Gateway to 21st Century Skills

Creating State Connections to GEM

GEM provides states with two ways to interact with the Gateway to 21st Century Skills. The first is a search API that when placed on the state's Web site provides members with a search box for direct searching of the Gateway resources. The second provides a set of GEM logos that can be used by the state to link to the GEM Web site.

GEM Search API

The HTML code below adds a GEM search function to your state Web site. The result is a small query box that allows the affiliate member to add a search term or phrase and select "go" to execute the search.   The GEM search box is 150 pixels wide and looks like the following:

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="159"> 
<tr><td><a href="http://www.thegateway.org/" title="Link to The Gateway to Educational 
Materials"><img src="http://www.thegateway.org/api_top.gif" width="159" 
height="46" alt="" border="0"></a></td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-left:1px solid #000;  border-right:1px solid #000; 
background-color:#E8EC8F">
<form action="http://www.thegateway.org/browse/makesearch?" method="get">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2">

<tr><td><input style="width:120px;margin:0;padding: 0 4px; border:1px solid 
#288CC6;height:20px" name="value" type="text" maxlength="256"/>
<input name="isliteral" type="hidden" value="yes"/>
<input name="operator" type="hidden" value="contains"/>
<input name="dimension" type="hidden" value="fulltext"/>
<input name="model" type="hidden" value="gem"/></td>
<td><input name="searchType" type="hidden" value="new"/><input type="submit" 
name="ss" style="margin:0;padding:0;border:1px solid #288CC6; 
background:#fff;font: .75em Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; 
height:20px" value="Go"/></td></tr></table>
</form>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="http://www.thegateway.org/" title="Link to The Gateway to 
Educational Materials"><img src="http://www.thegateway.org/api_bottom.gif" 
width="159" height="24" alt="The Gateway to Educational Materials" 
border="0" ></a></td></tr></table>

SOAP API to the GEM Search Engine

In addition to the simple mechanisms offered above, GEM provides three direct programatic interfaces to its Seamark search/browse engine for any state wishing to inegrate the Gateway search and browse capability directly into their own site. The interfaces include:

1. SOAP API integration;
2. COM scripable component for creating Active Server Pages (ASP); and
3. Java library for creating JavaServer Pages (JSP).

These interfaces make it possible for affilliates to programatically give the GEM search functions the look and feel of their local site and to customize GEM output to meet their local needs.

For additional information and assistant in integrating GEM directly into your affiliate site using any of these technologies, contact:

Ryan Laundry
GemX Research Scientist
rjlaundr@u.washington.edu

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