Quick Guide for Creating Customizable Local WebPAC Pages


You will need copies of the template files in a separate directory. You can get the template files from:
http://www.umsl.edu/~muns/webcatdemos/templates_java/


  1. Open a new text file and keep the word processing program you're using, and the file, open.
  2. Open your Web Browser and connect to the WebPAC you want to hack (e.g., your own).
  3. Click to call up a search (e.g., Subject, Keyword, etc.) you want to use and submit the search:
    looking for this
  4. Copy the URL that appears at the top of your browser (block out then Control-C for copy).
  5. Go to the new text file you opened and paste in the URL you just copied (Control-V for paste).
  6. Repeat step 1-5 pasting one URL per line for each type of search.
  7. In a separate window, open the template file catalog1.htm with a text processor.
  8. Near the bottom of the file catalog1.htm you will see several blocks of code that look like -
    
    Line 1          Addindx("Subject","",
    Line 2              "http://put.your.url.here/search/d",
    Line 3              "http://put.your.url.here/search/d?looking+for+this");
    
    
  9. Line 1: Change the text inside quotations for the pull-down menu option for this search.
  10. Line 2: Change the text inside quotations to a URL invoked upon a blank search.
  11. Line 3: Change the text inside quotations by pasting the appropriate URL from your previously created URL document. This is the URL that will be invoked for submitting actual searches.
Refer to comments imbedded in the other two template files, index.htm and catalog2.htm to make more cosmetic changes. After making changes and modifications make sure that you save all three template files as TEXT files. You may place the three modified files anywhere you wish. Point any Web browser at the URL f or the file index.htm and start searching!

Note 1: For a browser to use these files, JavaScript must be turned on.
Note 2: Modifications should be ONLY inside quotation marks.
Note 3: Author/Title searches cannot be implemented.
Note 4: Check out Hacked WebPACs at http://www.umsl.edu/~muns/webcatdemos/


Muns, Raleigh (muns@umsl.edu). Quick Guide for Creating Customizable Local WebPAC Pages. St. Louis, MO : University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries, April 30, 1998 http://www.umsl.edu/~muns/webcatdemos/quick.htm