internetarchive / internetarchive/openlibrary

Work URLs have changed to single edition views by default, this breaks links, and linked data

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#7,104 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Lead: @mekarpeles Module: Books Page Module: Wikidata Priority: 3 Type: Bug
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Python
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Description

A default work URL now looks identical to an edition page / URL

e.g.:

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1694871W

returns a page which looks like an edition only page: (it seems indistiguisable from https://openlibrary.org/books/OL708350M/Brancusi)

I am logged in, this is what I see on the work page:

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/905545/197933751-0c1e4907-cc9d-42d0-8f5f-9edb9b8222ec.png)

It mentions 11 editions, but only shows 1 even when I click on that tab.

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/905545/197933886-1f3e2c4d-ba37-4cea-8330-eaaf4cab702d.png)

This has broken all Wikidata work links -- someone has noticed and set up a workaround to modify the Open Library links to
add `?mode=all` at the end, but this breaks all edition URLs stored on Wikidata...

I'm not sure when this changed in OL, but the Wikidata change happened in early September:
https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?title=Property%3AP648&type=revision&diff=1720194238&oldid=1714960352

Work URL pages need to return to being work pages by default as those links and identifiers are being used externally to refer to _works_ in linked data systems that make ontological distinctions between work and edition levels.

### Evidence / Screenshot (if possible)

### Relevant url?

### Steps to Reproduce

1. Go to ...
2. Do ...

* Actual: Following a canonical Work URL stored in an external database leads to an edition page.
* Expected: Following a canonical Work URL stored in an external database **SHOULD** lead to a work page.

### Details

- **Logged in (Y/N)?**
- **Browser type/version?**
- **Operating system?**
- **Environment (prod/dev/local)?** prod

### Proposal & Constraints

### Related files

### Stakeholders

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reproducing https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1694871W and compare it with the linked edition URL, checking the default page and the `?mode=all` workaround. Trace the work URL entry point and its handling of edition views. Done means canonical work URLs show work pages and retain the expected editions view without breaking external work and edition links.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
web-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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