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Version 0.8.1 alpha
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-- Overview

The Open RETS Client (ORC) is a command-line application written in Java, designed to retrieve Multiple Listing Service (MLS) related data from a remote/local Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS) compatible server. The ORC is licensed under the GNU GPL

The ORC supports the majority of functional operations as defined per the Real Estate Transaction Standard Protocol Specification, version 1.0. As outlined in the RETS Specification, the client program may communicate with a property or other real estate data server for the purposes of retrieving real estate property information. Designed around a three-tier architecture , the RETS Client has been separated into a presentation layer, an application logic layer, and a storage layer.

Currently, the ORC supports the following functional operations:
  • Login Transaction
  • Logout Transaction.
  • Action Transaction.
  • Search Transaction
  • GetMetadata Transaction
  • Get Transaction (not supported)
  • GetObject Transaction
  • Update Transaction (not supported)
  • Change Password Transaction

Login Transaction

The login transaction verifies all login information provided by the user. If the information is acceptable to the server, a RETS-Session-ID cookie may be issued. If issued, the Session ID is passed from the client application to the server in all subsequent transactions in the request header and is validated by the server before the user is allowed to access the service.

Logout Transaction

The logout transaction terminates a session. Except in cases where connection failure prevents it or the user has requested an immediate shutdown of the client, the client should send the Logout transaction.

Search Transaction

The search transaction requests that the server search one or more searchable databases and return the list of qualifying records. The body of the response contains the records matching the query, presented in the requested format. The data can be returned (and it is up to the client program to accept) the following formats: COMPACT, COMPACT-DECODED, or STANDARD-XML.

Action Transaction

The Action transaction is used to provide the client with bulletin information or the notification of an email message. The client application should provide a means for the user to view the retrieved document. This transaction must be performed immediately after the Login transaction.

GetMetadata Transaction

The GetMetadata transaction is used to retrieve structured information known as metadata related to the system entities. Metadata requested and returned from this transaction are requested and returned as MIME media types.

Get Transaction

Not supported, yet.

GetObject Transaction

The GetObject transaction is used to retrieve additional information that hosts store related to specific data objects. This transaction is used primarily to retrieve multimedia types associated with host records (house pictures, agent photos, sound clips, 3D tours, etc.).

Update Transaction

Not supported, yet.

Change Password Transaction

The ChangePassword transaction is used to edit the user's password. Although this transaciton is supported in the ORC, there are only a few, if any, RETS Vendors that fully support this transaction.


Requirements

The following requirements must be met before installation can begin.

  • Java Runtime Environment (JRE), version 1.4.0 or later. If you already have a copy of Java SDK, Standard Edition, version 1.4.0 or later installed that will also suffice (ref. http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/1.4.0/).

  • Linux kernel, version 2.2.12 and glibc 2.1.2-11 or later. Windows 2000/NT/98/95.
  • A minimum of 32 MB of RAM (48 MB recommended).

The following requirements are optional.

  • A shell-compatible command language interpreter -- like Bash, Korn or C shell.
  • A Web client -- for reading the Open RETS Client Application Programming Intreface (API), HOWTO and FAQ documentation.
  • A Portable Document Format or Postscript reader -- for reading the ORC design specifications, HOWTO and FAQ documentation.

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Screenshots
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4
GUI Main Window Service Profile Wizard Service Profile - Search Transaction Service Profile - GetObject Transactions
Installation

Linux

The following steps outline how to install the Open RETS Client.

  1. Unzip the orc-x.x.x.zip file.
  2. Change to the orc-x.x.x directory created in step (1).
  3. Read the INSTALL documentation to complete the setup process

Windows®

The following steps outline how to install the Open RETS Client.

  1. Unzip the orc-x.x.x.zip file.
  2. Change to the orc-x.x.x directory created in step (1).
  3. Read the INSTALL documentation to complete the setup process

NOTE: This application has been tested on Red Hat 7.2, 7.3, MEPIS, Kubuntu and Windows 2000 and XP systems. It should work on just about any flavor of Linux or Windows that has Java Runtime Environment version 1.4.0 or later installed.

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