MKWS: the MasterKey Widget Set

+

Add metasearching to your web-site painlessly

+

+ The MasterKey Widget Set provides the easiest possible way to + enhance an existing web-site with customised searching across + multiple sources, ranking and merging the results. +

+

+ All you need to do is pull in our JavaScript and optional + stylesheet, then add <div>s to your page that + have special id attributes. We do the rest. +

+

A minimal example

+

+ Here is a completely functional (though ugly) MKWS-based + searching application: +

+

+<script type="text/javascript"
+        src="http://mkws.indexdata.com/mkws-complete.js"></script>
+<div id="mkwsSearch"></div>
+<div id="mkwsResults"></div>

+

+ That's it. A complete metasearching application. Everything + else is refinement. +

+

Documentation

+

+ The README -- mostly technical details. +
+ The MKWS manual, including a + reference section. + This is a much better introduction. +

+

Tools

+

+ Here are the files that this web-site provides: +

+

+ mkws.js + -- + JavaScript code that powers the MasterKey Widget Set +
+ pazpar2/js/pz2.js + -- + Low-level JavaScript library for access to the MasterKey web + service. +
+ handlebars-v1.1.2.js + -- + A local copy of + the Handlebars templating library, + since it doesn't like to be hotlinked. +
+ mkws-complete.js + -- + A single large JavaScript file containing everything needed for + MKWS to work: the widget-set itself, the API library, and + the prerequisites jQuery and Handlebars. +
+ mkws.css + -- + A stylesheet which styles only MasterKey widgets, and does not + otherwise interfere with application-site's styles. +

+

+ Minified versions of the MKWS JavaScript files are also available: +

+

+ mkws.min.js +
+ mkws-complete.min.js +

+

+ (This domain also hosts two web-service endpoints that are used by + running MKWS-based applications: + /service-proxy-auth + is used to authenticate new sessions and + /service-proxy/ + is the main endpoint for searching and retrieval. But there is + no need to use these directly: the widgets take care of that.) +

+

Versions

+

+ The links above to the various forms of the widget-set JavaScript + (mkws.js, + mkws-complete.js, + mkws.min.js + and + mkws-complete.min.js) + are always to the current versions of those + files. Applications that rely on a particular version can + instead use the specific numbered versions in + the releases area, + for example + releases/mkws-0.9.1.js. +

+

+ The current version number is always in + the VERSION file. +

+

+ Version history is in + the NEWS file. +

+

Examples using the widget-set

+

+ It's worth viewing the source of these to see how small they + are and how various things are done. +

+

Simple examples

+

+ A very simple application at + //example.indexdata.com/simple.html. +
+ The absolutely minimal application + listed above. +
+ A more detailed version + that contains a configuration structure instead of accepting + the defaults. Includes a custom translation option to present + the application in Arabic. +
+ A version suitable for mobile devices, + with a responsive design that moves components around + depending on the screen size. +

+ +

Advanced examples

+

+ An application that + uses lower-level MKWS components + rather than the all-in-one #mkwsResults division, + allowing it to use a rather different layout. +
+ An application that specifies how to display brief and full records + using Handlebar templates. + (Read about + the templating language.) +
+ An application that + displays thumbnail images. +
+ An application that uses a local authentication regime, + and the corresponding + Apache2 configuration stanza. +
+ A version that uses a jQuery popup. +

+ +

Non-standard interfaces

+

+ An application that uses MKWS to find dictionary + definitions of words when you highlight them. +
+ An application that runs an automatic search on load. +
+ An existing web-site, + The Self-Appointed Grammar Police, + which has been fitted with an MKWS searching widget. + (See also the MKWS-widget customisations in + that site's stylesheet.) +

+

Target selection

+

+ MKWS comes pre-configured to search in a set of a dozen or so + open-access targets, as a proof of concept. But you'll want + to use it to search your own selection of targets -- some open + access, some subscription. +

+

+ We can set that up for you: email us on + info@indexdata.com. +

+