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Non-entity Types

Besides the entity types covered elsewhere in this documentation there are several other data types the API returns and takes as arguments.

The types defined below are tied to the way Common Lisp, the language of the core, deals with data. In many cases multiple data types will manifest the same in JSON. This is another area likely to change somewhat in comming releases of the API.

allocationItem

allocationItems are a complex type that does not map to a specific framework entity. Though they are complex, they do not map directly to an entity stored in the database, but rather are context sensitive and derived from the state of an allocation and its related resource schedules.

Each allocationItem represents a single resource on an allocation (or instance of a type by RRT). They are added and edited within the context of a session, and will not persist until the allocation being edited is stored.

Following are the fields on an allocation item serialized from the api.

The nature of these slots is a bit of a moving target which we are working to formalize as we integrate the new scheduler

uuid
The id string of this allocationItem. While the id is intended to be globally unique, its identity is only sensable in the context of a session interacting with an allocation
state
The current stored state of this item or, in the case of an unstored allocation, the state that will be stored.
action
The new state of this item when and if the allocation is stored.
available
Was the scheduler able to satisy this item the last time the scheduler was run.
buildingPass
Does this item provide a building pass.
overnight
Does this item permit overnight access to a facility.
offsite
Can this item be taken off-site
byType
Is this an RRT item?
rtype
The resourceType of this item
resource
The resource assigned to this item. May be null in the event of an RRT item.
unserialized
If we have an assigned resource, is that resource unserialized.
authorized
Is the user authorized to use this resource. True for yes, false for no, and null for no authorization needed.
pickupTime
The scheduled pickup time of this item.
returnTime
The scehduled return time of this item.
completionTime
For returned items, the actual time the item was returned.
returnAgent
For returned items, the person who noted its return.
availForImmediatePickup
Can this item be picked up immediatly or are there intervening allocations that would prevent it.

array, cons, list, or vector

A sequence of items. At the API level all four types are interchangeable and are represented as a JSON array.

integer and float

Equivalent to the JSON number type with integer being limited to positive and negative integers only and float allowing for real numbers.

boolean

A simple true or false value. Equivalent to the JSON boolean.

circulationPeriod

A circulation period is used in rules determining how long an allocation may last or to determine default pickup and return times. Circulation Periods are serialized as a JSON object with three values; type, duration, and period.

type: either "sameDay" or "duration"
duration: a number of seconds
period: the duration represented as a JSON object with the keys "unit" and "quantity" for convenience of rendering

        {
          "type": "duration",
          "duration": 8467200,
          "period": {
            "quantity": 14,
            "unit": "weeks"
          }
        }

collatedString

A representation of a string including the strings collation (sorting) point; heavily used in the media module. Stored as a JSON object with keys "prefix" and "suffix" where the string is meant to be collated based on the first character of the suffix. For example "The Wind in the Willows" might be represented as

        {
          "prefix": "The ",
          "suffix": "Wind in the Willows"
        }

collatedStringList

A JSON array of collatedString objects.

hashtable

A hashtable is a set of keys and values represneted in the API as a JSON object.

isbnNumber

A properly formatted ISBN as a string

keyword, symbol, and tag

These are three roughly interchangeable symbolic values. Tags tend to be constrained to limited set of values, while symbols and keywords are not.

duration

A duration is an amount of time. The API serializes durations as an integer representing whole seconds.

timestamp

Timestamps in the API are formatted as ISO 8601 timestrings.

The API always assumes timezones are meaningful. The consumer of this data is strongly encouraged to use a proper time library (Moment.JS with timezones springs to mind) to deal with these dates rather than try to go it alone or *shudder* use the JavaScript Date library

money

Serialized to JSON as a string beginning with a currency symbol, followed by zero or more digits, a decimal place, and two digits. For example "$2.15".

simpleRate

A JSON object representing a rate of charge over time. "Amount" is the currency amount. "period" is the frequency of the charge, and "perSec" is the fractional amount per second of the charge.

        {
          "amount": "$2.00",
          "period": {
            "quantity": 1,
            "unit": "hours"
          },
	  "perSec": 0.000555555556
        }

string

A sequence of UTF-8 characters. Interchangeable with JSON strings.