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Getting Started​

In progress documentation about getting started using CollectiveAccess.

New to setting up CollectiveAccess? Start here.

Providence is the “back-end” core cataloguing and data management application of CollectiveAccess. Providence is a web-based application that runs on a server. Users access the server from their own computers over a network using standard web browser software. As with any web-based application, Providence is designed to be accessed via the internet, enabling collaborative cataloguing of collections by widely dispersed teams.

However, you do not have to make your Providence installation accessible on the internet. It will function just as well on a local network with no internet connectivity, or even on a single machine with no network connectivity at all. Who gets to access your system is entirely up to you.

For a successful installation, Providence requires core software requirements, as well as required (and suggested) software packages, and media processing tools to be installed. Below is an overview of what you will need to successfully install the software, and to successfully configure a working system.

Installing Providence: Overview​

Here is what you will need for a successful software installation:

Configuring Setup.php: Overview​

In the main directory of your Providence install, there is a file called setup.php-dist. This is the core configuration file for CollectiveAccess. Make a copy of this file and rename it to setup.php.

For your CollectiveAccess system to work, you MUST add the following values to this file:

  • Database server hostname
  • Login credentials, including:
    • User name
    • Password
  • Database Name
  • Administrative e-email

Other options, such as timezone, may also need to be modified to enable your system to work successfully.

Setting up your System: Overview​

In addition to having successfully installed the software, you will also need to configure and install a valid installation profile.

An installation profile is a document that tells CollectiveAccess how to set up various aspects of the system at the time of installation. The profile enables you to configure nearly every aspect of the various cataloging interfaces in CollectiveAccess before you begin using the system.

Profiles are configured using XML Syntax. Installation profiles "live" in the install/profiles/xml folder located in the directory where you loaded the software on your computer or server.

This profile will be used to complete the installation process. Once a profile is selected, the system can successfully install, and you will be given login credentials. Please note that installation using a profile creates an empty system; data will not be imported during installation.

In Providence, many pre-defined profiles are available to use, ranging from standard schemata (see Metadata Standards) to custom set ups created for and by organizations world wide (see Configuration Library).