OPDS feeds
OPDS is the standard at the core of SimplyE. An OPDS feed is a list of books. Each entry in the feed contains metadata for a book (title, author, etc.) and instructions on how to get a copy of the book.
One OPDS feed can link to another, just like one HTML page can link to another.
There are two basic syndication types
Active Draft Specs:
- Open Distribution to Libraries 1.0 (ODL)
- Authentication for OPDS 1.0
- OPDS 2.0 - Not yet supported yet in SimplyE or Circulation Manager
Library Simplified Extension
There are all kinds of reasons why one OPDS feed might link to another, but these are the two most important, and should give you the general idea:
- Division: Putting the fiction and nonfiction books in separate sections instead of mixing them together.
- Pagination: Putting 50,000 books on 100 small pages, rather than all on one huge page.
OPDS as user interface
When the SimplyE mobile app is pointed at an OPDS server, the links between OPDS feeds determine the graphical user interface shown to SimplyE, just as the links between HTML pages become the user interface of a website. There are two main features of OPDS which elevate it past just a big scrolling list of books:
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In most cases, it's preferable to generate your OPDS feeds statically ahead of time. As your collection becomes more complicated, it may be more practical to generate OPDS feeds as needed and cache them.
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Common Issues with Metadata feeds and the Circulation Manager
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Classifications
The CM can use classifications to organize and process works into the catalog.
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