Compare and Apparatus View

The Compare section of the uBIQUITY platform allows direct comparison of multiple search results coming from different corpora. It is one of the most advanced functionalities of the system, designed to support in-depth philological and linguistic analysis.

Comparison can be performed between:

• multiple passages by the same author or from the same work;
• texts belonging to different languages (e.g. Greek vs Latin);
• variants of the same passage from different editions or manuscripts.

The main objective of the Compare module is to visualize relationships, divergences, and similarities between texts, both in tabular and graphical form.

Four main comparison visualization modes are available, selectable through the buttons located in the upper bar of the Compare window. Each mode offers a different approach to the analysis of the selected texts.

Parallel View

• Selected texts are displayed side by side in parallel columns.
• Each column shows author, work, and textual excerpt.
• Correspondences are not highlighted through distinctive colors.

Parallel View exclusively uses the Matching Word Count, represented by a blue icon indicating how many matches were found between the result text and the Searched Text. No highlighting of differences between texts is provided.

• The Apparatus can be enabled or disabled to show textual variants and critical notes.

Variant Graph

• Displays textual variants in the form of an interactive graph.
• Words or segments are represented as nodes connected by edges indicating correspondence, divergence, or textual dependency.
• Allows rapid observation of how a word or structure changes across different textual traditions or witnesses.
• Zoom, repositioning, and centering controls are available.

Distant Reading View

• Provides a synthetic visualization of term distribution across the compared corpus.
• Text is divided into sections (e.g. chapters or paragraphs), represented by colored blocks.
• Blue blocks indicate presence of the searched term.
• Grey or white blocks indicate absence.
• Clicking on a block activates the contextual preview of the passage and allows Apparatus activation.
• Ideal for frequency analysis and quantitative overviews of the entire corpus.

Node-Based Graph

• Texts are represented as nodes connected by semantic, lexical, or structural relationships.
• Each node corresponds to a segment or lemma, while links highlight affinities, variants, or derivations.
• The graph is fully interactive:
  • Zoom in/out
  • Pan to move the map
  • Center View to restore the initial position
  • Toggle Apparatus to show or hide structural variants
• Particularly useful for network analysis between texts belonging to different languages or traditions.

Navigation behavior

Switching between modes is immediate and does not cause any loss of data displayed or selected within the comparison.

In Parallel View mode, selected texts are displayed in parallel vertical columns. The interface supports two main variants.

Parallel View with Apparatus enabled

• Displays an additional section under each text column called Apparatus, listing variants, critical notes, and philological references associated with the text.
• Apparatus elements are marked with numeric or symbolic indicators referring to highlighted words in the main text.
• Highlighting colors are consistent across columns, allowing immediate visual comparison of corresponding terms or lemmas.

Parallel View without Apparatus

• Displays only the main text, without critical references or annotations.
• Recommended for quick lexical or semantic comparison without additional analytical elements.

Interactive features

• Users can switch between the two variants using the “Toggle Apparatus” button in the top toolbar.
• Changes are applied instantly and do not affect flow data.
• Individual columns can be copied or exported with or without Apparatus, depending on research needs.

Operational advantages

• Synoptic and aligned text visualization;
• Immediate identification of differences and similarities;
• Greater control over the amount of information displayed during analysis.

The Node-Based View mode provides a visual representation of relationships between texts, based on nodes and dynamic links.

Layout structure

• Each node corresponds to a result included in the comparison;
• Links (edges) visualize semantic, philological, or lexical relationships between nodes;
• Colored labels indicate the type of correspondence (matching word count).

Available controls

• Zoom + / Zoom – → adjusts the level of detail of the graph;
• Center View → restores the initial visualization position;
• Toggle Apparatus → shows or hides critical apparatus layers on the graph;
• Pan / Drag → allows manual movement of the map with the cursor.

User interaction

• Nodes are not clickable and cannot be selected.
• However, it is possible to click the magnifying glass or notes icon for each node, except in cases where the node is linked to an apparatus without the magnifying glass, preventing search execution.
• The system allows saving the graph configuration (position, zoom level, apparatus enabled/disabled) as part of the Flow.

Analytical purpose

Node-Based View is particularly useful for identifying correspondence networks between texts belonging to different languages or periods, providing a visual comparative analysis perspective.

In addition to Parallel View and Node-Based View, the platform provides a third visualization mode called Distant Reading, allowing visual analysis of term or phrase distribution within texts.

Data structure and meaning

• Each colored block represents a text section (e.g. chapter or verse).
• Blue blocks indicate presence of the searched term or phrase.
• Grey or white blocks indicate absence.
• The legend clearly specifies color usage:
  • 🔵 Presence of the searched word / phrase
  • ⚪ Absence of the searched word / phrase

User interaction

• Clicking any block opens the Single Context Page View, displaying the selected passage in full.
• In this view, users can:
  • read the complete textual context;
  • enable or disable the Apparatus via the toggle to show or hide associated critical variants.
• Rapid navigation between sections is possible via scrolling or keyboard directional keys.

Additional functionalities

• The “Searched Text” field shows the exact query used.
• The corpus or file title (e.g. WVULG-Genesis) is displayed on the left as the dataset header.
• The view is fully responsive and adapts to screen size while maintaining consistent block proportions.

Analytical advantages

• Provides an immediate overview of lexical or semantic distribution in the text;
• Allows quick identification of frequency patterns or absences;
• Visually connects results with direct reading, creating a continuous flow between search, synthetic visualization, and textual consultation.

During Compare mode, users have access to a set of tools and controls that allow customization of the analysis experience.

All visualization changes persist throughout the session and can be saved in the Flow for later reuse.

Graphical description of Entries and Witnesses

Entries and Witnesses represent two essential side tools in Compare mode, designed to enrich text analysis.

Entries Panel

• Accessible via the dedicated button in the left sidebar;
• Displays a list of apparatus entries or textual extracts linked to selected texts;
• The list updates automatically when texts are added to or removed from the comparison.

Witnesses Panel

• Displays primary sources or manuscripts related to the witnesses;
• Provides bibliographic details (author, title, edition, dating);
• Users can expand individual entries to consult variants and philological references.

Dynamic behavior

• Both panels can be opened or closed independently;
• The platform saves their state (open/closed) within the Flow to restore the same configuration in future sessions;
• All displayed information is contextual to the texts selected in the Compare window.

Research advantages

• Immediate access to sources and related appendices;
• Ability to copy and separately analyze data;
• Improved readability and contextualization of textual variants.

During comparison, users can:

• add or remove texts from comparison columns;
• move sections laterally using directional arrows;
• save the current configuration using the Save Flow button;
• consult comparison flow history via the Flows button.

Main buttons

Button	Function
/	Increase or decrease zoom level in the graph.
Center	Centers the graph view to restore the initial layout.
Save Flow	Saves the current configuration as a new flow.
Flows	Opens the saved flows management window.

Within the Flows window, each item provides icons to:

• rename the flow ,
• view its history ,
• delete the selected flow .