How does Pathfinder Pro Work

In Pathfinder Pro, you create links from origins (for example, the Encore/WebPAC display of a retrieved bibliographic record) to target resources (for example, an online database of articles on a topic related to the bibliographic record). Both origins and resources must have "definitions" in Pathfinder Pro.

Millennium and WebPAC/Encore serve as Pathfinder Pro origins.

Millennium and Encore/WebPAC origins generate requests in response to searches or other user-selected options and pass the requests to the Pathfinder Pro server. You do not need to configure the Millennium and Encore/WebPAC servers to work with Pathfinder Pro.

Any URL can serve as a resource.

You assign origin and resource definitions to categories, and Pathfinder Pro creates links between the origin and all resources in the category. Filters and data tests control which links are displayed and the circumstances under which links display.

Innovative provides Millennium and WebPAC/Encore origin definitions, a starting set of resource definitions, some suggested categories, and commonly-used filters and data tests with Pathfinder Pro.

The Pathfinder Pro server:

• 1. Receives the request
• 2. Applies category suppression rules, if you have them.

  For additional information, refer to the Innovative Guide and Reference, Page # 108022: Suppressing Resources by Category.

• 3. Parses the request
• 4. Performs data tests to see if the record or the request contains the data required to retrieve the target, if you have set up such data tests
• 5. Displays the first option from the following list that contains at least one resource satisfying the request:
  
  
  • The categories that are preferred according to the suppression rules
  • Whether a resource matching the request exists in a preferred category

    If a resource matching the request exists in the preferred categories, Pathfinder Pro suppresses categories according to the rule and offers the resources available in the unsuppressed categories.

    If no resource matching the request exists in a preferred category, Pathfinder Pro ignores category suppression and attempts to find a resource in any category that is valid for the origin.

    For additional information, refer to the Innovative Guide and Reference, Page # 108022: Suppressing Resources by Category.

How does Pathfinder Pro work - video examples
	In this example, we will search for books about water pollution. We will then select Amazon to jump to the Amazon website with the water pollution search. Click to view
	In this example, we will search for books about marine mammals. We will then select the other resources option to view the resource panel. From the panel, we will select Encyclopedia Britannica to learn more about marine mammals. Click to view
	In this example, we will search a book with the title Bound for blue water. We will then select the floor map to see which floor this book is shelved and the general layout of that floor. Note that the second floor map is only displayed for titles in which the call number range is P-Z. Click to view
	In this example, we will search for the video Remember the Titans. We will then select the other resources option to view the resource panel. From the panel, we will select IMDB to learn more about this film. Note that IMDB is only offered for bib records that are identified as video (Material Type = g). Click to view
	In this example, we will search Millennium for the title Connecting to Learn. We will then select the PPro (Pathfinder Pro) button to launch our contextual choices. From the list of databases, we select AddALL to find out how much book vendors are charging for this title. Click to view