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Connected! How we Integrated our Collections in WordPress using the

EMu API Paul Trafford

paul.trafford@mhs.ox.ac.uk

October 2011

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The promise

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The problemw

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Outline of a Solution

• Install WordPress CMS

• Customise MHS Theme

• Copy over, tweak, configure EMu PHP API

• Extend theme by developing library of EMU-specific functions.

• Reference in WP pages via shortcodes.

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Connected! 1/6

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Connected! 2/6

WordPress integration of related resources

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Connected! 3/6

Same interface as before. This actually searches across many fields (which we could allow user to define).

Same search options as before

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Connected! 4/6

Hyperlinks to record details

Image thumbnail links to full size images

Combined List and Thumbnail views

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Connected! 5/6Hyperlinks allowing onward navigation

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Connected! 6/6

Searched creation place field for Nuremberg

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User Benefits• Consistent look and feel• Closer Integration• Better navigation between objects and exhibits• Staff access to internal details (via WordPress

login). E.g. display of images without watermarks.

• Staff updates/edits possible of EMu-related information pages.

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System Development Benefits• One fewer web servers to maintain• Code all in one place• Great flexibility in developing collections

functionality and also in styling output.• Allows EMu data to be released according to

WordPress sessions.• Encourages cross-linking to/from e.g. exhibition

sites.

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Caveats• Low-level API means quite a lot of coding• Uses a copy of the PHP API bundle in a WordPress

directory -> manual updates• Some sorting queries appear inefficient (as at 4.0.01)• Name spaces: rename the EMu Query class and Fetch()

method.• Dependence: if WordPress is inaccessible then so is the

catalogue.

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WordPress: Search Interface

Standard HTML form specified by:<form action="results-list/" method="get"> ...

Indicate query type:

<input name="QueryName" type="hidden" value="BasicQuery" />Other options:

<input class="WebInput" name="ImagesOnly" type="checkbox" value="true" />

One search page for basic, field, advanced search. E.g.

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WordPress: Results Page

- results as a list view [print_emusearch_results]- display of object records[print_emudisplay_page]- narratives display [print_emunarrative]

A small set of pages, with the display of results data invoked via WordPress shortcodes:

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EMu use within WordPress 1/3EMu functions Include EMu config and query class files:

<?php require_once( TEMPLATEPATH. '/emuphp5/config.php' ); require_once( TEMPLATEPATH. '/emuphp5/query.php' ); ...

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EMu use within WordPress 2/3Build the query (as per documentation), e.g.<?php $query1 = new EMuQuery(); $query1->Table="ecatalogue"; ...// save resources by specifying the return of only what we need $query1->StartRec=$list_start; $query1->EndRec=$list_start+$list_size;// build up the query term and then execute it: $queryterm="(TitMainTitle contains '~$query')"; … $query1->TexqlTerm($queryterm); $results=$query1->EMuFetch();// proceed to process results in $results.

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EMu use within WordPress 3/3MHS developed a (cheeky?) watermarking solution within WP.

•Modification of supplied query.php (for security)•Uses GD library, doesn’t require ImageMagick•Includes session info (via wp-blog-header.php)•Modifies Show() function to display watermark depending upon image size and session state.

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Limitations• Not much documentation (and it’s not very

visible)• Use of Texxmlserver means it has no

understanding of EMu …• Authorisation (as defined in EMu registration)

has to be implemented some other way … • For a small organisation like MHS, roles in

WordPress may suffice

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Conclusions• WordPress integration is fine• Implementation complete, but took some effort• Expect to develop further functionality, particularly 2-way

linking to/from existing Exhibition sites• Will seek to go beyond just object records• However, IMu offers a far more advanced (and

supported) option – in Web services and APIs.• Will investigate IMu concurrently.

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Any Questions?

Paul Trafford

Web Officer

Museum of the History of Science

Oxford OX2 8DD, UK

paul.trafford@mhs.ox.ac.uk