How to use QT4XML?
Assuming that you have started the applet by typing ./run,
Let us design a simple query using QT4XML first:
1. Click on the Query button and then click on the canvas. This forms the graphical representation of the query.
2. Now click Update and then select the yellow box (node) which says DTD on the canvas. This is to update the parameters associated with the query.
3. In the window that pops up, you can see a choice drop down box. Click on it and select Memo.dtd. Then click Get. This fetches the DTD and presents it in a format so that the user can write constraints on elements/ attributes.

The DTD is represented as follows:
An element and its attributes are shown in the same window. The attributes for the element are shown slightly indented. If an element has sub elements, there is a Body button corresponding to it, which presents its sub elements in a different window. A check box for an element/attribute is used to determine if the element/attribute is to be displayed in the output of the query. A textbox is provided only if a constraint can be specified for the element/attribute, e.g., an EMPTY element cannot have a constraint specified on the element.

4. For starters, let us just select the checkbox corresponding to the Memo element on the "Root Element Window". This implies that we wish to query the Memo element for all the documents in the database.
5. Now click Apply. The "Root Element Window" disappears. The yellow box on the canvas carries the name of the DTD you just associated the box with. As seen, the name is appended with a unique number to identify a node distinctly in case of more than one node being associated with the same DTD (in case of a join condition).
6. Click the Generate button. This generates the query in Poet OQL format and if you are using QT4XML in client- server mode, you will see the results in a new frame. You will have to click the Exit button on the new frame before we proceed. If QT4XML is in the standalone mode, then the query can be seen as on the console or in the file qry.oql in your QT4XML/Query directory.

This was a simple query with no constraints.
To add constraints, click Update and select the node on the canvas. (To understand the DTD structure, you can look up Memo.dtd from QT4XML/Files directory.) When you click on the Body button, the body/contents of the element Memo are shown in a different window. From the drop down box (under OPERATOR label), a relational operator can be selected. Let us select "==" for Recipient and in the text box for From, type in "John Miller" with the double quotes (Any string that has spaces in it has to be enclosed within double quotes). Again click apply on both windows and then click Generate. This is a query to view memos, where the sender is John Miller.
The QT4XML grammar is available at http://cobweb.cs.uga.edu/~sonali/papers/qt4xml.ps
A subsection of the grammar is currently implemented, some of it being seen in the following example:

Use of wildcard characters and regular expression operators:
Wildcard character: ^
Regular expression operators: * (currently only supported as ^*), & (AND )
For OR conditions, : is used.

Let us look at a sample query, to see how these operators are used:

Query: Select the memos where

the sender has a last name Sheth and the recipient has a last name Miller or
the subject is XML followed by any other text or it is simply DTD.

Writing the above query using QT4XML:

Draw a node as before on the canvas and associate it with the Memo dtd.
Select the check box on the root window corresponding to the element Memo.
From = ^*Sheth
To = ^*Miller
Link the From and To fields by clicking Link button, then clicking in the red box corresponding to each field and then clicking Done. Make sure that the AND button corresponding to the AND connector is on.
Subject = XML^*:DTD

The values in red are the actual values to be entered in the text box.
Because of current limitations of the database, the Body element is not seen in detail. To view it in detail, check the check box for Body element. Also we need to mention that currently POET allows only selection of one item, so multiple selects (checking more than one check box) are not allowed.

Other features on the main canvas:
Link:
QT4XML can be used to specify join conditions graphically, but does not generate code for the same currently. When more than one node is drawn on the canvas using the Query button, they can be linked together using the link button. Click on Link and then click on the 2 nodes to be linked. Conditions can be specified for this link, by clicking Update and then clicking on link.

Create_classes: This is used to create java classes corresponding to the DTD under consideration. These classes can be seen in the QT4XML/JavaFiles directory. The classes needed to use these generated classes can be obtained from the developer of QT4XML. These are used to upload data into Poet database.

Other features on root element windows/element windows:
Link, Done, UnLink, AND/OR connector:
The Link button is used to link elements for AND or OR conditions. This is done as follows. Click the Link button. Click in the red rectangle on the right of element say A and then click similarly for element B, C... Click Done when you are done. Now, to specify if this link is and AND or OR, use the toggle button named as AND/OR connector. All conditions linked together are ANDed or ORed as specified by the connector label and remaining are ORed if AND connector is on and vice versa. To delete a link, click on UnLink and choose the Link to be deleted.

Duplicate:
Duplicates an element or attribute. Used to specify complex conditions. To use, click on duplicate and click in the text box of the element/attribute to be duplicated.

Get:
The get button can be used to associate a different query with the node at any time. Remember to click apply to save the changes.

Cancel:
Cancel the conditions assigned.