[WEB4LIB:14750] Converting text to HTML

Fri Aug 7 15:06:00 EDT 1998

     Walter:

        I don't know which report you are using, but I use the Entrylist 
     report and choose the catalog entry IDs of 245 and 856 (fields) of 
     each bib record.  We have about 800 of these.  When the report prints, 
     only those two fields appear, instead of the lengthier data in your 
     report. 
        After the report is done, I download it to my pc and open it in 
     Word (I have Word97, not that it matters).  Delete the log pages.  
     Then use the Edit/Replace feature to find all of the |uhttp strings 
     and replace those with <A HREF="http.  Your 856 field seems to have an 
     extra subfield.  I replace the |2http with ">URL</A>.  Then I save the 
     file as text only.  You want a .txt extension, not .doc.
        Do not allow Word to convert this to HTML.  It does not convert 
     successfully in my experience.  Next I use WordPad (Win95 Write) and 
     add the necessary HTML tags to create an html document:
        <HTML>
        <HEAD>Catlog Records with 856 Field</HEAD>
        <BODY>

        your file of urls

        </BODY>
        </HTML>

Save as text only and type in .htm as the extension.  Do not allow Word to add 
it's formatting to this.  You have to be very careful about selecting "save as 
text only."  I haven't tried this with WordPerfect, so don't know what steps to 
take here.  It is possible to do this with Word 6 also, since that is really 
what WordPad in Win95 is.  I much prefer doing it in Word 6.0, but it was 
removed from my computer when we got Office 97.

Now you're all set to run this through a link checker.  I use LinkBot which 
checks my 800 links in about 4 minutes.  I then check out the bad ones myself. 

If you need further clarification or help setting up the report, please email 
me.  One of your fellow Canadians, Charley Pennell,  has developed some great 
written documentation for Sirsi cataloging procedures.  You can find the 
Cataloguer's Toolbox with the URL info at 
<http://www.mun.ca/library/cat/URLprocedures.htm>.

Grace Garbe
Systems Librarian
ZAI-AMELEX
Defense Systems Management College
Ft. Belvoir, VA
garbe_grace at dsmc.dsm.mil
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: [WEB4LIB:14750] Converting text to HTML
Author:  walterg at yorku.ca (Walter W. Giesbrecht) at INTERNET
Date:    8/7/98 9:52 AM

Our library has been adding URLs to the catalogue records of 
electronic journals for some time now. The staff in Bibliographic 
Services need a relatively simple way to check the links in these 
records on a periodic basis. The catalogue software (Sirsi's 
UNICORN) allows them to generate a report (in ASCII) of the 
catalogue records that include URLs (a single record in this 
report looks something like this):

     via web browser by entering the following URL: 
     http://www.idealibrary.com/cgi-bin/links/toc/ab 
     ISSN: 0  : |a0003-2697
     Subject:  0 : |aBiochemistry|xPeriodicals.|?UNAUTHORIZED 
     Electronic access: 7  :
     |uhttp://www.idealibrary.com/cgi-bin/links/toc/ab|2 
     http|zhttp://www.idealibrary.com/cgi-bin/links/toc/ab
       YORK--
        Location: YORKSTEACIE --
           Textual holdings: v.10, 1965 -

What we need to know is: how can we convert this ASCII file into 
HTML and make all the embedded URLs active links? Once we get 
this, we can use link-checking software to test them all. Word 97 
will make a URL into a link by putting a hard return after the 
URL, but doing this is impractical when the most recent report 
was just over 800K in size! Any ideas?

--

Walter W. Giesbrecht                             walterg at yorku.ca 
York University Libraries                (416)736-2100 ext. 77551 
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA                                  113 SSB