NAME
Net::Z3950 - Perl extension for talking to Z39.50 servers.
WARNING
You should not be using this module unless you need this precise API for compatibility reasons. New applications should use the ZOOM-Perl module (Net::Z3950::ZOOM) instead.
http://search.cpan.org/~mirk/Net-Z3950-ZOOM/
SYNOPSIS
(This code blocks in reads: see below for sample non-blocking code which allows multiple servers to be searched in parallel.)
use Net::Z3950;
$conn = new Net::Z3950::Connection('server.host.name', 210)
or die $!;
$rs = $conn->search('au=kernighan or su=unix')
or die $conn->errmsg();
my $n = $rs->size();
print "found $n records:\n";
foreach $i (1..$n) {
$rec = $rs->record($i) or die $rs->errmsg();
print $rec->render();
}
$conn->close();DESCRIPTION
This module provides a Perl interface to the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol (aka. ISO 23950), a mature and powerful protocol used in application domains as diverse as bibliographic information, geo-spatial mapping, museums and other cultural heritage information, and structured vocabulary navigation.
Net::Z3950.pm is an implementation of the Perl binding for ZOOM, the Z39.50 Objct Orientation Model. Bindings for the same abstract API are, or will be, available in other languages including C, C++, Java and Tcl.
Two basic approaches are possible to building clients with this module:
The simple synchronous approach considers blocking reads acceptable, and therefore allows a straightforward style of imperative programming. This approach is suitable for clients which only talk to one server at a time, and is exemplified by the code in the SYNOPSIS section above.
The more complex asynchronous approach, appropriate for clients which multiplex simultaneous connections, requires a slightly less familiar event-driven programming style, as exemplified in the ASYNCHRONOUS SYNOPSIS section below.
(The simpler synchronous interface functions are implemented as a thin layer on top of the asynchronous functions.)
ASYNCHRONOUS SYNOPSIS
(This code does not block in reads, and so is suitable for broadcast clients which search multiple servers simultaneously: see above for simpler sample code that blocks in reads.)
### To be written
FUNCTIONS
The Net::Z3950 module itself provides very few functions: most of the functionality is provided by the daughter modules included by Net::Z3950 - Net::Z3950::Manager, Net::Z3950::Connection, etc.
errstr()
$errcode = $conn->errcode();
$errmsg = Net::Z3950::errstr($errcode);
print "error $errcode ($errmsg)\n";Returns an English-language string describing the error indicated by the Z39.50 BIB-1 diagnostic error code $errcode.
opstr()
$str = Net::Z3950::opstr($conn->errop());
print "error occurred in $str\n";Returns an English-language string describing the operation indicated by the argument, which must be one of the Net::Z3950::Op::* constants described in the documentation for the Net::Z3950::Connection class's op() method.
AUTHOR
Mike Taylor <mike@indexdata.com>
First version Tuesday 23rd May 2000.
SEE ALSO
The ZOOM API for Z39.50, of which this is an implementation, is fully specified at http://zoom.z3950.org where links to other implementations may also be found.
This module is built on Index Data's Yaz (Yet Another Z39.50) toolkit, which is freely available at http://indexdata.dk/yaz/
Index Data also provide a variety of other useful Z39.50 software including the free server/database Zebra, the commercial server/database Z'mbol, a Tcl interface to Z39.50 called Ir/Tcl, and a free web-to-Z39.50 gateway called Zap. See their home page at http://indexdata.dk/
The best source of information about Z39.50 itself is the official Mainenance Agency at http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/