> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Jeremy Dunck
> Sent: 25 May, 2005 11:44
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] browser toolbars
>
> On 5/25/05, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> ...
> >but I'd rather create an
> > easy-to-install-and-use toolbar for IE. Given the extreme
> limitations
> >of my programming skills (i.e. I really don't have any
> yet), this may
> >be a pipedream.
>
> Well, this is the single biggest reason there aren't more
> toolbars for IE. That article I linked to earlier starts out
> saying something like "If you've been doing windows event
> subclassing for a while, this isn't too tough, but instead
> we'll take the easy route and use multiple inheritance with
> the C++ ATL."
>
> Talk about setting the bar high! I've been a dev for 11
> years, and that still sounds like too much trouble to me. :)
Actually, you have to remember the documentation that was
pointed to is several years old. Microsoft's technologies
have marched on. You don't need to use C++ ATL, you can
use .NET and there is also a zero deploy method, by using
the little known target attribute on an HTML anchor. So
in reality, all you need to know is HTML and possibly a
little JavaScript.
If you are interested in the .NET approach, there are some
nice articles and example on the Code Project site. Don't
remember if you are required to register to read the
articles, but since I registered many years ago, rarely
have I received spam from them.
http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/dotnetbandobjects.asp
http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/IE_Advanced_Toolbar.asp
For information on the HTML anchor target attribute:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/dhtml/reference/properties/target.asp
I have been working with another similar technology. In
Office 2003 Microsoft created the Research task pane. It
is available in most Office 2003 application and IE v5.1
or above when Office 2003 has been installed. In IE you
can go to View->Explorer Bar->Research to bring up the
Research pane. The Research pane is based upon SOA
(Service Oriented Architecture) and allows you to access
content from dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri,
search services, or third party services conforming to a
few XML schemas and WSDL.
We have some prototype services up and running that
connect to the Library of Congress, RDN (Resource
Discovery Network) in the UK, Amazon (all regional
sites), and a few controlled vocabularies. However,
it seems to me that there is no reason why you
couldn't use this technology to interface to local
OPAC and is something I have pointed out to others.
Currently, I have implemented proxy interfaces to
SRW services, REST based services and flat XML
data files.
For information on Microsoft's Office Research service
technology:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/dhtml/reference/properties/target.asp
Andy.
Andrew Houghton, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
http://www.oclc.org/about/
http://www.oclc.org/research/staff/houghton.htm
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