Answers to Common Questions related to XSLT
If you've ever wondered how to do a specific cool thing with your letter, look no further! Here are some common solutions to questions we have received. If there's a question you have that is not answered here, please email natasha.
How to add a label to your letter's sender
Some of you may have noticed after sending a letter to your patron that the sender label only shows the email address. This is easily fixed with the following steps.
- Go to Alma > Administration > General Configuration > Letter Emails
- Find the letter you want to edit > Click Actions > Edit
- Find the addressFrom Code and add your label and the email address.
- Save the change, then send the letter out again. You should see something like this:
For more information:
How to create a "My Account" Link in emails
Do you want to add a link to a patron's Primo account in their emails? Here's how to do this. Note: you must have the letter administrator role to make edits.
- Go to General Configuration > Configuration Menu > Other Settings
- Find the email_my_account parameter and add the direct link to your log in page. If you are finding that your page is not linking directly to the log in page, make a one small edit and replace "search" or "login" with "account": https://sjsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/account?vid=[your school code]&sortby=rank&lang=en_US. For your convenience, I have included some parameters that may or may not need editing.
8. Email contact: ex libris does not use this field anything. In fact, if you try to edit it, it will tell you it can't save it.
9. email_contact_us: You can put an email or link in here. We linked out to our Ask a Librarian page.
10. email_deposit_contact: Ex Libris does not use this field. Do not customize.
11. email_deposit_sender: Not in use
12. email_my_account: this is what the My Account link in the footer will link out to.
- For each letter, you will need to edit your footer to include these links. Go to General Configuraton > Configuration Menu > Customize letters > Find the letter you want to edit > click customize > edit > replace the footer.xsl area with this code:
- Click save and send out a test letter. Your letter should now have the account link included.
How to Add a Social Log In to Your Letter Footer
Note: this may not work for Gmail users
- Add this section to your footer.xsl. Replace all links with your own library's week.
<xsl:template name="socialMediaLinks">
<div align="center">
<a href="https://www.snapchat.com/add/sdsulibrary">
<img src="http://tylerrogers.sdsu.edu/social_logos/Snapchat-crimson.png" alt="SDSU Library on Snapchat" style="width:42px;height:42px;border:0;"></img>
</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SDSULibrary">
<img src="http://tylerrogers.sdsu.edu/social_logos/Facebook-crimson.png" alt="SDSU Library on Facebook" style="width:42px;height:42px;border:0;"></img>
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRPX9VGLzTkJB0HjPNo3ABw">
<img src="http://tylerrogers.sdsu.edu/social_logos/Youtube-crimson.png" alt="SDSU Library on Youtube" style="width:42px;height:42px;border:0;"></img>
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/sdsulibrary">
<img src="http://tylerrogers.sdsu.edu/social_logos/Twitter-crimson.png" alt="SDSU Library on Twitter" style="width:42px;height:42px;border:0;"></img>
</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sdsulibrary/">
<img src="http://tylerrogers.sdsu.edu/social_logos/Instagram-crimson.png" alt="SDSU Library on Instagram" style="width:42px;height:42px;border:0;"></img>
</a>
</div>
</xsl:template>
2. Add this section in the .xsl file of the letter that is to be sent:
<!-- footer.xsl -->
<xsl:call-template name="lastFooter" />
<xsl:call-template name="myAccount" />
<xsl:call-template name="contactUs" />
<xsl:call-template name="socialMediaLinks" />
How to Add an IF/WHEN Statement to Your Letter
This applies to letters where you only want certain information to be sent to a patron based on certain criteria. In the below example, a line of text is added for only specific patron groups.
- Add this to to the letter you are editing and change the wording/patron groups as you see fit.
<!-- Send a message only to undergraduates about returning books. -->
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="notification_data/item_loan/user_type='UNDERGRADUATE'">
<h><b>A HOLD has been placed on your academic record until the item is returned and/or all charges on your library record are paid.</b></h>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:when test="notification_data/item_loan/user_type='GRADUATE'">
<h><b>A HOLD has been placed on your academic record until the item is returned and/or all charges on your library record are paid.</b></h>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:otherwise>
<h><b>Please contact us if you have questions or need assistance.</b></h>
</xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
How to Add Spacing between colons and other areas of a letter.
This might apply to a letter such as the FulLostLoan Letter or Lost and Overdue Letter.
Find the area you want to edit, then format it like this:
<table>
<tr>
<td>
<b>@@lost_item@@ :</b> <xsl:value-of select="item_loan/title"/>
<br />
<b>@@description@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="item_loan/description"/>
<br />
<b> @@by@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="item_loan/author"/>
<br />
<b>@@library@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="organization_unit/name"/>
<br />
<b>@@loan_date@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="item_loan/loan_date"/>
<br />
<b>@@due_date@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="item_loan/due_date"/>
<br />
<b>@@barcode@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="item_loan/barcode"/>
<br />
<b>@@call_number@@ :</b><xsl:value-of select="phys_item_display/call_number"/>
<br />
<b>@@charged_with_fines_fees@@ </b>
</td>
</tr>
</table>