OpenSearch is a standard way of querying a database for content and returning the results.
The official docs note simply: “Any website that has a search feature can make their results available in OpenSearch format,” then adds: “Publishing your search results in OpenSearch™ format will draw more people to your content, by exposing it to a much wider audience through aggregators such as A9.com.”
It’s a lot easier to understand OpenSearch once you’ve used it, so take a look at A9.com and do a search. A9 isn’t the only OpenSearch aggregator out there, but it’s a great example. You can query a number of OpenSearch targets by clicking the buttons to add columns (also try resizing the columns), or you can add any of the 422 public search targets listed at A9.
Now, if you’ve got the beta of IE 7, you can see how it’s extending beyond server-side aggregators and into client software. Even better, you can see how this is becoming automigical via autodiscovery.
One of the most exciting features of OpenSearch is its support for complex queries as well as simple keyword searches, and the ability to return intelligent responses to a search, such as alternate search suggestions (think spelling corrections) and facets (hey, any librarians attending this?)
Now, the question for libraries is when are we going to demand OpenSearch interfaces from our information providers? The inclusion of OpenSearch in IE7 more than gives it critical mass, but so far it seems to be just something a few progressive library-types are experimenting with. In the short term, imagine how improved our metasearch tools would be if based on fully-implemented OpenSearch feeds (with the facets and suggestions). In the long term, I can’t imagine any aspect of a library’s online services not touched by this technology.
a9, API, lib20, libraries, library, library 2.0, OpenSearch, search, search aggregator, search api
Posted July 19, 2006 by Casey Bisson
Categories: Libraries & Networked Information. Tags: a9, api, lib20, libraries, library, library 2.0, opensearch, search, search aggregator, search api.
2 Comments
Comments RSS
TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
User contributed tags for this post:
opensearch example (98) - opensearch examples (56) - opensearch (52) - opensearch aggregator (51) - php opensearch (17) - opensearch aggregators (16) - opensearch facets (12) - safari opensearch (12) - opensearch sample (12) - opensearch suggestions (11) - opensearch client (10) - pink com (8) - opensearch in a nutshell (8) - google opensearch (8) - flickr opensearch (8) - pink world com (8) - opensearch safari (8) - wikipedia opensearch (8) - opensearch suggestions ie7 (7) - opensearch api (7) - ie7 (6) - opensearch suggestion (5) - opensearch wikipedia (5) - IE7 OpenSearch (4) - ie7 opensearch suggestions (4) - ie7 opensearch suggestion (4) - wikipedia opensearch api (4) - tv.com opensearch (3) - www.pinkworldsex.com (3) - Example opensearch (3) - php opensearch client (3) - advantage of opensearch (3) - opensearch video (3) - a9 api (2) - wikipedia api opensearch (2) - php opensearch example (2) - nutshell wiki (2) - opensearch 1 (2) - F (2) - aggregator opensearch (2) - google.com opensearch results (2) - opensearch example post (2) - iraq xxx sex giral (2) - opensearch keywords (2) - php wikipedia opensearch (2) - safari 3 opensearch (2) - database publishing (2) - http daveyp com blog (2) - opensearch buttons (2) - searchtools com (2) - opensearch php (2) - web 2.0 RSS PHP Opensearch (1) - the sex farmer.com (1) - Web 2.0 Remixability example (1) - google opensearch results (1) - in a nutshell wikipedia (1) - www.iraq sex.com (1) - opensearch nutshell (1) - youtube search suggestions opensearch (1) - wikimedia opensearch (1) - search aggregator open source (1) - www.you tube sex.com (1) - in a nutshell, wiki (1) - safari support opensearch (1) - opensearch safari 4 (1) - opensearch sample implementation (1) - opensearch api example (1) - openSearch query example wikipedia (1) - web 2.0 rss php opensearch mysql (1) - OpenSearch api query (1) - opensearch for ie7 (1) - opensearch comment (1) - OpenSearch Suggestions wordpress (1) - YouTube OpenSearch API (1) - use bsuite to add keyword searches (1) - Advantage OpenSearch (1) - php opensearch server (1) - vedio www.sex iraq.com (1) - opensearch youtube (1) - returning results for search suggestion opensearch (1) - google opensearch example query (1) - opensearch results examples (1) - www.pinkworldsex.com vedio (1) - www you tube.thailan sex.com (1) - Google suggestions in OpenSearch (1) - does google support opensearch (1) - wordpress opensearch (1) - google opensearch server (1) - google opensearch query (1) - safari supports opensearch (1) - google opensearch suggestion example (1) - remixability examples (1) - add opensearch buttons (1) - wikipedia opensearch results (1) - opensearch youtube suggestions (1) - open search API wikipedia (1) - complex opensearch example (1) - youtube search suggestion opensearch (1) - youtube suggestion opensearch (1) - opensearch complex query (1) - wordpress OpenSearch suggestions (1) - implemented opensearch (1) - google support opensearch (1) - youporn giral (1) - server side search result aggregator (1) - vedio sex giral 16 (1) - wikipedia open search API (1) - how is opensearch i implemented in websites (1) - website that implemented open search (1) - keyword search opensearch (1) - opensearch advantage (1) - examples opensearch results (1) - open search facets (1) - Try A9 com OpenSearch client (1) - A9 OpenSearch Client (1) - opensearch keyword (1) - you tube opensearch (1) - example of opensearch query (1) - opensearch suggestion example (1) - opensearch api post (1) - opensearch search suggestions server (1) - 8146859531007 (1) - opensearch search suggestions (1) - OpenSearch Aggregator client (1) - www.iraq.com (1) - OpenSearch autodiscovery (1) - microformats (1) - search (1) - all (1) - opensearch how to (1) - returning the results of an opensearch as a page (1) - OpenSearch flickr (1) - publishing opensearch results (1) - Google opensearch format (1) - related biblioteca itesm mx blog p 7 (1) - opensearch result format (1) - Search 84 (1) - opensearch searchterms complex (1) - google opensearch example (1) - library opensearch suggestions (1) - http://google com (1) - wikipedia api opensearch example (1) - opensearch api safari (1) - opensearch aggregator -drupal (1) - OpenSearch online (1) - examples of opensearch (1) - Opensearch source (1) - php open search agregator (1) - opensearch software (1) - wikipedia php api opensearch (1) -
I’m guessing (and hoping) that a year from now we’ll have many concrete examples of online and client software and services that take advantage of some of the capabilities in OpenSearch beyond basic keyword search.
It would be very cool - not to mention appropriate - if libraries got there first
[...] is a common way of querying a database for content and returning the results. The idea is that it brings sanity to [...]