SFX A-Z List Integration to MetaLib
by Ere Maijala August 25, 2008 (Updated: November 29, 2018) - Author: Ere Maijala
- Year: 2008
- License: MPL 1.1/GPL 2.0
- Short description: Use, modification and distribution of the code are permitted provided the copyright notice, list of conditions and disclaimer appear in all related material.
- Link to terms: MPL 1.1, GPL 2.0
- Skill required for using this code: Intermediate
Description
Original design goals were:
- Make A-Z list work seamlessly inside MetaLib
- Support multiple languages seamlessly
- Facilitate deep linking into A-Z list inside MetaLib
- Costruct the system so that additional functionality can be added
- Avoid the need to do customization in SFX
State
Screen captures
Author(s) homepage
http://wiki.helsinki.fi/display/Nelli/Etusivu
Download
Working example
http://www.nelliportaali.fi/E/?func=azlist&institute=FINELIB&portal=FINELIB&new_lng=eng
Using the following Ex Libris API
No special API required, but MetaLib X-Server will offer improved performance for optional functionality.
Changes
Version 3.1 (30 July 2012)
- Added a check for changed “Add to ejournals” button image so that adding records to ejournal list works with the latest SFX SP too.
Version 3.0 (26 June 2012)
- Added a couple of workarounds to make the Go button work after the latest SFX revision update (which broke the HTML code further).
Version 2.8 (18 August 2009)
- Bug fix for IP address check.
- Moved configuration to a separate config file.
Version 2.7
- Added support for MetaLib 4.3. The IP address affiliation is fetched from the database for MetaLib 4.3. Backward compatible with MetaLib 4.2 and 4.1.
Version 2.6
- Added Sami language translations (probably not very useful for most people..).
Version 2.5
- Fixed the support for multiple local addresses to actually do the job.
Version 2.41
- Fixed redirection to MetaLib when the session has expired.
Version 2.40
- Added support for using multiple local IP addresses to simulate a session startup inside an institution.
Version 2.3
- Added support for search links
- Fixed Link header in HTTP headers when fetch info popup
- Added tweaks to table width definitions
Version 2.2
- Fixed the clear link in CitationLinker
- Fixed the relation links in info popup to open inside MetaLib
Version 2.1
- Improved support for SFX December 2007 revision
Version 2.0
- Added support for making the “Add to e-shelf” button work like it does in other functions (not changing the page and indicating which journals are in e-shelf already) for logged-in users. It can use X-Server to fetch the needed information, but can do it by fetching the e-shelf contents via /V interface too (although it’s slower). Parts of this functionality courtesy of Teemu Nuutinen, Helsinki University Libraries.
- The output of find-ej-1 function is now used as the page template. This provides better template
Release notes
Just follow the installation instructions. They may seem long, but there’s a lot of copy-pasteable code.
Installation instructions
Basic installation
1. Download the package and extract it somewhere (tar -xf <filename>).
2. Copy metalib-helper.cgi and metalib_x_server.pm (v2.x only) to m4_x/apache/htdocs/cgi-bin (create cgi-bin directory if it doesn’t exist) and make them executable (chmod +x filename). Verify that cgi-bin is readable and executable by all (e.g. chmod 755 cgi-bin).
3. v1.44 only: Copy azlist-template and helper-data to m4_x/[MetaLib:inst]/www_v_eng (and other languages if applicable).
4. v2.x only: Copy find-ej-1, find-ej-toolbar, helper-data and helper-data-guest to m4_x/[MetaLib:inst]/www_v_eng (and other languages if applicable). Note that find-ej-1 and find-ej-toolbar will overwrite existing files used for the basic integration available in MetaLib 4.1 and 4.2.
5. Modify metalib-helper.config (or metalib-helper.cgi in v1.44) and change the URL of MetaLib server and other settings.
6. Check perl path on the first line of metalib-helper.cgi and metalib_x_server.pm (v2.x only) if your MetaLib installation isn’t in m4_3.
7. v1.44 only: Modify azlist-template and change the address of SFX A-Z list at the iframe near the bottom of the file (the final html page won’t show the iframe but will use the address).
8. Remove the line:
<include>find-ej-desc9. Add azlist style rules into metalib.css. Here are our definitions (you may need to change colors etc.)
#azlist
{
font-size: 80%;
clear: both;
}
#azlist .table_563
{
width: 563px;
border: 0;
padding: 0;
}
#azlist table
{
width: auto;
}
#azlist .Block
{
background: #EBEBEB;
}
#azlist form
{
font-size: 95%;
margin-left: 4px;
}
#azlist td
{
font-size: 100%;
color: #6a6b6a;
margin-bottom: 2px;
}
#azlist .bordered_input
{
margin-top: 1px;
margin-bottom: 2px;
}
#azlist select
{
margin-bottom: 2px;
}
#azlist .ABC
{
font-size: 100%;
}
#azlist .LabelBold
{
font-weight: bold;
color: #6a6b6a;
margin: 2px;
}
#azlist .right
{
text-align: right;
width: 60%;
}
#azlist select.Category
{
width: 250px;
margin-right: 4px;
margin-bottom: 2px;
}
#azlist .Popup
{
position: absolute;
visibility: hidden;
left: 0;
top: 0;
z-index: 1000;
background: #ebebeb;
}
#azlist .PopupPage
{
background: #f1f1f1;
padding: 10px;
padding: 2px 2px 5px 20px;
border: #b5b6b5 2px solid;
margin: 0;
}
#azlist .TableHeader
{
color: #616161;
padding-right: 5px;
padding-left: 5px;
padding-bottom: 2px;
font-weight: bold;
border-bottom: 1px solid #8C8D8C;
}
#azlist .TableRow
{
color: #414241;
padding: 2px 5px 2px 5px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC;
}
#azlist .SiteDown
{
color: #AA2A2A;
font-weight: bold;
padding-right: 5px;
padding-left: 5px;
}
#azlist label
{
font-weight: normal;
margin-left: 2px;
margin-right: 2px;
}
#azlist .tip
{
border:solid 1px #666666;
padding:1px;
position:absolute;
z-index:100;
visibility:hidden;
color:#333333;
top:20px;
left:90px;
background-color:#ffffcc;
}
| Note that #azlist .tip in the end of the above css is new for SFX December revision |
Add the following lines after <Directory “/exlibris/metalib/m4_x/aleph/cgi”>:
<Directory "/exlibris/metalib/m4_3/apache/htdocs/cgi-bin">
AllowOverride None
Options ExecCGI FollowSymlinks
ForceType cgi-script
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>Add the following lines to the end of the correct VirtualHost section (such as <VirtualHost _default_:80>):
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^/E/(.*?)/?$ /cgi-bin/metalib-helper.cgi?%{QUERY_STRING} [L,E=__ML_SESSION:$1]
13. Make links to Find e-Journal point to /E/&metalib_session?func=azlist, such as:
<a href="/E/&metalib_session?func=azlist" title="//Find e-Journal\\" accesskey="3">//Find e-Journal\\</a>
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
<TMPL_INCLUDE head.tmpl>
<!-- a-z folders -->
+<form name="az_user_form" method="get" accept-charset="UTF-8" action="">
<table width="582" style="height: 40px" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td width="100%" style="height: 200" valign="top">
@@ -25,7 +26,6 @@
<!-- user form declaration -->
- <form name="az_user_form" method="get" accept-charset="UTF-8" action="">
<TMPL_VAR NAME='params_hiddens'>
<input type=hidden name="param_jumpToPage_value" value="">
<input type=hidden name="param_category_search_type_value" id="param_category_search_type_value" value="browseSubCategory">
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- </form>
<!-- end user form declaration -->
</td>
</tr>
@@ -77,6 +76,7 @@
<td width="36" valign="top"><TMPL_INCLUDE navigation_go_button.tmpl></td>
</tr>
</table>
+</form>Links to search in database
As of version 2.3 it is possible to add search buttons to the A-Z list. Clicking such button lets the user search in the database. In practice the journal ISSN is automatically added to the second search field in the Advanced search tab allowing the user to add search terms to the first field.
Required changes to template files
First of all some JavaScript is needed to actually fill the search field when the search button is clicked. In www_v_eng/find-db-4-head, addsetDefaultFieldValues(); to body onload attribute. Example:
<body onload='javascript:setWindowName(); setCookie("$SESS","&WWW_HOST"); setInitialFocus(); setDefaultFieldValues();' >In js/find-db.js, add the following code to the end of the file:
var code2 = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'find_code_2'));
var req2 = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'find_request_2'));
var function ParseValue(query,argvalu)
{
var pairs = query.split("&");
for (var i=0;i<pairs.length;i++)
{
var pos = pairs[i].indexOf('=');
if (pos >= 0)
{
var argname = pairs[i].substring(0,pos);
var value = pairs[i].substring(pos+1);
if (argname == argvalu) return value;
}
}
return '';
}
function setDefaultFieldValues()
{
var location = new String(window.location);
var mode = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'mode'));
var fld1 = document.getElementById('find_request_1');
if (fld1)
{
var req1 = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'find_request_1'));
fld1.value = req1;
}
else
{op1 = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'find_op_1'));
var code3 = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'find_code_3'));
var req3 = unescape(ParseValue(location, 'find_request_3'));
var code_fld2 = document.getElementById('find_code_2');
var fld2 = document.getElementById('find_request_2');
var op_fld1 = document.getElementById('find_op_1');
var code_fld3 = document.getElementById('find_code_3');
var fld3 = document.getElementById('find_request_3');
if (code2 != '' && code_fld2) code_fld2.value = code2;
if (req2 != '' & fld2) fld2.value = req2;
if (op1 != '' && op_fld1) op_fld1.value = op1;
if (code3 != '' && code_fld3) code_fld3.value = code3;
if (req3 != '' && fld3) fld3.value = req3;
}
}In addition, the lines denoted with a plus sign below must be added to SFX’s table_view.tmpl (e.g. /exlibris/sfx_ver/sfx_version_3/sfxglb3/templates/azlist_ver3/table_view.tmpl) to make it possible to show search buttons in table view too:
<a href="<TMPL_VAR METALIB_BASE>?func=my-ejournal-push&force_login=y&issn=<TMPL_VAR ISSN>&title=<TMPL_VAR ESCAPE=URL
NAME='TITLE'>&rft.object_id=<TMPL_VAR ESCAPE=HTML NAME=OBJECT_ID>" TARGET=metalibMainWin> <img src="/<TMPL_VAR
INSTANCE>/img/azlist_ver3/metalib.ico" title="Metalib" alt="Metalib" border="0"></a>
</TMPL_IF>
</TMPL_IF>
+<TMPL_LOOP NAME='target_service_loop'>
+ <TMPL_UNLESS AvailabilityInformation_MDE>
+ <!-- TARGET: <TMPL_VAR ESCAPE=HTML NAME='SERVICE_NAME'> === <TMPL_VAR ESCAPE=HTML NAME='TARGET_NAME'> -->
+ </TMPL_UNLESS>
+</TMPL_LOOP>
</td>
</tr>
</TMPL_LOOP>Mapping file
- Prepending the IRD ID with * (asterisk) means that the database is freely usable and search link is shown to unaffiliated users too.
- Prepending the IRD ID with – (minus) means that dash must be removed from the ISSN before adding it to the search field (as of 22th Feb 2008 e.g. Science Direct does not work properly if there is a dash in the ISSN).
Free EJournals=*FIN13733
EBSCOhost MasterFILE Elite=FIN12345 | It’s a good idea to verify that the ISSN search actually works. In some databases searches with ISSN might not work properly. |
Deep linking
Via a redirection page
The safest way to link to A-Z list is using a redirection page. It will ensure that the session is properly established and affiliated with the user’s IP address. For this purpose you can use the azlist-redirect redirection page and link to it first. Put azlist-redirect to www_v_eng directory (and any other language codes) of every instance and link to it using func=file, e.g. http://www.metalib-address.example/V/?func=file&file_name=azlist-redirect. This allows MetaLib to first establish the session and only after that redirect to the A-Z list. The provided azlist-redirect page cannot relay additional parameters to the A-Z list, though, so it can only be used to link to the A-Z start page.
Inside MetaLib
Directly to A-Z List from an External Page
It seems that in the latest MetaLib version deep linking directly to A-Z list without an existing session doesn’t always work properly. It might cause the user be treated as guest even though the IP address is known. Therefore the redirection page below is preferable. Unfortunately it cannot relay the parameters to azlist without some additional JavaScript or such. The IP mapping method will combat this problem, but it makes the system slightly more complex.
1. Add the IP addresses to the server. In our case with Solaris 10 the addresses were added to the loopback interface (lo0) with “deprecated” status so that they are not used for anything automatically. So, for us interface lo0:1 has IP address 172.16.0.1, lo0:2 is 172.16.0.2 and so forth. Private addresses must be used to avoid any conflicts.
2. Add these addresses to default_z312 for each institute:
172016000001 172016000001 FINELIB-FIN-IN FINELIB
172016000002 172016000002 HY-FIN-IN HY$settings{'institute_ip_mappings'} = {
'FINELIB' => '172.16.0.1',
'HY' => '172.16.0.2',
};Troubleshooting
If the script fails, for example spitting out “Request failed”, look for a more verbose error in message in Apache’s error log (typically m4_x/apache/logs/error_log). Set debug setting to 1 to make the script write more debugging information into the log.