Alma Barcode Lookup Addon

Versions

1.0.7 - Carleton Fork

1.0 - Initial release

Summary

An Alma Barcode Lookup Addon that uses a barcode to perform an Alma API item lookup and imports the data returned into Ares, Aeon, and ILLiad.

This version is a fork by Carleton University Library.

Changes in the fork:

• PageCount (Pages), if not found in the item data, is pulled from the Bib's 300 MARC field.
• The publication date is imported.
• The shelf location is imported.
• The author dates (birth, death) are added if available.
• The shelf location can be updated using a second button.
• The editor is added from the Bib's 700 MARC field.
• Remove format note from isxn (pbk or hbk).

Settings

Alma API URL: The URL to the Alma API.

Alma API Key: API key used for interacting with the Alma API.

Allow Overwrite with Blank Value: If turned on, empty values from the API response will overwrite any existing data. Note: Non-empty responses will always overwrite existing data.

Fields to Import: This is a comma separated lists of the fields to import from the API response into the current product. The name of each field corresponds to the MappingName located in the DataMapping.lua file. The default fields to import are CallNumber, ISXN, Title, Author, Edition, Place, Pages, and Publisher. See the Data Mappings or FAQ section of the documentation for more details.

Field to Perform Lookup With: This is the field in which the barcode is read from. You may specify a custom field or leave it as {Default} which will use the field outlined in DataMapping.lua. The first value is the table in the database and the second value is the column. Examples: {Default} (uses the field outlined in the DataMapping), Item.ItemBarcode, Transaction.ItemInfo1, or Transaction.Location

Buttons

The buttons for the Alma Barcode Lookup Addon are located in the "Barcode Lookup" ribbon in the top left of the requests.

Import By Barcode: When clicked, it will use the provided barcode to make an Item Alma API call using the item's barcode. Update Shelf Location by Barcode: When clicked, it will use the provided barcode to make an Item Alma API call using the item's barcode, then update only the shelf location.

FAQ

How to change the field that the barcode is read from?

The setting that determines the field that the barcode is read from is located in the addon's settings as "Field to Perform Lookup With". It takes in the word {Default} or the table name and the column name separated by a '.'.

By default it is {Default} which tells the addon to get the field from the DataMapping.lua file.

How to change the mappings of an API Lookup Response to Aeon, Ares, or ILLiad's field?

To modify the mappings in this addon, you must edit the DataMapping.lua file. Each mapping is an entry on the DataMapping.FieldMapping[Product Name] table.

Example data mapping table:

DataMapping.FieldMapping["Ares"] = {};
table.insert(DataMapping.FieldMapping["Ares"], {
    MappingName = "CallNumber",
    ImportField = "Item.Callnumber",
    ObjectType = "item",
    ObjectMapping = "call_number"
});

To modify the Aeon, Ares, or ILLiad field the API response item will go into, change the ImportField value to desired field. The ImportField formula is "{Table Name}.{Column Name}".

To modify the API response item to go into a particular Aeon, Ares, or ILLiad field, change the ObjectMapping value to the desired API XML node name.

How to change a mapping's name?

The mapping names can be modified to fit the desired use case. Just change the MappingName value to the desired name and be sure to include the new MappingName value in the "Fields to Import" setting, so the addon knows to import that particular mapping.

How to change Default Barcode Field?

The default barcode field is defined in the DataMapping.BarcodeFieldMapping[{Product}] table within the DataMapping.lua file. To change the mapping, modify the respective variable to the "{Table}.{Column}" of the new field to be mapped to.