Instructions for Creating ARC Search Links
Create your own ARC Search Links with embedded keywords for Archival Research Catalog (ARC) results. Include ARC Search Links in a slide presentation or on webpages. Encode an ARC Search Link in order to bookmark an ARC description in your browser. Tips for ARC Search Links explain how to use the links and refine your search results.
- Standard Formats
- Character Escape Codes
- Sample ARC Search Link URLs
- Getting the ARC Search Link to Open in a New Window
Standard Formats
There are two types of ARC Search Links (ARC Identifier and Keyword). Each follows a standard format.
Standard Format (ARC Identifier Search Link)
URL format:
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Standard Format (Keyword Search Link)
URL format: URL format with hit limit: Note: Variables are in brackets [ ] in bold.
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Character Escape Codes for ARC Search Links
ARC Search Links allow for Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), nesting with parentheses, wildcard searching (with an asterisk *) and exact phrase searching (with quotes “ ”). To use these advanced keyword search functions, “escape” the search expression before inserting it in the ARC Search Link URL. A character that needs to be “escaped” (such as a space or a question mark) must be replaced with its character escape code in the URL. Parentheses, periods, apostrophes, and asterisks are safe and do not need to be escaped. Dashes do not need to be escaped, but they should appear between escaped curly braces to be searchable in ARC as an exact phrase.
Definition | Character | Character Escape Code |
---|---|---|
Space |
|
%20 |
Comma |
, |
%2C |
Question mark |
? |
%3F |
Quotation mark |
" |
%22 |
Ampersand |
& |
%26 |
Sample ARC Search Link URLs
The examples below include basic and more advanced keywords for ARC. To see a sample of the ARC Search Results, click on the ARC Search Link URL. Advanced Search Tips for ARC provide additional information about formulating keyword searches.
Keywords | Escaped Search Expression |
ARC Search Link URL |
---|---|---|
650323 | 650323 | http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ ExternalIdSearch?id=650323 |
583674 OR 587427 | 583674%20 OR%20587427 |
http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ ExternalSearch?searchExpression=583674 %20OR%20587427 |
China | China | http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ ExternalSearch?searchExpression=China &hitLimit=100 |
battle ships |
battle%20ships | http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ ExternalSearch?searchExpression=battle %20ships&hitLimit=1000 |
Sandra Day O’Connor |
Sandra%20Day %20O’Connor |
|
Nixon AND China | Nixon%20AND %20China |
http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ ExternalSearch?searchExpression=Nixon %20AND%20China&hitLimit=2000 |
(boat OR ship) AND Philadelphia |
(boat%20OR %20ship) %20AND%20 Philadelphia |
|
teach* |
teach* | http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ |
"Harry S. Truman" |
%22Harry %20S.%20 Truman%22 |
|
"Boutros Boutros-Ghali" |
%22Boutros %20Boutros- Ghali%22 |
Getting the ARC Search Link to Open in a New Window
Encode a command for opening a new window and instructions for the window's characteristics in the A HREF tag. There are different ways to do this. As an example of the HTML code we use, here is the code for a search on Virginia:
<a href="http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalSearch?searchExpression=Virginia" onclick="popup = window.open('http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalSearch?searchExpression=Virginia', 'PopupPage', 'height=400,width=600,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,
toolbar=yes,menubar=yes'); return false" target="_blank">Virginia</a>
Note: To have the Address Bar display on the new browser window, add ',location=yes' after ',menubar=yes' in the coding.