Tailored Just for U: uPortal Customised for Academics (Dennis Todd)
The HIP 4 admin tool is built on the 8.0 code base and will run on any desktop that can run Java.
Dennis had prepared a useful “HIP 4.1 Customisation Parameter List” document, but it wasn’t too obvious where this was going to be available to download from.
Dennis also introduced some of the new HIP 4 terminology:
- targets – anything that HIP 4 can search against (e.g. Horizon database, Z39.50 targets, Digital Library, etc)
- common codes – groups together similar result/search attributes from the targets so that a single author keyword search could match against authors, composers, editors, etc – whatever was closest to the concept of an “author” for that particular database or resource (MetaLib sites will already be familiar with this “lowest common denominator” idea)
A hint from Dennis – change the quick search (in the portal properties record) so that it searches against more than just the Horizon database.
Templates:
-
profile_user
template user – the “look & feel” that a logged in user gets -
profile_guest
template guest user – the “look & feel” a non-logged in user gets
…make sure that the “system admin” box is ticked for both of the above!
When you log into HIP to make changes to those templates, firstly save the layout and then click save template user – don’t do it the other way around!!!
Remember that guest users shouldn’t have a “preferences” tab.
Anyone who is set up as a “system admin” gets a “manage channels” icon so that they can add new channels to HIP.
In HIP 4, new tabs are added in HIP – not from inside the Java HIP admin tool.
Dennis stressed the importance of getting your templates set up exactly how you want them before going live. If you decide to make changes after going live, then any patrons who had already logged in won’t get to see those new changes.
That raised the question of exactly when do you make those changes – if you’re busy upgrading from HIP 3.x to HIP 4.x, then you don’t have the luxury of saying to your patrons “Hey – the PAC’s not going to be available for a couple of weeks, because we want to play around with it first and make it all pretty for you!”.
Someone suggested that you disable logins until you’ve got the “logged in” template set up – but that would mean patrons wouldn’t be able to make requests or renew items via the PAC.
The only solution seems to be that you need to plan ahead and decide in advance what you want to appear in your HIP and how it should be laid out. Then, once you’ve finished the upgrade, cross your fingers and try and set it up as quickly as possible!