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

[Michael Peters]

Matt,



First of all, I think it is AWESOME you are attempting to do this just for 
your daughter.  That makes you an awesome dad, for sure!



Would you mind sharing a few more details about how you intend to use the 
app?  What platform will it be used on?  Is it just a webpage she can go to 
that makes some calls to your local library public API’s?  Is it a mobile 
app for Android or iOS?



Do you intend for this to be a “reading list” of sorts, where she can keep 
track of the barcodes (or maybe better yet, bib id’s) for materials she has 
already enjoyed?  Do you intend for this to be a way to keep her responsible 
with her borrowing (alert her if she has a book coming due or already 
overdue)?  Or maybe some combination of both.



While I may not be able to help write the app, I do know that these were the 
first questions that came to mind for me when considering how to respond to 
your message.



Congrats on your drive to develop something like this, and for going above 
and beyond what the average library patron would even attempt.  You are way 
cool for checking out Evergreen on a deeper level, rather than just using it 
as a patron.  Major high five for that!



Look forward to hearing more about what you are hoping your app to look like 
and what it will do for you and your daughter (and hey, maybe even other 
people around the world if you were to share it) and seeing how this 
progresses!



Best of luck,

Michael Peters
Senior Systems Analyst
Emerald Data Networks, Inc.
Phone: 678.302.3000 x1013
Help Desk: 678.302.3000 x1500
www.emeralddata.net

From: open-ils-dev-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org 
[mailto:open-ils-dev-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] On Behalf Of Matt 
Lewin
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 3:46 PM
To: open-ils-dev at list.georgialibraries.org
Subject: [OPEN-ILS-DEV] Public API to Lookup Items By Barcode



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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