Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

VSX and HDX Directory Search

The IFAS videoconference directory available for download has more than 130 sites available for selection. Because of the large number available it can be cumbersome to find the specific site(s) for connection. Several methods are available to help shorten the selection process.

First, the IFAS directory is organized into three major sections or locations:

• Campus = units located on or near the UF campus
   
• EXT = units located at county Extension offices
   
• REC = units located at Research Centers

Any of these groupings can be easily reached by selecting the appropriate beginning letter tab on the right side of the directory screen. This selection does not limit the units available in the central display area. All units are available in alphabetic order but are displayed starting with the first letter tab selected on the right. You will be able to scroll up or down through the entire list using the up or down ARROW keys, or scroll up or down by page using the in or out ZOOM buttons.

Secondly, it is possible to quickly narrow the list available for viewing and selection by using the searching capability found in the upper left corner of the directory screen. Unlike the  above search, based on the first letter of the entry, this method will both:

1. limit the selections displayed, and
    
2. select only entries that contain the specified sequence of alphanumeric characters found anywhere in their description, not just the first letter(s).

For this method, use the arrow keys to highlight the search box in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Next, enter the appropriate alphanumeric characters needed to limit the sites being displayed to only those sites of interest. While the alphanumeric characters can be entered using the keyboard function, it is quicker and easier to use the numeric keys on the remote control.

Just like on a telephone, note that most numeric keys have letters associated with them. The specific number or letter can be selected by pressing the key multiple times in rapid succession until the desired character appears on the screen.

The display sequence is lower case letters first, than upper case letters and than the number (see table below). It will continuously rotate through the available characters until you stop or pause for a second. After a pause, the screen cursor will move to the right and additional characters can be entered.

Searches are not case sensitive. Upper or lower case letters can be used interchangeably. Example searches that provide shortcuts to specific groups include:

Note: a space between a number sequence shown above indicates a pause before pushing the next key.

From the notebook of Thomas Hintz
the AgriGator