[Koha] Question about searching

[Steven F.Baljkas]

Wednesday, June 22, 2005     15:54 CDT

Greetings, folks,

It seems that the search syntax you are all describing bears a strong resemblance to the standard syntax for Boolean seaches employed by DIALOG (at least way back in 1998 when I learned about it). Since it was a major source of information retrieval for anyone trained in library science -- whether as a library technician or a true librarian -- it doubtless has had a standardising effect.

Just my two cents worth.

Steven F. Baljkas
library tech at large
Koha neophyte
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

============================================================
From: Thomas D <koha at alinto.com>
Date: 2005/06/22 Wed AM 11:28:03 CDT
To: MJ Ray <mjr at phonecoop.coop>
CC: koha at lists.katipo.co.nz
Subject: Re: [Koha] Question about searching

22 June 2005


The search syntax you are attempting to describe may not have a formalised
name.  It seems to have evolved into a common form with popular search tools
rather than starting with a predefined name.  I suspect that it started
mostly with the implementation in one popular program.  Find someone who
really knows and get a reliable answer

.It should be possible to wrap any syntax in a web form to reduce end user
difficulty and possibly increase programmer difficulty.  Serving the end
user should be the goal without killing the programmer if possible.

The problem with CQL and SRW is not enough server support yet as compared to
Z39.50 unless everyone has secretly started offering services.  Everyone
cannot wait for everyone else if progress is to be made.  CQL and SRW may
supplant Z39.50 at some future time.  The best use of Koha development time
now should be considered.


Thomas D


Quoting MJ Ray <mjr at phonecoop.coop> :
> ---------------- Beginning of the original message ------------------
> 
> Many search systems seem to be evolving a common syntax, with
> double quotes around terms which should appear consecutively,
> a dash in front of a term to exclude it and a single-attribute
> search to have the attribute name and a colon in front of the
> term. For example:
> 
>   children subject:"social science" -author:Smith
> 
> to find items about children with a subject of social science
> not authored by anyone called Smith.
> 
> Is there a formal name or description for this syntax?
> 
> I don't even know whether I should be reading language
> processing
> or information retrieval or information filtering literature
> to find this.  Web searching has been useless, as usual for
> learning about searching!
> 
> This arose at yesterday's search meeting. I hope the
> facilitator
> will organise a summary for koha-devel soon. I can see the
> attraction of CQL, especially for interserver communication,
> but
> I think it gets too hard too fast for general end-user
> searches.
> I'd like to have something well-defined to propose instead.
> 
> Thanks for any help.
> -- 
> MJ Ray (slef), K. Lynn, England, email see
> http://mjr.towers.org.uk/
> _______________________________________________


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