Creating and editing HTML/Template files

BibClass relies on default templates for the "simple" and "advanced" search interfaces and builds these from variables in the collection database, as presented through [colldb.html collmgr]. An <tt>index.tpl</tt> is required for each collection and placed at <tt>/{DLXSROOT}/web/c/collid</tt>. Instructions on editing the <tt>index.tpl</tt> are provided below. It is also possible to build specialized web pages (e.g., a browse page for a relatively small collection) and link these from <tt>index.tpl</tt>.

== Editing <tt>index.tpl</tt> for a Collection ==

A [[bib-sample.tpl|sample <tt>index.tpl</tt>]] is provided as a working example of an <tt>index.tpl</tt>. Items that should be added or changed are in curly braces (e.g., <tt>{ }</tt>).

* Add the <tt>HEAD</tt> element with the following components:

&lt;head&gt;

&lt;title&gt; &lt;/title&gt;

&lt;meta content="template generated html"&gt;

&lt;link rel="MADE" href="mailto:"&gt;

&lt;link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="$STYLE_SHEET_URL"&gt;

&lt;link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="$STYLE_SHEET_SPECIFIC_URL"&gt;

&lt;/head&gt;

Provide a title for the collection and add the "help" e-mail address in the <tt>LINK</tt>

element, as in <tt>LINK rel="MADE" href="mailto:umdl-help@umich.edu"</tt>.

* You may choose to add a banner or textual title for the collection within the body of the template.

* You may choose to provide one or more paragraphs of descriptive text about the collection within the body of the template.

* Provide links to the "simple" and "advanced" search pages using the template variables <tt>$SIMPLE_SEARCH_LINK</tt> and <tt>$BOOLEAN_SEARCH_LINK</tt>, e.g.:

&lt;p align="left"&gt;

&lt;a href="$SIMPLE_SEARCH_LINK"&gt;

&lt;font size="4"&gt;Simple Search&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/a&gt;

Search for a word or phrase in a title, a main heading or anywhere in the entry.

&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;

&lt;a href="$BOOLEAN_SEARCH_LINK"&gt;

&lt;font size="4"&gt;Advanced Search&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;

Search for combinations of words or phrases in a title, main heading or anywhere in the entry.

&lt;/p&gt;

* You may also provide links to other web pages with embedded links to support activities such as browsing.

* Add a link to help pages about a particular collection using the <tt>$COLLECTION_HELP</tt> variable. The following is one form this might take:

&lt;center&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="$COLLECTION_HELP"&gt;Help&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/center&gt;

== Creating Additional Web Pages ==

Information will be provided about creating supporting web pages for other types of access (e.g., browsing). For working examples of this, please see the Digital Library Federation's Digital Library Documents ([http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/b/bib/bib-idx?c=dlf]) collection.