On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 01:29:13AM -0500, [email protected] wrote: > Is it possible for an end user (i.e. member of the public) to write his own > client to query the library catalog instead of using the OPAC? If so what are > the related resources (documentation, sample code, forum/email list, etc)? > The ideal solution would be a set of js functions for making queries, placing > hold, logging in, retrieving patron's record, etc. Thx.
If you use Firebug to watch what happens when you're using the OPAC to make queries, place holds, log in, retrieve a record, etc, you can see that there are a set of existing JavaScript functions that do all of these things. The "workshop" document that Jason pointed you to helps provide the context for what's going on under the covers, and the code4lib journal article at http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3284 expands on that with a description of the fieldmapper. You can skip the part that describes how to create a new OpenSRF method, but it helps to understand how the OpenSRF services offer methods and the calling conventions. Between knowing how to use "introspect" in srfsh to list the available OpenSRF methods, and knowing how to use the fieldmapper.standardRequest() JavaScript function in Dojo to issue those calls to OpenSRF methods, and peeking at what the existing OPAC is doing, you could probably get pretty far in writing your own client.
