MEDLINE demo startup procedures:


Things you need to do only once:

  1. Contact the National Library of Medicine to obtain a MEDLARS username and account if you don't already have one. You can apply for an account on-line.

  2. Transfer a copy of the Python telnet-expect library. This work was completed as part of the Stanford Digital Library Project. Unzip and untar the archive and place the files telnetexp.py and telnetlib.py in: $KOSROOT/demos/medline or any other directory on PYTHONPATH. To test, start python, and try import telnetexp.

  3. Copy or link the following files into ~/.grail/protocols:
    $KOSROOT/demos/medline/hdl_type_nlm.py
    $KOSROOT/demos/medline/Medline.py
  4. Using a shell window under UNIX or Command Prompt under NT, change directories to: $KOSROOT/config.

  5. Edit the file $KOSROOT/config/plugin.<kss-name>, where <kss-name> is the name of the KSS which will host the Elhill plugin, to include the following lines:
    [Elhill]
    run-at-boot: 1
    

    Note that the file $KOSROOT/config/plugin.elhill, included with the distribution, has been prepared with this information. It may be used as an example or the KSS hosting the plugin may simply be named "elhill", as in the example below.

  6. Start Grail. From the menubar, choose Preferences. Under Preferences choose General. Enable the ILU main loop preference. You must exit and restart Grail for this to take effect.
  7. Add a sym link or copy ../../common/physfonts.py into the medline demo directory.

Things you need to do before running the demo:

  1. In a separate shell, change directories to $KOSROOT/tools/worldroot.

  2. Run the worldroot using the command python worldroot.py. Note: you may already have one running from a previous demo. You may choose to run this in the background under UNIX.

  3. Change directories to $KOSROOT/kernel.

  4. Start a KSS running the Elhill plugin with the command python kernel.py -n elhill (again, this could be in the background under UNIX). This is the KSS that supports the Elhill plugin.

  5. Run a "home" KSS with the command python kernel.py. This is the kernel that is associated with your workstation.

Running the demo:

  1. Start a visualizer, your KOS and a KOS with Elhill (at least) should show up.

  2. Start Grail.

    Grail must have at least PYTHONPATH=$KOSROOT/common in its environment.

  3. From Grail, open the file $KOSROOT/demos/medline/medline_hendles.html. These are handle anchors that point to medline records. Try a few out to make sure handle resolution is working.

  4. From Grail, open the file $KOSROOT/demos/medline/GrailMed.html.

  5. Away you go...

Additional hints:

To get to the Knowbot part of the demo, select Knowbot in the radiobuttons at the lower left, and click the Launcher button below it.

Make sure you have entered a search key (e.g. "lindberg d" for Author and "computer" for subject -- both without the quotes) or else the KP will fail with an exception.

The 'repository' on host 'gather.cnri.reston.va.us' only contains 500,000 MEDLINE records. If you enter arbitrary searches, and plan on retrieving records via the CNRI handle system/repository, chances are the records you are after have not been loaded. This is, after all, a demo.

Status of the search will be printed in the Launchers reporting station window (top). This includes exceptions.


Copyright © 1998 by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives.