Net::Z3950 0.51 review

Net::Z3950 is a Perl extension for talking to Z39.50 servers. WARNING You should not be using this module unless you need this

License: Perl Artistic License File size: 85K Developer: Mike Taylor

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Net::Z3950 is a Perl extension for talking to Z39.50 servers.

WARNING

You should not be using this module unless you need this precise API for compatibility reasons. New applications should use the ZOOM-Perl module (Net::Z3950::ZOOM) instead.

SYNOPSIS

(This code blocks in reads: see below for sample non-blocking code which allows multiple servers to be searched in parallel.)

use Net::Z3950;

$conn = new Net::Z3950::Connection('server.host.name', 210)
or die $!;
$rs = $conn->search('au=kernighan or su=unix')
or die $conn->errmsg();

my $n = $rs->size();
print "found $n records:n";
foreach $i (1..$n) {
$rec = $rs->record($i) or die $rs->errmsg();
print $rec->render();
}

$conn->close();

This module provides a Perl interface to the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol (aka. ISO 23950), a mature and powerful protocol used in application domains as diverse as bibliographic information, geo-spatial mapping, museums and other cultural heritage information, and structured vocabulary navigation.

Net::Z3950.pm is an implementation of the Perl binding for ZOOM, the Z39.50 Objct Orientation Model. Bindings for the same abstract API are, or will be, available in other languages including C, C++, Java and Tcl.

Two basic approaches are possible to building clients with this module:

The simple synchronous approach considers blocking reads acceptable, and therefore allows a straightforward style of imperative programming. This approach is suitable for clients which only talk to one server at a time, and is exemplified by the code in the SYNOPSIS section above.

The more complex asynchronous approach, appropriate for clients which multiplex simultaneous connections, requires a slightly less familiar event-driven programming style, as exemplified in the ASYNCHRONOUS SYNOPSIS section below.

(The simpler synchronous interface functions are implemented as a thin layer on top of the asynchronous functions.)

Requirements:
Perl