README.txt

@@ -8,10 +8,69 @@ The surface quality was checked by inspecting the slice screenshots of QATool
 source paper linked]). The QATool was adopted to take sreenshots of the
 high-resoluton pial surface.
 
+
+DataLad datasets and how to use them
+====================================
+This repository is a DataLad (https://www.datalad.org/) dataset.
+It provides fine-grained data access down to the level of individual files,
+and allows for tracking future updates.
+In order to use this repository for data retrieval, DataLad (https://www.datalad.org/)
+is required. It is a free and open source command line tool, available for all
+major operating systems, and builds up on Git and git-annex
+(https://git-annex.branchable.com/) to allow sharing, synchronizing, and version
+controlling collections of large files. You can find information on how to install
+DataLad at http://handbook.datalad.org/en/latest/intro/installation.html.
+
+Get the dataset
+===============
+A DataLad dataset can be “cloned” by running
+
+        ‘datalad clone <url>’.
+
+Once a dataset is cloned, it is a light-weight directory on your local machine.
+At this point, it contains only small metadata and information on the identity
+of the files in the dataset, but not actual content of the (sometimes large) data files.
+
+Retrieve dataset content
+========================
+After cloning a dataset, you can retrieve file contents by running
+
+        ‘datalad get <path/to/directory/or/file>’
+
+This command will trigger a download of the files, directories, or subdatasets
+you have specified.
+
+DataLad datasets can contain other datasets, so called “subdatasets”.
+If you clone the top-level dataset, subdatasets do not yet contain metadata and
+information on the identity of files, but appear to be empty directories.
+In order to retrieve file availability metadata in subdatasets, run
+
+        ‘datalad get -n <path/to/subdataset>’
+
+Afterwards, you can browse the retrieved metadata to find out about subdataset
+contents, and retrieve individual files with datalad get.
+If you use ‘datalad get <path/to/subdataset>’, all contents of the subdataset
+will be downloaded at once.
+
+Stay up-to-date
+===============
+DataLad datasets can be updated. The command ‘datalad update’ will “fetch” updates
+and store them on a different branch (by default ‘remotes/origin/master’).
+Running
+
+        ‘datalad update –merge’
+
+will “pull” available updates and integrate them in one go.
+
+More information
+================
+More information on DataLad and how to use it can be found in the DataLad Handbook at http://handbook.datalad.org/en/latest/index.html. The chapter “DataLad datasets” can help you to familiarize yourself with the concept of a dataset.
+
+
+
+
 References
 ----------
 
 Dale, A.M., Fischl, B., Sereno, M.I., 1999. Cortical surface-based analysis. I.
 Segmentation and surface reconstruction. Neuroimage 9, 179-194.
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