--- /dev/null
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<section id="ajaxdev">
+ <title>Ajax client development</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Pazpar2 offers programmer a simple Web Service protocol that can be used (queried in a request/response fashion) from any, server- or client-side, programming language with an XML support. However, when programming a Web-based client to Pazpar2, to achieve certain level of interactivity and instant notification of latest changes in the result set, Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technology may be used. An Ajax client allows user to browse the results before the lengthy process of information retrieval from the back-end targets is finished. Blocking and waiting for usually slow back-end targets is one of the biggest functionality issues in a federated search engine.
+ </para>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>Pz2.js</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <para>
+ Pazapar2 comes with a small JavaScript library called pz2.js. This library is designed to simplify development of Ajax-based pazpar2 clients and alleviate programmer from low-level details like polling the web service, fetching and parsing returned XML output or managing timers, sessions and basic state variables.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The library supports most major browser's including Firefox 1.5+, IE 6+, Safari 2+, Opera 9+ and Konqueror.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The library can work in two modes: a session-aware mode and a session-less mode.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>In the session-aware mode, the library assumes that the pazpar2 daemon is contacted directly (preferably via Apache proxy to avoid security breaches) and tracks the session Ids internally.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>In the session-less mode the library assumes that the client is identified on the server and the session Ids are not managed directly. This way of operation requires more sophisticated pazpar2 proxy (preferably a wrapper written in a server-side scripting language like PHP that can identify clients and relate them to open pazpar2 sessions).</para>
+
+
+ <para><bridgehead>Using pz2.js</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <para>
+ Client development with the pz2.js is strongly event based and should be familiar to most JavaScript developers. A simple client (jsdemo) is distributed with pazpar2's source code and shows how to set-up and use pz2.js.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ In short, programmer starts by instantiating the pz2 object and passing an array of parameters to the constructor. The parameter array specifies callbacks used for handling responses to the pazpar2 commands. Additionally, the parameter array is used to configure run-time parameters of the pz2.js like polling timer time-outs, session-mode and XSLT style-sheets.
+ </para>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>Command callbacks</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <para>
+ Callback naming is simple and follows “on” prefix plus command name scheme (like onsearch, onshow, onrecord, ... etc.). When programmer calls a function like show or record on the pz2 object, pz2.js will keep on polling pazpar2 (until the backend targets are idle) and with each command's response an assigned callback will be called. In case of pazpar2's internal error an error callback is called.
+ </para>
+
+ <screen>
+ my_paz = new pz2 (
+ {
+ "pazpar2path": "/pazpar2/search.pz2",
+ "usesessions" : true,
+
+ // assigning command handler, turns on automatic polling
+ "onshow": my_onshow,
+ // polling period for each command can be specified
+ "showtime": 500,
+
+ "onterm": my_onterm,
+ // facet terms are specified as a comma separated list
+ "termlist": "subject,author",
+
+ "onrecord": my_onrecord
+ }
+ );
+ </screen>
+
+ <para>
+ Each command callback is a user defined function that takes a hash object as a parameter. The hash object contains parsed pazpar2 responses (hash members that correspond to the elements in the response XML document). Within the handler programmer further processes the data and updates the the viewed document.
+ </para>
+
+ <screen>
+ function my_onstat(data) {
+ var stat = document.getElementById("stat");
+ stat.innerHTML = '<span>Active clients: '+ data.activeclients
+ + '/' + data.clients + ' | </span>'
+ + '<span>Retrieved records: ' + data.records
+ + '/' + data.hits + '</span>';
+ }
+
+ function my_onshow(data) {
+ // data contains parsed show response
+ for (var i = 0; i < data.hits[0].length; i++)
+ // update page with the hits
+ }
+
+ function on_record(data) {
+ // if detailsstylesheet parameter was set data array will contain raw xml // // and xsl data
+ Element_appendTransformResult(someDiv, data.xmlDoc, data.xslDoc);
+ }
+ </screen>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>Pz2.js runtime</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <para>
+ The search process is initiated by calling the search method on the instantiated pz2 object. To initiate short status reports and per-target status information methods stat and bytarget have to be called accordingly.
+ </para>
+
+ <screen>
+ my_paz.search (query, recPergPage, 'relevance');
+ </screen>
+
+ <para>
+ Managing the results (keeping track of the browsed results page and sorting) is up to the client's programmer. At any point the show method may be called to bring up the latest result set with a different sorting criteria or range and without re-executing the search on the back-end.
+ </para>
+
+ <screen>
+ my_paz.show (1, 10, 'relevance');
+ </screen>
+
+ <para>
+ To retrieve detailed record record command is called. When calling record command one may temporarily override its default callback by specifying the handler parameter. This might be useful when retrieving raw records that need to be processed differently.
+ </para>
+
+ <screen>
+ my_paz.record( recId, 2, 'opac', { “callback”: temp_callback, “args”, caller_args});
+ </screen>
+
+ <variablelist>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>PARAMATERS ARRAY</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>pazpar2path</term>
+ <listitem><para>server path to pazpar2 (relative to the portal), when pazar2 is installed as a package this does not have to be set </para></listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>usesessions</term>
+ <listitem><para>boolean, when set to true pz2.js will manage sessions internally otherwise it's left to the server-side script, default true</para></listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>autoInit</term>
+ <listitem><para>bolean, sets auto initialization of pazpar2 session on the object instantiation, default true, valid only if usesession is set to true</para></listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>detailstylesheet</term>
+ <listitem><para>path to the xsl presentation stylesheet (relative to the portal) used for the detailed record display</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry><term>errorhandler</term>
+ <listitem><para>callback function called on any, pazpar2 or pz2.js' internal, error</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>oninit</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies init response callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>onstat</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies stat response callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>onshow</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies show response callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>onterm</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies termlist response callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>onrecord</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies record response callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>onbytarget</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies bytarget response callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>onreset</term>
+ <listitem><para>specifies reset method callback function</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>termlist</term>
+ <listitem><para>coma separated list of facets</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>keepAlive</term>
+ <listitem><para>ping period, should not be lower than 5000 usec</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>stattime</term>
+ <listitem><para>default 1000 usec</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>termtime</term></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>showtime</term></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>bytargettime</term></varlistentry>
+
+ </variablelist>
+
+ <variablelist>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>PZ2 METHODS</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>stop ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>stop activity by clearing timeouts</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>reset ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>reset state</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>init (sesionId)</term>
+ <listitem><para>session-mode, intitialize new session or pick up a session already initialized</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>ping ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>session-mode, intitialize pinging </para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>search (query, num, sort, filter, showfrom)</term>
+ <listitem><para>execute piggy-back search and activate polling on every command specfied by assigning command callback (in the pz2 constructor)</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>show (start, num, sort)</term>
+ <listitem><para>start or change parameters of polling for a given window of records</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>record (id, offset, syntax, handler)</term>
+ <listitem><para>retrieve detailed or raw record. handler temporary overrirdes default callback function.</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>termlist ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>start polling for termlists</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>bytarget ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>start polling for target status</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>stat ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>start polling for pazpar2 status</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ </variablelist>
+
+ <variablelist>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>AJAX HELPER CLASS</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>pzHttpRequest</term>
+ <listitem><para>this is a cross-browses Ajax wrapper class</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>constructor (url, errorHandler)</term>
+ <listitem><para>create new request for a given url</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>get (params, callback)</term>
+ <listitem><para>asynchronous, send the request with given parameters (array) and call callback with response as parameter</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>post (params, data, callback)</term>
+ <listitem><para>asychronous, post arbitrary data (may be XML doc) and call callback with response as parameter</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>load ()</term>
+ <listitem><para>synchronous, returns the response for the given request</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ </variablelist>
+
+ <variablelist>
+
+ <para><bridgehead>HELPER FUNCTIONS</bridgehead></para>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>document.newXmlDoc (root)</term>
+ <listitem><para>create new XML document with root node as specified in parameter</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>document.parseXmlFromString (xmlString)</term>
+ <listitem><para>create new XML document from string</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>document.transformToDoc (xmlDoc, xslDoc)</term>
+ <listitem><para>returns new XML document as a result</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_removeFromDoc (DOM_Element)</term>
+ <listitem><para>remove element from the document</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_emptyChildren (DOM_Element)</term></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_appendTransformResult (DOM_Element, xmlDoc, xslDoc)</term>
+ <listitem><para>append xsl transformation result to a DOM element</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_appendTextNode (DOM_Element, tagName, textContent)</term>
+ <listitem><para>append new text node to the element</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_setTextContent (DOM_Element, textContent)</term>
+ <listitem><para>set text content of the element</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_getTextContent (DOM_Element)</term>
+ <listitem><para>get text content of the element</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry><term>Element_parseChildNodes (DOM_Element)</term>
+ <listitem><para>parse all descendants into an associative array</para></listitem></varlistentry>
+
+ </variablelist>
+
+</section>
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