searchEadDoclist

Request url: https://api.archivesportaleurope.net/services/search/ead/docList. This service is a POST-request.

This search service delivers a list of Finding Aids, Holding Guides or Source Guides that contain archival descriptions with the requested searchterm. The docList-service can be viewed as the resultlist of the search-service, where the results are grouped by fa, hg or sg. A web developer is able to filter results on various facets.

Request parameters

Several request parameters can be used to do a search in archival descriptions.

eg.

{
  "count": "5",
  "startIndex": 0,
  "query": "nepal",
  "docType": "fa",
  "filters": [
    {
      "facetFieldName": "country",
      "facetFieldIds": [
        "7"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "dateFilters": [
    {
      "dateFieldName": "fromDate",
      "dateFieldId": "1800-01-01_2"
    }
  ]
}

This example searches for finding aids ("fa") with the term "nepal" and filters on the facet "country" with id = 7 (identifier for "NETHERLANDS") and date-facet "fromDate" with id = "1800-01-01_2" (identifier for the period 1800-1999).

count

The resultlist is delivered in chunks of a certain size. Request parameter "count" describes the number of results that are in one chunk. Optional. Default value is 5.

startIndex

Request parameter "startIndex" enables you to select the results that you want to have. Counting starts at zero. If "count" = 5, the second chunk starts with startIndex 5, the following at startIndex 10, etc. Optional. Default value is 0.

query

Containing the searchterm(s). Required.

docType

Defining on which type of EAD document the search should be performed: finding aids ("fa"), holdings guide ("hg") or source guide ("sg").

filters

Request parameter "filters" enables you to filter the result on facets. The facets are summarized in searchEadDoclist#facets.

dateFilters

Request parameters "dateFilters" enables you to filter the result on a certain period of time. The dateFacets are summarized in searchEadDoclist#date_facets

Response parameters

The response contains a list of the finding aids where the requested search-term(s) was/were found.

eg.

{
  "totalResults": 151,
  "startIndex": 0,
  "totalPages": 6,
  "totalDocs": 27,
  "eadDocList": [
    {
      "id": "F9816",
      "fondsUnitTitle": "Inventaris van het code-archief van het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, 1955-1964",
      "numberOfResults": 35,
      "repository": "Nationaal Archief",
      "country": "NETHERLANDS",
      "language": "",
      "repositoryCode": "NL-HaNA"
    },
   ... skip ...
  ],
  "facetFields": {
    "country": [
      {
        "id": "7",
        "name": "NETHERLANDS",
        "frequency": 151
      }
    ],
    "subject": [],
   ... skip ...
  }
}

totalResults

The response parameter "totalResults" gives the number of results in Descriptive Units. The totalDocs gives the number of findings aids, holding guides or source guides in which the search term was found.

startIndex

The response parameter "startIndex" gives the number of the chunk you requested.

totalPages

The response parameter "totalPages" gives the number of chunks.

totalDocs

The response parameter totalDocs gives the number of findings aids, holding guides or source guides in which the search term was found.

eadDocList

Enumeration of the results. All response parameters are optional, except for "id".

id	Internal APE identifier of the result
fondsUnitTitle	Title of the finding aid.
numberOfResults	Number of clevels of this finding aid, holdingsguide or sourceguide containing the searchterm.
language	Language of the description of the result.
repository	Name of the repository holding the fonds
repositoryCode	Code of the repository holding the fonds. Preferably, but not necessarily ISIL.
country	Name of the country where the repository is. In English.

facetFields

This response parameter gives an enumeration of facets. Every facet has three variables.

id	Internal APE identifier of the value. Use this "id" in the filter request parameter.
name	Human readable value (in English).
frequency	The number of results of this facet containing the searchterm.

facets

country	Name of the country where the repository is. In English.
subject	Subject that is added to the archival description
repository	Name of the repository holding the fonds
docType	Type of archives describing document where the result is found : "fa" for Finding Aid, "hg" for Holdings Guide or "sg" for Source Guide.
level	Type of result: "archdesc" for highest level description or "clevel" for subordinate components
hasDigitalObject	TRUE/FALSE
digitalObjectType	Type of the Object: most of the time: IMAGE
unitDateType	Type of date describing the archival unit.

date facets

With the date facets you can zoom in on the period of time. Results are grouped in periods of two centuries in the first step. If you use these groupings in the request-parameter dateFilter, you'll have new dateFacets that groups the results into groups of two decades

fromDate	Grouping of the search result in starting dates.
toDate	Grouping of the search result in ending dates.