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Static Configuration assumes that only one metasearch engine is being used and all Citations Helper users have access to the same set of search categories and databases. This configuration method uses the default SiteOsidConfiguration API implementation, org.sakaiproject.citation.impl.SampleSiteOsidConfiguration, without any modifications required.

Table of Contents

1 Choosing an OSID implementation

For Sakai 2.4, the Citations Helper supports the SIRSI SingleSearch and Ex Libris MetaLib metasearch engines. Each of these metasearch engines has a corresponding Repository OSID implementation that the Citations Helper needs to use to properly communicate with the particular product's XML gateway.

To specify which OSID implementation to use, set the following Sakai property:

  • osidImpl@org.sakaiproject.citation.api.ConfigurationService=
    • edu.indiana.lib.osid.base.repository.http - OSID implementation package to be used with SIRSI SingleSearch.
    • org.sakaibrary.osid.repository.xserver - OSID implementation package to be used with Ex Libris MetaLib.

2 Accessing the Metasearch XML Gateway

Many metasearching products provide an XML gateway to search and retrieve records from a metasearch engine remotely.

An XML gateway user with enough privileges to simultaneously start searches and retrieve records needs to be available for the Citations Helper to use. This user's credentials and the base URL of the XML gateway need to be specified by setting the following Sakai properties:

  • metasearchBaseUrl@org.sakaiproject.citation.api.ConfigurationService=<base URL of metasearch XML gateway>
    • For SIRSI SingleSearch, the XML gateway is called the Web2Bridge.

      TODO: determine what URL looks like for Web2Bridge

    • For Ex Libris MetaLib, the XML gateway is called the X-Server. The URL to access the X-Server is usually the base address of your MetaLib instance followed by a /X. For example:
      http://metasearch.university.edu/X
  • metasearchUsername@org.sakaiproject.citation.api.ConfigurationService=<XML gateway username>
  • metasearchPassword@org.sakaiproject.citation.api.ConfigurationService=<XML gateway password>

3 Defining Search Categories & Databases

look into defining the number of max selected databases

Search categories provide organizational structure to the databases that users have access to search through the Citations Helper. Search categories and databases are defined in an XML file called, categories.xml. This file should be located within your sakai.home directory, in a directory called org.sakaiproject.citation. Unless you have specifically changed sakai.home, it will be a folder named 'sakai' in your Tomcat root directory (i.e. /opt/apache-tomcat-5.5.23/sakai/org.sakaiproject.citation/categories.xml).

To learn how to build this XML file, please refer to the Search Categories & Databases XML documentation. Since this configuration method uses the unmodified org.sakaiproject.citation.impl.SampleSiteOsidConfiguration, all databases will need to be defined to be in the all database_group (more on this on the Search Categories & Databases XML page).

4 Starting Sakai & Verifying

Once all Sakai properties are set in your sakai.properties file and the categories.xml file is created and placed in proper location, you should be able to start Tomcat normally.

Once Sakai is started and you navigate to a worksite with the Citations Helper enabled, you should see the 'Search Library Resources' option available when creating a Citation List. Upon choosing that option, you should see your defined categories and databases appearing in a search form. You should be able to select databases and conduct a search.

maybe add some screenshots alongside this section

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