Let patrons search knowledge bases
Last updated: 2006 October 10
Your library can let patrons search the Global Knowledge Base (KB), your local knowledge base, or both. To do this, your library adds on its web site a KB search box or a link to a KB search page. When patrons search, they see only records that have been marked for public access.
Local KB. If you want patrons to search your local KB, the following must be done before you add the KB search box or link on your library's web site:
- Your Subscription Group (BME) must set up its local knowledge base and mark records for public access. Information about doing this is available in online help.
(Note: Your Subscription Group may contain your library only or your library and one or more others.)
- Your Subscription Group administrator must set up access to your local knowledge base as described below.
Search box and search-page link. In this document, you can try the search box and search-page link for searching the Global Knowledge Base. And you can read instructions for adding a KB search box or a link to a KB search page on your library's web site.
KB record links. You can also include
KB record links on your library's web site that lead directly to particular KB records.
Set up access to local knowledge base
If you want patrons to search your local KB, your Subscription Group administrator must do the following to set up access before you add the KB search box or a link to a KB search page on your library's web site:
- In the QuestionPoint system, go to the Settings for local knowledge base access page at
Administration > Subscription Group > Settings > Knowledge Base.
- Note the Knowledge Base ID for your local KB shown on the page.
(Give the ID number to the person who will add the search box or link on a library's web site.)
- Click the Yes button for Make public for all internet users.
- Optional: Enter text or text and HTML code in the Ownership Statement box.
(The statement will appear at the bottom of each of your local KB records. In the statement, you might indicate that the information was prepared by your library or group.)
- Click the Submit button.
The system indicates that your changes were saved.
Branding of your local KB
You can display a branding image at the bottom of your local KB records. If you previously set up branding of your QuestionPoint system pages for librarians, the same branding will apply to your local KB records.
To change the branding for your local KB records:
- In the QuestionPoint system, go to the Group Branding page at
Administration > Subscription Group > Settings > Branding.
- Change or delete the Branding Image URL as needed.
(To display a branding image at the bottom of each of your local KB records, supply the URL for the image. To display no branding image, delete any URL in the box.)
- Change or delete the Alternate Text as needed.
(If you will display no branding image, disregard the Alternate Text. Otherwise, provide the mouse-over text for the branding image.)
- Change or delete the Home page URL as needed.
(If you will display no branding image, disregard the Home page URL. If you want a web page to appear if a patron clicks the branding image, provide the URL for the web page. If you want no web page to appear if a patron clicks the branding image, delete any URL in the box.)
- Click the Save button if you changed or deleted any information on the Group Branding page.
The system redisplays the Group Branding page.
Search box
To let patrons search the Global Knowledge Base (KB), your local knowledge base, or both, your library can add on its web site a KB search box. When patrons search, they see only records that have been marked for public access.
Search box for the Global KB
This search box lets you search the Global KB.
HTML code for the search box for the Global KB
To include the search box on your library's web site, customize the following HTML code as needed and add it to the code for each page on which you want the search box to appear. To do this, you should be familiar with editing HTML code or work with someone who is.
<form method=post target="new" name="entryform1"
action="http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/
org.oclc.ask.AskPatronSearch">
Search of library knowledge base:<br>
<input type=text name="andk" maxlength="200" size="40">
<input type=hidden name=kbids value=1>
<input type=hidden name=language value=1>
<input type=submit value="Submit"><br>
</form>
Search box on a page that contains a question form
The Search box is an HTML form. The Form element in the HTML code contains the name attribute (entryform1). If you add the Search box to a page that contains another HTML form (such as a question form), be sure that each form on the page has a unique name attribute. If another form on the page has entryform1 as the name attribute, replace entryform1 in the Search box code with another name, such as entryform2 or entryform3.
<form method=post target="new" name="entryform1"
Search box for local KB
The following line in the HTML code contains the Knowledge Base ID of the Global KB (1).
<input type=hidden name=kbids value=1>
| If you want patrons to search
| Then |
| Your local KB but not the Global KB |
Replace 1 with the KB ID of your local KB |
| Both the Global KB and your local KB |
Copy the line of code that contains the KB ID, paste the copied line below the original line, and replace 1 in one of the two lines with the KB ID of your local KB |
Notes:
- Contact your Subscription Group administrator if you do not know the KB ID of your local KB.
- If you want patrons to search multiple local KBs, include the line of code for each KB.
HTML code example for Global KB and local KB. The following example shows the HTML code for a form that searches the Global KB (1) and a local KB (0). Replace 0 with the KB ID of your local KB:
<form method=post target="new" name="entryform1"
action="http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/
org.oclc.ask.AskPatronSearch">
Search of library knowledge base:<br>
<input type=text name="andk" maxlength="200" size="40">
<input type=hidden name=kbids value=1>
<input type=hidden name=kbids value=0>
<input type=hidden name=language value=1>
<input type=submit value="Submit"><br>
</form>
Search box for search and results pages in other languages
If you want patrons
to use search and results pages with instructions and labels in a language other than English, change the language value in the code. Replace the English language value (1) with the value for the language you want to use. Language values are shown below. Also, be sure that every page on which you add the search box uses the UTF-8 character set (charset=utf-8).
<input type=hidden name=language value=1>
Search-page link
To let patrons search the Global Knowledge Base (KB), your local knowledge base, or both, your library can add on its web site a link to a KB search page. When patrons search, they see only records that have been marked for public access.
Link to the Global KB Basic search page
This link lets you go to the Basic Search page and search the Global KB.
Search the library knowledge base
HTML code for the link to the Global KB Basic search page
To include the link on your library's web site,
customize the following HTML code as needed and add it to the code for each page on which you want the link to appear. To do this, you should be familiar with editing HTML code or work with someone who is.
<a href="http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/
org.oclc.kb.KBBuildPatronSearch?&kbids=1&language=1"
target="new">
Search the library knowledge base</a>
Link to a local KB Basic search page
The following part of the HTML code contains the Knowledge Base ID of the Global KB (1).
&kbids=1
| If you want patrons to search
| Then
|
| Your local KB but not the Global KB |
Replace 1 with the KB ID of your local KB |
| Both the Global KB and your local KB |
Copy "&kbids=1", paste the copied code next to the original code (&kbids=1&kbids=1), and replace a 1 with the KB ID of your local KB |
Notes:
- Contact your Subscription Group administrator if you do not know the KB ID of your local KB.
- If you want patrons to search multiple local KBs, include the KB ID code for each KB.
HTML code example for Global KB and local KB. The following example shows the HTML code for a link to a search page that searches the Global KB (1) and a local KB (0). Replace 0 with the KB ID of your local KB:
<a href="http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/
org.oclc.kb.KBBuildPatronSearch?&kbids=1&kbids=0&language=1"
target="new">
Search the library knowledge base</a>
Link
for search and results pages in other languages
If you want patrons to use search and results pages with instructions and labels in a language other than English, change the language value in the code. Replace the English language value (1) with the value for the language you want to use. Language values are shown below.
&language=1
Link to an Advanced search page
If you want the link to take patrons to an Advanced search page instead of a Basic search page, add "&stype=advanced" to the HTML code as shown in the example below.
<a href="http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/
org.oclc.kb.KBBuildPatronSearch?&kbids=1&language=1
&stype=advanced" target="new">
Search the library knowledge base</a>
Note: Each Basic search page contains a link to an Advanced search page, and each Advanced search page contains a link to a Basic search page. Therefore, patrons can always click a link to go to the other search page regardless of the page to which your link takes them.
KB record links
You can include links on your library's web site that lead directly to particular KB records.
In order for a record to appear when someone clicks a link, the record must be marked for public access (Public Access: Yes) and the record must be located in the Global KB or in a local KB for which access has been set up.
Link to a particular KB record
The link below takes you to a particular KB record. The record has English labels.
What is the name of the park behind the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue?
HTML code for the link to a particular KB record
To create a link to a particular KB record,
customize the following HTML code as needed and add the code to each page on which you want the link to appear. To do this, you should be familiar with editing HTML code or work with someone who is.
<a href="http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/
org.oclc.ask.AskPatronFetchQA?&language=1&qid=45608" target="new">
What is the name of the park behind the New York Public Library
on Fifth Avenue?</a>
If you want patrons to see the record labels in a language other than English, change the language value in the code. Replace the English language value (1) with the value for the language you want to use. Language values are shown below.
Replace the Question ID value (45608) with the Record ID of the KB record. The Record ID appears in the Knowledge Base module at the beginning of the Question column in KB results lists and at the top of the Record Detail page for each record.
Replace the link text (What is the name...Avenue?) with the link text that you want to appear on your library's web pages.
Language values
Language |
Value |
| Catalan |
24 |
| Chinese, simplified |
5 |
| Chinese, traditional |
4 |
| Croatian |
21 |
| Czech |
16 |
| Dutch |
7 |
| English |
1 |
| Estonian |
23 |
| Finnish |
17 |
| French |
2 |
| German |
10 |
| Italian |
25 |
| Japanese |
6 |
| Korean |
12 |
| Latvian |
20 |
| Polish |
15 |
| Portuguese |
13 |
| Romanian |
19 |
| Russian |
18 |
| Slovenia |
8 |
| Spanish |
3 |
| Swedish |
9 |
| Thai |
22 |
| Turkish |
14 |
