PRISM Documentation: Edition Page

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Getting Started

PRISM Edition Page

The Edition page provides detailed information about a specific package edition, with powerful tools for comparing package availability across different platforms (operating systems, R versions, and architectures). This page is essential for understanding platform compatibility and planning deployments across different environments.

Quick Actions:

  1. 🏷️ Copy edition URL - Get the direct installation link for this edition
  2. ⚙️ Set platform profile - Choose your default platform for consistent comparisons
  3. 📊 Compare platforms - Select multiple platforms to compare package availability
  4. 📦 Filter packages - Focus on specific packages of interest
  5. 📤 Export data - Download comparison results as CSV files
  6. 🔍 Show differences - Highlight packages with different availability across platforms

Getting to Edition Pages

Page Header

Edition Information

PRISM Edition Page, header

The header provides essential edition identification:

Header Elements

  • Edition name - Large, prominent edition identifier (e.g., “2025-07-03”)
  • Registry badge - Color-coded registry type indicator
  • Registry identifier - Source registry name (e.g., “stratus”)
  • Server URL - Repository server location
  • Copy URL button - Clipboard icon for repository URL copying
  • Last updated date - When edition data was fetched
  • Mutability indicator - Lock icon showing whether edition can change
    • 🔒 Locked - Edition contents are immutable
    • 🔓 Unlocked - Edition contents may be updated

PRISM Edition Page, edition immutable

PRISM Edition Page, edition mutable

Interactive Features

  • Copy URL - Click clipboard icon to copy repository installation URL
  • Visual feedback - Copy confirmation appears briefly after clicking

Platform Profile Management

PRISM Edition Page, platform profile

The platform profile system allows you to set a default platform for consistent comparisons. This opens a modal for users to browse all platforms and select one for their system.

Profile Display

  • Current profile indicator - Shows your selected default platform
  • “No platform selected” - Default state when no profile is set
  • Edit button - Opens platform selection modal

PRISM Edition Page, platform profile with selection

Profile Benefits

  • Consistent comparisons - Always includes your platform in analysis
  • Automatic selection - Your platform appears in comparison tables by default
  • Cross-page persistence - Profile applies to all edition pages

Using Platform Profiles

  1. Click “Edit Platform Profile” - Opens the selection modal
  2. Choose your platform - Navigate and select your standard platform
  3. Apply selection - Confirm your choice
  4. Automatic inclusion - Your platform appears in all comparisons
  5. Clear when needed - Remove profile to reset to no default

Comparison Table

Table Structure

PRISM Edition Page, comparison table

The main comparison table shows package availability across selected platforms:

Table Columns

  • Package Name - Fixed left column with package and version
  • Source - Indicates package source availability (can be hidden)
  • Platform columns - One column for each selected platform
  • Archived - Shows archived package status (can be hidden)

Table Content

  • Package entries - Rows show individual package-version combinations
  • Availability indicators - Checkmarks show platform availability
  • Source information - Indicates where packages are available
  • Archived status - Shows if packages are archived

Table Controls

PRISM Edition Page, comparison table controls

Multiple controls can affect table display, helping to show the most relevant information and subsequent data export.

Control Options

Platform Selection Dropdown

PRISM Edition Page, platform selection dropdown

Select platforms to compare using the hierarchical dropdown:

PRISM Edition Page, platform selection dropdown expanded

Platform Hierarchy

  • Operating System - Top level (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS)
  • Codename/Distribution - OS-specific distributions
  • Architecture - Processor architecture (x86_64, arm64, etc.)
  • R Version - Specific R version numbers

Selection Process

  1. Expand OS categories - Click to reveal codename options
  2. Expand codenames - Click to show architecture options
  3. Expand architectures - Click to reveal R version options
  4. Select specific platform - Click the exact platform combination
  5. Manage selections - Remove platforms using the X button

Selection Features

  • Color coding - Each selection gets a unique color for identification
  • Clear all option - Remove all selected platforms at once
  • Visual feedback - Selected platforms appear as colored chips
  • Hierarchical organization - Logical grouping makes selection easier

If a default platform is set, it will be selected by default in the dropdown, making it uninteractable within the rest of the items:

PRISM Edition Page, platform selection dropdown with default platform

All platforms selected, along with the default plaform, will be shown in the table.

PRISM Edition Page, platforms selected

Diff button

Diff button

Similar to the compare view diff button, the diff button will only show packages with differences across platforms.

  • Difference highlighting - Shows only packages with platform variations
  • Blue indicator - Banner shows when diff mode is active
  • All platforms mode - Toggle back to show all packages
  • Requires 2+ platforms - Diff only works with multiple platform selections

Export CSV

PRISM Edition Page, export CSV button

Export comparison data for external analysis:

Export Features

  • Current view export - Exports exactly what’s visible in the table
  • Filtered data - Respects package filtering and diff mode
  • Column inclusion - Includes all visible columns
  • Automatic naming - File named with edition identifier

Export Process

  1. Set up comparison - Select platforms and packages as desired
  2. Apply filters - Use diff mode or package filtering if needed
  3. Click Export CSV - Button downloads current table state
  4. File download - CSV file automatically downloads to your device

Show Source checkbox

PRISM Edition Page, show source checkbox

On by default, this checkbox adds a column to the table that shows the source availability of each package version. Unchecking this will remove the column from the table.

Show Archived checkbox

PRISM Edition Page, show archived checkbox

Off by default, this checkbox adds a column to the table that shows the archived status of each package version. This also shows packages that would otherwise be entirley missing from the table due to being completely archived from the edition. Unchecking this will remove the column and additional packages from the table.

PRISM Edition Page, show archived table

Package Filtering: Package Selection Dropdown

PRISM Edition Page, package selection dropdown

Control which packages appear in the comparison table:

PRISM Edition Page, package selection dropdown

Package List Features

  • All packages by default - Initially shows all packages in the edition
  • Search functionality - Filter packages by name or version
  • Select All/None buttons - Quickly manage large selections
  • Version-specific - Shows individual package versions
  • Checkbox selection - Multiple package selection

Package Filtering Process

  1. Open package dropdown - Click to access package selection
  2. Search for packages - Use search box to find specific packages
  3. Select packages - Check boxes for packages of interest
  4. Apply selections - Table updates to show only selected packages
  5. Manage selection - Use Select All/None for quick changes

Selection Display

  • Selection summary - Input shows count of selected packages
  • “All packages selected” - When all packages are chosen
  • Package count - Shows number of selected packages
  • Real-time updates - Table reflects selection changes immediately

PRISM Edition Page, package selection dropdown

Common Workflows

Setting Up Platform Comparisons

  1. Set platform profile - Choose your primary platform for consistent comparisons
  2. Select comparison platforms - Add additional platforms of interest
  3. Choose packages - Filter to packages you care about
  4. Review differences - Use diff mode to focus on variations
  5. Export results - Download data for sharing or analysis

Planning Multi-Platform Deployments

  1. Select target platforms - Choose all deployment target environments
  2. Enable diff mode - Focus on packages with platform differences
  3. Review availability gaps - Identify packages missing on some platforms
  4. Export compatibility matrix - Save results for deployment planning
  5. Document findings - Use CSV export for team communication

Package Availability Analysis

  1. Filter to specific packages - Focus on packages of interest
  2. Compare across platforms - Select relevant platform combinations
  3. Check source availability - Use source column to understand origins
  4. Review archived status - Check if packages are still maintained
  5. Export analysis - Save findings for further review

Investigating Platform Differences

  1. Select problematic platforms - Choose platforms with suspected issues
  2. Use diff mode - Show only packages with differences
  3. Review specific packages - Focus on packages causing problems
  4. Check archived status - Understand if differences are due to archiving
  5. Document issues - Export diff results for bug reports

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Platform dropdown not opening?

  • Ensure JavaScript is enabled in your browser
  • Try refreshing the page if dropdown seems stuck

Table not updating after selections?

  • Verify you’ve selected both platforms and packages
  • Try clearing selections and starting over
  • Refresh the page if table seems unresponsive

Export CSV not working?

  • Ensure you have data visible in the table
  • Check that JavaScript is enabled
  • Try a different browser if download fails

Platform profile not saving?

  • Check that your browser allows local storage
  • Avoid private/incognito browsing mode
  • Try clearing browser cache and cookies

Diff mode not showing differences?

  • Ensure you have at least 2 platforms selected
  • Verify there are actually differences in the data
  • Try adding more platforms to see variations