OCLC Connexion Macros

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OCLC Connexion Macros

• Using Connexion Commands to Accomplish Cataloging
  Tasks

Harvey Joel Hahn June 27, 2005
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Who we are

• Joel Hahn
• Niles Public Library District, Niles, IL
• ltjhahn_at_nileslibrary.orggt

• Harvey Hahn
• Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington
  Heights, IL
• lthhahm_at_ahml.infogt

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Introduction

• Writing macros is like creating a recipe.
• There are many ingredients to choose from.
• Which ingredients you choose and the order in
  which you add them can make a big difference in
  the results.
• Writing a macro is all about figuring out what
  ingredients you have available and how they work
  together.

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Working with data

• Four basic tasks
• Find the data
• Get the data to modify
• Change (or examine) the data
• Save the data

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Working with data MARC fields

• Basic format of MARC fields in macros
• tttiiFirst subfield b Second subfield etc.
• To get the tag
• Left( sField, 3 )
• To get the 1st indicator
• Mid( sField, 4, 1 )
• To get the 2nd indicator
• Mid( sField, 5, 1 )
• To get just the variable data
• Mid( sField, 6 )
• The exception is ACJK data Data contains
  non-latin script

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Working with data Delimiters

• Delimiter Chr(223)
• "First subfield " Chr(223) "b Second
  subfield"
• InStr( sField, Chr(223) )
• InStr( sField, Chr(223) "x" )
• Chr(223) appears as ß in other fonts.
• Each diacritic special character has a number
  to use with Chr( ).
• The codes are listed in the help file.

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Working with fields

• Four basic tasks
• Find the field
• Get the contents of the field
• Change (or examine) the field
• Save the field

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Working with fields Find

• CS.Find
• CS.GetField
• CS.GetFieldLine

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Working with fields Find

• Find all fields matching a given pattern
• nCount 1
• IsField CS.GetField( sTagNum, nCount, sField )
• Do While IsField ltgt FALSE
• If ltinsert command here to i.d. the fieldgt
  Then
• 'Put commands here to change the
  identified field
• 'Exit Do (To only find the first
  matching field)
• End If
• nCount nCount 1
• IsField CS.GetField( sTagNum, nCount,
  sField )
• Loop

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Working with fields Get

• CS.GetField( "500", 1, sField )
• CS.GetFieldLine( 10, sField )
• CS.GetFixedField( "Lang", sField )

Working with fields Change

• Use the four basic tasks of working with data

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Working with fields Save

• CS.SetField( 1, sField )
• CS.SetFieldLine( 10, sField )
• CS.SetFixedField( "Lang", "eng" )

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Working with fields Practical Examples

• Create populate a default III 949 field Copy to
  paste from Sirsi Workflows
• Add a 590 with the cataloger's initials today's
  date
• Enhance 505 fields

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Working with records

• Four basic tasks
• Find the record
• Get (display) the record
• Change (or examine) the record
• Save the field

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Working with records Find

• CS.Search( sDatabase, sSearchTerm )

Working with records Get

• CS.Search( sDatabase, sSearchTerm )
• CS.GetFirstItem
• CS.GetFirstSelectedItem
• CS.GetListItem( nListNumber)

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Working with records Change

• Use the four basic tasks of working with fields
• nNumErrors CS.Validate( sErrList )
• CS.Update
• CS.Export
• CS.QueryRecordStatus
• CS.SetMyStatus
• CS.SetWorkflowStatus

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Working with records Change

• Working with the OCLC number
• CS.GetFixedField( "OCLC", sOCLCNum )
• CS.QueryRecordStatus( "NUM", sOCLCNum )

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Working with records Save

• CS.SaveOnline
• CS.SaveToLocalFile
• CS.CloseRecord( TRUE )

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Working with records Practical Examples

• Validate, Update, Save, and Close in one step
• Delete all non-LCSH/LCAC subject headings
• Copy the call number from an 050 field to an 090
  field
• Copy the call number from an 050 to an 090, apply
  any of several constant data records depending on
  the record format, and add a default III 949 field

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Working with lists

• Choose your starting point
• CS.GetFirstItem
• CS.GetFirstSelectedItem
• CS.GetListItem
• Move on to the next record
• CS.GetNextItem
• CS.GetNextSelectedItem
• CS.GetListItem
• Determine whether youre done
• If a GetNext-type command fails, then there are
  no more records to process.

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Working with lists

• Combining those three steps into the basic
  pattern of looping through records
• Bool CS.GetFirstItem
• (or CS.GetFirstSelected or
  CS.GetListItem)
• If Bool FALSE Then
• Exit Sub
• End If
• Do
• 'Put commands here to edit each record
• Loop Until CS.GetNextItem FALSE
• (or CS.GetNextSelectedItem)

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Working with lists Practical Examples

• Resave the entire online bibliographic save file
• Copy the call number from an 050 to an 090, apply
  any of several constant data records depending on
  the record format, and add a default III 949
  field for all listed records from your local save
  file

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General Connexion commands

• CS.ItemType
• Checking if Connexion is online
• If CS.IsOnline FALSE Then
• Bool CS.Logon("", "", "") 'Use your default
  logon
• If Bool FALSE Then
• MsgBox "Unable to log on. Exiting"
• Exit Sub
• End If
• End If
• CS.SendKeys

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Working with the Macro Recorder

• One way to find ingredients and how they can be
  put together is to record macros.
• However, the recorder can only recreate your
  exact keystrokes and mouse clicks.
• Cant use efficient programming methods like
  IfThen and loops
• May sometimes make it harder to learn to write
  your own macros

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Working with the Macro Recorder Practical
Examples

• Validate, Update, Save, and Close in one step
• Add a default III 949 field

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Copy macros from other sources

• From e-mail webpages
• Create a new macro
• Open it for editing
• Select copy the macro from the e-mail/web
• Paste the macro in the new one you created
• From macrobook files on webpages
• Click the link, save the .mbk file to your
  ../OCLC/Program/Macros directory
• From other computers
• Copy the macrobook from that computers
  ../OCLC/Program/Macros directory to that
  directory on your computer.

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Further resources

• OCLC-CAT mailing list
• OCLCs Connexion macros web page
• http//www.oclc.org/connexion/support/macros.htm
• OML for the Complete Beginner
• http//users.rcn.com/aardy/oml/lessons/index.html
• Joels OML web page
• http//users.rcn.com/aardy/oml/index.html
• Harveys OML web page
• http//www.ahml.info/oml/

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QA

• Thanks for coming!