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Version: 3.1.X

Display Customization

The way bibliographic records are displayed to the end-user in the OPAC is fully customizable. This control is achieved through the ISIS Formatting Language (PFT). By editing specific PFT files, an administrator can change which fields are displayed, their order, and their formatting (e.g., adding labels, applying bold text, or creating links).

Understanding Display Formats (PFTs)​

The OPAC typically uses several different PFT files to present information in various levels of detail. The most common formats are:

  • Short or Tabular Format: A brief, one-line display used for the list of search results. It usually contains just the essential information, like the title and author.
  • Medium or Full Format: The detailed view of a single record, which is shown when a user clicks on an item from the results list. This format includes all relevant bibliographic details.
  • MARC Format: A technical view that shows the record's raw MARC tags and subfields.

How to Customize Display Formats​

  1. Locate the PFT files: The display PFTs for the OPAC are located in the database's pfts directory, usually within a subdirectory for the specific language (e.g., /var/opt/ABCD/bases/your_db/pfts/en/).
  2. Identify the file to edit: The files are named according to the format they control. For example, opac_text.pft might control the full display format.
  3. Edit the PFT: Open the file in a text editor. Inside, you will use the ISIS Formatting Language to design the output.

PFT Example:

A simple PFT to display a title and author might look like this:

'<b>Title:</b> ',v245^a,'<br>'
'<b>Author:</b> ',v100^a'
  • '<b>Title:</b> ' is a literal string that will be displayed as bold text.
  • v245^a is a command that extracts the content of subfield a from field 245 (the title).
  • '<br>' is a literal HTML tag for a line break.

By modifying these PFT files, you have complete control over the HTML structure of the record display, allowing for rich and user-friendly presentations.

Customizing the Visual Design (CSS) Beyond the record display, the overall look and feel of the OPAC (colors, fonts, layout) can be customized by editing its CSS files. These files are typically located in a css directory within the OPAC's folder structure. Advanced users can modify these files to match the OPAC's design to their institution's website and branding.