Item Messages Plugin

Item Messages Plugin

The Item Messages plugin for Koha will enable libraries to add and edit notes/messages related to a specific item. These messages or notes can be added to the item through the "more detail" tab. This plugin is extremely helpful to libraries looking to add additional fields to items to store data. This data could include inventory information, additional missing/lost data, historical data, etc.

Setup

Notes/Messages can be a free text field or can be connected to an authorized value within the category ITEM_MESSAGE_TYPE. The notes/messages that are added to the item will only be visible via the "more detail" item tab, as well as through reports.

Creating the Authorized Value Category

Once the plugin has been installed to the system and plack has been run, the next step is to create the authorized value category.

In the Administration module, choose Authorized values. From this page, click on the + New Category button.

Create the new category with the code ITEM_MESSAGE_TYPE.

A library can then determine what the additional fields for the item will be called, such as Inventory Date, Bin Number, or Donation. The choices on what a library can additionally store in these item fields are limitless!

If a library would like to create a dropdown choice for these new fields, use the OPAC Description for the values and use a |, or pipe, between the values.

For example, if a library wanted to use a dropdown for storage, they could add the authorized value of STORAGE, like this:


Item Notes/Messages

Once the authorized value category has been added with some values, viewing the item from the Items tab will display these additional fields and allow staff to add and delete.

Reporting

These notes/messages are viewable from the Items tab, and are also reportable. This plugin adds a new table to the Koha Schema and related columns.

This plugin creates a new table item_messages containing the following columns:
  1. item_message_id - internal id for this message, auto-increments
  2. itemnumber - foreign key to the items table
  3. type - ITEM_MESSAGE authorized value
  4. message - the actual value for this message
  5. created_on - a timestamp for this message

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