p_item_04/p_item_05: Excluding bracketed $$k info in sorting call numbers

• Article Type: General
• Product: Aleph
• Product Version: 19.01

Description:
Is it possible to normalize call numbers to get a shelf list / inventory by call number when we have odd things like
[DVD] sometimes at the beginning of the call number and sometimes at the end? This is in a k subfield: $$k [DVD] .
We also have [q.] for oversize items.
I'm attaching a list of examples that show the problems we would have with the call number sort in item-04.
It would even help if we could ignore anything within brackets, whether at the beginning or end of the call number, for the purpose of shelf list / inventory.

Resolution:
Though the abc50 tab_filing_call_no header doesn't mention the get_subfields or get_subfields_order routines, any routine which is usable in tab_filing is also usable in tab_filing_call_no.

We see this in the tab_filing header:

! - get_subfields: with col.4, use only the subfields listed, or
! subtract the subfields listed. Use "-" at the beginning
! of col.4 to subtract subfields.
! - get_subfields_order: is similar to the get_subfields routine except that
! it retains the order of the subfields specified in column 4 of
! the table.

Thus, there are two ways to accomplish in the abc50 tab_filing_call_no what you desire in regard to the $$k. [Note that the get_subfields or get_subfields_order must be the first line in the relevant tab_filing_call_no section!]

0 L get_subfields -k
0 L del_subfield
<etc.>

or:

0 L get_subfields_order himk
0 L del_subfield
<etc.>

The effect of the first will be to omit the $$k from the indexing. The second will include the $$k, except it will be *after* the $$h, $$i, and $$m -- and, thus, will not affect the sorting.

After making one of these changes, you will need to re-run p_item_06 in order to regenerate the z30_call_no_key's.

Note 1: The same applies to the filing of the call numbers in the bib Browse (or Direct) Index. In that case you could either use the get_subfields or get_subfields_order routines described above, or control the indexing in tab11_acc (or tab11_ind), as described in KB 16384-2227.)

Note 2: I originally thought that the filing routine "suppress" might accomplish this. It is described in the tab_filing and tab_filing_call_no headers. But, looking at the filing_suppress program, I see that it works only when the characters are "<<" and ">>".

(keywords: item_06 p-item-06

• Article last edited: 10/8/2013