Canned Searches in WebVoyage

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Canned Searches in WebVoyage

• presented by
• Hal Bloom
• Manager, Baker Library Information Technology
• Harvard Business School
• hbloom_at_hbs.edu
• Voyager User Group Meeting, April 2001

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How does WebVoyage work?
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Browser to Webserver
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HTML source for form using GET method
gi" METHOD"GET" nameSearch_Arg size35 name"Search_Code" size"2"
Keyword Anywhere
search VALUE"TALL"Title search UT TYPE"SUBMIT" VALUE"Search"
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What does this stuff mean?

• ACTION"/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi"
• send the information entered on the form to the
  program called Pwebrecon.cgi located in the
  /cgi-bin/ directory
• METHOD"GET"
• pass the information to the Pwebrecon.cgi program
  by putting it after a ? in the URL pointing to
  the program.
• Example /cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DBlocalCNT25
• format of URL after the ? is variablevalue
  pairs separated by an .

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So?

• If WebVoyage
• creates forms
• which create URLs
• which pass information to a program
• which contacts opacsvr and returns the results of
  a search,
• then why cant we create URLs which do the same
  thing and put them on web pages we create?
• We can, and heres how...

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How to create a canned search

• Do a search in WebVoyage
• Copy and paste the URL into a word processing
  program
• Remove the SEQ, PID, and HIST variables and
  values from the URL
• Insert DBlocal right after the ?
• Youve done it!

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Example of creating a canned search

• Heres what WebVoyage returned (all one long
  string)
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  Search_ArgroadhomeSearch_CodeTALLPID17915SE
  Q20010228104332CNT25HIST1
• Heres the canned search after editing
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  DBlocalSearch_ArgroadhomeSearch_CodeTALLCNT
  25

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A canned search in context

• Heres HTML incorporating a canned search. It
  links a book title to the WebVoyage display for
  that title (using an ISBN command search)
• econ.cgi?DBlocalSearch_Argisbn0521584507Searc
  h_CodeCMDCNT25"Bargaining and market behavior
  essays in experimental economics / Vernon
  L. Smith.
  Cambridge, UK New York
  Cambridge University Press, 2000.
  

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Building a search from scratch

• http//your-server/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
• DBlocal
• Search_Argxxxxx
• Search_Codeyyyy
• CNTnn
• Vn1 (optional)

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Search_Arg

• Because the argument is part of a URL, we need to
  follow the HTML conventions for specifying
  blanks, commas, etc.
• (or 20) for a space
• 2C for a comma
• 22 for double quotes
• e.g. the phrase shils, edward would be coded
  as
• 22shils2Cedward22

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Search_Code
The Search Code must be one of the codes listed
listed on either the Search Definitions,
Composite Definitions or Keyword Searches dialogs
(on SystemSearch Configuration dialog in the the
System Administration module. In addition, there
is FT for Full-Text Keyword and CMD for command
search.An after the code indicates relevance
ranking is desired, and a indicates a Browse
search.Examples FT AUTH TALL
SUBJ JKEY
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V (the view to display)

• If you know that youre going to retrieve a
  single record, you can choose which view you want
  for that record
• v11 will display using the first view youve
  defined
• called short view on Endeavors demo site
• v21 will display using the second
• called long view on the demo site

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Lets build an ISBN Searchand display using the
long or detailed view

• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  
• DBlocal
• Search_Argisbn0670772895
• Search_CodeCMD
• CNT25
• v21
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  DBlocalSearch_Argisbn0670772895Search_CodeCM
  DCNT25v21

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Other standard searches

• Author search
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  DBlocalSearch_Argshils2CedwardSearch_CodeAU
  THCNT25
• Subject search
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  DBlocalSearch_ArgventurecapitalSearch_CodeSU
  BJCNT25

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Why use canned searches?

• Primarily to add value to web products
• New Books web page can take you to the WebVoyage
  page for each book
• The best search for a particular subject can be
  encoded in a canned search, thus providing better
  precision than most patrons would get doing their
  own searching.

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Refined Subject Search

• ...from the Venture Capital Industry Guide on the
  Baker Library Web Site.
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  DBlocalSearch_Arg((SKEY22VentureCapital22)
  AND(260c199?OR260cc199?OR260c200?ORc200
  ?))OR(VentureANDCapitalAND22workingpapers
  22))Search_CodeCMDCNT25

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and the downside

• From Endeavor supportweb EISI reserves the
  right to change the format of any/all search URLs
  between releases.
• and the format has changed with every major new
  release, which adds some interesting work to the
  upgrade process for whoever does website
  maintenance.
• From 99 to 2000 is particularly problematic,
  because not only has the format changed
  (different variables) but the order matters, so
  simple substitution isnt possible -(

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Linkchecking canned searches

• When a canned search link is checked, a new
  instance of opacsvr is started on the voyager
  system
• since the timeout for opacsvr is designed for
  human interaction, many many opacsvrs get started
  and the voyager system quickly runs out of
  resources
• The Library Catalog is currently unavailable
• So exclude canned links from being checked
• If they worked when they were created, they
  should continue to work until you upgrade your
  Voyager system

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Converting from 99.1 to 2000

• Because order matters and parameters have
  changed, cant do global replace
• Solution write a cgi-script to read 99.1 style
  search, and then redirect the browser to
  WebVoyage using 2000 style search
• Then do global replace of WebVoyage address with
  cgi-script address

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99.1 to 2000 (continued)

• Original URL
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?
  v21CNT10recordsperpageDBlocalCMDISBN019
  5924517
• Change to
• http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/transform.cgi?
  v21CNT10recordsperpageDBlocalCMDISBN019
  5924517
• transform.cgi script returns
• Location http//www.your-library.edu/cgi-bin/Pweb
  recon.cgi?DBlocalSearch_Argisbn 0195924517
  Search_CodeCMDCNT10v21

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Further Information

• Support WEB Canned Searches for Webvoyage 2000.1
• http//support.endinfosys.com/cgi-bin/validate/ent
  er.cgi?pageSimba/Products/2kcanned.htm
• U of Wisconsin (as of 3/5/01 for 99.1 canned
  searches)
• http//madcat.library.wisc.edu/help/cannedsearches
  .htm