Re: [IUG] Amazon BIBIMAGE and WEBADDRESS

["Leo Papa" <papal at cantonpl dot org>]

Thanks Robert

This is the type of information I was hoping to receive.

There is aonother, disagreeable aspect of the Amazon passthrough search,
which appears to occur when they do not have an item in their inventory. 
The following message is displayed:

Looking for something?
We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our
site. Go to Amazon.com's Home Page

I don't like the implication that the patrson entered a non-functioning
page, since it was actually the system that generated it.  I also don't
see why the Amazon home (search) page should not simply be presented to
the user.  I'm not sure whether using another index will resolve this and
will experiment.

Leo

Robert F. Rapp wrote:
> Very interesting.  If we ever get Syndetics, I'll try this!
>
> As for using a broader index, replacing index=books with index=amazon
> will return hits for cds, videos, etc.  However, it has a couple of
> major problems:
>
> 1)  If the search data has extra stuff, like dates (the most common),
> which work fine with the books index, it will find nothing in the amazon
> index.
>
> 2)  This does not solve the problem, for us, that no image is displayed
> for most non-book materials.  I am not sure the reason, except that cds
> (for example) do not have a true isbn number in the bib record as a rule.
>
> 2a)  As a result, the more information link also fails with non-books,
> even with the amazon index.
>
> I agree; if anyone has figured out how to get images for non-books and
> have the search link work throughout, I'd love to know the syntax!
>
> Rob
>
>
> Leo Papa wrote:
>> We are on Rel 2006. And you can see the setup on out testpac
>> http://catalog.cantonpl.org:2082
>>
>> Here is the syntax for Syndetics' compound image:
>>
>> BIBIMAGE=http://syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=%s/SC.GIF&client=CODE&ShowCaptionBelow=t|I|http://syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=%s/index.html&client=CODE&rw12&popup=yes
>>
>> You will need to replace "CODE" with you library's access code.
>>
>> You can contact Syndetics tecnical support for a setup document that
>> allows customization.  Meanwhile, I'll write to them and ask if they
>> would
>> allow me to post it to the IUG Clearinghouse.
>>
>> What I am seeking help with is the WEBADDRESS wwwoption for Amazon.
>> This one works, but I'm not sure whether or not the second set of
>> parameters (after the |i| delineator) is redundant.
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-keywords=%s&bq=1/|i|http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/%s|<img
>> src="/screens/resourcelink.gif" border="0" alt="Purchase at Amazon"
>> />|<img src="/screens/resourcelink.gif" border="0" alt="Purchase at
>> Amazon" />|20
>>
>> I've also noted that one can change the "index" parameter from, say,
>> "book" to "amazon" and get a broader set of indexes.  Using the book
>> index, for example, returns a null set at Amazon if a patron searches
>> our
>> catalog for a video, even though Amazon may have that item in stock.  If
>> someone knows a syntax for the index parameter, that searches all amazon
>> resources I would like to know about it.
>>
>> I had been using the following syntax to link to Syndetics reviews, and
>> to
>> pass the search through to Amazon if we did not have any items
>> associated
>> with a search:
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-keywords=%s&bq=1/cybersong|I|http://lib.syndetics.com/rw12.pl?isbn=%s/index.html&client=CODE|<IMG
>> SRC="/screens/resourcelink.gif" BORDER=0>|<IMG
>> SRC="/screens/reviews.gif"
>> BORDER=0>
>>
>> Again, "CODE" resresents our Syndetics access code.  The term
>> "cybersong"
>> is an affiliate ID we might use for test purposes, before setting up a
>> library affiliation.
>>
>> Leo
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Janice  Painter wrote:
>>
>>>  Hello Leo,
>>> I'm definitely interested in finding out how you set this up.
>>> We have an amazon affiliation, but no catalog links at all (we do a
>>> "buy
>>> a book for the library" with wishlist content for in-demand titles as a
>>> kind of pro-active gift arrangement off of our main website.
>>> Your setup really sounds like it might be an option.
>>> So, yes, please send me any information you can.
>>> I'm also interested in the Syndetics compound image and how that's set
>>> up.
>>>
>>> Can you send me some links on your testpac?
>>>
>>> Also, are you on Pro or just doing this with release 2006 wwwoptions?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Janice Painter
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------
>>> Janice Painter
>>> Manager, Access Services
>>> Princeton Public Library
>>> 65 Witherspoon St.
>>> Princeton, NJ  08542
>>>
>>> email: jpainter at princetonlibrary dot org
>>>
>>> Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 19:59:40 -0500 (EST)
>>> From: "Leo Papa" <papal at cantonpl dot org>
>>> Subject: [IUG] Amazon cover art on 2006 and WebPac Pro
>>> To: "IUG INNOPAC List" <innopac at innopacusers dot org>
>>> Message-ID: <3023 dot 69 dot 246 dot 46 dot 13 dot 1167958780 dot squirrel at mail dot cantonpl dot org>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
>>>
>>> On a slightly different tangent...
>>>
>>> I was playing around with settings for Amazon and Syndetics in the
>>> BIBIMAGE  and WEBADDRESS wwwoptions, and was able to configure
>>> WEBADRESS
>>> so that it would link to Syndetic review if we had an item, and pass
>>> the
>>> search on to Amazon if we didn't.  If anyone is interested in the
>>> syntax
>>> I'll be glad to provide it.
>>>
>>> Syndetics has come out with a "compound" image, that provides links to
>>> reviews out of the BIBIMAGE wwwoption, expressed in a link below the
>>> cover art.  So, we will probably not use this 'hybrid' WEBADDRESS
>>> syntax, and just use that wwwoption for Amazon, should we decide to
>>> affiliate with them.
>>>
>>> I'm have added an (personal) affiliate ID to WEBADDRESS and it didn't
>>> break the wwwoption functioning, but we'll have to go live before we
>>> can
>>> test if it is really working.  No one is going to buy books off of our
>>> staging port.  If it works our library is considering becomming an
>>> affiliate. If anyone else is already testing or has an Amazon
>>> affiliation working, I'd like to connect with them.
>>>
>>> Leo Papa
>>> Canton Public Library
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt,
> verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen.
> -Heinrich Heine
>
> Robert F. Rapp
> Information Technology Librarian
> Menomonee Falls Public Library
> rfrapp at mf dot lib dot wi dot us
>
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Canton Public Library
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