[OPEN-ILS-DEV] Public API to Lookup Items By Barcode

[Matt Lewin]

Hello, library-minded folks.  I’m writing an app for my daughter that allows her to track her borrowing from our local library: Westford, MA, part of MVLC.  For that last couple weeks, I’ve been beating my head against the wall trying to determine how to programmatically retrieve information about an item, using only the library-assigned barcode of the book (or movie, CD, DVD, whatever).

It feels to me like I ought to be able to use unAPI, Opensearch or Supercat, but for the life of me, I can’t figure it out.  I’ve plowed through the source code, though I’d be lying if I said I understood it all.  I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time Googling around for “RESTful evergreen ils” and myriad combinations thereof.  I’ve found the search grammar <http://wiki.evergreen-ils.org/doku.php?id=documentation:technical:search_grammar>, supercat examples <http://evergreen-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=backend-devel:supercat:examples>, and many other pointers in what feels like the right direction, but I can’t figure it out.  I even went so far as to to setup a test Evergreen installation, though my hardware was not up to the task.

I know there exists an efficient way to do this, because the “Numeric” pane of “Advanced” search provides this exact functionality to a human using a web browser.

Basically, I’m looking for some means to accomplish this lookup by barcode <http://westford.mvlc.org/eg/opac/record/1563600?contains=contains;_special=1;qtype=item_barcode;query=31990004109968;locg=1>, but being able to apply one of the various “format” parameters you guys implement throughout the system.

Thanks very much for whatever you can do.

-Matt
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