1 .. include:: images.rst
8 .. _faq-installation-label:
11 ------------------------
13 **Question:** How can I find out what version of Koha I am using?
15 **Answer:** The easiest way to find out your Koha version is taking a look
16 at the About page of the staff interface.
18 You can also find out from the OPAC by taking a look at the HTML source.
19 It will look something like:
23 <meta name="generator" content="Koha 18.1200000" /> <!-- leave this for stats -->
25 **Question:** Should I use the Debian packages or the tarball to install Koha?
27 **Answer:** For the beginning user, it is highly recommended to use the
28 package install of Koha - it provides many simple commands to do powerful
29 things to your Koha installation. Packages should almost always be your
30 choice of install on an ordinary production Koha install.
31 A relative minimum of system administration skill is required to install
32 Koha using the Debian packages.
34 Instructions for using the packages with `Debian <https://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Debian>`_.
36 Installing from tarball or git is the only option for people not installing on Debian or Ubuntu.
38 Developers should give the `KohaDevBox <https://gitlab.com/koha-community/kohadevbox>`_
39 a look, it's the easiest, quickest way to get a Developer instance of Koha going.
41 .. _faq-opac-and-staff-interface-label:
43 OPAC and staff interface
44 -------------------------
46 .. _faq-cookies-label:
48 **Question:** What cookies does Koha use?
50 **Answer:** The cookies Koha uses on the OPAC and in the staff interface
51 are documented in the Koha Community wiki:
53 https://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Use_of_Cookies
56 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
58 .. _custom-item-type/authorized-value-icons-label:
60 Custom item type/authorized value icons
61 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
63 **Question:** Can I have my own set of item type images (or authorized
66 **Answer:** Absolutely. To add additional icons to your system you
67 simply add a new directory to
68 koha-tmpl/intranet-tmpl/prog/img/itemtypeimg/ and to
69 koha-tmpl/opac-tmpl/bootstrap/itemtypeimg and put your icons in the new
70 directory. Your icons will show up in a new tab as soon as they are in
75 Remember to put the icons in both places (on the OPAC and the
78 .. _customizing-koha-images-label:
80 Customizing Koha images
81 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
83 **Question**: Can I customize the images in the OPAC?
85 **Answer**: Absolutely. Koha comes with a series of original images that
86 you can alter to meet your needs. The originals can be found in the
87 misc/interface\_customization/ directory.
89 .. _opac-display-fields-label:
92 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
94 **Question**: What MARC fields print to the different OPAC screens in
97 **Answer**: The XSLT preference must be set as follows for the following
100 - :ref:`OPACXSLTResultsDisplay` = using XSLT
103 - :ref:`OPACXSLTDetailsDisplay` = using XSLT
106 - :ref:`DisplayOPACiconsXSLT` = show
108 The OPAC results page shows:
124 The OPAC details page shows:
166 - plus all of the 5xx fields in the 'Notes' tab at the bottom
168 .. _show-patrons-the-barcodes-of-items-they-have-checked-out-label:
170 Show patrons the barcodes of items they have checked out
171 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
173 **Question**: Can patrons see the barcodes for the items they have
176 **Answer**: Not by default, but with a few edits to the patron record
177 you can make a barcode column appear on the patron's check out summary
178 in the OPAC. You can set up a :ref:`patron
179 attribute <patron-attribute-types-label>` with the value of SHOW\_BCODE and
180 :ref:`authorized value <authorized-values-label>` of YES\_NO to make this happen.
184 Then on the :ref:`patron's record set the value <editing-patrons-label>` for
189 This will add a column to the check out summary in the OPAC that shows
190 the patrons the barcodes of the items they have checked out.
194 Clicking on the 'Overdue' tab will show only the items that are overdue.
196 .. _circulation/notices-label:
199 ----------------------------------
201 .. _faq-fees-and-fines-label:
204 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
206 **Question**: Why am I getting fined 5.00 for every loan?
208 **Answer**: The money you are seeing on your patron's account isn't a fine,
209 but a rental fee. The optional default item types that come with the Koha sample data
210 might contain a rental fee. To remove this fee, do the following:
212 - Click More > Administration
216 - Note which item types have a 5.00 fee associated with them, select them for editing
218 - Remove the fee, and save the item type
220 .. _book-drop-date-label:
223 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
225 **Question**: How is the book drop date determined? Is it the last
226 open date for the checkout library? Is it today's date minus one? Can the
227 book drop checkin date be set?
229 **Answer**: If the library is closed for four days for renovations, for
230 example, there would be more than one day needed for the book drop date.
231 You will only have one book drop date and that will be the last day that
232 the library was open (determined by the holiday calendar) because there is
233 no real way to know what day the books were dropped into the box during
236 If you need to set a different checkin date, you can use
237 the :ref:`SpecifyReturnDate` system preference. This will allow you to
238 set an arbitrary date and any overdue fines will be recalculated
241 .. _holds-to-pull-and-holds-queue-label:
243 Holds to pull and holds queue
244 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
246 **Question**: What is the difference between the :ref:`Holds
247 queue <holds-queue-label>` and :ref:`Holds to pull <holds-to-pull-label>`
250 **Answer**: The holds to pull report gives a simple list of what holds
251 need to be filled with available items. It shows the 'live' data of your
252 database, so new holds will turn up there immediately.
253 It shows information about each hold including all libraries where items of
254 the requested title are available.
256 The holds queue report is divided by libraries and will list the hold only
257 for one library where it is available. For libraries with lots of holds and
258 multiple branches this will prevent multiple libraries pulling the item
259 off the shelf at the same time.
261 The holds queue report is generated by the :ref:`build_holds_queue.pl <holds-queue-label>`
262 cron job. By default it runs hourly, but it might be changed to run at any other
263 interval. There are various configuration options to determine the library
264 to provide the item. For example:
266 - :ref:`Library transfer limits <library-transfer-limits-label>`
267 - :ref:`Transport cost matrix <transport-cost-matrix-label>`
268 - :ref:`StaticHoldsQueueWeight`, :ref:`HoldsQueueSkipClosed`, and
269 :ref:`RandomizeHoldsQueueWeight` system preferences
271 .. _printing-overdue-notices-label:
273 Printing overdue notices
274 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
276 **Question**: Can I print overdue notices for patrons without email
279 **Answer**: Yes. By default Koha will email all overdue notices to
280 patrons without email address to the library.
282 Additionally the :ref:`overdue notice cron job <overdue-notice-label>`
283 has a setting to generate the overdue notices as HTML for printing. An
284 example of this usage would be:
287 overdue_notices.pl -t -html /tmp/noticedir -itemscontent issuedate,date_due,title,barcode,author
289 In this example, we wanted to use only certain item fields in our
290 notices, so we specified itemscontent fields in the cron entry; that's
291 not a requirement for the feature.
293 The command line needs to specify a web-accessible directory where the
294 print notices will go -- they get a filename like
295 notices-2018-11-24.html (or holdnotices-2018-11-24.html). The overdue
296 notice itself can be formatted to fit a Z-mailer. Within the notice
297 file, the text is spaced down or over to where it will print properly on
298 the form. The script has code that wraps around the notice file to tell
299 the HTML to obey the formatting, and to do a page break between notices.
300 The system preference :ref:`PrintNoticesMaxLines` can be used to specify
301 the page length for libraries that allow a lot of checkouts which can lead
302 to some notices running onto multiple pages. That system preference
303 says to truncate the print notice at that page length and put in a
304 message about go check your OPAC account for the full list.
306 The cron entry is :ref:`gather\_print\_notices.pl <print-hold-notices>` /tmp/noticedir
308 .. _unable-to-renew-items-label:
310 Unable to renew items
311 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
313 **Question**: We're trying to renew some items for our patron. One of
314 the items is on hold and ineligible for renewal, but the other two items
315 refuse to renew even though they should be eligible. When I try to use
316 the override renewal limit, it just returns a little message that says
317 "renewal failed". Any idea what's going on here?
319 **Answer**: At the very least you will need to set an absolute :ref:`default
320 circulation rule <circulation-and-fine-rules-label>`. This rule should be as
321 standard rule for all libraries, 'All' itemtype', and 'All' patron category.
322 That will catch anyone who doesn't match a specific rule. Patrons who do not
323 match a specific rule will get blocked from placing holds or renewing
324 items, since there was no baseline number of holds or renewals to
327 .. _unable-to-place-holds-label:
329 Unable to place holds
330 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
332 **Question**: Why can't I place holds when I have all of the preferences
335 **Answer**: You probably need to set a default circulation rule in your
336 :ref:`Circulation and fines rules <circulation-and-fines-rules-label>`. At the
337 very least you will need to set a default circulation rule. his rule should be as
338 standard rule for all libraries, 'All' itemtype', and 'All' patron category.
339 That will catch all instances that do not match a specific
342 The ability to place holds also depends on the 'On shelf holds allowed' setting
343 in the used circulation rule. Depending on the setting, it might not be
344 possible to place a hold, unless all or at least one item of the record
347 .. _keyboard-shortcuts-label:
350 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
352 **Question**: Do I have to use my mouse to access the checkout, checkin,
353 renewal and catalog tabs at the top of the circulation pages?
355 **Answer**: You can jump between the tabs on the quick search box at the
356 top of the screen by using the following hot keys (if the tab is
359 - jump to the catalog search with Alt+q
361 - jump to the checkout with Alt+u
363 - this will not work for Mac user
365 - jump to the renewal tab with Alt+w
367 - jump to the checkin with Alt+r
371 Mac users use the OPTION button in place of Alt
373 .. _sms-notices/messages-label:
376 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
378 **Question**: I want Koha to send notices via SMS, what do I need to do?
380 **Answer**: First you need to choose a SMS service to use with Koha.
381 There is a list available here:
382 http://search.cpan.org/search?query=sms%3A%3Asend&mode=all Not all SMS
383 services available to libraries have Perl drivers, so be sure to check
384 this list to see if the provider you're considering is listed. If not
385 you want to ask your provider if they have a Perl module, if not you
386 should consider another service. Some common options in the US (that
387 have Perl drivers) are:
389 - AQL (`www.aql.com <http://www.aql.com>`__)
391 - Wadja (`wadja.com <http://wadja.com>`__)
393 - Ipipi (`ipipi.com <http://ipipi.com>`__)
397 - SMSDiscount (`smsdiscount.com <http://smsdiscount.com>`__)
401 Alternatively you can configure Koha to send SMS via Email. In order
402 to use this feature you need to set the ::ref::`SMSSendDriver` system
403 preference to 'Email' and confiugre the email gateways for the different
404 :ref:`SMS cellular providers <sms-cellular-providers-label>` of your patrons.
406 In any case you might want to check if sending SMS to your patrons is
407 legal in your location.
409 **Question**: What about in India?
411 **Answer**: India does not yet have too many options here. This is
412 partly due to the Telecom regulatory authority's (TRAI) stipulations
413 about transactional SMSes and limits on the number of SMSes that may be
414 sent/received per users per day. India specific drivers include:
416 - Unicel Technologies Pvt Ltd (`unicel.in <http://unicel.in>`__)
418 .. _cataloging-label:
420 Email notices/messages
421 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
423 **Question**: How do I prevent my libraries notices ending up marked as spam?
425 **Answer**: This is a complicated topic, but thankfully Koha gives you a good
426 degree of control via various system preferences.
428 For every email sent out from Koha there are three important addresses for the
429 system to get correct, *From*, *Reply-to* and *Sender*. These are configurable
430 at both the system and library level and should fallback in a suitable manor if
431 any of them are not defined.
433 * KohaAdminEmailAddress - This will act as the *From* address and should be an
434 address in the same domain as the koha server [for example noreply@koha-hosting.org]
435 * ReplytoDefault - This will act as the *Reply-to* address and can be in any
436 domain [for example librarian@mylibrary.com] and this is the address which will
437 be used if/when a patron hits 'Reply' in their email client. Note: This will
438 fall back to KohaAdminEmailAddress when it is not set.
439 * ReturnpathDefault - This will act as the *Sender* address and also needs to be
440 within the koha/email servers domain [for example postmaster@koha-hosting.org]
441 and this is the address which will be used to report if an email bounces for any
444 There are parallels to all the above preferences at the per branch level which
445 fall back in the same order as mentioned aboved before falling back to the system
446 level preferences above when required.
448 If you have the above configured correctly and your emails are still being
449 treated as spam then you likely need to contact your email service provider/dns
450 provider and look into MX, SPF and DKIM records.
454 ------------------------
456 .. _faq-authorities-label:
459 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
461 **Question:** Why can't I edit 1xx, 6xx, or 7xx fields in my catalog
464 **Answer:** These fields are authority controlled and you probably have
465 the :ref:`BiblioAddsAuthorities` set to "Don't
466 allow". When it is set to "Don't allow" these fields will be locked and
467 require you to search for an existing authority record to populate the
468 field with. To allow typing in these authority fields set
469 :ref:`BiblioAddsAuthorities` to 'Allow'.
473 Fields affected by this preference will show a lock symbol in them
478 **Question:** Can I use Koha without creating authority records?
480 **Answer:** If you don't want to create authorities for your reacords at all, you can
481 remove the authority link by blanking the Thesaurus setting for the fields
482 in your MARC bibliographic frameworks. See also:
483 :ref:`Edit framework subfields <edit-framework-subfields-label>`
485 .. _faq-koha-to-marc-mapping-label:
488 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
490 **Question**: What's the relationship between 'Koha to MARC mapping' and
491 'MARC bibliographic frameworks'?
493 **Answer**: Mappings can be defined through 'MARC bibliographic
494 frameworks' OR 'Koha to MARC mapping'. 'Koha to MARC mapping' is just a
495 shortcut to speed up linkage. If you change a mapping in one of these
496 modules, the mapping will change in the other as well. In other words,
497 the two modules 'overwrite' each other in order to prevent conflicts
498 from existing in Koha.
500 .. _number-of-items-per-bib-record-label:
502 Number of items per bibliographic record
503 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
505 **Question**: Is there a limit on the number of items I can attach to a
508 **Answer**: There is no limit to the number of items you can
509 attach to a bibliographic record. For records with a big number of items
510 exporting the MARC record as ISO 2709 might be problematic as this format
511 has a size limit. Item numbers somewhere between 600 and 1000 items on a
512 'normal' bibliographic record should be ok.
517 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
519 **Question**: I am using the
520 :ref:`EasyAnalyticalRecords` feature, but my links
521 in the OPAC and Staff client to 'Show analytics' are not working.
523 **Answer**: If you plan on using
524 :ref:`EasyAnalyticalRecords` you will want to make
525 sure to set your :ref:`UseControlNumber` preference to
526 "Don't use," this will prevent broken links.
528 .. _acquisitions-label:
531 --------------------------
533 .. _planning-categories-label:
536 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
538 **Question**: What is a planning category?
540 **Answer**: When you plan in advance for the way your budget is going to
541 be spent, you initially plan for how it's going to be spent over time,
542 that's the most natural thing to do.
544 So you plan for $1000 in Jan. $1000 in Feb., $3000 in March, etc. You
545 can basically do the same thing with a list of values in lieu of the
548 Say you have a list like this one:
562 The list is meant to represent when the books acquired were published.
563 Then you plan for it, saying: we want to spend at least 40% of our
564 budgets on books published less than a year ago, 10% on books more than
567 Upon acquiring new material, you'll be able to select, for a given item,
568 a value from this list in a drop down. Then, after the material has been
569 acquired, at the end of the year, you'll be able to compare the goals
570 set with what's been achieved.
575 -------------------------
577 .. _advanced-patterns-label:
580 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
582 **Question**: What is the 'inner counter' on the advanced serials
585 **Answer**: I think it is better to give an example to understand this :
587 Example for a monthly subscription :
589 - First issue publication date : April 2010
591 - Numbering : No {X}, year {Y}
593 - First issue : No 4, year 2010
595 For the year Y : you will want the year change on January 2011
597 So, the advanced pattern for Y will be :
603 - When more than: 9999999
611 Year is going to change after 12 received issues from April 2010, that
612 is in April 2011 if you don't set inner counter. Set inner counter to 3
613 will say to Koha: change year after 12-3 = 9 received issues.
615 Inner counter says to Koha to take into account the first issues of the
616 year, even if they are not received with Koha. If you begin with first
617 issue of the year write nothing or 0.
619 .. _faq-reports-label:
622 -------------------------
624 .. _faq-sql-help-label:
627 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
629 **Question:** I don't know SQL, but I want to write a report that does X.
632 **Answer:** The `Koha reports library <https://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/SQL_Reports_Library>`_ on the Koha wiki is a good starting point
633 and contains a lot of SQL reports shared by other libraries that can be
636 `Koha's database schema <https://schema.koha-community.org>`_ is also publicly documented and contains helpful
637 notes on how the columns in the various tables are used.
639 If you get stuck people on the community mailing lists will often be
642 .. _define-codes-stored-in-db-label:
644 Codes stored in the database
645 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
647 .. _fines-table-label:
650 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
652 **Question:** What do the codes in the accounttype field in the
653 accountlines table stand for?
657 - A = Account management fee
665 - FU = Overdue, still acccruing
669 - LR = Lost item returned/refunded
679 .. _statistics-table-label:
682 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
684 **Question:** What are the possible codes for the type field in the
691 - Registers if an item that had been checked out to a statistics
692 patron (category type = 'X') is returned
706 - The XXX stores different types of fee credits, so a query to catch
707 them all would include a clause like "type LIKE 'Credit%'"
709 .. _reserves-table-label:
712 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
714 **Question**: What are the possible codes for the found field in the
715 reserves and old\_reserves tables?
719 - NULL: means the patron requested the 1st available, and we haven't
722 - T = Transit: the hold is linked to an item but is in transit to
725 - W = Waiting: the hold is linked to an item, is at the pickup
726 library, and is waiting on the hold shelf
728 - F = Finished: the reserve has been completed, and is done
730 .. _reports-dictionary-table-label:
732 Reports dictionary table
733 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
735 **Question**: What are the possible codes for the area field in the
736 reports\_dictionary table?
750 .. _messages-table-label:
753 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
755 **Question**: What are the possible codes for the message\_type field in
762 - B = For Patrons/Borrowers
764 .. _serial-table-label:
767 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
769 **Question**: What are the possible codes for the status field in the
790 - 41 = Missing (not received)
792 - 42 = Missing (sold out)
794 - 43 = Missing (damaged)
796 - 44 = Missing (lost)
798 .. _borrowers-table-label:
801 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
803 **Question**: What are the possible codes for the privacy field in the
804 borrowers and deleted_borrowers tables?
814 .. _patron-categories-table-label:
816 Patron categories table
817 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
819 **Question**: What are the possible codes for the category types?
835 .. _messaging-preferences-label:
837 Messaging preferences
838 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
840 **Question**: What are the possible codes in the message\_attribute\_id
841 field in the borrower\_message\_preferences table?
845 - 2 = advanced notice
855 .. _runtime-parameters-label:
858 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
860 **Question**: Is there a way to filter my custom SQL reports before they
863 **Answer**: If you want to make your reports easy to reuse with different
864 filters and date ranges, you can add runtime parameters to your query.
865 Runtime parameters basically make a filter appear before the report is
868 There is a specific syntax that Koha will understand as 'ask for values
869 when running the report'. The syntax is <<Question to
872 - The << and >> are just delimiters. You must put << at the beginning
873 and >> at the end of your parameter
875 - The 'Question to ask' will be displayed as a label before the form
878 - The type can be omitted if you want a free text input field. If it
879 contains an authorized value category, 'branches' (libraries), 'itemtype'
880 (itemtypes), 'categorycode' (patron categories), or 'biblio\_framework'
881 (MARC bibliographic frameworks), a pull down will be displayed
882 with the options from your configuration instead of a free text field.
884 - When using 'date' as type, the date picker will be displayed to help
885 with entering dates. The date will be automatically changed to the ISO
886 date needed for the SQL query, while you can enter it according to your
887 :ref:`DateFormat` system preference setting.
890 have more than one parameter in one SQL query. If you need the same value
891 multiple times in your SQL query, make sure you use the same label. This
892 will make the form field only appear once.
895 nothing at run time won't probably work as you expect. It will be
896 considered as "value empty" not as "ignore this parameter". For
897 example entering nothing for : "title=<<Enter title>>" will display
898 results with title='' (no title). If you want to have to have
899 something not mandatory, use "title like <<Enter title>>" and enter a
900 % at run time instead of nothing
904 - SELECT surname,firstname FROM borrowers WHERE branchcode=<<Enter
905 patrons library\|branches>> AND surname like <<Enter filter for
906 patron surname (% if none)>>
908 - SELECT \* FROM items WHERE homebranch = <<Pick your
909 branch\|branches>> and barcode like <<Partial barcode value here, use
912 - SELECT title, author FROM biblio WHERE frameworkcode=<<Enter the
913 frameworkcode\|biblio\_framework>>
919 You have to use 'like' in your SQL query and put "%" in a text box
920 to 'leave it blank'. Otherwise, it literally looks for "" (empty string)
921 as the value for the field.
928 --------------------------
930 .. _advanced-search-label:
933 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
935 .. _scan-indexes-label:
938 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
940 **Question**: What does 'scan indexes' on the advanced search page mean?
942 **Answer**: When you choose an index, enter a term, click 'scan indexes'
943 and do the search, Koha displays the searched term and the following
944 terms found in this index with the number of corresponding records. That
945 search is not made directly in the catalog, but first in the indexes.
946 It works only for one index at once, and only with no limit on library or
947 library group (All libraries needed).
949 .. _searching-for-terms-that-start-with-a-character-label:
951 Searching for terms that start with a character
952 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
954 **Question**: How do I search for all titles that start with the letter
957 **Answer**: You can choose to search for things that start with a
958 character or series of characters by using the CCL 'first-in-subfield'
960 - example: ti,first-in-subfield=C
962 .. _wildcard-searching-label:
965 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
967 **Question**:What is the difference between a keyword search using the
968 '\*' (asterisk) versus a keyword search using the '%' (percent)? Both
969 work in the catalog, but return different sets. Why?
971 **Answer**: A wildcard is a character (\*,?,%,.) that can be used to
972 represent one or more characters in a word. Two of the wildcard
973 characters that can be used in Koha searches are the asterisk ('\*') and
974 the percent sign ('%'). However, these two characters act differently
975 when used in searching.
977 The '\*' is going to force a more exact search of the first few
978 characters you enter prior to the '\*'. The asterisk will allow for an
979 infinite number of characters in the search as long as the first few
980 characters designated by your search remain the same. For example,
981 searching for authors using the term, Smi\*, will return a list that may
982 include Smith, Smithers, Smithfield, Smiley, etc depending on the
983 authors in your database.
985 The '%' will treat the words you enter in the terms of "is like". So a
986 search of Smi% will search for words like Smi. This results in a much
987 more varied results list. For example, a search on Smi% will return a
988 list containing Smothers, Smith, Smelley, Smithfield and many others
989 depending on what is your database.
991 The bottom line in searching with wildcards: '\*' is more exact while
992 '%' searches for similar terms.
994 .. _title-searching-label:
997 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
999 **Question**: Why does my Zebra title search for 'Help' not turn up 'The
1000 help' in the first pages of results?
1002 **Answer**: In general, the more terms you enter, the better your results will
1003 be. Koha doesn't use stop words, so searching for "the" and "an" will work
1004 just fine. So "the help" shoudl bring better results than just a title search
1005 for help. Also using "Title, phrase" would further improve the results as it
1006 means that these terms have to appear in this sequence and with no other
1009 Some system preferences are known to affect relevancy ranking negatively.
1010 These are :ref:`QueryAutoTruncate`and :ref:`UseICU`. With the latter also
1011 requiring the server setup to actually use ICU for indexing.
1013 Note: If multiple results have the same relevancy score, they will be
1014 sorted by biblionumber as second criteria.
1016 .. _reset-the-zebra-index-label:
1018 Reset the Zebra index
1019 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1021 Run the following commands to reset the authorities and biblios Zebra
1026 $ zebraidx -c /etc/koha/zebradb/zebra-authorities-dom.cfg -g iso2709 -d authorities init
1027 $ zebraidx -c /etc/koha/zebradb/zebra-biblios.cfg -g iso2709 -d biblios init
1029 If you are running a package install then you'll want to run the
1030 following commands to reset the authorities and biblios Zebra indices
1035 $ sudo zebraidx -c /etc/koha/sites/YOURLIBRARY/zebra-authorities-dom.cfg -g iso2709 -d authorities init
1036 $ sudo zebraidx -c /etc/koha/sites/YOURLIBRARY/zebra-biblios.cfg -g iso2709 -d biblios init
1038 Replacing YOURLIBRARY with your Koha installation name.
1040 .. _enhanced-content-label:
1043 ------------------------------------------
1045 .. _faq-amazon-label:
1048 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1050 .. _all-amazon-content-label:
1053 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1055 **Question**: I have all of the Amazon preferences turned on and have
1056 entered both of my keys, but none of the content appears in my system,
1059 **Answer**: Amazon's API checks your server time on all requests and if
1060 your server time is not set properly requests will be denied. To resolve
1061 this issue be sure to set your system time appropriately. Once that
1062 change in made Amazon content should appear immediately.
1064 On Debian the the command is *date -s "2010-06-30 17:21"* (with the
1065 proper date and time for your timezone).
1067 Amazon also requires an ISBN for displaying book covers - make sure that
1068 you have the correct ISBN for your title. If you are having trouble with
1069 a book that seems like it should have a cover but doesn't turn one up,
1070 give it a try with the 10 digit ISBN in the first 020a. If you have a
1071 10 digit and it's not turning up, try with the 13 digit ISBN in the first
1074 .. _system-administration-label:
1076 Server administration
1077 --------------------------------------
1079 .. _making-z39.50-target-public-label:
1081 Making Z39.50 target public
1082 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1084 **Question**: How can I configure Zebra to make my database searchable
1087 **Answer**: Edit the KOHA\_CONF file that your Koha is using. Uncomment
1088 the publicserver line like:
1090 <!-- <listen id="publicserver" >tcp:@:9999</listen> -->
1094 <listen id="publicserver" >tcp:@:9999</listen>
1096 Then restart zebasrv and connect on the port specified (9999).
1098 .. _shelving-location-authorized-values-label:
1100 Shelving location authorized values
1101 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1103 **Question**: When editing an item, the new shelving location I created
1104 is not showing up by default in the items where I assigned it to.
1106 **Answer**: One possible reason is that you created the location
1107 in the LOC authorized value category with the code '' or 0 (zero). This
1108 will be treated as 'no location' and not display correctly.
1110 .. _why-do-i-need-authorized-values?-label:
1112 Why do I need authorized values?
1113 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1115 **Question**: Why would I want to define authorized values for MARC
1118 **Answer**: Authorized values create a 'controlled vocabulary' for your
1119 staff. As an example, let us assume that your Koha installation is used
1120 by several libraries, and you use MARC 21. You might want to restrict
1121 the 850a MARC subfield to the institution codes for just those
1122 libraries. In that case, you could define an authorized values category
1123 (perhaps called "INST") and enter the institution codes as the
1124 authorized values for that category.
1128 Koha automatically sets up authorized value categories for your item
1129 types and branch codes, and you can link these authorized values to
1130 MARC subfields when you set up your MARC tag structure.
1132 .. _how-do-i-clean-up-the-sessions-table?-label:
1134 How do I clean up the sessions table?
1135 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1137 **Question**: Is there a periodic job that can be run to cull old
1138 sessions from the table? We don't want to backup all the useless session
1141 **Answer**: You can regularly run the :ref:`cleanup database cron job <clean-up-database-label>`.
1143 Or just before doing a backup command (mysqldump), you can truncate
1148 mysql -u<kohauser -p<password <koha-db-name -e 'TRUNCATE TABLE sessions'
1153 ---------------------------
1155 .. _barcode-scanners-label:
1158 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1160 **Question**: What barcode scanners have been known to work with Koha?
1162 **Answer**: The simple rule of thumb is: does it act like a keyboard
1163 device? If so, it will work. (i.e. can you take the scanner, scan a
1164 barcode and have it show up in a text editor.)
1166 The main points to check are that it connects to your PC conveniently
1167 (can be USB or "keyboard wedge" which means it connects in line with the
1168 keyboard, which is useful with older computers), and that it scans the
1169 barcode type that you are using.
1171 It is a good idea to test some 'used' barcodes if you have any, to see
1172 whether the scanner can read scuffed or slightly wrinkled ones
1173 successfully. Most scanners are capable of reading several barcode types
1174 - there are many, and the specification should list the ones it can
1175 read. You may need to adjust settings slightly, such as prefix and
1176 suffix characters, or whether you want to send an 'enter' character or
1179 One more tip - some can be set 'always on' and may come with a stand,
1180 some have triggers under the handle, some have buttons on top, some are
1181 held like a pen. Think about the staff working with the hardware before
1182 choosing, as a button in the wrong place can be very awkward to use.
1187 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1189 .. _printers-used-by-koha-libraries-label:
1191 Printers used by Koha libraries
1192 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1194 General rule of thumb here is that if you can print with the printer
1195 from your browser, it will work with Koha.
1197 - POS-X receipt printer
1199 - Star Micronics printer (exact model unknown) with a generic/plain
1202 - Star SP2000 (Nelsonville)
1204 - Star TSP-100 futurePRINT (Geauga)
1206 - "I know there have been a lot of questions on receipt printers so
1207 I thought I'd pass on my findings. We have been testing the Star
1208 TSP-100 futurePRINT. I found this print to be VERY easy to
1209 configure for Koha. I was even able to customize the print job by
1210 adding our system logo (a .gif) to the top of every receipt. Also
1211 with a bitmap created in Paint was able to add a message at the
1212 bottom of each receipt with the contact information, hours and
1213 website for the library that the materials were checked out at."
1215 - Epson TM 88 IIIP thermal receipt printers
1219 - 1x1 labels using a Dymolabelwriter printer
1221 .. _braille-support-label:
1224 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1226 **Question**: Are there any braille embossers or printers which have
1227 inbuilt braille converters and are accessible within the UNIX environment?
1229 **Answer**: You may want to look into `BRLTTY <http://mielke.cc/brltty/>`_.
1231 .. _additional-support-label:
1233 Additional information
1234 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1236 - http://www.nexpresslibrary.org/go-live/configure-your-receipt-printers/