1. First steps
Before configuring any data columns, you need to decide what each row in your spreadsheet represents. NaturaList supports three natural shapes: a pure taxon list, a record-per-specimen collection, and a hybrid where taxa carry their own data and specimens carry theirs. All subsequent examples build on one of these shapes - understanding them first makes every other configuration decision easier.
How to use these examples
Each example opens with the authoring scenario - the practical challenge it solves. Below it, the spreadsheet viewer shows the complete solution; click it to expand. How it works breaks down the configuration behind it, with links to the relevant reference pages for each setting. What you will see tells you what to look for once you hit See it in action, which opens the example as a live NaturaList project in the demo space.
A word of caution
Example data is there to support the demonstrated features and is purely illustrative, don't use it in your biology classes.
Simple list of taxa
The bare minimum to get NaturaList displaying a browsable taxonomic tree - no data columns, no appearance settings, only default filters.
Fill in the Taxa definition table with one row per rank:
Order→Family→Genus→Species. The data sheet has those columns and nothing else - everything in NaturaList is additive on top of this foundation.Family,Genus, andSpeciesuse the expanded format with separate columns for name and authority.Orderuses a single column - the simpler option when authority is not needed.
What you will see: Browse the tree and observe the four-level hierarchy: species names are italic, higher ranks are not. Filters apply to taxa only - correct for this example, as no data columns have been added. Use Current view to explore view options.
Simple specimen collection
No taxon-specific data - every row is a physical specimen identified by a catalogue number.
Add a fifth row to Taxa definition with Taxon name set to
Occurrenceand Column name pointing to your catalogue number column. This activates occurrence mode; taxonomy columns set the identification for each specimen.Custom data columns (collector, date, locality) use Belongs to =
occurrenceso they appear on specimen cards only.Data type is text for collector and locality, and date for date. See Working with data types for other type examples.
What you will see: Navigate the tree: taxa lead to individual specimen records (NHM-001, NHM-002…) showing collector, date, and locality. Custom data filters appear alongside the taxon filters. In Current view, try setting Display mode to Occurrences only for a flat list without the taxonomic hierarchy.
Basic botanical survey: species data alongside specimen records
Two distinct kinds of information: species-level data (habit, descriptions) applying to the whole species, and collection-event data (collector, date, locality) applying to individual specimens - both in one project, without repeating species data on every specimen row.
The data sheet mixes two row types: taxon rows (empty
catalogNum) carry taxon-level data; specimen rows (non-emptycatalogNum) carry collection-event data.Belongs to is the routing key:
taxoncolumns appear on species cards only;occurrencecolumns appear on specimen cards only.A filter is set on
habitbut not ondescription, which remains accessible via text search.
What you will see: Combine taxon and specimen filters - for example, all specimens of habit tree from a specific collector or locality. Toggle Data Scope between Taxa and Occurrences in the Current view button to switch between both views of the same dataset.
Adding project identity
Set the project name, how-to-cite text, and other basic project information.
Reuses the previous example spreadsheet unchanged.
The only addition is the Customization table, where
Project name,About section, andHow to citeentries are filled in.
What you will see: The top bar shows the custom project name. The How to cite text appears in the bottom-right corner. The About section is accessible from the Side Menu.