g., Table of Contents
bookmark, 2 ) and to help you get your screen set up
to the recommended configuration (the Viewing
Recommendations, 3 ). To view hidden bookmarks,
use the horizontal or vertical sliders, 4 , or the arrow
buttons, 5 .
Getting Rid of Unwanted Clutter
You can also hide lower level bookmarks so that only
a higher level topic list is completely visible. Your
Electronic Data Book comes with all the levels
6 expanded (except in Section 26 with the Classified
Listing of GPSA members). Any bookmark with
subordinates expanded will have a button, 6 , to the
7
left of it (and the subordinates will be indented below).
1 Those with collapsed subordinates look like 7 .

5 4 5
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 Data Book Help

Layout & Navigation

Moving Around

Within the Current View C Between Sections

To navigate to another section, you
Slides the current Click and then drag
will generally have to go via the
view within its rectangle to zoom in
window on an area Table of Contents page (see
Jumping to Other Documents,
above). One exception is when you
encounter a reference to a figure in
another section. See To a
Referenced Figure, below.

Between Views (no matter E

which Section/Document)
Within the Current Section D Return to Go to the
(Document)
Previous View Next View

To go to First Page
To go to Previous Page
To go to Next Page
To go to Last Page
To a Referenced Figure F
Click on the bright blue text
(e.g., Fig
Fig.21-3)
21-3 and the Electronic
Data Book will serve up the desired
illustration or table. You can
change the view according to your
needs (see C, above), but

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remember you can only hit the
Previous View button (see E, above)
nine times to return to where you
were reading. If youll be spending
some time browsing around the
figure, note the topical bookmark
youre reading in, so youre always
just one click away from where you
were.
To Return to the Table of Contents
All documents have a Table of
Contents bookmark in the
Bookmarks window on the left of
the screen. A single click of the
mouse will take you there.
To View a Reference
Superscripted numbers are
reference citations. References are
listed at the end of each section.
Take note of the number and use
the REFERENCES bookmark or the
Last Page button (on the Toolbar)
to jump to the list. If the number
youre looking for is not within
view, scroll the page or use the
Back
Data Book Help
Layout & Navigation
Moving Around
Previous Page button to take you
backwards until you find the one
youre looking for. To return to
where you were reading, click
either the Previous View button ,
(up to nine times) or the topical
bookmark where you were reading.
To View the Bibliography
Bibliographical entries, when used,
are located with the references at
the end of the section. You can
navigate to them using the
BIBLIOGRAPHY bookmark or in the
same manner as described above in
To View A Reference.
To See Additional Pages
of a Multi-Page Figure
If the data youre looking for is not
on the page that a figure link took
you to, theres a good chance that
the figure is continued. This will be
indicated by a down-arrow in the
center of the hand pointer (when
the Hand Tool is selected). Click
on the figure to display it as an
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 Data Book Help

Layout & Navigation

Moving Around

Acrobat article. Repeated clicks For a full column of text, click

(about three, depending upon your about three times and,
viewing conditions) will step you depending on your viewing
down the entire length of a page. conditions, youll be back at
the bottom.
To Follow a Column of Text
The printed Data Book was Click one more time and youre
published in a two-column format. at the top of the next column.
This Electronic Data Book remains
faithful to that, so from time to If its more convenient, you can
time you will find yourself at the remain in this mode for as long as
end of the left-hand column and you are reading the same article.
want to continue reading at the top
of the right-hand one. For More Information
Go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader
You can do this by displaying the Online for more detailed
text as an article: information. You can get there
by going to www.Adobe.com.
With the Hand Tool selected,
position the mouse pointer over
the column of text youre
reading and click on it. This will
change the display to the article
mode and place you at the top
of the current column of text
you are reading.

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 Data Book Help

Search
Needle in a haystack? No problem.

T rying to find a particular word or phrase? The

Electronic Data Book (via Acrobat) gives you two
ways to do it. The first, and most limited, is the
Acrobat Find command. It allows you to locate any
combination of characters in the current Section (or
document) only. See the heading, To Search the
Current Section Only.

When youre not sure what Section will contain the

data you need, or you want cross-disciplinary
information, then the Acrobat Search facility is what
youre looking for. This powerful search engine will
perform a full text search of the entire Electronic Data
Book in seconds and return a list of the Sections and
ancillary files in which your search string appears.
See To Search All Sections.

Additionally, you can launch an Acrobat search from

the menu bars that appear at the bottom of the Main
screen and the Table of Contents screen.

Note
Although Acrobat will perform full
text searches, many of the figures are
bitmapped images and the text they
contain will not be located during any
type of search.

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From a Data Book Menu Bar
You can immediately launch a
search when you start the GPSA
Electronic Data Book from either the
Main screen or the Table of
Contents screen.
Click on the [Search] button at
the bottom of the screen. The
Search dialog will open.
Type a search string, select the
desired options and click on the
[Search] button. Acrobat will
jump to the first occurrence, if
it is found.
Press [Ctrl]+U to go to the next
occurrence.
Trouble
If the [Search] button is grayed out
when the dialog box opens, the
probable cause is that the links to the
index files are broken. To restore them,
see Re-linking Indexes, below.
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Data Book Help
Search
To Search All Sections
On the Acrobat Reader menu,
select Tools> Search> Query. The
Search dialog will pop up.
Place your mouse pointer over
the Find Results Containing Text
window and click once to get a
blinking cursor in the window.
Type a search string, select the
desired options and click on the
[Search] button.
Press [Ctrl]+U to go to the next
occurrence of a search string.
To Search the Current
Section Only
On the Acrobat Reader menu,
select Tools> Find.
Type a search string in the box,
select the desired options and
click on the [Find] button.
Press [Ctrl]+G to go to the next
occurrence of a Find phrase.
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Re-linking Indexes
If you have attempted to search the
Data Book and found that you
didnt have any indexes to search,
dont panic. The index files (*.pdx)
are most likely still in the DataBook\
Docs folder. A broken link is the
most likely cause. To reestablish
the link(s):
If the Adobe Acrobat Search
dialog is still open, go to the
next step. If not, select Tools>
Search> Query from the Acrobat
Reader menu.
Click on [Indexes]. The Index
Selection dialog will open.
Note the Available Indexes
window. There should be two
indexes listed, the Data Book and
Acrobat Help Files and the GPSA
Electronic Data Book. If the one(s)
you want to use are not shown,
click on the [Add] button.
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Data Book Help
Search
Browse to the Data Book\Docs
folder on the CD. Two PDX files
are listed, choose the one you
want and click [Open]. Repeat
these last two steps if you want
both indexes open.
Congratulations, your indexes are
now linked! Note that in the Adobe
Acrobat Search dialog, the [Search]
button is no longer grayed out. You
may now search all the files in the
Data Book collection for any phrase
that will point to information youre
looking for. See To Search All
Sections for tips on using the
Search function.
For More Information
The Adobe Acrobat Search Online
Guide provides more detailed
information. You can get there by
going to www.Adobe.com.
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