Transcript Metalib Deep Link Generator - Systems Pages, McIntyre Library, UW

MetaLib Deep-Link
& Search Box
Generator
Stephen Elfstrand
Head, Library Systems and Circulation
2nd Annual
Regional Ex Libris Users' Meeting
March 5-6, 2007
Brooklyn Park, MN
Our Vision
– Metalib Everywhere

Custom MetaLib links or search boxes on
any web page
Library instruction pages
 Course pages
 Topical guides
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Use in D2L
The Problem
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Deep-Link documentation hard for end
users to understand
Difficult to construct deep links
Undocumented features
We (Systems Dept.) didn’t want to make all
the links
The Solution:
Automate it!
What does the generator do?


Builds Links!
Builds a Search Box!
Builds links!
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To Quick Search, Custom Search, or
Resource List
To Results of a Predefined Search
To a Resource

In MetaLib or Native interface
Builds a Search Box!
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Search Quicksets
Search Custom Set of Resources
Search for a Resource
Let’s take a look

http://lib1.uwec.edu/searchspot/SSSearchBox
Generator.asp
An Example
How does it work?

MetaLib KnowledgeBase Report
MS Access Database
ASP
JavaScript

Programmer
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Dan Hillis
Get Data from MetaLib

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Admin Module – Reports
MetaLib KnowledgeBase Report
Get Data From MetaLib
 Complete
(customized) version
Knowledge Base Report
 Save as a .txt (tab-delimited)
 Put in same place with same name every
time
 MS Access Import Macro
Import Macro
Create QuickSet Table
 By
Hand!
ASP & JavaScript
ASP – Grabs data from database
JavaScript – Displays dynamic menus
and generates the results
The Question Everyone is asking


Can I steal this ?
YES
Making it work in your library

Requirements
 MS Access
 ASP enabled web server
 JavaScript support on browser
 Customize the Database and Web page
Database Changes

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Import Scripts need name and location of
Report Output
Quickset Names and IDs
Changes to ASP
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Your sites’ look and feel-HTML
(SSSearchBoxGenerator.asp,
SSSearchBoxGenerator.css)
ASP Connection string to database
(SSSearchBoxGenerator.asp)
Proxy String in JavaScript
(SSSearchBoxGenerator.js,
Redirect.asp)
Where is it?
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Database
Main page (ASP file, CSS file)
Redirect page (ASP file)
3 Javascript files

http://lib3.uwec.edu/systems/presentations.html
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Questions
 [email protected]
 [email protected]