CaltechDATA API Python Library

The caltechdata_api Python library provides a convenient interface for interacting with the CaltechDATA API. It allows users to write files, create DataCite 4 standard JSON records, edit existing records, and retrieve metadata from the CaltechDATA repository.

Features

Writing and Editing Records

• caltechdata_write: Writes files and a DataCite 4 standard JSON record to the CaltechDATA repository.
• caltechdata_edit: Edits existing records in CaltechDATA.

Metadata Operations

• get_metadata: Retrieves metadata from CaltechDATA records.

Requirements

• Python 3.9+

Installation

Install the library via pip:

pip install caltechdata_api

Or add it to a uv project:

uv add caltechdata_api

You can also run a script using uv:

uv run write.py

Examples

There are some example python scripts in the GitHub repository.

Create a record:

uv run write.py example.json -fnames logo.gif
# Output: pbkn6-m9y63 (unique identifier)

The response will be the unique identifier for the record. You can put this at the end of a url to visit the record (e.g. https://data.caltechlibrary.dev/records/pbkn6-m9y63)

Edit a record

Make changes to the example.json file to see a change)

uv run edit.py example.json -id pbkn6-m9y63
10.33569/pbkn6-m9y63

The response is the DOI for the record, which includes the unique identifier for the record in the default configuration.

Using Custom DOIs

Some groups have worked with the library to create custom DOIs. These can be passed in the metadata like:

uv run write.py example_custom.json -fnames logo.gif
m6zxz-p4j22

And then you can edit with

uv run edit.py example_custom.json -id m6zxz-p4j22
10.5281/inveniordm.1234

This returns the custom DOI of the record if it is successful.

Setup and Authentication

1. Acquire a personal access token from your CaltechDATA account (found under "Applications" at the top right of your screen).
2. Copy the token to a file named token.bash.
3. Load the token in the command line using source token.bash.

Note on Testing

Only test your application on the test repository (data.caltechlibrary.dev). Testing the API on the public repository will generate junk records that are annoying to delete.

Using the Command Line Interface

If you would like to interact with the CaltechDATA API using the Command line Interface (CLI), please see the detailed documentation.