AboutVBase; VBase Help

VBase is a database built into Anastasia, designed to optimize retrieval of variants according to their distribution across the witnesses. You can use VBase to find all variants in any one manuscript, only in that one manuscript, in any two manuscripts, in any two manuscripts and not in a third manuscript, in at least two of a set of five manuscripts, and more.

You use VBase by filling in the query lines (up to eight lines) and pressing the button. Here are some sample VBase searches:

	Finds all variants in witness Ash
	Finds variants in witness Ash and only in witness A (note the use of ‘<2 of /all’ to find readings in just one witness – in this case, Ash)
	Finds all variants in witnesses Ash and Ham
	Finds variants in witnesses Ash Ham and only in witnesses Ash Ham
	Finds variants in witness Ash and not in witness Ham
	Finds variants in at least one of witnesses Ash Ham LauSC
	Finds variants in at least one of witnesses Ash Ham and in less than three (that is, in none, one or two) of Mart Triv LauSC

VBase offers many more facilities. The ‘Get variants for’ line will run pre-made searches for you, to retrieve the variants characteristic of the groups (Ash/Ham, Mart/Triv, etc.) identified by the editor. You can also examine the Variant Group Profiles for witnesses, and more. For a fuller account of VBase, see the VBase section in Help, accessible from the top bar of the edition.