Troubleshooting External Lookups

If the external lookup does not work as expected, try the following troubleshooting steps:

  1. Verify that your library has an account with the external lookup service (for example, PubMed or CrossRef).
  2. Verify that Do external lookup is checked in the external origin definition.

    The origin that sends an OpenURL requiring external lookup must have Do external lookup checked in its origin definition.
  3. Verify that an external lookup is selected in the drop-down menu of the external origin definition.

    The origin that sends an OpenURL requiring external lookup must have an external lookup selected in its origin definition.
  4. Verify that a field selector exists for the field in the OpenURL that requires external lookup.

    The WebBridge resolution server uses field selectors to parse OpenURLs. You must have a field selector that identifies the meta tag containing the value that requires external lookup.
  5. Verify that the URL text box in the External Lookup definition contains the correct field selector.

    The WebBridge resolution server uses field selectors to pass values. You must have the correct field selector in the URL for the external lookup service.
  6. Verify that the XML mapping file exists in the live directory of your library's WebPAC.

Viewing the Response from the PubMed External Lookup

You can view the XML response from the PubMed external lookup. Doing so can help you determine if:

  • you are using a valid PMID
  • the external lookup server is functioning
  • the XML response corresponds to your library's pubmed.xml mapping file
  • the elements returned in the XML file are those needed for your WebBridge set up (for example, data tests in resource definitions)
  1. Perform the steps above.
  2. In your web browser's address text box, enter:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=<pmid>&retmode=xml
    NOTE

    This URL appears on multiple lines for display purposes only.

    Enter the URL in the text box without line breaks.

    If you cut and paste a URL, you can introduce line breaks that prevent the URL from functioning. Remove line breaks from any URL that you paste into the text box.



    Replace <pmid> with a PMID number. If you do not have a PMID number, a web search on "PMID" might help you find one. You can also use this sample PMID:

    15134582
  3. When the resource displays, view the source of the Web page. It is the external lookup server's XML response.
  4. Compare the external lookup server's XML response to the XML file in the live directory.

    If the files have the same elements, the external lookup feature is working. Check the WebBridge set up (link-to syntax, data tests, etc.).

Viewing the Response from the CrossRef External Lookup

You can view the XML response from the CrossRef external lookup. Doing so can help you determine if:

  • you are using a valid DOI
  • the external lookup server is functioning
  • the XML response corresponds to your library's crossref.xml mapping file
  • the elements returned in the XML file are those needed for your WebBridge set up (for example, data tests in resource definitions)
  1. Perform the steps above.
  2. In your web browser's address text box, enter:

    http://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?id=<doi>&pid=<your_library>
    NOTE

    This URL appears on multiple lines for display purposes only.

    Enter the URL in the text box without line breaks.

    If you cut and paste a URL, you can introduce line breaks that prevent the URL from functioning. Remove line breaks from any URL that you paste into the text box.



    Replace <doi> with a DOI number. If you do not have a DOI number, a web search on "DOI" might help you find one. You can also use this sample doi:

    10.1186/1475-2891-3-4

    Replace <your_library> with the PID for your library.
  3. Compare the external lookup server's XML response to the XML file in the live directory.

    If the files have the same elements, the external lookup feature is working. Check the WebBridge set up (link-to syntax, data tests, etc.).