Parsing URL Parameters

The Lanfrica discovery page supports URL parameter parsing to enable shareable search and filter states. This functionality allows users to create direct links to specific search results and filter combinations, making it easy to share discoveries with colleagues, bookmark useful queries, and maintain consistent access to relevant resources.

Base URL

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover

Parameter Structure

All parameters are appended to the base URL using standard query string syntax. Multiple parameters can be combined using the & separator.

Basic Syntax

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?parameter=value
https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?parameter1=value1&parameter2=value2

Available Parameters

Search Parameter

Parameter: search Purpose: Performs a text-based search across available resources Syntax: ?search=your_search_term

Examples:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?search=swahili
https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?search=machine%20learning

Notes:

• Spaces in search terms should be URL-encoded as %20 or +

• Search is typically case-insensitive

• Multiple words are treated as a single search phrase

Filter Parameters

Tag Filter

Parameter: tag Purpose: Filters resources by specific tags Syntax: ?tag=tag_name

Record Type Filter

Parameter: record_type Purpose: Filters by the type of resource (e.g., dataset, model, paper) Syntax: ?record_type=type_name

Domain Filter

Parameter: domain Purpose: Filters by academic or research domain Syntax: ?domain=domain_name

Language Filter

Parameter: language Purpose: Filters by specific African languages Syntax: ?language=language_name

Task Filter

Parameter: task Purpose: Filters by NLP or ML task type Syntax: ?task=task_name

Usage Examples

Single Parameter Examples

Search only:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?search=yoruba

Filter by language:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?language=hausa

Filter by record type:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?record_type=dataset

Multiple Parameter Examples

Search with language filter:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?search=translation&language=swahili

Multiple filters:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?record_type=dataset&domain=nlp&language=amharic

Complex query with search and multiple filters:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?search=speech%20recognition&record_type=model&language=zulu&task=asr

Use Cases

1. Sharing Research Findings

Researchers can share specific filtered views with colleagues:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?domain=computational_linguistics&language=wolof

2. Bookmarking Frequent Searches

Users can bookmark commonly used filter combinations:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?record_type=dataset&task=machine_translation

3. Direct Resource Access

Link directly to specific types of resources in documentation or papers:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?search=pos%20tagging&language=twi&record_type=model

4. Curated Collections

Create curated links for specific research areas:

https://lanfrica.com/en/user/discover?domain=speech_processing&tag=low_resource