Linking Parameters
Linking Parameters Overview
In order to understand the function of linking parameters, it is important to first understand the function of target parsers and target URLs.
Target Parsers
SFX builds the target URL using the target parser program, which uses information stored in the Parse Param field. The target parser program creates a URL to go to a specific place on the Internet, such as, for example, a publisher's Web site or the abstract of a particular journal article. In the SFX environment, each target service and object portfolio uses a target parser to create a URL to which the target service and object portfolio resolve.
In the SFX database, the name of the target parser associated with any target is stored in the Parser field of the target service and object portfolio.
The Parser field of each target service must be filled in.
The Parser field of object portfolios is usually empty. This means that the object portfolio inherits the parser from the target service to which it is connected.
You need to fill in the Parser field in the object portfolio only if you want to create a new object portfolio for which the target service parser does not work.
The following is an example of a target service with two object portfolios:
Target Service with Two Object Portfolios
The following information must be provided before a target parser program can construct a URL:
- The URL structure required by the target service.
- Some information or parameters that are specific to the specific target service or object portfolio.
- The URL structure information is contained in the target parser. The parameters, on the other hand, are stored in the Parse Param field in the SFX database.
Target URLs
When discussing target parsers, it is important to know how the URL for a particular target service or object portfolio is constructed. The following is an example of a URL structure and its components:
The American Chemical Society getFullTxt target service contains the journal Accounts of Chemical Research (ISSN 0001-4842). If you link to this journal directly, the URL in the address bar is:
http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/toc.page?incoden=achre4
In this case, the URL is divided into two parts:
- The first part is the same for each journal in this particular target service. It is the base URL for this target service. In this example, the base URL is http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/toc.page.
- The second part of the URL is used to identify this specific journal. Therefore, this part is used as the journal key or jkey. In this example, the jkey is achre4.
The American Chemical Society also allows you to go to the issue level of a journal. This means you can go to a specific issue of this journal—for example, volume 33, issue 1. The URL in this case is:
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/achre4/jtoc.cgi?achre4/33/1
The information about the specific volume and issue are now added as part of the URL structure.
Parse Param
The parse param contains variables, called linking parameters, for items such as the user name and password that may differ between institutes. These variables begin with $$in the parse param. The values of these parameters are set by clicking the Linking Parameter button 
from the List of Target Services or from the Linking Parameters tab. Linking parameters are used in two ways:
from the List of Target Services or from the Linking Parameters tab. Linking parameters are used in two ways:- For single site setup – to store library-specific authentication and server information necessary to link to specific targets.
- For a multi-site setup – to store library-specific authentication and server information necessary to link to specific targets for each of the institutions using the SFX instance.
To display a list of linking parameters, from the KBManager section of the Data Management area, click Linking Parameters. The List of Linking Parameters window opens:
List of Linking Parameters
The navigation bar contains the following sections:
- Add New Item – Click to add a new linking parameter.
- Available – the number of available linking parameters
- Database – The name of the database in which you are currently working
- Show all – Displays all linking parameters, regardless of the activation status of the target and target services
- Show Active – Displays only the linking parameters whose target and target services are both active for either the default or one of the institutes/groups defined in the instance
- Filter List on – From the drop-down list, select one of the following to filter the List of Linking Parameters:
- Institute
- Target Service
- Flag Name
- Select Institute – From the drop-down list, select an institute to edit the values of the parameters of this institute.
Each row of the table is structured in the following way:
Edit button – Click to edit the parameter.- Target Service – The name of the target service
- Institute – The name of the institute for which the parameter exists
- Parameter – The text of the parameter
- Value – The value of the parameter
- Description – A description of the parameter
Editing Linking Parameters
You can edit linking parameters from the List of Linking Parameters.
To edit linking parameters:
- Click the Edit button next to the linking parameter you want to edit. The Edit Linking Parameters dialog box opens:
Edit Linking Parameters
- Edit the value of the linking parameter.
- To confirm your changes, click Submit.
Adding Linking Parameters
You can add a new linking parameter to the List of Linking Parameters.
To add a new linking parameter:
- Click Add New Item. The Add Linking Parameters dialog box opens:
Add Linking Parameters
- Fill in the fields according to the following table:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Target Service | From the drop-down list, select a target service |
| Institute | The name of the institute with which the linking parameter is associated |
| Flag Name | The text of the parameter |
| Value | The value of the parameter |
| Description | A description of the parameter |
- To confirm your changes, click Submit.