This addon has been replaced by the Aeon Alma Primo Definitive Catalog Addon. Please visit the Alma Primo Definitive Catalog addon’s directory page to download and install the new addon.

Name	Alma Primo VE Catalog Addon
Version	1.0.3
Author	Atlas Systems, Inc.
Description	Based on the original Alma Primo Catalog Search addon. A catalog addon designed for libraries that utilize the Alma ILS and Primo as the discovery layer.
Custom Fields Support	No

Download

This addon has been replaced by the Aeon Alma Primo Definitive Catalog Addon. Please visit the Alma Primo Definitive Catalog addon’s directory page to download and install the new addon.

Configuration

Addon settings are configured in the Manage Addons form.

Setting	Default	Type	Description

Setting	Default	Type	Description
Catalog URL		String	The base URL that the query strings are appended to. The Catalog URL structure is `{URL of the catalog}/primo-explore/`.
HomeURL			The Home URL structure is `{URL of the catalog}/primo-explore/search?vid={4 Digit Primo Code}`.
AutoSearch	True	Boolean	Defines whether the search should be automatically performed when the form opens.
RemoveTrailingSpecialCharacters	True	Boolean	Defines whether to remove trailing special characters on import or not. The included special characters are " `\/+,.;:-=.`". Examples: `Baton Rouge, La.,` becomes `Baton Rouge, La.`
AvailableSearchTypes	Title, Author	String	The types of searches your catalog supports. Options: Title, Author, Call Number, Catalog Number, Subject, ISBN, ISSN.
SearchPriorityList	Title, Author	String	The fields that should be searched on, in order of search priority. Each field in the string will be checked for a valid corresponding search value in the request, and the first search type with a valid corresponding value will be used. Each search type must be separated by a comma.
AutoRetrieveItems			Defines whether or not the addon should automatically retrieve items related to a record being viewed. Disabling this setting can save the site on Alma API calls because it will only make a Retrieve Holdings List call when the button is pressed.
AlmaAPIURL			The URL to the Alma API. The API URL is generally the same between sites. (ex. `<https://api-na.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/almaws/v1/`)> More information can be found on Ex Libris' Site.
AlmaAPIKey			API key used for interacting with the Alma API.
PrimoSiteCode			The code that identifies the site in Primo Deep Links. Ex: vid={PrimoSiteCode}.

Buttons

Back	Navigate back one page.
Forward	Navigate forward one page.
Stop	Stop loading the page.
Refresh	Refresh the page.
New Search	Goes to the home page of the catalog.
Search Button	Performs the specified search on the catalog using the contents of the specified field.
Retrieve Items	Retrieves the holding records for that item. Note: This button will not appear when AutoRetrieveItems is enabled.
Import	Imports the selected record in the items grid.

Data Mappings

Below are the default configurations for the catalog addon. The mappings within DataMappings.lua are settings that typically do not have to be modified from site to site. However, these data mappings can be changed to customize the fields, search queries, and xPath queries to the data.

Caution: Be sure to backup the DataMappings.lua file before making modifications Incorrectly configured mappings may cause the addon to stop functioning correctly.

MmsIdRegex

Defines the Regex pattern used to extract the MMS ID from the iFrame on item pages. This particular MMS ID entry is used because it was the most consistent across various Primo Webpages. To find the MMS ID, inspect the item page and search for mmsId and you will find the hidden input that the MMS ID is being extracted from.

SearchTypes

The search URL is being constructed using the formula below.

{Catalog URL}search?vid="{Primo Site Code}"&query="{Search Type}",contains,"{Search Term}"AND&search_scope=default_scope&mode=advanced

Default Configuration:

Search Type	Query String
DataMapping.SearchTypes["Title"]	`title`
DataMapping.SearchTypes["Author"]	`creator`
DataMapping.SearchTypes["Call Number"]	`lsr01`
DataMapping.SearchTypes["Subject"]	`sub`
DataMapping.SearchTypes["ISBN"]	`isbn`
DataMapping.SearchTypes["ISSN"]	`issn`
DataMapping.SearchTypes["Catalog Number"]	`any`

Note: The Catalog Number search type performs an any search because Primo does not have a search type for MMS ID.

Source Fields

The field that the addon reads from to perform the search.

Default Configuration:

Field	Source Table	Source Field
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["Title"]	`Transaction`	`ItemTitle`
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["Author"]	`Transaction`	`ItemAuthor`
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["Call Number"]	`Transaction`	`CallNumber`
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["Catalog Number"]	`Transaction`	`ReferenceNumber`
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["Barcode"]	`Transaction`	`ItemNumber`
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["TransactionNumber"]	`Transaction`	`TransactionNumber`

Bibliographic Import

The information within this data mapping is used to perform the bibliographic api call. The Field is the product field that the data will be imported into, MaxSize is the maximum character size the data going into the product field can be, and Value is the xPath query to the information.

Item Import

The information within this data mapping is used import the correct information from the items grid. The Field is the product field that the data will be imported into, MaxSize is the maximum character size the data going into the product field can be, and Value is the FieldName of the column within the item grid.

Product Field	Value	Alma API XML Node	Description
DataMapping.SourceFields["Aeon"]["Title"]	ReferenceNumber	mms_id	The catalog identifier for the record (MMS ID)
CallNumber	CallNumber	call_number	The item's call number
Location	Location	location	The location of the item
Library	Library	library	The library where the item is held
ItemNumber	Barcode	barcode	The item's barcode

Note: The Holding ID and Item Description can also be imported by adding another table with a Value of HoldingId and Description.

Customized Mapping

The CustomizedMapping.lua file contains the mappings to variables that are more site specific.

Location Mapping

Maps an item's location code to a full name. If a location mapping isn't given, the addon will display the location code. The location code is taken from the location node returned by a Retrieve Items List API call.

CustomizedMapping.Locations["{Location Code }"] = "{Full Location Name}"

FAQ

How to add or change what information is displayed in the item grid?

There's more item information gathered than what is displayed in the item grid. If you wish to display or hide additional columns on the item grid, find the comment -- Item Grid Column Settings within the BuildItemGrid() function in the Catalog.lua file and change the gridColumn.Visible variable of the column you wish to modify.

How to modify what bibliographic information is imported?

To import additional bibliographic fields, add another lua table to the DataMapping.ImportFields.Bibliographic[{Product Name}] mapping. To remove a record from the importing remove it from the lua table.

The table takes a Table and Field which correspond to a table and column name in the product, a MaxSize which is the maximum characters to be imported into the specified table column, and a Value which is the xPath query to the data returned by the Retrieve Bibs Alma API call.

How to add a new Search Type?

There are search types baked into the addon that are not enabled by default. The available search types are listed below.

Title
Author
Call Number
Subject
ISBN
ISSN
Catalog Number

To add these additional search types to your addon, open the addon's settings and find the AvailableSearchTypes setting. Add the Search Type's name to the comma-separated list within the value column. Save, refresh the cache, and reopen any item pages that may be open.

The new search type can be added to the addon's default configuration by opening the Config.xml document and find the AvailableSearchTypes setting. Add the Search Type's name to the comma-separated list within the value attribute of the setting. Save the document and reset the product's cache.

How to add a custom Search Type?

Note: Backup the addon before performing this customization. A misconfiguration may break the addon.

First navigate to your primo catalog and go to the advanced search page. On the advanced search page, choose the search option that you wish to add. Search for anything using the chosen search option and look at the URL. Find the part that says query={Search Type},. Copy the search type (Example: title, creator).

Now that you have the search type, open up the DataMapping.lua file and scroll to the SearchTypes mapping. Copy and paste an existing SearchType mapping. Replace the string on the right side of the equals with your Search Type. Give the search type a name by replacing the string inside the brackets with the name of the search type. (Example: DataMapping.SearchTypes["{Search Type Name}"] = "{searchType}";).

Open up Config.xml and find "AvailableSearchTypes". Add the name of the Search Type to the comma-separated list within the value attribute (be sure to add a comma between search types).

Finally, open Catalog.lua and find the commend that says -- Search Functions. Copy one of the search functions and paste it at the end of the search functions. Change the function's name to follow this formula; Search{SearchTypeName} (Note: remove any spaces from the Search Type Name, but keep casing the same). Within the PerformSearch method call, change the second parameter to be the Search Type Name (unmodified).

Developers

The addon is developed to support Alma Catalogs that use PrimoVE as its discovery layer in Aeon, Ares, and ILLiad.

Atlas welcomes developers to extend the addon with additional support. All pull requests will be merged and posted to the addon directories.

Addon Files

Config.xml - The addon configuration file.
DataMapping.lua - The data mapping file contains mappings for the items that do not typically change from site to site.
CustomizedMapping.lua - The a data mapping file that contains settings that are more site specific and likely to change (e.g. location codes).
Catalog.lua - The Catalog.lua is the main file for the addon. It contains the main business logic for importing the data from the Alma API into the Atlas Product.
AlmaApi.lua - The AlmaApi file is used to make the API calls against the Alma API.
Utility.lua - The Utility file is used for common lua functions.
WebClient.lua - Used for making web client requests.

Atlas Addons

Aeon Alma Primo VE Catalog Addon