GRS1(3pm)

💖 GRS1 — Net::Z3950::Record::GRS1 💖

okay bestie, gather round, because we're doing GRS1(3pm) from the User Contributed Perl Documentation and honestly? it's giving "niche but iconic." this is the Perl package you use to encode GRS-1 records, and yes we are going to read the whole thing together, no skimming, no cap. 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

Net::Z3950::Record::GRS1 — literally just a Perl package that lets you encode GRS-1 records. that's the whole vibe. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

here's the little taste test, the trailer before the movie:

use Net::Z3950::GRS1;

my $a_grs1_record = new Net::Z3950::Record::GRS1;
my $another_grs1_record = new Net::Z3950::Record::GRS1;

$a_grs1_record->AddElement($type, $value, $content);
$a_grs1_record->Render();

see? two records. one of them just exists to be the other one's friend. main character energy for both. ✨

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so this Perl module helps you create and manipulate GRS-1 records (that's "generic record syntax," iykyk). and here's the tea: so far you only have access to three methods. three. that's it. but they ate, so let's get into them.

🎀 new

creates a new GRS-1 object, like:

my $grs1 = new Net::Z3950::GRS1;

fresh object, fresh start, glowing skin. 💖

🎀 AddElement

this one lets you add entries to a GRS-1 object. the method should be called like this:

$grs1->AddElement($type, $value, $which, $content);

okay let's break it down because the arguments are doing a lot:

• $type should be an integer.
• $value is free text — go off, write whatever.
• $which should contain one of the constants listed in Appendix A (scroll down bestie, it's right there).
• $content contains the "thing" that should be stored in this entry.

and here's the part where you have to pay attention, because the structure of $content should match the chosen element data type. for:

$which == Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::String;

$content should be some kind of scalar. but if, on the other hand:

$which == Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Subtree;

then $content should be a GRS1 object. it's giving "recursion but make it cute." 🌀

🎀 Render

this method digs through the GRS-1 data structure and renders the record. you call it like:

$grs1->Render();

want to grab the rendered record through a variable instead? say less:

my $record_as_string;
$grs1->Render(POOL => \$record_as_string);

want it stored in a file? then Render should be called like this:

$grs1->Render(FILE => 'record.grs1');

and when no file name is specified, you can choose to stream the rendered record. for instance:

$grs1->Render(HANDLE => *STDOUT);             ## or
$grs1->Render(HANDLE => *STDERR);             ## or
$grs1->Render(HANDLE => *MY_HANDLE);

pick your handle, pick your destiny. 🌈

🎀 Hash2grs

this method converts a hash into a GRS-1 object. scalar entries within the hash become GRS-1 string elements. and a hash entry can itself be a reference to another hash — in that case, the new referenced hash will be converted into a GRS-1 subtree. nested hashes? we love a family tree moment. 🌳

the method is called like this:

$grs1->Hash2grs($href, $mapping);

where:

• $href is the hash to be converted, and
• $mapping is a referenced hash specifying the mapping between keys in $href and (type, value) pairs in the $grs1 object.

the $mapping hash could for instance look like this:

my $mapping = {
            title   =>    [2, 1],
            author  =>    [1, 1],
            issn    =>    [3, 1]
        };

and one last thing, bestie, super important: if the $grs1 object already contains data prior to the invocation of Hash2grs, the new data represented by the hash is simply added. it does not replace anything. nothing gets deleted. we're just adding to the collection. 🫶

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👑 APPENDIX A 👑

these element data types are specified in the Z39.50 protocol:

Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Octets
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Numeric
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Date
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Ext
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::String                 <---
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::TrueOrFalse
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::OID
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::IntUnit
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::ElementNotThere
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::ElementEmpty
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::NoDataRequested
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Diagnostic
Net::Z3950::GRS1::ElementData::Subtree                <---

see those little <--- arrows? only the <--- marked types are so far supported in this package. so String and Subtree are the ones carrying the whole group project. the rest are... there. supporting cast. extras in the background. 💀

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

Anders Sønderberg Mortensen <sondberg@indexdata.dk> Index Data ApS, Copenhagen, Denmark. 2001/03/09

a legend, quite frankly. 👑

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Specification of the GRS-1 standard, for instance in the Z39.50 protocol specification. go read it if you want the full lore, i'm not gatekeeping. 🦋

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and that's the whole page, bestie! this was perl v5.42.3, dated 2026-08-19, and titled GRS1(3pm). now go forth and AddElement responsibly. mwah. 💅✨🎀