Introduction

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Bookmarks in IGB allow you to create a shortcut to a specific genomic location and zoom level within a collection of data sets. Bookmarks will be listed in the Bookmarks menu.  When you create the bookmark, you will be able to provide any name or descriptor you wish to help you remember what the bookmark is for.

Any bookmarks that you create during a session will be saved when you exit, and will be available the next time you launch IGB. Bookmarks are saved in their own sub-directory, separate from the preferences and the cache. If you need to reset preferences to default, or if you need to clear the cache, your bookmarks will NOT be affected. However, if the entire IGB directory is deleted, or if the bookmark sub-directory is deleted, then all the bookmarks will be lost.

The Bookmark Manager will allow you to work with your saved bookmarks. It will allow you to edit your bookmark names, or edit the bookmark list. You can set up separate folders for each user, allowing for individual bookmarks; the Bookmark Manager will allow you to also switch between these folders. Finally, the Bookmark Manager will allow you to export or import IGB bookmarks; this allows these bookmark files to be shared between (distant) users. We strongly recommend that you occasionally export and save your bookmarks to provide a back up file. This will allow recovery of your bookmarks in case of catastrophic failure of the program.

Position & data bookmarks

As of IGB version 6.4 and higher, the expanded Add position & data bookmark function will remember the genomic location, zoom level, all the tracks in view at the time and any changes made to the track(s). This includes color selection, name of the track and/or changes made to graphs such as threshholding. Using the bookmark will open all of the data sets/ data sources to the marked genomic location at the original zoom level (as if Choose Load Mode > Region in View were selected) with color and name adjustments. If you are interested in a greater area than bookmarked, zoom out or chose a new region from Current Sequence and then refresh the relevant tracks.

Much as using an internet browser bookmark will take you to a completely new page, using IGB bookmarks will clear away data from different species and/or genome versions and replace it with the data contained within the bookmark.  The one time that IGB does this differently is if the data sets that are open match the same species and genome version in the bookmark; in this case, IGB will just add data sets or sources not already opened and zoom to the marked location. For instance, if you have open the 'TAIR9 ALL' data set from Arabidopsis thaliana, genome version June 2009 and your bookmark was made for the 'TAIR9 mRNA' data set from the matching species and genome version, when the TAIR9 mRNA bookmark is activated, it will add the TAIR9 mRNA data set, zoom in to the location and then display both the TAIR9 ALL and the TAIR9 mRNA tracks.

Position bookmarks

The function Add position bookmark only bookmarks the location data and zoom level; you need to open the associated data sets or sources to use these bookmarks. Using this type of bookmark will zoom in to a genomic location and zoom level within the currently opened data. You may wish to indicate that this is a 'position only' bookmark in the name that you create for this bookmark.

Creating and using bookmarks

To create, choose:

• Bookmarks > Add position & data bookmark 

or

• Bookmarks > Add position bookmark

To load a view that you have bookmarked.

• Wiki Markup
  Choose *Bookmarks > \[name of your bookmark\]*

Viewing and editing bookmarks

You can view details about your bookmarks, such as their position, which genome they refer to, or customizations. You can also modify some details, such as the name of a bookmark.

To view or change bookmark details:

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Use IGB bookmarks to:

• Jump to a bookmarked location and re-load data.
• Make notes on a genomic scene.
• Share analysis results with other users.

Bookmarks tab overview

The Bookmark tab allows you easy access to the bookmark list and provides tools for managing and sharing bookmarks.

IGB bookmarks tab with example bookmarks
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Returning to a bookmarked region

To return to a bookmarked region,

• Double-click it

or

• Choose the bookmark from the Bookmarks menu

Bookmarks menu
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Creating new bookmarks

To bookmark a location and data scene

• Choose Bookmarks > Add Bookmark

or

• Click Bookmarks tab
• Click add the New Bookmark icon Image Added

A window will appear with places to enter a name, notes, and bookmark type.

New bookmark window
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Bookmark types

Position Only bookmarks record genome, current position and zoom level.

Position and Data bookmarks record genome, current position, zoom level, and data sets.

Managing bookmarks

You can sort your bookmarks into folders and associated comments with comments on folders.

To edit the name or comments associated with a bookmark or folder

• Click Bookmarks tab.
• Click to select a bookmark or folder.
• Edit name or comments in the Notes sub-tab.

To delete a bookmark or folder

• Click to select it
• Click the delete bookmark icon (red X) or press Delete

Exporting and Importing bookmarks

To save a copy of the bookmarks to a file:

• Click Choose Bookmarks > Manage Export Bookmarks.In the bookmark manager window, choose Bookmarks > Export Bookmarks..

To import another user's bookmarks

• Choose Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks...

Bookmarks are saved in as a single file in the Netscape bookmarks file format.  This format resembles XML and HTML, but is not identical to either of those, so use an HTML-based format. Use caution if you choose to edit the file.

You can import and use bookmarks, for example bookmarks that other people give you:

• Click Bookmarks > Manage Bookmarks.

• Wiki Markup
  In the bookmark manager window, choose *Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks > \[choose the bookmark file\].*

You can import multiple sets of bookmarks during the same IGB session.   Imported bookmarks will be added to the end of the list of existing bookmarks.  All imported bookmarks will be persistent between sessions of IGB. You can create a new folder for imported bookmarks, if you do not wish them to mix with your current bookmarks

Viewing bookmark properties (for advanced users)

To see when a bookmark was created and the region it refers to

• Click Bookmarks tab
• Click the bookmark to select it
• Click Location sub-tab

To see other properties of a bookmark

• Click Bookmarks tab
• Click the bookmark to select it
• Click Details sub-tab

or

• Click Bookmarks tab
• Right-click a bookmark
• Select Properties..

A new window will open that reports information about the bookmark and how IGB represents it internally.

To see how IGB combines these properties into an IGB bookmark, export your bookmarks and open the bookmarks file in a text editor to inspect bookmark syntax.

IGB bookmarks file

IGB saves your bookmarks at the end of each session in a file named bookmarks.html in a folder named .igb in your home folder.