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Custom Queries and Results overview

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Find information about CQR which enables the creation of custom Web interface and search options for CONTENTdm collections.

In order to use customized queries, you must have a working knowledge of HTML, and the ability to edit and create Web pages on your CONTENTdm server. If you do not have the ability to create Web pages on your server, please see your CONTENTdm system administrator to gain access.

Custom Queries and Results or CQR enables the creation of custom Web interfaces and search options for CONTENTdm collections. Use CQR to specify how your collection should be displayed and generate HTML code that can be pasted into the Web pages used to display your collection.

CQR is not an HTML editor–it is a tool that uses your specificationsto produce HTML segments that define queries of collections. Copy and paste the HTML into your Web pages using your preferred HTML editor. Using CQR, complex queries are simple to formulate and add to Web pages that interface with CONTENTdm. A working knowledge of HTML and building Web pages is required to integrate the query code into your collection pages.

Using Custom Queries and Results you can define five types of queries to CONTENTdm collections:

  1. Simple hyperlink: Create a simple hyperlink to specify a single query. Because CONTENTdm is Web-based, all queries to collections have an associated URL that can be linked to from your Web pages.
  2. Drop-downlist: Define a drop-down list to specify a number of queries that can be selected by the user.
  3. Index box: Specify a field from which to generate a list of search terms. Users will click on a word in the index box to begin a search. Note: This search is not dynamic. New terms within the designated field are not added once the query has been created. To get new terms into the list, the query must be recreated.
  4. Text box: Create a text box so that users can enter search words for querying the collections. The search may be across single fields or across all fields within a collection.
  5. Browse collection: Define a page so users are able to browse all items in a collection without formulating a specific query. 
  6. Default parameters: Create default parameters that you can use to customize your browse or results page.