Example 1: XML Indexing And Searching
This example shows how Zebra can be used with absolutely minimal configuration to index a body of XML documents, and search them using XPath expressions to specify access points.
Go to the examples/zthes subdirectory of the distribution archive. There you will find a Makefile that will populate the records subdirectory with a file of Zthes records representing a taxonomic hierarchy of dinosaurs. (The records are generated from the family tree in the file dino.tree.) Type to make the XML data file.
Now we need to create a Zebra database to hold and index the XML
records. We do this with the
Zebra indexer, zebraidx, which is
driven by the zebra.cfg configuration file.
For our purposes, we don't need any
special behaviour - we can use the defaults - so we start with a
minimal file that just tells zebraidx where to
find the default indexing rules, and how to parse the records:
profilePath: .:../../tab
recordType: grs.sgml
That's all you need for a minimal Zebra configuration. Now you can
roll the XML records into the database and build the indexes:
zebraidx update records
Now start the server. Like the indexer, its behaviour is
controlled by the
zebra.cfg file; and like the indexer, it works
just fine with this minimal configuration.
By default, the server listens on IP port number 9999, although
this can easily be changed - see
the Section called Running the Z39.50 Server (zebrasrv) in Chapter 7.
zebrasrv
Now you can use the Z39.50 client program of your choice to execute
XPath-based boolean queries and fetch the XML records that satisfy
them:
$ yaz-client tcp:@:9999
Connecting...Ok.
Z> find @attr 1=/Zthes/termName Sauroposeidon
Number of hits: 1
Z> show 1
<Zthes>
<termId>22</termId>
<termName>Sauroposeidon</termName>
<termType>PT</termType>
<relation>
<relationType>BT</relationType>
<termId>21</termId>
<termName>Brachiosauridae</termName>
<termType>PT</termType>
</relation>
<size>245</size>
<localnumber>23</localnumber>
</idzebra>
</Zthes>
Now wasn't that easy?