# KEHOME/knowledge/theory/KRdesign/dot.html
# Oct/27/2002

Exploring the ... concept


To facilitate the exploration of concept-hierarchies
(or concept-lattices), I have extended the UNIX directory
"dot" notation to three levels:
The three "dot" concepts can be used in any Knowledge Explorer
statement, command or question. The "next" concept
steps through all possible values of ".." or "...". The "dot"
concepts are especially handy when the concept names are long.


For example, consider the heading lattice from Keith Devlin's
book "Goodbye, Descartes" (KEHOME/view/book/gd.ho).
It is a lattice, not a hierarchy, because "Goodbye, Descartes" is
the heading for both the book (the title) and a chapter section.
If I hadn't included the chapter number, straight from the
table of contents, "Goodbye, Descartes" would also be the
heading of chapter 11.

After loading the lattice and making "Goodbye, Descartes" the current concept successive applications of the next concept assignment give all the chapter headings, and gives the heading of chapter 11.


The Knowledge Explorer input prompt has one of the three forms depending on whether or not the "next" concept assignment is in progress.
The names are

General References