Web-based interactive editor for creating, editing and visualising research object crates. The editor can be extended to work with any local or remote backend.
If you can't access the demo, there are screenshots of NovaCrate at the bottom of this README
NovaCrate can be used and deployed in multiple different ways. Currently, the following editions (conceptually) exist:
| Name | Status | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standalone Web App | Active | Standalone Web App without a backend. Stores Crates in the local origin-private file system of the browser | Access here |
| Desktop App | Not maintained | Tauri App with a local backend. Has full access to file system and can make use of arbitrary backend software. | See src-tauri |
| Cloud Frontend | Currently out of scope | NovaCrate is a frontend that can be used with any compatible backend solution, for example a cloud based service that hosts RO-Crates. This approach has not been explored yet due to lack of viable backend solutions. | See src/lib/backend/CrateServiceAdapter.ts for a list of methods that a backend adapter should implement |
NovaCrate is a frontend that can be used for any backend that hosts RO-Crates (an appropriate backend adapter must be implemented). This could be anything in the range from a simple file storage to a full REST Service for manipulating crates.
See src/lib/backend/CrateServiceAdapter.ts for a list of methods that a backend adapter should implement. All of these methods can make use of backend resources or be suplemented locally.
NovaCrate currently does not include mechanisms for authentication, access control or concurrent access.
- ✅ Create, read and edit RO-Crates
- ✅ Visualize RO-Crates with a graph
- ✅ Context-information and property descriptions
- ✅ Automatic recommendation of fitting entity types and properties
- ✅ Focused on good usability
- ✅ Support RO-Crate Specification v1.1
- ✅ Support for importing and exporting the ELN format
- ✅ Generate HTML preview file in crate
- ❌ Validation of RO-Crates (limited validation available in HTML preview file)
- ❌ Support for RO-Crate Profiles
- Install Node.js >= 20
- Clone the NovaCrate repository
Once the prerequisites are met, run the following code to get started quickly:
npm install
npm run devThis step might be necessary after fetching new commits and on the first installation.
npm installThis command starts NovaCrate in development mode. This enabled hot reload, but also increases response time
npm run devOpen http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.
This command builds NovaCrate in the out folder.
npm run buildThe website can then be found in the out folder. Use any web server for viewing. Local viewing:
npx serve@latest outThis project was first created as part of a bachelor thesis
Most of the structure of the editor and many implementation and design details are outlined in the bachelor thesis.
To summarize: This is a Next.js app. Pages are located in /app, components in /components and anything else is probably in /lib.
