Using TiddlyWiki to document projects

[enso]

I've been a fan of TiddlyWiki (http://tiddlywiki.com/) for a while. I am currently using it to document my CHOCHI board here: http://apple2.x10.mx/CHOCHI/.

For those not familiar with it, TiddlyWiki is an amazing product. It is a single HTML page containing both scripts and data to contain an entire website. It is extremely flexible - it is a real wiki (WikiWords are automatically cross-linked or you can use explicit links internally and externally), it can be used as a blog with dated entries or a more traditional website. It also has transclusion (small separate entries may be embedded into other entries).

I am extremely fond of it. It makes it pretty easy to maintain a local documentation system, and easily move the whole thing (it's a single html file except for the images) to a web site - instant publishing.

I am still struggling with it (there are many features). Is anyone else here using it?

[BigEd]

I have heard of it, and had a little play, but I haven't tried to use it in anger. It seems like a very good thing.

[GARTHWILSON]

The thing I don't like about the all-in-one-page thing is that to direct someone to certain parts of it, you have tell them to go to this URL, then click on such-and-such, and then click on... and the URL remains the same throughout. Am I missing something? Daryl's website used to be that way but then he changed it to the individual pages so now it's easier to direct someone to a particular part.

[BigEd]

There are ids in the source, which allow you to link to, for example,
http://tiddlywiki.com/#tiddlerRaves
and indeed it looks like the 'more' box against each header has a 'permalink' action which puts the appropriate URL into your address bar. Although that seems to pop you into a single-section page - like
http://tiddlywiki.com/#TiddlyWikiAdaptations
which isn't quite the same...

Ed

[enso]

You can actually specify more than one tiddler to open in the same URL. For instance,
http://apple2.x10.mx/CHOCHI/#MemoryMap% ... Bitstreams

This should open 3 tiddlers. The 'permaview' button creates a url that will reload the page as you see it now... Or you can create a link to send your friends with a customized page containing just the information you want them to see right away.

[chitselb]

I'm using TiddlyWiki to document my Forth for the Commodore PET http://github.com/chitselb/pettil

[enso]

I am trying to use the transclusion feature more. It allows you to create small snippets and display them in more than one place. That way you can make the changes in one place. It's a little clunky but pretty workable.

Somewhere on the web someone posted a recommendation that seems to work well for transclusion. The main problem with transclusion is that it's sometimes a pain to find the tiddler that's being embedded. So what you can do is something like this:

Code: Select all

!![[MemoryMap - 6502_45_003]]
<<tiddler [[MemoryMap - 6502_45_003]]>>

The first line creates a header that is linked to the transcluded snippet. The second line actually includes the snippet. This way you can click on the header and go to the snippet, and edit it. I found it to be helpful.

[whartung]

BigEd wrote:

There are ids in the source, which allow you to link to, for example,
http://tiddlywiki.com/#tiddlerRaves
and indeed it looks like the 'more' box against each header has a 'permalink' action which puts the appropriate URL into your address bar. Although that seems to pop you into a single-section page - like
http://tiddlywiki.com/#TiddlyWikiAdaptations
which isn't quite the same...

The other problem with this, though, is that Google is not going to use these links. When Google hits that page, it's going to point you at the entry URL. So it's very easy to get a Google hit on a term that you "can't find", because it's in a buried article that may not be readily apparent from the "home page".

As a user, when you get there, you won't even be able to search for the term you're looking for (using the browser Cmd-F or whatever) and find a hidden term, so the user will just go away frustrated. "I was looking for xyz, but can't find it..."

There are several very simple wikis available that can be readily set up. I used to use Cunninghams original Wiki in Perl, but I was using it locally.

[BigEd]

If there was a prominent Show All feature that would be much better. If it exists, I can't find it.

[enso]

There isn't a show all button. It would probably be too much information anyway, without any reasonable order although I could see why you would want it (sometimes I like reading like that). I am sure someone could write (or already has written) a few lines of javascript to make that happen. It's not my strong suite, I am afraid.

You can, however see all the entries tagged with the same tag, which is useful.

[BigEd]

Yes, the tags are handy.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

I (apparently) being the gruff old curmudgeon around here (or grumpy bastard, as someone once opined—at least one of those descriptions is probably correct), I'm going to say something that will likely upset the advocate(s) of TiddlyWiki.

If you have sufficient talent to create something coherent using TiddlyWiki you have sufficient talent to publish your information on conventional web pages, as a number of us have with our projects. Only laziness would prevent you from doing so. All Wikis, by definition, are websites with preordained features. Why would you want to limit yourself to presentation elements that were conceived by someone else? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

[enso]

As one curmudgeon to another, the answer is simple: the last thing I want to do is to maintain a few hundred interlinked files and another hundred images. I don't care much for javascript or cross-browser compatibility and would rather not use google's libraries or dumb-*** frameworks. TiddlyWiki allows me to have one file (and a bunch of images, still a problem to deal with) to work on.

TiddlyWiki is indeed a form of laziness, but I can make small entries (that otherwise would be files) and transclude them as needed (which otherwise would require an awful lot of scripting). It looks decent and works. The limitations are minimal, the structure fits my needs and keeps me out of trouble.

I am sure that someone organized and not disillusioned could put together a simple site - I've done so in the past, many times. However, not being super-organized and being pretty grouchy, I just don't want to do it again.

I'd rather do some board design or write some 6502 code if I have some spare time.

[barrym95838]

enso wrote:

... I'd rather do some board design or write some 6502 code if I have some spare time.

Please don't forget to do a little bit of day-dreaming about the 65Org18. I would really like to see what might develop.

Mike

[schidester]

If you're interested, I used a Syntax Highlighter plugin that I found on the web somewhere (the site's URL is now for sale) and added a 6502 highlighter. I forget how it all works together, but if you want to play with it, start here:

http://scottchidester.com/#PluginManage ... ighlighter

To see an example of the output, look here:

http://scottchidester.com/#[[Meadow%20Operating%20System]] (cut/paste the whole URL)

Good luck; If you really get stuck trying to plug this in, I might be able to answer questions, but I did this over a year ago so no guarantees!