ABCD

Introduction to the ABCD software as an ISIS- and WWW-based integrated library management tool

Overview
Background information Technology overview Installation issues Modules overview Management and planning

Background information 1
ABCD = Automatisacin de Bibliotcas y Centros de Documentacin ABCD = WinISIS + KOHA

ISIS

database creation and structures definition ISIS PFT's creation with testing ISO-2709 import/export, import from text files and CSV with conversion tables All main library management functions : cataloguing, OPAC, loans, statistics, serials management, portal, acquisitions

Background information 2

ABCD is a BIREME initiative supported by VLIR/UDC

BIREME avails not only their best existing web-based ISIS applications (SeCS, EMP, iAH) but also their experts coordinated by E. Spinak and hired G. Ascencio (Venezuela) to contribute from her Orbital Documental products

All BIREME ISIS-technology culminates into ABCD !

VLIR/UDC (Flemish University Development Co-operation) selected ABCD as preferred ILS and contributes funding and will provide French version plus training materials + pilot workshop through DOCBIBLAS project (E. de Smet)

Background information 3

ABCD aims at :
Providing

ISIS-users community with an integrated library system which is suitable also for university libraries as per requirements of VLIR/UDC

e.g. MARC, AGRIS, METS, Z39.50, thesaurus-support High volumes (at least up to 500K full records) (close to) state-of-the-art functionality

Which

can be(come) an alternative to KOHA c.s. for ISIS-users building on the existing ISIS reality

Background information 4

Planning of the development :

September

2008 : first beta version distributed for testing at Rio ISIS3 conference, including :
Database management Cataloguing in MARC + CEPAL structures OPAC + Serials Management + Portal

End

2009 : full version 1.0

+ Circulation + Statistics

March

2009 : Training materials in English, Spanish, Portugese and French

Background information 5

Planning of 1st phase users :

University libraries in Latin-America, e.g. UMSS (Cochabamba, Bolivia) UCLV and public libraries network (Cuba) Argentina and Brazil : big networks will use ABCD University libraries in Africa. e.g. Moi University (Eldoret, Kenya) Mekelle and Jimma University (Ethiopia) Sokoine University (Tanzania) Some 4 5 other VLIR/UDC partner universities are queuing (Suriname, Peru, Ecuador, Mozambique) ... many others for sure !

=>notjustanewcomeronthescene

ABCD Technology 1

WEB-based :

The software runs as web-pages in a web-browser (IE, FF, Opera, Chrome, Safari...) served by a web-server (Apache, Xitami, IIS) Client-server can run on 'localhost' (127.0.0.1) on any PC with Windows or UNIX/Linux Pages are written in PHP (v5.2) E.g. HTML Editor controls can be used PFT's can contain all HTML codes as literals, including e.g. JavaScripts (e.g. to create links in OPAC) Links are web-links (<A HREF>)and multimedia is provided by HTML

ABCD Technology 2

ABCD is ISIS-based :
All

data are stored in ISIS-databases

Until 2009 : 'classic ISIS-technology' upgraded with CISIS extensions, i.e. MST+XRF with 1Mb records upto 4 Gb databases, IF with 60-character keys From 2009 : 'seamless' migration to NBP

ISIS-Script

is used for data retrieval (C)ISIS Formatting Language is used throughout Existing ISIS-databases and their structures can be imported

ABCD Technology 3

ABCD uses PHP :

Current version 5.2 Free OS software with large developers community and very wide usage Easy installation, often together with Apache, e.g. WAMP, XAMP, EasyPHP... Already offers a wealth of 'controls' (existing codes for almost any popular function), e.g. calendar, HTML Editor etc. Strong links with e.g. (MySQL and) Postgres e.g. to be used in future Loans module as part of its HTML-capabilities for enhanced interactivity and flexibility

ABCD uses JavaScript and AJAX

ABCD Technology 4

Client-server with 2 options :

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) : if $url variable is defined in config.php, this 'classic' protocol will be used to call the wxis-server to serve ISIS-pages Advantages : widely used, more secure Direct executable calling : if no $url variable is defined in config.php, PHP will directly 'exec' the wxis-server as a call to the OS Advantages : (a bit) faster Disadvantage : less secure, e.g. Windows 'cmd' needs 'executable rights' on WWW-sharing

ABCD Installation 1

Installation wizard executable or unzip installation archive Web-server : Apache PHP Both are free OS softwares, most resp. very widely used web-server resp. scripting engine Both can be installed independently or as part of packages such as WAMP, XAMP, EasyPHP Apache needs PHP-modules to be included (in httpd.conf)
LoadModule php5_module "c:/wamp/bin/php/php5.2.5/php5apache2_2.dll"

Apacheneeds'Aliasdeclaredinhttpd.conffor: 'abcd' for the folder \abcd\www\htdocs 'bases' for the folder \abcd\www\bases ScriptAlias for the folder \abcd\www\cgi-bin

ABCD Installation 2

If not working : open in your browser http://localhost:9090/central/test/test.php

Test

on PHP installation Test on WXIS being available, executable and having access to users-DB

ABCD-users can/should be created first (by administration super-user : login 'abcd', password 'adm') :
Create

user Link to pre-listed DBs as 1 of 4 possible levels

ABCD Installation 3

user levels for added security : profiles

The

system can create profiles, i.e. sets of

Databases Functions Data-entry forms a member of the profile can access.

CONFIG.PHP (in /www/htdocs) : Important system parameters, e.g.

$db_path="/ABCD/www/bases/";Also : paths for images, wxis-server

and scripts

$lang="en"; $lang_db="en"; wxisUrl=""; //"http://localhost:90/wxis/wxis.exe"; $institution_name="BIREME in co-operation with VLIR/UOS";

ABCD Modules 1

Database management
Creation

and modification of database structures

Internal and external database ID Can be copied from existing WinISIS-databases or from existing ABCD-databases Can be created 'from scratch' with FDT, FST, FMT and PFT-editors

Updating

of created database structures

FDT, FST, FMT, PFT + record validation Advanced search form (for cataloging) definition Help files

ABCD Modules 2

Database management : Utils

Initialise

DB Delete DB Lock/unlock DB

Help pages and translation editing Browsing database folder OPAC configuration for DB

ABCD Modules 3

Cataloguing with main handy (!) toolbar :

Browsing

MFN's Searching by form, A-Z browser New or copied record, Z39.50 downloading Edit, stop edit, save or delete record Print, tools (import/export, GMOD, locks, IF) Help pages, Home

ABCD Modules 4

Serials Management with SeCS module

ABCD Modules 5

OPAC searching with iAH

ABCD Modules 6

The ABCD interactive portal : allows localisation,news/messages

localhost/site/admin/index.php : allows editing of ALLelementsofthesite(portal/homepage), e.g.

Which databases to search in meta-search Which links to provide for external resources for metasearch Which partners exist in the network with other information resources Communication : newsletter etc..

ABCD Modules 7 : Loans administration 1

Configuration screen :
Identify

source DB Configure users DB User and items types definitions Loans policy for objects (per user/item type, days/hours, fines, reservation conditions etc.) Currency + calendar definition

Users management (editing of simple database with names, categories, etc.)

ABCD Modules 7 : Loans administration 2

Transactions :
Loan

or return :

Identification of the user by code (e.g. barcode) Identification of the object by code (e.g. barcode) Table display of all object in use by user with immediate options to return

Reports and statistics : not yet available (expected decembe 2008)

ABCD Modules 8

Statistics and reports : preview

ABCD Modules 9

Acquisitions management

ABCD : Management 1

Timing :
Test

version (beta) to be tested SeptemberDecember 2008 Loans, Statistics + Acquisition modules to be developed by December 2008

loans/statistics : 75% ready now (September) Acquisitions : simple 'pre-cataloguing' module will be produced by end of 2008

Training

materials (in En, Sp, Fr) to be produced by March 2009 Final version 1.0 : December 2009

ABCD Management 2

Other additional developments :

EmpWeb

provides advanced Loans module with access to SQL-external users-db's French version to be produced (by DOCBIBLAS project from VLIR/UDC) Arabic version ? => is being planned Russian/Croatian etc. : idem ???

ABCD Management
Separate from ISIS co-ordination or not ? Communication through ISIS-list or dedicated OS-tools ? Co-ordination through BIREME

Who

? How ?

Migration to NBP in 2009 : how, guidance ?

ABCD configuration : directory structure

Main subfolders in /ABCD :

apache : the Apache server software php : the PHP scripting software www : the application directory bases (see infra) htdocs:thehomefolderforApache ServerRoot/"ABCD/apache Listen 9090 (to use port 9090 instead of 80) PHPIniDir "/ABCD/php" DocumentRoot/"ABCD/www/htdocs ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "/ABCD/www/cgi-bin/"

www-subdirectory :

Apache configuration : httpd.conf

ABCD configuration (1) : config.php

Start sequence: index.php includes config.php and calls inicio.php, which includes homepage.php config.php in /htdocs is crucial file as it contains the main variablesofthesystem:

$db_path="/ABCD/www/bases/";

Also : paths for images, wxis-server and scripts

$lang="en"; $lang_db="en"; $wxisUrl=""; //"http://localhost:90/wxis/wxis.exe"; $institution_name="BIREME in co-operation with VLIR/UOS"; $distributor_url="www.ua.ac.be";

inicio.php and homepage.php create the visible pages

ABCD configuration (2) :

header.php:ratherstandard>=dont change footer.php : version and year information the use of CSS :

php/styles

: basic.css php/css : layout.css, styles.css and template.css But : many other CSS for other modules still to be made homogenous for non-betaversion

ABCD configuration (3) : databases

Thefolderwww/basesisthedefault database-folder for ABCD AsubdirectoryPARcontainsthe parameter-files for all databases

E.g.users.par:

users.*=/ABCD/www/bases/users/data/users.* Incaseofexe(notcgi)setup:environment variable %path_database% can be used, e.g. dblil.*=%path_database%dblil/data/dblil.*

ABCD configuration (4) : databases

Each database has the following directorystructure :

pfts : for each language-subdirectoryPFTsandTABs def : for each language-subdirectoryFDTsandTABs data : the MST/XRF/IFP files cnv : for conversion files ayudas : for help files (for each DB in each language)

bases.dat (in /bases) : text-file with internal/external names

E.g. marc|Marc catalogue

lang.tab : text-file with language codes

ABCDconfiguration:names,logosetc.

Index.php <div header class> header presents heading names :

<div class="institutionalInfo"> <h1>BIREME - Centro Latino Americano e do Caribe de Informao em Cincias da Sade</h1> <h2>ABCD</h2> </div>

E.g. for main OPAC-portal page : C:\ABCD\www\bases\site\html\en\bvs.html: contains referencetologos

E.g. main logo left : <imgsrc="/img/logovliruos.png E.g.logostoUN-bodies right : <img src="../image/public/skins/classic/en/logoOpas.gif" alt="BIREME | PAHO | WHO logo"/>

ABCD main pages

Supposing : localhost:90 Cataloguing : http://localhost:90/index.php

Loans:idem,loginasLoansadministrator

Portal with OPAC : http://localhost:90/site/(php/)index.php Portal CMS : http://localhost:90/site/admin/index.php Serials Control : http://localhost:90/secs-web/index.php

ABCD test passwords

administration of ABCD portal :

http://localhost:90/site/admin/ user: adm pass: x

SeCS-Web :

http://localhost:90/secs-web/

administrador: admsecs/ADM

ABCD : cataloguing + Loans

http://localhost:90/ administrador abcd / adm

ABCD users management

Before everything else : create your own system administrator login and password and delete the default one. Startfrom:DataEntry(cataloguing) Create profiles (or used default ones) Each profiles needs to get assigned the databases/forms/functions to get access to ! CONFIG.PHP can provide temporary login

The extended FDT of ABCD (1)

Row Type :

Field

or Group (=repeatable field with subfields) Fixed Field MARC fixed field and leader Line or heading

Tag Name/title of field

The extended FDT of ABCD (2)

I : Identifier field : the field to be used for listing the records in the A->Z list
Only

one can be identified as such

Repeatable Subfield delimiters Pre-literals : punctuation to replace subfield-delimiters in data-entry Input type : all HTML types + table, date, password, upload file

The extended FDT of ABCD (3)

Picklist definition :

Type : DB, Thesaurus or table Name (of DB, thesaurus or table) Prefix : used to identify index-section Browse : details of external picklist Display format : PFT to show items in picklist, can be externalPFT(with,)@e.g.withselect.endsel series to adjust to different fieldtags Extract as format : PFT to define what to enter Default value Help page for use with this entry

Definition of the FST

CreationofPFTs

Definition of validation rules