> 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