Metadata parsers

Metadata parsers are used to process metadata values, which are received as strings. Although document body text is processed by the system text tokenizer and stemmer, metadata must often be handled differently, because metadata string values can be numeric and date type.

There are four types of metadata parsers:

String – supports TEXT type metadata fields
Numeric decimal – supports FLOAT type metadata fields
Numeric integer – supports INT type metadata fields
Date (time) – supports FLOAT type metadata fields

Sybase Search includes these preconfigured metadata parsers – each requires an identifier that consists of two parts, a name and an unique ID.

**Table 2-7: Preconfigured parsers**
Item	Description
Name	float_1
Class	com.isdduk.text.SimpleFloatParser This class parses strings representing decimal numbers into actual decimal numbers. For example, this parser processes the string “3.142” into Java float 3.142.
Name	integer_2
Class	com.isdduk.text.IntegerParser This class parses strings representing an integer number into an actual integer number; any floating-point information is discarded. For example, this parser processes both “3” and “3.142” into Java int 3.
Name	dateUK_3
Class	com.isdduk.text.DateFormatParser
Name	dateMs1970_4
Class	com.isdduk.text.Ms1970DateParser
Parameter	roundTo Value – choose a year, month, day, hour, minute, second, or any other value to indicate that no rounding should take place. This class is a date parser, which parses strings representing long integer (64-bit) numbers, which themselves represent dates as the number of milliseconds since 1 January 1970. The preconfigured instance rounds dates to the nearest day (Coordinated Universal Time).
Name	intB2KB_5
Class	com.isdduk.text.B2KBIntParser This class parses strings representing byte-size numbers and converts them into kilobyte-sized numbers. For example, the string “2048” (bytes) is parsed as Java int 2 (kilobytes).
Name	datePDF_6
Class	com.isdduk.text.PDFDateParser
Parameter	roundTo Value – choose a year, month, day, hour, minute, second, or any other value to denote that no rounding should take place. This class handles the PDF date format, in which dates are formatted “D:20030602143803+01'00'”. The preconfigured instance rounds dates to the nearest day (UTC).
Name	url_7
Class	com.isdduk.text.URLTermParser This class splits URL strings into their constituent elements, namely, protocol, host, port, path, extension, and query. Optionally, each element can be indexed separately. The options parameter determines the elements that the parser returns. By default not all elements are not indexed. For example, the values for protocol and port elements, http and 80, respectively, are usually the same for all URLs and hence are not indexed by default.
Parameter	options Value – choose the value that is the sum of the bits that represent the elements the URL parser should return: PROTOCOL – 1 HOST – 2 PORT – 4 PATH – 8 EXTENSION – 16 QUERY – 32 For example, for the parser to return the path and extension URL elements, set the options parameter to 24 (8+16). If you then use this parameter to parse, for example, http://www.mysite.com/about/jobs.html, the parser returns “about”, “jobs”, and “html.”
Name	int2int
Class	com.isdduk.text.Int2IntParser This class parses strings representing integer numbers and factors the integer value using operators.
Parameter	operator Value – can be any these values: + - * / factor Value – an integer value that works on the original integer using any of the operators For example, if the operator value is “/” and factor value is “1024” the result is similar in outcome to the B2KBIntParser parser.

Adding new metadata parsers

You can create new metadata parsers. The system generates a unique integer ID for each new elements that form part of the parser identifier.

Click Configuration.
Click Metadata Parsers.
Click Add a new metadata parser.
Complete these fields:

Name

Description

Parser Name

Name of the parser instance.

Implement Class

Java implementation class.
If your metadata parser requires special parameters, click Add, else proceed to step 6. Complete these fields.

Name

Description

Name

The name of the parameter to pass to the parser.

Value

The string value to associate with the parameter name.
Click Create.

Name	Description
Parser Name	Name of the parser instance.
Implement Class	Java implementation class.

Name	Description
Name	The name of the parameter to pass to the parser.
Value	The string value to associate with the parameter name.

Editing metadata parsers

You can edit metadata parsers only if it is not being used anywhere including in both query parsers and metadata fields that references the metadata parser.

From the Metadata Configuration Summary page, click Metadata Parsers.
Click Edit for the parser that you want to change.
Make the changes and click Save Changes.

Removing metadata parsers

You can remove metadata parsers only if it is not being used anywhere including in both query parsers and metadata fields that references the metadata parser.

From the Metadata Configuration Summary page, click Metadata Parsers.
Click Remove for the parser that you want to delete.
Click OK to confirm the removal.