X-Git-Url: http://jsfdemo.indexdata.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=tools%2Fhtdocs%2Fwhitepaper.markdown;h=334cc2c4b89acde0445cad2e0e68c620e2fd0e67;hb=707529a09e5f8c51f3fdb17f6c72b8b6c9ccab24;hp=5f0724cf868b4f3a0ad7ef859ef81fc4cbe5b71f;hpb=bd56ce4e56c941950d9158847cc9d1acc92deef5;p=mkws-moved-to-github.git diff --git a/tools/htdocs/whitepaper.markdown b/tools/htdocs/whitepaper.markdown index 5f0724c..334cc2c 100644 --- a/tools/htdocs/whitepaper.markdown +++ b/tools/htdocs/whitepaper.markdown @@ -1,6 +1,7 @@ -% Using the MasterKey Widget Set to embed metasearching functionality in any web-site +% Embedded metasearching with the MasterKey Widget Set % Mike Taylor -% 26 July 2013 +% July-September 2013 + Introduction ------------ @@ -9,9 +10,10 @@ There are lots of practical problems in building resource discovery solutions. One of the biggest, and most ubiquitous is incorporating metasearching functionality into existing web-sites -- for example, content-management systems, library catalogues or intranets. In -general, even when access to metasearching is provided by simple -web-services such as [Pazpar2](http://www.indexdata.com/pazpar2), -integration work is seen as a major part of most projects. +general, even when access to core metasearching functionality is +provided by simple web-services such as +[Pazpar2](http://www.indexdata.com/pazpar2), integration work is seen +as a major part of most projects. Index Data provides several different toolkits for communicating with its metasearching middleware, trading off varying degrees of @@ -19,8 +21,8 @@ flexibility against convenience: * libpz2.js -- a low-level JavaScript library for interrogating the Service Proxy and Pazpar2. It allows the HTML/JavaScript programmer - to implement simple JavaScript functions to display facets, records, - etc. + to create JavaScript applications display facets, records, etc. that + are fetched from the metasearching middleware. * masterkey-ui-core -- a higher-level, complex JavaScript library that uses libpz2.js to provide the pieces needed for building a @@ -51,8 +53,8 @@ The following is a complete MKWS-based searching application: MKWS demo client - +
@@ -67,8 +69,8 @@ say -- and point your web-browser at it: metasearching. -Explanation ------------ +How the example works +--------------------- If you know any HTML, the structure of the file will be familar to you: the `` element at the top level contains a `` and a @@ -84,55 +86,177 @@ header, which are loaded from the tool site mkws.indexdata.com: * `mkwsStyle.css` provides the default CSS styling -Second, the `
` elements with special IDs that begin `mkws` can be -provided. These are filled in by the MKWS code, and provide the -components of the searching UI. The very simple application above has -only two such components: a search box and a results area. But more -are supported. The main `
`s are: +Second, within the HTML body, `
` elements with special IDs that +begin `mkws` can be provided. These are filled in by the MKWS code, +and provide the components of the searching UI. The very simple +application above has only two such components: a search box and a +results area. But more are supported. The main `
`s are: * `mkwsSearch` -- provides the search box and button. * `mkwsResults` -- provides the results area, including a list of - brief records (which open out into full versions when clicked), - paging for large results sets, facets for refining a search, sorting - facilities, etc. + brief records (which open out into full versions when clicked), + paging for large results sets, facets for refining a search, + sorting facilities, etc. * `mkwsLang` -- provides links to switch between one of several different UI languages. By default, English, Danish and German are provided. -* `mkwsSwitch` -- +* `mkwsSwitch` -- provides links to switch between a view of the + result records and of the targets that provide them. Only + meaningful when `mkwsTargets` is also provided. + +* `mkwsTargets` -- the area where per-target information will appear + when selected by the link in the `mkwsSwitch` area. Of interest + mostly for fault diagnosis rather than for end-users. + +* `mkwsStat` --provides a status line summarising the statistics of + the various targets. + +To see all of these working together, just put them all into the HTML +`` like so: + +
+
+
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+ +Configuration +------------- + +Many aspects of the behaviour of MKWS can be modified by setting +parameters into the `mkws_config` hash. **This must be done *before* +including the MKWS JavaScript** so that when that code is executed it +can refer to the configuration values. So the HTML header looks like +this: + + + + +This configuration sets the UI language to Danish (rather than the +default of English), initially sorts search results by title rather +than relevance (though as always this can be changed in the UI) and +makes the search box a bit wider than the default. -* `mkwsTargets` -- -* `mkwsStat` -- +The full set of supported configuration items is described in the +reference guide below. -### different HTML structure + +Control over HTML and CSS +------------------------- More sophisticated applications will not simply place the `
`s together, but position them carefully within an existing page framework -- such as a Drupal template, an OPAC or a SharePoint page. -Breaking up mkwsResults +While it's convenient for simple applications to use a monolithic +`mkwsResults` area which contains record, facets, sorting options, +etc., customised layouts may wish to treat each of these components +separately. In this case, `mkwsResults` can be omitted, and the +following lower-level components provided instead: + +* `mkwsTermlists` -- provides the facets + +* `mkwsRanking` -- provides the options for how records are sorted and + how many are included on each page of results. + +* `mkwsPager` -- provides the links for navigating back and forth + through the pages of records. + +* `mkwsNavi` -- when a search result has been narrowed by one or more + facets, this area shows the names of those facets, and allows the + selected values to be clicked in order to remove them. + +* `mkwsRecords` -- lists the actual result records. + +Customisation of MKWS searching widgets can also be achieved by +overriding the styles set in the toolkit's CSS stylesheet. The default +styles can be inspected in `mkwsStyle.css` and overridden in any +styles that appears later in the HTML than that file. At the simplest +level, this might just mean changing fonts, sizes and colours, but +more fundamental changes are also possible. + +To properly apply styles, it's necessary to understand how the HTML is +structured, e.g. which elements are nested within which +containers. The structures used by the widget-set are described in the +reference guide below. + + +Refinements +----------- + + +### Message of the day + +Some applications might like to open with content in the area that +will subsequently be filled with result-records -- a message of the +day, a welcome message or a help page. This can be done by placing an +`mkwsMOTDContainer` division on the page next to `mkwsResults` or +`mkwsRecords`. The contents of this element are initially displayed, +but will be hidden when a search is made. + + +### Responsive design + +Metasearching applications may need to appear differently on +small-screened mobile devices, or change their appearance when +screen-width changes (as when a small device is rotated). To achieve +this, MKWS supports responsive design which will move the termlists to +the bottom on narrow screens and to the sidebar on wide screens. + +To turn on this behaviour, set the `responsive_design` configuration +element to `true`, and `responsive_design_width` to the desired +threshhold width in pixels. For example: + + + +If individual result-related components are in use in place of the +all-in-one mkwsResults, then the redesigned application needs to +specify the locations where the termlists should appear in both +cases. In this case, wrap the wide-screen `mkwsTermlists` element in a +`mkwsTermlistContainer1` element; and provide an +`mkwsTermlistContainer2` element in the place where the narrow-screen +termlists should appear. + + +### Popup results with jQuery UI + +TODO + -### configuration object +### Authentication and target configuration -resposive resize +TODO -### overriding styles -### use jQuery popup +Reference Guide +--------------- -### Authentication setups +### Configuration object -Configuring targets +TODO -### Reference +### jQuery plugin invocation -Configuration object +TODO -jQuery plugin invocation +### The structure of the HTML generated by the MKWS widgets -The structure of the HTML generated by the MKWS widgets +TODO - - -