This page contains all documentation topics as one long, complete reference sheet. Doubleclick anywhere to return to the top of the page.
Note - if you are reading this at twiki.org, then you are reading about the most recent code under development.
If you want to read about the features on your local TWiki, then you should read the documentation there!
Server and client requirements for TWiki 01-Sep-2004
Low client and server requirements are core features that keep TWiki widely deployable, particularly across a range of browser platforms and versions.
Server Requirements
TWiki is written in Perl 5, uses a number of shell commands, and requires RCS (Revision Control System), a GNU Free Software package. TWiki is developed in a basic Linux/Apache environment. It also works with Microsoft Windows, and should have no problem on any other platform that meets the requirements.
• Unix: Net::SMTP (or sendmail) • Windows: Net::SMTP, MIME::Base64, Digest::SHA1 • Internationalisation: Unicode::MapUTF8 (only for non-ISO-8859-1 sites using TWiki:Codev.EncodeURLsWithUTF8 with Perl 5.6 or lower)
RCS
5.7 or higher (including GNU diff) Optional, but the all-Perl RCS replacement is not currently recommended for live sites - see TWiki:Codev.RcsLite
GNU diff
GNU diff 2.7 or higher is required when not using the all-Perl RcsLite. Install on PATH if not included with RCS (check version with diff -v) Must be the version used by RCS, to avoid problems with binary attachments - RCS may have hard-coded path to diff
Other external programs
fgrep, egrep
Cron/scheduler
• Unix: cron • Windows: cron equivalents
Web server
Apache 1.3 is well supported; Apache 2.0 is not recommended yet (see TWiki:Codev.IssuesWithApache2dot0). For other servers, CGI support, authentication, extended path info required; also, the register script is likely to need significant changes
*Current documentation mainly covers Linux and Apache installations. See WindowsInstallCookbook for a Windows installation guide. See TWiki:Codev.TWikiOn for help with installation on various platforms including Unix, MacOS X, Apache mod_perl, web hosts, etc.
You can easily add functionality, by customizing TWikiTemplates, for one, while tailoring the browser requirements to your situation.
Known Issues
The TWikiPlugins feature currently does not have compatibility guidelines for developers. Plugins can require just about anything - browser-specific functions, stylesheets (CSS), Java applets, cookies, specific Perl modules,... - check the individual Plugin specs.
Plugins included in the TWiki distribution do not add requirements.
Installation instructions for the TWiki 01-Sep-2004 production release.If you are reading this on your own TWiki installation, please get the latest installation guide (TWiki:TWiki.TWikiInstallationGuide), as this often has important updates to resolve installation issues.
These installation steps are based on the Apache web server on Linux. TWiki runs on other web servers and Unix systems, and should be fine with any web server and OS that meet the system requirements. Official documentation for platforms other than Linux is somewhat limited, so please check the topics listed below, they include some important tips for HP-UX, Solaris, OS/390, and many other platforms.
NOTE:If you don't have access to your Web server configuration files - for example, if you're installing on an ISP-hosted account, or you don't have administrator privileges on your intranet server - use the alternative Step 1 instead.
Create directory /home/httpd/twiki and unzip the TWiki distribution into this directory.
The twiki/bin directory of TWiki must be set as a cgi-bin directory. Add /home/httpd/twiki/bin to file httpd.conf (typcially located in /etc/httpd/) with only ExecCGI option.
The twiki/pub directory of TWiki must be set so that it is visible as a URL. Add /home/httpd/twiki to file httpd.conf with normal access options (copy from /home/httpd/html ).
Now add ScriptAlias for /twiki/bin and Alias for /twiki to file httpd.conf .
NOTE: The ScriptAliasmust come before the Alias, otherwise, Apache will fail to correctly set up /twiki/bin/, by treating it as just another subdirectory of the /twiki/ alias.
The twiki/data and twiki/templates directories should be set so that they are not visible as URLs. Add them to httpd.conf with deny from all.
Example httpd.conf entries:
ScriptAlias /twiki/bin/ "/home/httpd/twiki/bin/"
Alias /twiki/ "/home/httpd/twiki/"
<Directory "/home/httpd/twiki/bin">
Options +ExecCGI
SetHandler cgi-script
Allow from all
</Directory>
<Directory "/home/httpd/twiki/pub">
Options FollowSymLinks +Includes
AllowOverride None
Allow from all
</Directory>
<Directory "/home/httpd/twiki/data">
deny from all
</Directory>
<Directory "/home/httpd/twiki/templates">
deny from all
</Directory>
Restart Apache by service httpd restart (or as appropriate to your flavor of UNIX or Linux).
Test that the twiki/bin directory is CGI-enabled by trying visiting it in your browser:
Enter the URL for the bin directory, http://yourdomain.com/twiki/bin/
Your settings are OK if you get a message like "Forbidden. You don't have permission to access /twiki/bin/ on this server".
Settings are NOT correct if you get something like "Index of /twiki/bin" - recheck your httpd.conf file.
Aletrnative Step 1: Create & Configure the Directories for Non-Root Accounts
To install TWiki on a system where you don't have Unix/Linux root (administrator) privileges, for example, on a hosted Web account or an intranet server administered by someone else:
Download and unzip TWiki on your local PC
Using the table below, create a directory structure on your host server
Upload the TWiki files by FTP (transfer as text except for the image files in pub)
Note: Don't worry if you are not able to put the twiki/lib directory at the same level as the twiki/bin directory (e.g. because CGI bin directories can't be under your home directory and you don't have root access). You can create this directory elsewhere and configure the /twiki/bin/setlib.cfg file (done in Step 3)
Step 2: Set File Permissions
Make sure Perl 5 and the Perl CGI library are installed on your system. The default location of Perl is /usr/bin/perl. If it's elsewhere, change the path to Perl in the first line of each script in the twiki/bin directory, or create a symbolic link from /usr/bin/perl.
IMPORTANT:
On ISP-hosted accounts (and some intranet servers), Perl CGI scripts may require a .cgi extension to run. Some systems need .pl, the regular Perl extension. Rename all twiki/bin scripts if necessary.
Alternatively, you might try creating a file twiki/bin/.htaccess that contains the single line SetHandler cgi-script, which tells Apache to treat all files in this directory as CGI scripts.
Set the file permission of all Perl scripts in the twiki/bin directory as executable to -rwxr-xr-x (755).
To be able to edit the Perl scripts and .tmpl files it is necessary to chown and chgrp -R twiki so all the files have the owner you want.
This Guide assumes user nobody ownership for all files manipulated by the CGI scripts (executed by the Web server), and user twiki for all other files. You can:
replace nobody with another user if your server executes scripts under a different name (ex: default for Debian is www-data).
HINT: Run the testenv script from your browser: http://yourdomain.com/twiki/bin/testenv. It will show you the user name of the CGI scripts, a table listing all CGI environment variables, and a test of your twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg configuration file (you'll configure that in a minute).
replace user twiki with your own username
Set permissions manually.
Set the permission of all files below twiki/data so that they are writable by user nobody. A simple way is to chmod them to -rw-rw-r-- (664) and to chown them to nobody.
Set the permission of the twiki/datadirectory and its subdirectories so that files in there are writable by user nobody. A simple way is to chmod them to drwxrwxr-x (775) and to chown them to nobody.
Set the permission of the twiki/pub directory and all its subdirectories so that files in there are writable by user nobody. A simple way is to chmod them to drwxrwxr-x (775) and to chown them to nobody.
The twiki/data/*/*.txt,v RCS repository files in the installation package are locked by user nobody. If your CGI scripts are not running as user nobody, it's not possible to check in files (you'll see that the revision number won't increase after saving a topic). In this case, you need to unlock all repository files (check the RCS man pages) and lock them with a different user, such as www-data, or delete them all - new files will be automatically created the first time each topic is edited. You have two options to change ownership of the RCS lock user:
Run the testenv script from your browser; in the Fix line you can relock all the rcs files (recommended)
Alternatively, run this in your shell: cd twiki/data find . -name *,v -exec perl -pi~ -e '$. <= 10 && s/nobody:/www-data:/ ' {} \;
This will create *,v~ backup files which you should remove after verification: find . -name *,v~ -exec rm -f {} \;
Step 3: Edit the Configuration Files
Edit the file /twiki/bin/setlib.cfg
Set $twikiLibPath to the absolute file path of your /twiki/lib as seen by the web server.
Attention: Do not leave it as a relative "../lib" path or Plugins might fail to initialize properly
You can also edit $localPerlLibPath if you are not root and need to install additional CPAN modules, but can't update the main Perl installation files on the server. Just set this variable to the full pathname to your local lib directory, typically under your home directory.
Attention: If you are running TWiki on Apache 2.0 on Unix you might experience cgi scripts to hang forever. This is a known Apache 2.0 bug. See details and woraround in the setlib.cfg file.
Edit the file twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg, setting the variables to your needs.
Set the file extension in the $scriptSuffix variable to cgi or pl if required.
RCS - revision control system to store revision of topics and attachments. You can use RCS executables or a version of RCS written in Perl, note that as the time of writing (Apr 2002) the Perl version has not been widely tested, so if you want to put up a live site the RCS executables are recommended.
Set $storeTopicImpl = "RcsWrap"; for the RCS executables and make sure RCS is installed. Set $rcsDir in twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg to match the location of your RCS binaries. You can check this by issuing the command rcs at the prompt, it should result in something like "rcs: no input file".
Check that you have GNU diff, by typing diff -v - an error indicates you have a non-GNU diff, so install the GNU diffutils package and make sure that diff is on the PATH used by TWiki (see $safeEnvPath in the TWiki.cfg file).
Set $storeTopicImpl = "RcsLite"; for the Perl based RCS
Security issue: Directories twiki/data , twiki/templates and all their subdirectories should be set so that they are not visible through URLs. (Alternatively, move the directories to a place where they are not visible, and change the variables in twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg accordingly)
Test your settings by running the testenv script from your browser: http://yourdomain.com/twiki/bin/testenv. Check if your twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg configuration file settings are correct.
Step 4: Internationalisation Setup (Optional)
By default, TWiki is configured to support US ASCII letters (no accents) in WikiWords, and ISO-8859-1 (Western European) characters in page contents. If that's OK for you, skip this step.
If your Wiki will be used by non-English speakers, TWiki can be configured for Internationalisation ('I' followed by 18 letters, then 'N', or I18N). Specifically, TWiki will support suitable accented characters in WikiWords (as well as languages such as Japanese or Chinese in which WikiWords do not apply), and will support virtually any character set in the contents of pages. NOTE: TWiki does not currently support UTF-8, so you are advised not to use this - however, improved UTF-8 support is under development, see TWiki:Codev/ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N.
To configure internationalisation suppport:
Edit the TWiki.cfg file's Internationalisation section to set the $useLocale parameter to 1. TWiki will now use the I18N parameters set in the rest of this section.
Type the Unix/Linux command locale -a to find a suitable 'locale' for your use of TWiki. A locale that includes a dot followed by a character set is recommended, e.g. pl_PL.ISO-8859-2 for Poland. Consult your system administrator if you are not sure which locale to use.
In TWiki.cfg, set the $siteLocale parameter to your chosen locale, e.g. pl_PL.ISO-8859-2 for Poland.
Check your setup using testenv (download the latest testenv from TWiki:Support/SupportGuidelines if possible) - this provides some diagnostics for I18N setup, and in particular checks that your locale can be used successfully.
(For upgrade of TWiki I18N sites only:) If you were using TWiki:Codev.TWikiRelease01Feb2003 support for I18N, and are using Internet Explorer or Opera, you should re-configure your browser so that it sends URLs encoded with UTF-8 (supported since TWiki:Codev.TWikiRelease01Sep2004). If you are doing a new installation of TWiki, you can ignore this step - no browser reconfiguration is needed for TWiki Release 01-Sep-2004).
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher: in Tools | Options | Advanced, check 'always send URLs as UTF-8', then close all IE windows and restart IE.
Opera 6.x or higher: in Preferences | Network | International Web Addresses, check 'encode all addresses with UTF-8'.
NOTE: This does not mean that TWiki supports UTF-8 as a site character set.
Try out your TWiki by creating pages in the Sandbox web that use international characters in WikiWords and checking that searching, WebIndex, Ref-By and other features are working OK.
Trouble with I18N?
If international characters in WikiWords do not seem to work, and you are on Perl 5.6 or higher, you may need to set the TWiki.cfg parameter $localeRegexes to 0 - this disables some features but enables TWiki to work even if your system has locales that do not work. Then, set the $upperNational and $lowerNational parameters to the valid upper and lower case accented letters for your locale.
NOTE: You will need to do the above workaround for Windows based servers (whether using Cygwin or ActiveState Perl), since Perl locales are not working on Windows as of Feb 2004.
If international characters in WikiWords aren't working, and you are on Perl 5.005 with working locales, keep $useLocale set to 1 and set $localeRegexes to 0, then set $upperNational and $lowerNational - if testenv generates the lists of characters for you, your locales are working so there is no need to set $localeRegexes to 0 in this case. See the comments in TWiki.cfg for more information.
Step 5: Configure Site-Wide Email Preferences
Edit the TWikiPreferences topic in the TWiki web (by pointing your browser to http://yourdomain.com/twiki/bin/view/TWiki/TWikiPreferences) to set the WIKIWEBMASTER email address, and other email settings required for registration and WebChangesAlert to work:
WIKIWEBMASTER should be set to the email address of the TWiki administrator
SMTPMAILHOST is typically set on Windows or other non-Unix/Linux systems, where sendmail or similar is not available. When this is set and the Perl module Net::SMTP is installed, TWiki will connect to this SMTP server (e.g. mail.yourdomain.com) to send email for user registration and WebChangesAlerts. If you do have a sendmail-type program, leave SMTPMAILHOST unset so that the external sendmail program is used instead (defined by $mailProgram in TWiki.cfg).
SMTPSENDERHOST is optional, and set to the domain name sending the email (e.g. twiki.yourdomain.com). For use where the SMTP server requires that you identify the TWiki server sending mail. If not set, Net::SMTP will guess it for you.
Point your Web browser at http://yourdomain.com/twiki/bin/view and start TWiki-ing away!
Or, point to http://yourdomain.com/twiki/ to get the pre-TWiki index.html page, with a link to the view script. Customize this page if you want a public intro screen with a login link, instead of immediately calling up the .htaccess login dialog by going directly to view.
Edit the WebPreferences topic in each web, if necessary: set individual WEBCOPYRIGHT messages, and other preferences.
Enable email notification of topic changes - TWikiSiteTools has more.
Edit the WebNotify topic in all webs and add the users you want to notify.
That's it for the standard installation of TWiki. Read on for server-level customization options.
Additional Server-Level Options
With your new TWiki installation up and running, you can manage most aspects of your site from the browser interface. Only a few functions require access to the server file system, via Telnet or FTP. You can make these server-level changes during installation, and at any time afterwards.
Enabling Authentication of Users
If TWiki is installed on a non-authenticated server - not using SSL - and you'd like to authenticate users:
Rename file .htaccess.txt in the twiki/bin directory to .htaccess and change it to your needs. The comment at the top of the file explains what need to be done, basically replace !FILE_path_to_TWiki! and !URL_path_to_TWiki! with paths specific to your installation. For the details of how this file works, consult the HTTP server documentation (for Apache server: [1], [2]).
NOTE: If you had to add a .cgi or .pl file extension to the bin scripts, make sure to do the same for edit, view, preview, and all the other script names in .htaccess.
The browser should ask for login name and password when you click on the Edit link. In case .htaccess does not have the desired effect, you need to enable it: Add "AllowOverride All" to the Directory [3] section of access.conf for your twiki/bin directory.
This applies only if you have root access: on hosted accounts, you shouldn't have this problem - otherwise, email tech support.
NOTE: In the TWiki distribution package, the twiki/data/.htpasswd.txt file contains several TWiki core team user accounts and a guest user account. You probably want to remove those accounts by deleting the entries in .htpasswd. Do not remove the guest user if you want to allow guest logins.
TWiki now supports several Password file format/encoding methods for Apache. Once you know what method is used by your Appache server, you can configure TWiki to create compatible .htpasswd entries by editing the $htpasswdFormatFamily, $htpasswdEncoding and $htpasswdFilename in the TWiki.cfg file. The supported options are htpasswd:plain, htpasswd:crypt, htpasswd:sha1, htdigest:md5
Copy the TWikiRegistrationPub? topic to TWikiRegistration, overwriting old version of TWikiRegistration. Do that by either editing the topics in theTWiki web, or by renaming the .txt and .txt,v files in the twiki/data/TWiki directory.
Customization:
You can customize the registration form by deleting or adding input tags. The name="" parameter of the input tags must start with: "Twk0..." (if this is an optional entry), or "Twk1..." (if this is a required entry). This ensures that the fields are carried over into the user home page correctly.
You can customize the default user home page in NewUserTemplate. The same variables get expanded as in the template topics
NOTE: When a user registers, a new line with the username and encrypted password is added to the data/.htpasswd file. The .htpasswd file that comes with the TWiki installation includes user accounts for TWiki core team members that are used for testing on TWiki.org. You can edit the file and delete those lines.
Create a new topic to check if authentication works.
Edit the TWikiAdminGroup topic in the TWiki:Main web to include users with system administrator status.
Edit the WebPreferences topic in each web, if necessary: set access priviliges.
WYSIWYG Editor
At this time, TWiki does not ship with an "what you see is what you get" editor. TWiki:Codev/IntegrateHtmlAreaEditor describes how to integrate an HTML editor.
NOTE: User home topics are located in the TWiki.Main web - don't try to move them or create them in other webs. From any other web, user signatures have to point to TWiki.Main web, using a Main.UserName or %MAINWEB%.UserName format. (The %MAINWEB% variable is an advantage if you ever change the Main web name, but the standard Main.UserName is easier for users to enter, which is the bottom line!)
This cookbook is intended to get you up and running with TWiki on Windows quickly, with as few problems as possible. The 'cookbook' approach is simply to restrict the many choices that someone installing TWiki must make, so that a reasonably well-defined procedure can be followed - new users can simply follow the steps, while experts can use this as more of a guideline.
NOTE: This cookbook is not 100% complete (e.g. it doesn't cover authentication setup described by existing documentation), but it has been used successfully for over a year now - it is quite accurate and should get you started if you follow the instructions. Please provide feedback in TWiki:Codev.WindowsInstallCookbookComments.
NOTE: You will get the best results from following this cookbook exactly, using the same directories, etc - however, if you really do need to vary things, it should be fairly obvious what to do.
This document covers installation of the TWiki 01-Sep-2004 production release (TWiki:Codev/TWikiRelease01Sep2004) in the following environment - if you want to use a different environment, feel free to use this as a guideline only.
Windows-specific security holes fixed in this build (check latest version at http://httpd.apache.org, but don't use Apache 2.0 yet)
Unix tools
Cygwin 1.3.9
Simplest way to get a whole set of required tools
Perl
Cygwin perl-5.6.1-2
Comes with Cygwin, don't use Perl 5.8.0 yet
RCS
Cygwin rcs-5.7-2
Comes with Cygwin, includes a file corruption bugfix
Why this choice of packages? Because I've tried them, and they work well, without requiring a complicated setup... In particular, Apache is the commonest choice for TWiki on Unix/Linux, Cygwin Perl is very close to Unix Perl, and the Cygwin RCS is regularly updated, with a recent TWiki-relevant bug fix in Feb 2002. Cygwin also lets you install the Unix tools, Perl and RCS in a single step, saving quite a lot of time.
More recent minor versions should be OK, but they can introduce bugs.
Major version upgrades, such as Apache 2.0 and Perl 5.8, are very likely to cause problems - for example, Apache 2.0 is unable to authenticate users created by the current TWiki user registration script (due to a feature being removed in 2.0, see TWiki:Support.FailedAuthenticationWithApache2OnWinNT). Similarly, Perl 5.8 may introduce issues due to its Unicode features and has caused problems due to a bug in CGI.pm. Even though the Apache group says that Apache 2.0 is the best version, that's not true for TWiki at present. For more information, see TWiki:Codev.IssuesWithApache2dot0 and TWiki:Codev.IssuesWithPerl5dot8.
Alternatives
The following Windows operating systems have been tested following the instructions given here:
Windows NT, 98 and ME all work fine with minor tweaks
Using a different web server is certainly possible, but the setup required for each webserver varies greatly (see TWiki:Codev.TWikiOnWindows for pages about specific web servers). You may find it easiest to get a working system with Apache and then switch over to another web server.
Covering the whole range of additional possibilities, particularly web servers, would make this cookbook too complex, and is best handled as a separate activity.
For improved performance on Windows through using mod_perl, you may want to try TWiki:Codev.WindowsModPerlInstallCookbook.
Checking versions
If you already have some of these add-ons installed, here's how to check the versions - this assumes you have TWiki:Codev.CygWin already installed:
$ : Cygwin DLL version is the number in 1.3.x format
$ uname -r
$ less c:/your-apache-dir/Announcement
$ perl -v
$ rcs -V
If you have an older version of any component, do yourself a favour and upgrade it as part of the install process.
Pre-requisites and upgrades
You will need to have local administrator rights and be comfortable with Windows administration.
This cookbook is intended for a clean install, i.e. none of these components are already installed. However, since Cygwin and Apache's installation process is fairly upgrade-friendly, upgrades should work as well - take backups of all your data and config files first, though!
Text editing
Editing Cygwin files should be done with an editor that can handle Unix file format (see the Cygwin binary mode section below). The installation process suggests:
nano, a very simple text editor, installed optionally during Cygwin installation. Always launch nano with the -w command-line option to turn off wrapping of long lines.
vi, a more sophisticated editor that should be familiar to most UNIX users
These both non-GUI editors, but if you prefer to use a GUI editor you should install PFE, a freeware editor that supports Unix format files. PFE is available on download.com and Simtel.
Another good TWiki:Codev.OpenSource editor is SciTE (aka WSciTE), available at http://www.scintilla.org/SciTE.html.
The Unix/Windows Environment
It's a little known fact that you can use pathnames such as c:/apache almost everywhere in Windows - try it in a File Open dialogue box. The main exception is the Windows "DOS" command line shell - here, you must use double quotes around forward slashes, e.g. dir "c:/apache" will work fine.
The reason this matters is that '\' is a special character to Perl and other tools, so it's much easier to use '/' everywhere.
The Cygwin environment
TWiki:Codev.CygWin is a Unix-like environment for Windows - many of its tools support the c:/apache format, but it also provides a more Unixlike syntax, e.g. /usr/bin/rcs.exe, because some Unix tools ported onto Cygwin only support the Unix format.
When you launch a Cygwin shell, your existing PATH variable is translated from the Windows format to the Unix format, and the ';' separators in the Windows PATH are changed into ':' separators as required by Unix. A Cygwin tool (e.g. Cygwin Perl or Cygwin RCS) will always use the Unix PATH format, and will accept Unix format pathnames.
The Apache environment
Apache runs as a native Windows process and has nothing to do with Cygwin (at least the version used in this cookbook doesn't). Hence it supports c:/ pathnames in its config files and the first line of Perl CGI scripts.
If you need to use spaces in file names (not recommended), put double quotes around the file name in the httpd.conf file. There have been some security-related bugs in Apache with long pathnames, which are a bit more likely if you use spaces, so it's best to just avoid long names and using spaces.
The Perl environment
Once Perl has been launched by Apache, it is in Cygwin mode, and so is everything it launches, including ls, egrep, and the RCS tools that it (typically) launches with the bash shell.
If you need to use spaces in file names (not recommended), you may be able to put double quotes around the file name in the TWiki.cfg file - however, it's not clear whether all the TWiki code would work with this.
Installing Components
Enough background, let's get on with the installation.
TWiki (part 1)
Head to http://twiki.org, click the download link, and fill in the form to request a URL for download. You'll get an automated email, which should arrive by the time you need it.
Apache
Steps 1 and 2 can be shortcut by opening the self-installing executable on the Apache website that installs Apache 1.3.x. The painful details below are mainly helpful when detecting where things are going wrong.....1. Download Apache
The file to download is apache_1.3.X-win32-x86-no_src.msi where 'X' is 20 or higher
Note that this is a Microsoft Installer format file (.MSI)
NOTE: If you are using Windows NT, download the .MSI installer (instmsi.exe) from the Apache Win32 download page - this enables you to install .MSI files. You may need to update the .MSI Installer if you have an old version under NT.
NOTE: The Apache package itself requires a download of around 2 MB, and up to 10 MB of free disk space once installed
2. Install Apache
Double-click the .MSI file to run the installer
Specify c:\ as the installation directory - this actually installs Apache into c:\apache (if you specify c:\apache, it installs into c:\apache\Apache). Putting Apache into c:\Program Files is not recommended for easy editing of Apache config files from Cygwin.
On Windows NT/2000 you can choose to run Apache as a service or as a normal program - see the Apache docs for details.
Congratulations, you now have a working web server!
To restart Apache after changing its config, type:
apache -k restart for standalone Apache process running in another window
apache -k restart -n apache for Apache running as a Win2000 service (-n gives name of service)
Another useful command is apache -k stop.
Cygwin, Unix tools, Perl and RCS
4. Install Cygwin
Head to http://cygwin.com, and click the Install or update now! link. Save the setup.exe in a directory, e.g. c:\download\cygwin-dist.
Now run the Cygwin setup.exe file - this will also install Perl and RCS in one fell swoop.
Choose Internet install
On first page, accept the defaults (be sure that the default text file type is Unix to avoid problems with attachment uploads, and specify 'install for all users')
Select c:\download\cygwin-dist as the local package directory, and suitable proxy settings, then pick a local mirror site
In the package list screen, hit the View button until you get an alphabetical list that says Full to the right of the button.
Leave the radio button on Curr (Current)
The Current column shows what's installed on your system (if anything)
For each package, make sure the New column in the installer has a version number under it. If it says 'Skip' or 'Keep' (meaning it's already installed), single-click that word until a version number is shown. Make sure you select the following packages - in recent Cygwin setups you will have to select Perl 5.6.1 explicitly:
NOTE: Do not include lynx if you are upgrading from an older Cygwin installation (to avoid annoying DLL messages) - if you want Lynx, read the Cygwin FAQ entry and upgrade libncurses5.
Hit Next to do the installation.
NOTE: The mandatory packages require a download of about 12 MB - about half of this is Perl, which would be necessary even without Cygwin, and most of the rest is gcc, which is required for simple installation of Perl modules that use the C language. Something like 20 to 30 MB of free disk space should be enough for Cygwin, but I didn't test this (try a du -k / after a new install and let me know the last figure).
NOTE: The installer keeps a local copy of downloaded files, so it's easy to re-install without re-downloading.
Let the installer create the shortcuts suggested
You can always come back and re-run the installer again later if you missed anything.
Environment setup:
Set the HOME environment variable to c:\cygwin\home\YOURUSER, where YOURUSER is your userid, e.g. jsmith or administrator.
Windows NT, XP and 2000: Go into Control Panel, double-click the System icon, and select Advanced, then click Environment Variables. Under User Variables, click New.... Now type HOME (must be upper case) as the variable name, and c:\cygwin\home\YOURUSER as the value, and hit OK.
Windows 98 and ME - add to AUTOEXEC.BAT and reboot
You can also set TEMP to c:\temp at this point, if you prefer this to editing the Cygwin ~/.profile file. (HOME can't be set in the ~/.profile file.)
Create the c:\cygwin\home\YOURUSER directory
5. Test Cygwin
Launch the desktop icon - this runs the bash shell, which has command line editing features
Use the cursor up key to recall previous commands - normal PC editing keys can then be used to edit a command
TIP: When typing a directory or file name, hit the TAB key after the first few letters of the name - bash will 'complete' the name. If bash beeps at you, hit TAB again to see the files/directories that match the name so far, and type a bit more before hitting TAB. This saves a lot of time!
Type rcs -V - you should see the RCS version, 5.7
Type perl -v - you should see cygwin mentioned in the first line, and the Perl version, 5.6.1
Type grep home /etc/passwd - you should see some output.
The Cygwin User Guide is well worth reading for some background on how Cygwin works.
6. Configure Cygwin for binary mode
This is very important - omitting this step leads to a partially working system that corrupts RCS files - without this, Cygwin tools (including Perl and RCS) will add unwanted carriage returns (Ctrl/M, '\r') to files in an attempt to translate between the Windows and Unix text file formats (Unix text files only use line feeds ('\n').
Stay in the Cygwin (bash) shell, and type the following (use only forward slashes, i.e. '/'):
$ mkdir /twiki /c c:/twiki
$ mount -b -s c:/twiki /twiki
$ mount -b -s c:/ /c
$ mount -b -c /cygdrive
$ mount
Device Directory Type Flags
C:\cygwin\bin /usr/bin system binmode
C:\cygwin\lib /usr/lib system binmode
C:\cygwin / system binmode
c:\twiki /twiki system binmode
c: /c system binmode
This configures /twiki (known as a 'mount point') to map onto c:/twiki and for that directory tree to always be in binary mode, and does the same for /c, mapping it onto c:/. The last-but-one command sets binary as the default for any unmounted drives (e.g. z:/, aka /cygdrive/z).
It is very important that all lines in the output of mount say 'binmode' under Flags
If the lines for C:\cygwin directories do not, you should uninstall and then re-install Cygwin to ensure that binary attachment uploads will work.
You can now refer to files using Unix paths, e.g. /twiki/bin/view or /c/apache/Announcement - see the Cygwin documentation for more details on this.
Now test this, still using the Cygwin shell:
Type cd /twiki
Type echo hi >t
Type cat -v t - you should see hi as the output
If you see filename errors, your mounts did not work for some reason - check your typing
If you see hi^M as output, your /twiki directory is not in binary mode
Clean up by doing rm t
This setup is written to the Windows registry, so there's no need to put these commands into a .profile file. For more information on binary vs text mode, see this User Guide section and this FAQ entry.
TWiki (part 2)
7. Download TWiki
Download the latest TWiki release from http://twiki.org/ and save it in the c:/twiki directory.
8. Install TWiki
Unzip the ZIP file under c:/twiki using WinZip, or by going into Cygwin and doing the following - you can hit the TAB key to complete filenames after you've typed the first part:
$ cd /twiki
$ unzip TWiki20011201.zip
Configuring components
Now that all the components are installed, you need to configure them.
Configuring Apache
The setup given here is fairly simple, in that it allows only TWiki to be served by the web server. For more complex setups, you can investigate the Alias and ScriptAlias commands that are left commented out in this configuration.
NOTE: This needs reviewing for security holes and to ensure nothing is missed, though this config does work.
1. Configure Apache (part 1)
Using a suitable text editor (see #TextEditing, above) edit c:/apache/conf/httpd.conf as follows - this tells Apache where TWiki lives, and removes the need to tinker with the Windows environment settings.
Note the trailing '/' characters in various places - they are important!
Create the c:\temp directory, by typing mkdir c:\temp in a DOS command line window
Edit the following lines, some of which already exist in the file:
# Change this to point to the Apache administrator (e.g. you)
ServerAdmin you@yourdomain.com
# Replaces DocumentRoot "C:/apache/htdocs"
DocumentRoot "C:/twiki"
# Replaces <Directory "C:/apache/htdocs">
<Directory "C:/twiki">
Add the following lines - the Alias and ScriptAlias lines can be omitted in this setup
# Alias /twiki/ "C:/twiki/"
# ScriptAlias /twiki/bin/ "C:/twiki/bin/"
<Directory "C:/twiki/bin/">
# RD: Changed None to All in next line, to enable .htaccess
AllowOverride All
Allow From All
Options ExecCGI
SetHandler cgi-script
</Directory>
# Environment setup required to run Apache as service or as a
# standalone process.
<IfModule mod_env.c>
# Adjust TZ for your server timezone, e.g. EST5EDT - put the non-daylight-savings
# timezone code first (e.g. EST or GMT), followed by the number of hours that it's behind GMT
# during non-daylight-savings time (use '-5' for timezones in advance of GMT).
SetEnv TZ GMT0BST
SetEnv RCSINIT -x,v/
# Adjust TEMP and TMP for your server and create directories if necessary
SetEnv TEMP c:/temp
SetEnv TMP c:/temp
SetEnv LOGNAME system
SetEnv HOME c:/twiki
</IfModule>
2. Configure Apache (part 2)
Add an AddHandler line to the <IfModule mod_mime.c> section of httpd.conf - this removes the need to rename all the TWiki CGI scripts later in the installation.
3. Configure TWiki
Edit the TWiki config file, c:/twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg (or in Cygwin terms, /twiki/lib/TWiki.cfg) as follows:
NOTE: It should be possible to use c:/twiki format pathnames for Cygwin, given the above binmode setup, but I have not tested this fully - a Cygwin Perl test script does generate binary mode files in this configuration, so it should work with RCS as well (really need a small RCS file corruption test case). Watch out for RCS file corruption carefully if you do try c:/twiki pathnames with Cygwin, and do report your experiences...
NOTE: Some recent versions of Cygwin (e.g. 1.3.10) seem to create 'symbolic links' from fgrep and egrep to grep, requiring the settings for these commands to point directly to grep (with suitable flags to provide fgrep and egrep behaviour).
# variables that need to be changed when installing on a new server:
# ==================================================================
# http://your.domain.com/twiki : link of TWiki icon in upper left corner :
$wikiHomeUrl = "http://yourdomain.com/bin/view";
# Host of TWiki URL : (Example "http://myhost.com:123")
$defaultUrlHost = "http://yourdomain.com";
# : cgi-bin path of TWiki URL:
$scriptUrlPath = "/bin";
# /pub : Public data path of TWiki URL (root of attachments) :
$pubUrlPath = "/pub";
# NOTE: Next three settings should be valid absolute pathnames using Cygwin; if using
# TWiki:Codev.ActiveState Perl, use z:/twiki format pathnames if your TWiki directory is not on C:.
# Public data directory, must match $pubUrlPath :
$pubDir = "/twiki/pub";
# Template directory :
$templateDir = "/twiki/templates";
# Data (topic files) root directory :
$dataDir = "/twiki/data";
....
# Set ENV{'PATH'} explicitly for taint checks ( #!perl -T option ) :
# (Note: PATH environment variable is not changed if set to "")
# On Windows, $safeEnvPath needs only one component, the directory where RCS is installed
# - used by 'rcsdiff' to run 'co' program, so PATH must be correct.
# Unix/Linux setting:
# $safeEnvPath = "/bin:/usr/bin";
# Using Cygwin perl, so can use Unix-like paths, with ':' as separator.
# Note that /usr/bin and /bin are identical due to default /usr/bin mount
# in Cygwin. Must NOT use 'c:/foo' type paths, as ':' is taken as separator
# meaning that 'c' is interpreted as a pathname, giving Perl taint error.
$safeEnvPath = "/bin";
# If using ActiveState perl, use Windows paths instead
# $safeEnvPath = "c:/cygwin/bin";
...
# RCS directory (find out by 'which rcs') :
$rcsDir = "c:/cygwin/bin";
...
# Unix egrep command :
$egrepCmd = "/bin/grep -E";
# Unix fgrep command :
$fgrepCmd = "/bin/grep -F";
For the cookbook install using Cygwin Perl, there's no more TWiki.cfg editing to be done, so you can get onto the next section.
For TWiki:Codev.ActiveState Perl, you need to make these additional edits further down the file - this is the only place where backslashes are needed. (See TWiki:Codev.CookbookActivePerlSetup for some extra Perl setup that should remove the need for these edits.)
# NOTE: When using ActiveState Perl, you must specify
# a full Windows-style pathname, using '\\' for backslashes,
# for the ls, egrep and fgrep commands, because Cygwin's shell
# is not used - forward slashes are OK in Windows everywhere
# except in the cmd.exe shell. Drive letters are OK - e.g.
# 'c:\\foo\\ls' will work. When using Cygwin perl, just
# use the default '/bin/ls' type settings.
#
# Unix ls command :
$lsCmd = "c:\\cygwin\\bin\\ls";
# Unix egrep command :
$egrepCmd = "c:\\cygwin\\bin\\grep";
# Unix fgrep command :
$fgrepCmd = "c:\\cygwin\\bin\\grep";
Editing the CGI scripts
4. Editing the Shebang lines
Now to edit the curiously named 'shebang lines' at the top of the TWiki CGI scripts. This is required so the Apache server knows what interpreter (perl) to use with the scripts.
You must use the Cygwin shell to do this (unless you are a Perl expert) - don't use the Windows command shell, cmd.exe (aka DOS Prompt)
Then do the following, which quickly edits the 19 or so files, using Perl - the important lines are in bold.
Type the Perl line very carefully
If you do mis-type the perl line, you can restore from the .backup directory and re-run the command, as it will only edit the original files, not the backups with '~' suffixes.
If for some reason the edit goes wrong, just type cp .backup/* . (while within the bin directory) to restore the original distribution files. Use ls -a to see the .backup directory, and ls -a .backup to view its contents.
Optional step: you can do 'rm *~' to clean out the backups made by Perl, but that's not essential as all the original files cannot be executed. If you do this, type the command very carefully, as a space after the '*' will wipe out all files in this directory!
5. Minor changes to TWiki scriptsTWiki Dec 2001 release only - fixed in Feb 2003 release
If using the Dec 2001 release, you now need to make some minor edits to files in the c:/twiki/bin directory, using a suitable editor (remember to use nano -w filename if you prefer nano to vi - or just use the Windows PFE editor).
Edit the register script in /twiki/bin - change line 200 to read as follows (insert the MIME::Base64:: part):
6. Installing required Perl modules
Some additional Perl modules are needed, above and beyond the standard modules installed with Cygwin. Fortunately, there is an automated tool that makes it easy to do this - it's called cpan, and goes to the Perl module archive site, http://www.cpan.org/, to download all required modules, and then build and install them.
Note: if you are unable to get cpan working in your environment, don't panic; you can still install the modules manually. In this case, follow the instructions in CPAN: The Hard Way.
First of all, you need to get the cpan tool configured and working - this is only necessary once. From the Cygwin shell, type the following (putting the export command in ~/.profile is recommended to make this setting persistent). Without the TEMP variable, some modules may fail to install on Windows 2000 and higher.
$ export TEMP=/c/temp
$ cpan
Lots of questions about configuration and preferences - just hit Enter until you
get to the questions about mirror sites, but answer the questions about FTP proxies etc
if you are behind a proxy-based firewall. The CPAN tool will fetch a series of files,
some quite large, as part of this setup process, so be patient...NOTE: If you are behind a non-proxy-based firewall that requires the use of passive FTP, the initial downloads of files using Net::FTP may appear to hang - just wait 5 or more minutes, however, and the CPAN tool should eventually hit on ncftpget, which is part of Cygwin and does work OK. If this doesn't work and you are behind a typical NAT-based firewall, try doing the following at the Cygwin shell before running cpan - this forces Net::FTP to use passive FTP, letting it get through such firewalls:
$ export FTP_PASSIVE=1
If this works, add this line to your ~/.profile file for future use.
Once some initial files are downloaded, you are asked to select your continent and country, and then mirror sites - just type the number of the mirror sites you want to use (pick a few in case one is down):
...
(28) Turkey
(29) Ukraine
(30) United Kingdom
Select your country (or several nearby countries) [] 30
(1) ftp://cpan.teleglobe.net/pub/CPAN
(2) ftp://ftp.clockerz.net/pub/CPAN/
(3) ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/CPAN/
(4) ftp://ftp.flirble.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
(5) ftp://ftp.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
(6) ftp://ftp.plig.org/pub/CPAN/
(7) ftp://mirror.uklinux.net/pub/CPAN/
(8) ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/CPAN/
(9) ftp://usit.shef.ac.uk/pub/packages/CPAN/
Select as many URLs as you like,
put them on one line, separated by blanks [] 4 7 8
Enter another URL or RETURN to quit: []
New set of picks:
ftp://ftp.flirble.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://mirror.uklinux.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/CPAN/
Eventually, you'll get to the cpan installer's shell prompt, where you need to install a few modules - the tool will do all the work for you.
NOTE: You will need to have previously installed the Cygwin make and gcc packages, which are required by the CPAN installer (gcc is required for modules that include C language code) - you can install them now by launching Cygwin's setup.exe from c:/download/cygwin-dist (no need to exit the CPAN installer).
cpan shell -- CPAN exploration and modules installation (v1.59_54)
cpan> install Net::SMTPMay already be installed - if it is, try 'force install', since it's useful to be able to set
firewall and passive FTP configuration when using Net::FTP. Make sure you answer 'Y' to the question
about whether you want to configure this package.
cpan> install Digest::SHA1Lots of output about how CPAN finds, builds and installs the module - watch for
any errors, though it should work fine if you have installed the Cygwin packages listed above (particularly 'gcc' and 'make').
cpan> install MIME::Base64May already be installed.
CPAN: The Hard Way
If you find that cpan doesn't work for you, perhaps because you are behind an uncooperative corporate firewall, you may have to fall back on installing modules manually. In this case, you need to read the CPAN INSTALL page and visit the CPAN search site to search for each module you require. Usually installation simply involves downloading the module distribution into a temporary directory and unpacking it (a .tar.gz or .tgz file is unpacked using tar zxvf file). Then do the following:
$ perl Makefile.PL
$ make
$ make test
$ make install
The make test step should not be skipped - for example, one known problem is with the Digest::SHA1 module on Windows NT, which does not pass its tests and does not work. This causes problems with password encoding. In this event you can use another encoding scheme or switch to unencoded passwords. There may be other problems on the various Windows configurations, and you can save yourself a lot of time.
Re-locking RCS files
7. Re-locking files
First, some testing: in your browser, go to http://yourdomain.com/bin/testenv - this provides a lot of detail, including warnings. Write down the Apache server's userid that is given by this script - typically either 'system' or 'administrator' - I'll assume 'system' from now on.
If the testenv script doesn't work, go back and check the configuration of the Apache httpd.conf file, and TWiki.cfg. Have a look at the Apache error log, c:/apache/logs/error_log, and the TWiki error log, /twiki/data/log*.txt.
This 'system' user must own the locks on the RCS files, which are shipped with the lock held by 'nobody'. The reason this matters is that no revisions will be tracked by RCS unless the Apache userid matches that of the RCS file locks.
You can re-lock files using rcs -u and rcs -l, but it's a painfully manual process. Instead, just use Perl again to mass-edit all the RCS files, as follows:
NOTE: The 'NR <= 10' part of the Perl command ensures that it only operates on the first 10 lines, to avoid editing the body of RCS files for topics that happen to include the text 'nobody:' (like this one...)
$ cd /twiki/data
$ : Make a backup of all files
$ tar czvf all-files.tar.gz */*
$ : Test edit a single file to check your typing
$ perl -pi~~~ -e 'NR <= 10 && s/nobody:/system:/ ' Main/WebIndex.txt,v
$ diff Main/WebIndex.txt,v Main/WebIndex.txt,v~~~
5c5
< system:1.2; strict;
---
> nobody:1.2; strict;
$ : Now edit all the RCS files at once - use cursor-up to recall previous command
$ perl -pi~~~ -e 'NR <= 10 && s/nobody:/system:/ ' */*,v
$ : Check for any remaining files not edited
$ grep 'strict;$' */*,v | grep -v system
$ : Clean up - type this very carefully
$ rm */*~~~
If something goes wrong: to restore your existing files from the backup, just type tar xzvf all-files.tar.gz and all your files, both .txt and .txt,v, will be back as they were before the edits.
You have now re-locked all the RCS files and are almost ready to start using TWiki!
Email setup
8. Email setup for notification and registration
You need to set the SMTPMAILHOST in TWikiPreferences to an SMTP email host that is reachable and currently working. Otherwise you may get a confusing message from TWiki (fixed in TWiki:Codev.TWikiRelease01Feb2003) when registering new users or running mailnotify (for WebNotify), along the lines of:
Software Error: Can't call method "mail" on an undefined value at ../lib/TWiki/Net.pm line 187.
There are other settings to be made in TWikiPreferences, e.g. the WIKIWEBMASTER and (probably) the SMTPSENDERHOST (normally your mail server or TWiki server). See the TWikiInstallationGuide for more details, what's listed here is just enough to let you run the basic tests.
Testing your TWiki installation
It is important to test your TWiki installation before you release it to other users or put any significant data into it.
Here are the main things to test:
testenv - use http://yourdomain.com/bin/testenv and check for warnings
If you are having installation trouble, download the latest testenv from TWiki:Codev/TWikiAlphaRelease and install it in c:/twiki/bin. (From TWiki.org, just click CVSget:bin/testenv to get this script)
Page viewing (view script) - click around a few pages and make sure the links are OK
RCS diffs (rdiff script) - click on the Diffs link and on the '>' links at bottom of page
Edit a page, and register as a new user - tests page creation, use of register script to create a new user entry in /twiki/data/.htpasswd (the Apache password file), ability to send email via Net::SMTP, and whether SMTPMAILHOST was set correctly in TWikiPreferences (if it is unset it will not use Net::SMTP and will almost inevitably fail silently).
If you get a failure to register or send email, check the Apache error log, and that all CPAN modules were installed correctly in Step 6, Installing required Perl modules.
Try typing tail -30 /c/apache/logs/error_log to see last 30 errors from Apache
Edit a page - check revision increased and set to current date/time
Edit the same page using another browser or PC, logging in as a different user - check there's a lock message (which you can override) and no double lines
Check the Apache error_log file to see if there are any RCS errors so far
Index - tests whether ls and grep are working
Search - more tests for whether ls and grep are working
Attachments - tests access to /twiki/pub directory.
Try a binary attachment upload and check the number of bytes in the file has not changed - if it has, see the Install Cygwin section's note on the default text file type.
Check the Apache error_log file again
Troubleshooting
If anything doesn't work, go back and check the configuration of the Apache httpd.conf file, and TWiki.cfg. Have a look at the Apache error log, c:/apache/logs/error_log, and the TWiki error log, /twiki/data/log*.txt, and if necessary enable debugging on selected scripts (the commands are right at the top of each script) - the results go into /twiki/data/debug.txt. There is also a /twiki/data/warning.txt file that contains less serious messages.
See TWiki:Codev.TWikiPatches in case there are patches (i.e. specific code changes) for particular problems that may affect you (e.g. TWiki:Codev.ChangePasswordOnWin2K).
If you find that the Index feature doesn't work, or topic name searches fail, you should check you have set $egrepCmd and $fgrepCmd correctly, as mentioned above.
By default, it only implements the Unix 'write' and 'execute' permissions bits - the former is controlled by the Windows Read-Only attribute, while the latter is automatically assigned to files named *.exe or *.com, and to files whose first line is a shebang (i.e. #!/bin/something). This is what has been used for this cookbook.
You can enable the 'ntea' or 'ntsec' models, which will increase security but are also likely to introduce permission problems.
I have not had any problems with TWiki permissions on Windows, unlike Linux/Unix, which is probably because I'm using the default security model for Cygwin. If you use the other models, you may still be OK if you have local admin rights, and Apache is running as the SYSTEM user (which it uses if started as a service). If you do have trouble in this area, see the TWikiInstallationGuide's advice, some of which will apply to TWiki:Codev.CygWin, and log any issues in TWiki:Codev.WindowsInstallCookbookComments.
Next Steps
See the TWikiInstallationGuide for other setup. In particular, you'll probably want to refer to the section on basic authentication - remember to use c:/twiki type filenames (i.e. Windows format) since you are using Apache for Windows.
See TWiki:Codev.WindowsModPerlInstallCookbook and TWiki:Codev.ModPerl for information on installing TWiki under Apache's mod_perl - this is somewhat more complex and follows a different model, so it's best to get some experience with TWiki, Apache and Perl first.
Format of filenames
In your TWiki on Windows installation, it's worth remembering that:
Apache configuration files (e.g. the .htaccess file and c:/apache/conf/httpd.conf) always use Windows format paths, with forward slashes, e.g. c:/twiki
The same is true for the first line of the TWiki Perl scripts (since this line is interpreted by Apache), e.g. c:/cygwin/bin/perl
All other lines in the Perl scripts use Unix format paths, e.g. /twiki (using Cygwin Perl as per this cookbook)
If you are using TWiki:Codev.ActivePerl, that will use Windows format paths, e.g. c:/twiki
Depending on the Perl version used (Cygwin or TWiki:Codev.ActivePerl), the TWiki.cfg file uses a mixture of Unix and Cygwin format paths - stick to the format used in the installation step for TWiki.cfg
Upgrade from the previous TWiki 01-Feb-2003 production release to TWiki 01-Sep-2004
Overview
This guide describes how to upgrade from TWiki 01-Feb-2003 to TWiki 01-Sep-2004. This is a major new release. You can chose between an automated upgrade using a script or a manual update.
To upgrade from a Beta of the new release, or if you made custom modifications to the application, read through all new reference documentation, then use the procedure below as a guideline
Major Changes Compared to TWiki 01-Feb-2003
Automatic upgrade script, and easier first-time installation
Attractive new skins, using a standard set of CSS classes, and a TWikiSkinBrowser to help you choose
Better support for different authentication methods
Many user interface and usability improvements
And many more enhancements, see the complete change log at TWikiHistory
Automated Upgrade Procedure from 01-Feb-2003 to 01-Sep-2004 Release
With the 01-Sep-2004 Release, for the first time, comes a helper script for upgrading from a previous version. This feature is currently at beta stage, it has only been sanity tested under Unix. It should be worth giving it a try, it won't mess up your existing
TWiki installation because it leaves that untouched.
If you would prefer to do things manually than trust a beta script, skip to the manual upgrade procedure below.
The upgrade script is called "UpgradeTwiki", and is found in the root of the distribution.
It will:
Create a new TWiki installation, placing the files from the distribution there as appropriate
Where possible, merge the changes you've made in your existing topics into the new twiki
Where not possible, it will tell you, and you can inspect those differences manually
Create new configuration files for the new TWiki based on your existing configuation information
Set the permissions in the new TWiki so that it should work straight away
Attempt to setup authentication for your new TWiki, if you are using .htaccess in the old one
Create a new directory for your new installation: Let's call this distro/
Put the distribution zip file in distro/
Unzip it
Choose a directory for the new installation. I will call this new_twiki. This directory must not already exist.
Change directory to distro/ and run: ./UpgradeTwiki <full path to new_twiki>
Assuming all goes well, UpgradeTwiki will give you the final instructions.
There are a few points worth noting:
UpgradeTwiki may not be able to merge all the changes you made in your existing TWiki into the new installation, but it will tell you which ones it couldn't deal with
UpgradeTwiki creates the new installation in a new directory tree. It makes a complete copy of all your existing data, so:
Clearly you need to point it to a location where there is enough space
If you have symlinks under your data/ directory in your existing installation, these are reproduced as actual directories in the new structure. It is up to you to pull these sub-directories out again and re-symlink as needed
UpgradeTwiki doesn't deal with custom templates or Plugins, you will have to reinstall these in the new installation
If you have done tricky stuff with $OS in your existing TWiki.cfg file, then you will need to manually examine the new TWiki.cfg file and possibly put your tricky changes in there manually
If you use it, and would be kind enough to add your experiences to TWiki:Codev.UpgradeTwiki, it would be much appreciated. The report of your experience will help to make UpgradeTwiki more robust.
Manual Upgrade Procedure from 01-Feb-2003 to 01-Sep-2004 Release
The following steps describe the upgrade assuming that $TWIKIROOT is the root of your current 01-Feb-2003 release. As written this will require some downtime. A process for switching over without downtime is described at the end of this section.
Back up and prepare:
Back up all existing TWiki directories $TWIKIROOT/bin, $TWIKIROOT/pub, $TWIKIROOT/data, $TWIKIROOT/templates, $TWIKIROOT/lib
Create a temporary directory and unpack the ZIP file there
Update files in TWiki root:
Overwrite all *.html and *.txt files in $TWIKIROOT with the new ones
Update template files:
Overwrite all template files in $TWIKIROOT/templates with the new ones
If you have customized your templates, make sure to merge those changes back to the new files
If you have customized skins or loaded new skins, make sure to merge or apply those changes to the new files
Change to view templates and skins:
Add %BROADCASTMESSAGE% somewhere on the top of the rendered HTML page (see the new view.tmpl for reference)
Changes to edit templates and skins:
Change the form action from preview to save: <form name="main" action="%SCRIPTURLPATH%/save%SCRIPTSUFFIX%/%WEB%/%TOPIC%" method="post">
Overwrite all script files in $TWIKIROOT/bin with the new ones.
If necessary, rename the scrips to include the required extension, e.g. .cgi
Edit $TWIKIROOT/bin/setlib.cfg and point $twikiLibPath to the absolute file path of $TWIKIROOT/lib
Edit your existing $TWIKIROOT/bin/.htaccess file to include a directive for the new rdiffauth script: <Files "rdiffauth"> require valid-user </Files>
Pay attention to the file and directory permissions, the scripts need to be executable, e.g. chmod 775 $TWIKIROOT/bin/*
Certain hosted environments require a 755 (do so if you get a "Premature end of script headers" messages in the Apache error log)
For Windows hosts, make sure the correct path to the perl interpreter is changed in the first line of every script file. See also WindowsInstallCookbook
Update library files:
Overwrite the TWiki.cfg configuration file in $TWIKIROOT/lib with the new one
Restore the configuration values from the backup. You typically need to configure just the ones in the section "variables that need to be changed when installing on a new server"
Overwrite the TWiki.pm library in $TWIKIROOT/lib with the new one
Copy and overwrite all subdirectories below $TWIKIROOT/lib with the new ones. Make sure to preserve any extra Plugins you might have in $TWIKIROOT/lib/TWiki/Plugins
Pay attention to the file and directory permissions, the library files should not be executable but the directory files should be, e.g. chmod 664 `find -type f $TWIKIROOT/lib` (for files) and chmod 775 `find -type d $TWIKIROOT/lib` (for directories)
Update data files:
Run the bin/testenv script from the browser (e.g. http://localhost/bin/testenv) to verify if the cgi-scripts are running as user nobody. In case not:
The *,v RCS repository files delivered with the installation package are locked by user nobody and need to be changed to the user of your cgi-scripts, for example www-data
Run the testenv script from your browser; in the Fix line you can relock all the rcs files (recommended)
In the temporary twiki/data/TWiki directory where you unzipped the installation package:
Remove the files you do not want to upgrade: InterWikis.*, TWikiRegistration.*, TWikiRegistrationPub.*, WebPreferences.*, WebStatistics.* and all WebTopic* files
Rename in the temporary directory the file $TWIKIROOT/data/TWiki/TWikiPreferences.* to TWikiPreferencesSave.*.
Move all remaining *.txt and *.txt,v files from the temporary data/TWiki directory to your $TWIKIROOT/data/TWiki directory, overwriting the existing ones
Merge your original TWikiPreferencesSave.txt settings into $TWIKIROOT/data/TWiki/TWikiPreferences.txt. Notable changes are:
New WIKIWEBMASTERNAME setting to avoid notifications being trapped by spam filters
New ATTACHFILESIZELIMIT setting for maximum size of FileAttachments in KB, 0 for no limit
New READTOPICPREFS and TOPICOVERRIDESUSER settings to allow override Preference settings in topics
Move all subdirectories below pub/TWiki from your temporary directory into your $TWIKIROOT/pub/TWiki directory
Make sure that the directories and files below $TWIKIROOT/pub/TWiki are writable by your cgi-script user
Move all files in pub/icn directory from the temporary location to your $TWIKIROOT/pub/icn directory
Verify installation:
Execute the $TWIKIROOT/bin/testenv script from your browser (e.g. http://localhost/bin/testenv) to see if it reports any issues; address any potential problems
Test your updated TWiki installation to see if you can view, create, edit and rename topics; upload and move attachments; register users
Test if the installed Plugins work as expected. You should see the list of installed Plugins in TWiki.WebHome
Note: These steps assume a downtime during the time of upgrade. You could install the new version in parallel to the existing one and switch over in an instant without affecting the users. As a guideline, install the new version into $TWIKIROOT/bin1, $TWIKIROOT/lib1, $TWIKIROOT/templates1, $TWIKIROOT/data/TWiki1 (from data/TWiki), $TWIKIROOT/pub/TWiki1 (from pub/TWiki), and configure TWiki.cfg to point to the same data and pub directory like the existing installation. Once tested and ready to go, reconfigure $TWIKIROOT/bin1/setlib.cfg and $TWIKIROOT/lib1/TWiki.cfg, then rename $TWIKIROOT/bin to $TWIKIROOT/bin2, $TWIKIROOT/bin1 to $TWIKIROOT/bin. Do the same with the lib, templates and data/TWiki directories.
TWiki site access control and user activity tracking options
TWiki does not authenticate users internally, it depends on the REMOTE_USER environment variable. This variable is set when you enable Basic Authentication (.htaccess) or SSL "secure server" authentication (https protocol).
TWiki uses visitor identification to keep track of who made changes to topics at what time and to manage a wide range of personal site settings. This gives a complete audit trail of changes and activity.
Authentication Options
No special installation steps are required if the server is already authenticated. If it isn't, you have these options for controlling user access:
No login at all: Forget about authentication to make your site completely public - anyone can browse and edit freely, in classic Wiki mode. All visitors are assigned the TWikiGuest default identity, so you can't track individual user activity.
How: Default, no web server configuration necessary
No login to view; require login to edit: Keeping track of who changed what and when, while keeping view access unrestricted is desirable in most TWiki deployments. This option is not suitable if you need TWikiAccessControl for view restricted content since TWiki does not know who a user is when looking at content.
How: Use Basic Authentication to control access by protecting key scripts: attach, edit, installpasswd, manage, preview, rename, save, upload. The TWikiInstallationGuide has step-by-step instructions.
No login to view unless necessary; require login to edit: You prefer not to bother the user with login for unrestricted content, but you need TWikiAccessControl for view restricted content. There are two ways to accomplish this:
How 1: Use Basic Authentication with Partial Authentication (described below)
How 2: Use one of the Session TWiki:Plugins where you give the user the option to login and logout.
Require login to view and edit: Most restrictive, but TWiki knows who the user is at all times. There are two ways to accomplish this:
How 1: Use Basic Authentication to authenticate the whole twiki/bin directory. Consult your web server documentation.
How 1: Use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer; HTTPS) to authenticate and secure the whole server. Consult your web server documentation.
Partial Authentication
Tracking by IP address is an experimental feature, enabled in lib/TWiki.cfg. It lets you combine open access to some functions, with authentication on others, with full user activity tracking:
Normally, the REMOTE_USER environment variable is set for the scripts that are under authentication. If, for example, the edit, save and preview scripts are authenticated, but not view, you would get your WikiName in preview for the %WIKIUSERNAME% variable, but view will show TWikiGuest instead of your WikiName.
TWiki can be configured to remember the IP address/username pair whenever an authentication happens (edit topic, attach file). Once remembered, the non-authenticated scripts, like view, will show the correct username instead of TWikiGuest.
Enable this feature by setting the $doRememberRemoteUser flag in TWiki.cfg. TWiki then persistently stores the IP address/username pairs in the file, $remoteUserFilename, which is "$dataDir/remoteusers.txt" by default.
Copy the view script to viewauth (or better, create a symbolic link)
Add viewauth to the list of authenticated scripts in the twiki/bin/.htaccess file. The view script should not be listed in the .htaccess file.
This approach can fail if the IP address changes due to dynamically assigned IP addresses or proxy servers.
Quick Authentication Test - Use the %WIKIUSERNAME% variable to return your current identity:
This section applies only if your TWiki site is installed on a server that is both authenticated and on an intranet.
TWiki internally manages two usernames: Login Username and TWiki Username.
Login Username: When you login to the intranet, you use your existing login username, ex: pthoeny. This name is normally passed to TWiki by the REMOTE_USER environment variable, and used internally. Login Usernames are maintained by your system administrator.
TWiki Username: Your name in WikiNotation, ex: PeterThoeny, is recorded when you register using TWikiRegistration; doing so also generates a personal home page in the Main web.
TWiki can automatically map an Intranet (Login) Username to a TWiki Username, provided that the username pair exists in the TWikiUsers topic. This is also handled automatically when you register.
In the original TWiki distribution, in twiki/data, there are two registration form topics, TWikiRegistration and TWikiRegistrationPub?. The original form includes an intranet Login Username field. For Basic Authentication, the original form is replaced by the Pub version. If you started using TWiki on Basic Authentication and want to change, you have to switch back forms for future use, and manually correct the existing entries, by editing TWikiUsers, adding the Login Username for each member - PeterThoeny - pthoeny - 01 Jan 1999 - and also in the .htpasswd file, where you can either replace the WikiNames or duplicate the entries and have both, so both usernames will work.
NOTE:To correctly enter a WikiName - your own or someone else's - be sure to include the Main web name in front of the Wiki username, followed by a period, and no spaces. Ex:
Main.WikiUsername or %MAINWEB%.WikiUsername
This points WikiUser to the TWiki.Main web, where user registration pages are stored, no matter which web it's entered in. Without the web prefix, the name appears as a NewTopic? everywhere but in the Main web.
Changing Passwords
Change and reset passwords using forms on regular pages. Use TWikiAccessControl to restrict use as required.
Forgot your old password? Then use ResetPassword instead. Please only use ResetPassword in case you really forgot your password. Thank you.
After submitting this form your password will be changed.
If you have questions please contact the TWiki webmaster webmaster@strategoxt.org.
Please only use this ResetPassword form in case you really forgot your password. Otherwise just change it using ChangePassword. Thank you.
After submitting this form you will see a page with your new password appearing encrypted.
You will have to e-mail this information to the Wiki webmaster, webmaster@strategoxt.org, who will set your account to use the new password.
Restricting read and write access to topics and webs, by Users and groupsTWikiAccessControl allows you restrict access to single topics and entire webs, by individual user and by user Groups, in three areas: view; edit & attach; and rename/move/delete. Access control, combined with TWikiUserAuthentication, lets you easily create and manage an extremely flexible, fine-grained privilege system.
An Important Control Consideration
Open, freeform editing is the essence of WikiCulture - what makes TWiki different and often more effective than other collaboration tools. For that reason, it is strongly recommended that decisions to restrict read or write access to a web or a topic are made with care - the more restrictions, the less Wiki in the mix. Experience shows that unrestricted write access works very well because:
Peer influence is enough to ensure that only relevant content is posted.
Peer editing - the ability for anyone to rearrange all content on a page - keeps topics focussed.
In TWiki, content is transparently preserved under revision control:
Users are encouraged to edit and refactor (condense a long topic), since there's a safety net.
As a collaboration guideline:
Create broad-based Groups (for more and varied input), and...
Avoid creating view-only Users (if you can read it, you should be able to contribute to it).
Authentication vs. Access Control
Authentication: Identifies who a user is based on a login procedure. See TWikiUserAuthentication.
Access control: Restrict access to content based on users and groups once a user is identified.
Users and Groups
Access control is based on the familiar concept of Users and Groups. Users are defined by their WikiNames. They can then be organized in unlimited combinations by inclusion in one or more user Groups. For convenience, Groups can also be included in other Groups.
Managing Users
A user can create an account in TWikiRegistration. The following actions are performed:
WikiName and encrypted password are recorded in .htpasswd if authentication is enabled.
A confirmation e-mail is sent to the user.
A user home page with the WikiName of the user is created in the Main web.
Users can be authenticated using Basic Authentication (htaccess) or SSL (secure server). In either case, TWikiUserAuthentication is required in order to track user identities, and use User and Group access control.
The default visitor name is TWikiGuest. This is the non-authenticated user.
Managing Groups
Groups are defined by group topics created in the Main web, like the TWikiAdminGroup. To create a new group:
EditTWikiGroups by entering a new topic with a name that ends in Group. Example:
SomeGroup
Set Preferences for two Variables in the new group topic:
Set GROUP = < list of Users and/or Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of Users and/or Groups >
The GROUP variable is a comma-separated list of Users and/or other Groups. Example:
Set GROUP = Main.SomeUser, Main.OtherUser, Main.SomeGroup
ALLOWTOPICCHANGE defines who is allowed to change the group topic; it is a comma delimited list of Users and Groups. You typically want to restrict that to the members of the group itself, so it should contain the name of the topic. (This prevents Users not in the Group from editing the topic to give themselves or others access. For example, for the TWikiAdminGroup topic write:
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.TWikiAdminGroup
Restricting Write Access
You can define who is allowed to make changes to a web or a topic.
Deny Editing by Topic
Denying editing of a topic also restricts file attachment; both privileges are assigned together.
Define one or both of these variables in a topic, preferably at the end of the page:
Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of Users and Groups >
DENYTOPICCHANGE defines Users or Groups that are not allowed to make changes to the topic, with a comma-delimited list. Example:
Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = Main.SomeBadBoy, Main.SomeBadGirl, Main.SomeHackerGroup
ALLOWTOPICCHANGE defines Users or Groups that are allowed to make changes to the topic. It is a comma delimited list of Users and Groups. Example:
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.SomeGoodGuy, Main.SomeGoodGirl, Main.TWikiAdminGroup
DENYTOPICCHANGE is evaluated before ALLOWTOPICCHANGE. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYTOPICCHANGE list, or not in the ALLOWTOPICCHANGE list. Access is granted in case DENYTOPICCHANGE and ALLOWTOPICCHANGE is not defined.
Deny Editing by Web
Restricting web-level editing blocks creating new topics, changing topics or attaching files.
Define one or both of these variable in the WebPreferences topic:
Set DENYWEBCHANGE = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBCHANGE = < list of Users and Groups >
The same rules apply as for restricting topics, with these additions:
DENYTOPICCHANGE (in topic) overrides DENYWEBCHANGE (in WebPreferences)
ALLOWTOPICCHANGE (in topic) overrides ALLOWWEBCHANGE (in WebPreferences)
Restricting Rename Access
You can define who is allowed to rename, move or delete a topic, or rename a web.
Deny Renaming by Topic
To allow a user to rename, move or delete a topic, they also need write (editing) permission. They also need write access to change references in referring topics.
Define one or both of these variables in a topic, preferably at the end of the topic:
Set DENYTOPICRENAME = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = < list of Users and Groups >
DENYTOPICCRENAME defines Users or Groups that are not allowed to rename the topic. It is a comma delimited list of Users and Groups. Example:
Set DENYTOPICRENAME = Main.SomeBadBoy, Main.SomeBadGirl, Main.SomeHackerGroup
ALLOWTOPICRENAME defines Users or Groups that are allowed to rename the topic. It is a comma delimited list of Users and Groups. Example:
Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = Main.SomeGoodGuy, Main.SomeGoodGirl, Main.TWikiAdminGroup
DENYTOPICRENAME is evaluated before ALLOWTOPICRENAME. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYTOPICRENAME list, or not in the ALLOWTOPICRENAME list. Access is granted in case DENYTOPICRENAME and ALLOWTOPICRENAME is not defined.
Deny Renaming by Web
You can define restrictions of who is allowed to rename a TWiki web.
Define one or both of these variable in the WebPreferences topic:
Set DENYWEBRENAME = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBRENAME = < list of Users and Groups >
The same rules apply as for topics, with these additions:
DENYTOPICRENAME (in topic) overrides DENYWEBRENAME (in WebPreferences)
ALLOWTOPICRENAME (in topic) overrides ALLOWWEBRENAME (in WebPreferences)
Restricting Read Access
You can define who is allowed to see a web.
Deny Viewing by Topic
Technically it is possible to restrict read access to an individual topic based on DENYTOPICVIEW / ALLOWTOPICVIEW preferences variables, provided that the view script is authenticated. However this setup is not recommended since all content is searchable within a web - a search will turn up view restricted topics.
Deny Viewing by Web
You can define restrictions of who is allowed to view a TWiki web. You can restrict access to certain webs to selected Users and Groups, by:
obfuscating webs: Insecure but handy method to hide new webs until content is ready for deployment.
authenticating all webs and restricting selected webs: Topic access in all webs is authenticated, and selected webs have restricted access.
authenticating and restricting selected webs only: Provide unrestricted viewing access to open webs, with authentication and restriction only on selected webs.
Obfuscate Webs
The idea is to keep a web hidden by not publishing its URL and by preventing the all webs search option from accessing obfuscated webs. Do so by enabling the NOSEARCHALL variable in WebPreferences:
Set NOSEARCHALL = on
This setup can be useful to hide a new web until content its ready for deployment.
Obfuscating webs is insecure, as anyone who knows the URL can access the web.
Authenticate all Webs and Restrict Selected Webs
Use the following setup to authenticate users for topic viewing in all webs and to restrict access to selected webs:
Restrict view access to selected Users and Groups. Set one or both of these variables in its WebPreferences topic:
Set DENYWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Note:DENYWEBVIEW is evaluated before ALLOWWEBVIEW. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYWEBVIEW list, or not in the ALLOWWEBVIEW list. Access is granted in case DENYWEBVIEW and ALLOWWEBVIEW is not defined.
Hide the web from an "all webs" search. Enable this restriction with the NOSEARCHALL variable in its WebPreferences topic:
Set NOSEARCHALL = on
Addview to the list of authenticated scripts in the .htaccess file.
This method only works if the view script is authenticated, which means that all Users have to login, even for read-only access. (An open guest account, like TWikiGuest, can get around this, allowing anyone to login to a common account with, for example, view-only access for public webs.) TWikiInstallationGuide has more on Basic Authentication, using the .htaccess file.
Authenticate and Restricting Selected Webs Only
Use the following setup to provide unrestricted viewing access to open webs, with authentication only on selected webs:
Restrict view access to selected Users and Groups. Set one or both of these variables in its WebPreferences topic:
Set DENYWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Note:DENYWEBVIEW is evaluated before ALLOWWEBVIEW. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYWEBVIEW list, or not in the ALLOWWEBVIEW list. Access is granted in case DENYWEBVIEW and ALLOWWEBVIEW is not defined.
Hide the web from an "all webs" search. Enable this restriction with the NOSEARCHALL variable in its WebPreferences topic:
Set NOSEARCHALL = on
Enable the $doRememberRemoteUser flag in lib/TWiki.cfg as described in TWikiUserAuthentication. TWiki will now remember the IP address of an authenticated user.
Copy the view script to viewauth (or better, create a symbolic link)
Addviewauth to the list of authenticated scripts in the .htaccess file. The view script should not be listed in the .htaccess file.
When a user accesses a web where you enabled view restriction, TWiki will redirect from the view script to the viewauth script once (this happens only if the user has never edited a topic). Doing so will ask for authentication. The viewauth script shows the requested topic if the user could log on and if the user is authorized to see that web.
Authenticating webs is not very secure, as there is a way to circumvent the read access restriction. It can be useful in certain situations - for example, to simplify site organization and clutter, by hiding low traffic webs - but is not recommended for securing sensitive content.
Hiding Control Settings
To hide access control settings from normal browser viewing, place them in comment markers.
The SuperAdminGroup
By mistyping a user or group name in the ALLOWTOPICCHANGE setting, it's possible to lock a topic so that no-one can edit it from a browser. To avoid this, you can create Web-based superusers:
Set the $superAdminGroup variable in lib/TWiki.cfg to the name of a group of Users who are always allowed to edit/view topics.
Working in TWiki is as easy as typing in text - exactly like email. You don't need to know HTML, though you can use it if you prefer. Links to topics are created automatically when you enter WikiWords. And TWiki shorthand gives you all the power of HTML with a simple coding system that takes no time to learn. It's all laid out below - refer back to this page in a pop-up window from the Edit screen.
TWiki Editing Shorthand
Formatting Command:
Example: You write:
You get:
Paragraphs:
Blank lines will create new paragraphs.
1st paragraph
2nd paragraph
1st paragraph
2nd paragraph
Headings:
At least three dashes at the beginning of a line, followed by plus signs and the heading text. One plus creates a level 1 heading (most important), two pluses a level 2 heading; the maximum is level 6. Note: A Table of Content can be created automatically with the %TOC% variable, see TWikiVariables. Any heading text after !! is excluded from the TOC; for example, write ---+!! text if you do not want to list a header in the TOC.
---++ Sushi
---+++ Maguro
Sushi
Maguro
Bold Text:
Words get bold by enclosing them in * asterisks.
*Bold*
Bold
Italic Text:
Words get italic by enclosing them in _ underscores.
_Italic_
Italic
Bold Italic:
Words get _bold italic by enclosing them in _ double-underscores.
__Bold italic__
Bold italic
Fixed Font:
Words get shown in fixed font by enclosing them in = equal signs.
=Fixed font=
Fixed font
Bold Fixed Font:
Words get shown in bold fixed font by enclosing them in double equal signs.
==Bold fixed==
Bold fixed
Note: Make sure there is no space between the text and the bold, italic, or other indicators (* _ __ = ==).
_This works_,
_this not _
This works,
_this not _
Verbatim Mode:
Surround code excerpts and other formatted text with <verbatim> and </verbatim> tags. Note: Use <pre> and </pre> tags instead if you want that HTML code is interpreted. Note: Each tag must be on a line by itself.
1. Sushi
1. Dim Sum
A. Sushi
A. Dim Sum
i. Sushi
i. Dim Sum
Sushi
Dim Sum
Sushi
Dim Sum
Sushi
Dim Sum
Definition List:
Three spaces, a dollar sign, the term, a colon, a space, followed by the definition.
$ Sushi: Japan
$ Dim Sum: S.F.
Sushi
Japan
Dim Sum
S.F.
Table:
Any number of lines of text. Each line is one row of the table consisting of one or more cells. Each cell starts and ends with a vertical bar '|'. Any spaces at the beginning of a line are ignored. Notes: •
| *bold* | cells are displayed as table headers. •
| center-spaced | cells are displayed center aligned. •
| right-spaced | cells are displayed right aligned. •
| 2 colspan || cells are displayed as multi-span columns (i.e., a cell with no text spans a column). •
|^| cells with a caret indicate follow-up rows of multi-span rows (this functionality is provided by TablePlugin). •
If a row contains a large amount of text, and you want it to be more readable while editing the table, split the row into multiple text lines by ending each line with a backslash character '\'. •
Table cells wrap automatically as determined by the browser.
| *L* | *C* | *R* |
| A2 | 2 | 2 |
| A3 | 3 | 3 |
| multi span |||
| A4-6 | four | four |
|^| five | five |
|^| six | six |
WikiWord Links:
CapitalizedWordsStuckTogether (or WikiWords) will produce a link automatically. Note: In case you want to link to a topic in a different TWiki web write Otherweb.TopicName. (The link label is the the name of the web in case the is WebHome, else it is the topic name)
Forced Links:
You can create a forced internal link by enclosing words in double square brackets.
Note: Text within the brackets may contain optional spaces; the topic name is formed by capitalizing the initial letter and by removing the spaces; for example, [[text formatting FAQ]] links to topic TextFormattingFAQ. You can also refer to a different web and use anchors.
Note: To "escape" double square brackets that would otherwise be a correct link, prefix the leading left square brackets with an exclamation point, that is, begin with ![[....
Specific Links:
Create a link where you can specify the link text and the link reference separately, using nested square brackets like [[reference][text]]. Internal link references (e.g. WikiSyntax) and external link references (e.g. http://TWiki.org/) are supported.
Note: The same Forced Links rules apply for internal link references.
Note: For external link references, you can simply use a space instead of ][ to separate the link URL from the descriptive text.
Note: Anchor names can be added as well, like [[WebHome#MyAnchor][go home]] and [[http://gnu.org/#Action][GNU Action]].
Anchors:
You can define a link reference inside a TWiki topic (called an anchor name) and link to that. To define an anchor write #AnchorName at the beginning of a line. The anchor name must be a WikiWord. To link to an anchor name use the [[MyTopic#MyAnchor]] syntax. You can omit the topic name if you want to link within the same topic.
[[WikiWord#NotThere]]
[[#MyAnchor][Jump]]
#MyAnchor To here
Prevent a Link:
Prevent a WikiWord from being linked by prepending it with an exclamation point.
!SunOS
SunOS
Disable Links:
You can disable automatic linking of WikiWords by surrounding text with <noautolink> and </noautolink> tags.
Note: Each tag must be on a line by itself.
Note: This also works for TWiki tables, but only if you add a blank line between the end of the table and the closing </noautolink> tag (known issue of the TablePlugin).
<noautolink>
RedHat &
SuSE
</noautolink>
RedHat &
SuSE
Mailto: Links:
To create 'mailto:' links that have more descriptive link text, specify subject lines or message bodies, or omit the email address, you can write [[mailto:user@domain descriptive text]].
You can use just about any HTML tag without a problem - however, there are a few usability and technical considerations to keep in mind.
HTML and TWiki Usability
TIP: On collaboration pages, it's preferable NOT to use HTML, and to use TWiki shorthand instead - this keeps the text uncluttered and easy to edit.
NOTE: TWiki is designed to work with a wide range of browsers and computer platforms, holding to HTML 4.0 and XHTML 1.0 compatibility in the standard installation - adding raw HTML, particularly browser-specific tags (or any other mark-up that doesn't degrade well) will reduce compatibility.
Remove all empty lines. TWiki inserts <p /> paragraph tags on empty lines, which causes problems if done between tags that do not allow paragraph tags, like for example between table tags.
TWiki HTML Rendering
TWiki converts shorthand notation to XHTML 1.0 for display. To copy a fully marked-up page, simply view source in your browser and save the contents.
If you need to save HTML frequently, you may want to check out TWiki:Plugins/GenHTMLAddon - it will "generate a directory containing rendered versions of a set of TWiki pages together with any attached files."
NOTE: The opening and closing angle brackets - <...> - of an HTML tag must be on the same line, or the tag will be broken.
This feature allows you to enter an unclosed angle bracket - as a greater than or less than symbol - and have it automatically rendered as if you had entered its HTML character, <, ex: a < b
If you're pasting in preformatted HTML text and notice problems, check the file in a text processor with no text wrap. Also, save without hard line breaks on text wrap, in your HTML editing program.
TWiki and JavaScript
You can use JavaScript for your TWiki applications. Since TWiki rendering might interfere with JavaScript code you need to escape it with HTML comments and <pre> tags:
<script type="text/javascript">
<!-- Hide JavaScript and <pre> escape TWiki rendering
... put your JavaScript code here...
// Stop hiding and stop </pre> escaping TWiki rendering -->
</script>
Hyperlinks
Being able to create links without any formatting required is a core TWiki feature, made possible with WikiWords. New TWiki linking rules are a simple extension of the syntax that provide a new set of flexible options.
Internal Links
GoodStyle is a WikiWord that links to the GoodStyle topic located in the current TWiki web.
NotExistingYet? is a topic waiting to be written. Create the topic by clicking on the ?. (Try clicking, but then, Cancel - creating the topic would wreck this example!)
External Links
http://..., https://..., ftp://..., gopher://..., news://..., file://..., telnet://...
and mailto:...@... are linked automatically.
Email addresses like name@domain.com are linked automatically.
You can also write [[http://yahoo.com Yahoo home page]] as an easier way of doing external links with descriptive text for the link, such as Yahoo home page.
TWiki Variables
Variables are names that are enclosed in percent signs % that are expanded on the fly.
%TOC% : Automatically generates a table of contents based on headings in a topic - see the top of this page for an example.
%WEB% : The current web, is TWiki.
%TOPIC% : The current topic name, is TextFormattingRules.
%ATTACHURL% : The attachment URL of the current topic. Example usage: If you attach a file to a topic you can refer to it as %ATTACHURL%/image.gif to show the URL of the file or the image in your text.
%INCLUDE{"SomeTopic"}% : Server side include, includes another topic. The current TWiki web is the default web. Example: %INCLUDE{"TWiki.SiteMap"}%
%SEARCH{"sushi"}% : Inline search showing the search result embedded in a topic. FormattedSearch gives you control over formatting, used to create web-based applications.
To "escape" a variable, prefix it with an exclamation point. Write: !%SOMEVARIABLE% to get: %SOMEVARIABLE%.
TWikiPlugin Formatting Extensions
Plugins provide additional text formatting capabilities and can extend the functionality of TWiki into many other areas. For example, the optional SpreadSheetPlugin lets you create a spreadsheet with the same basic notation used in TWiki tables.
Available Plugins are located in the Plugins web on TWiki.org. Currently enabled plugins on this TWiki installation, as listed by %PLUGINDESCRIPTIONS%:
DefaultPlugin: This plugin can be used to specify some simple custom rendering rules. It also renders depreciated *_text_* as bold italic text.
EditTablePlugin: Edit TWiki tables using edit fields, date pickers and drop down boxes
InterwikiPlugin: Link ExternalSite:Page text to external sites based on aliases defined in the InterWikis topic
SpreadSheetPlugin: Add spreadsheet calculation like "$SUM( $ABOVE() )" to tables located in TWiki topics.
TablePlugin: Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
Check on current Plugin status and settings for this site in TWikiPreferences.
Common Editing Errors
TWiki formatting rules are fairly simple to use and quick to type. However, there are some things to watch out for, taken from the TextFormattingFAQ:
Q: Text enclosed in angle brackets like <filename> is not displayed. How can I show it as it is?
A: The '<' and '>' characters have a special meaning in HTML, they define HTML tags. You need to escape them, so write '<' instead of '<', and '>' instead of '>'. Example: Type 'prog <filename>' to get 'prog <filename>'.
Q: Why is the '&' character sometimes not displayed?
Special text strings expand on the fly to display user data or system info
TWikiVariables are text strings - %VARIABLE% - that expand into content whenever a page is rendered for viewing. VARIABLES are replaced by data, either user-entered or automatically generated by TWiki (like the date, or the current username). There are predefined variables, and Preference variables that you can configure. You can also define custom variables, with new names and values.
Notes:
To leave a variable unexpanded, precede it with an exclamation point, e.g. type !%TOPIC% to get %TOPIC%.
Variables are expanded relative to the topic they are used in, not the topic they are defined in.
Predefined Variables
Most predefined variables return values that were either set in the lib/twiki.cfg file, when TWiki was installed, or taken from server info (like current username, or date and time). Many of the variables let you format the appearance of the display results.
Take the time to thoroughly read through ALL preference variables. If you actively configure your site, review variables periodically. They cover a wide range of functions, and it can be easy to miss the one perfect variable for something you have in mind. For example, see %INCLUDINGTOPIC%, %INCLUDE%, and the mighty %SEARCH%.
This version of TWiki - 04 Sep 2004 $Rev: 1742 $ - expands the following variables (enclosed in % percent signs):
ATTACHURL -- full URL for attachments in the current topic
Syntax: %ATTACHURL%
Expands to: /pub/TWiki/TWikiVariablesAtoM
Example: If you attach a file you can refer to it as %ATTACHURL%/image.gif
The name of a topic located in the current web, i.e. %INCLUDE{"WebNotify"}%
"Web.Topic"
A topic in another web, i.e. %INCLUDE{"TWiki.SiteMap"}%
"http://..."
A full qualified URL, i.e. %INCLUDE{"http://twiki.org/"}% Note if the URL resolves to an attachment file on the server this will automatically translate to a server-side include.
What sort of search is required? "topicmoved" if search for a topic that may have been moved "parent" if searching for topics that have a specific parent i.e. its children
required
web="%WEB%"
Wiki web to search: A web, a list of webs separated by whitespace, or all webs.
current web
topic="%TOPIC%"
The topic the search relates to
current topic
title="Title"
Text that is prefixed to any search results
empty
default="none"
Default text shown if no search hit
empty
Example: %METASEARCH{type="topicmoved" web="%WEB%" topic="%TOPIC%" title="This topic used to exist and was moved to: "}%
Example: To get the authenticated version of current topic write %SCRIPTURL%/viewauth%SCRIPTSUFFIX%/%WEB%/%TOPIC% which expands to /viewauth/TWiki/TWikiVariablesNtoZ
Sort the results of search by the topic names, topic creation time, last modified time, last editor, or named field of TWikiForms. The sorting is done web by web; in case you want to sort across webs, create a formatted table and sort it with TablePlugin's initsort
Sort by topic name
limit="all" limit="16"
Limit the number of results returned. This is done after sorting if order is specified
Custom format results: see FormattedSearch for usage, variables & examples
Results in table
expandvariables="on"
Expand variables before applying a FormattedSearch on a search hit. Useful to show the expanded text, e.g. to show the result of a SpreadSheetPlugin%CALC{}% instead of the formula
Raw text
multiple="on"
Multiple hits per topic. Each hit can be formatted. The last token is used in case of a regular expression ";" and search
Example with format: %SEARCH{"FAQ" scope="topic" nosearch="on" nototal="on" header="| *Topic: * | *Summary: * |" format="| $topic | $summary |"%(displays results in a table with header - details)
If the TWiki:Plugins.TablePlugin is installed, you may set a %TABLE{}% variable just before the %SEARCH{}% to alter the output of a search. Example: %TABLE{ tablewidth="90%" }%
STARTINCLUDE -- start position of topic text if included
If present in included topic, start to include text from this location up to the end, or up to the location of the %STOPINCLUDE% variable. A normal view of the topic shows everyting exept the %STARTINCLUDE% variable itself.
STOPINCLUDE -- end position of topic text if included
If present in included topic, stop to include text at this location and ignore the remaining text. A normal view of the topic shows everyting exept the %STOPINCLUDE% variable itself.
Table of Contents. Shows a TOC that is generated automatically based on headings of a topic. Headings in WikiSyntax ("---++ text") and HTML ("<h2>text</h2>") are taken into account. Any heading text after "!!" is excluded from the TOC; for example, write "---+!! text" if you do not want to list a header in the TOC
The "format" defines the format of one topic item. It may include variables: The $name variable gets expanded to the topic name; the $web variable gets expanded to the name of the web.
Encode special characters into HTML entities, like a double quote into ". This is needed if text is put into an HTML form field
no encoding
encode="url"
Encode special characters for URL parameter use, like a double quote into %22
no encoding
newline="<br />"
Convert newlines in textarea to other delimiters
no conversion
multiple="on" multiple="[[$item]]"
If set, gets all selected elements of a <select multiple="multiple"> tag. A format can be specified, with $item indicating the element, e.g. multiple="Option: $item"
first element
default="..."
Default value in case parameter is empty or missing
empty string
separator=", "
Separator between multiple selections. Only relevant if multiple is specified
"\n" (new line)
Example: %URLPARAM{"skin"}% returns print for a .../view/TWiki/TWikiVariablesNtoZ?skin=print URL. Test this?:
TWiki makes names available in three formats: USERNAME like jsmith, WIKINAME like JohnSmith and WIKIUSERNAME like Main.JohnSmith. A user is a TWikiGuest in case the topic is not authenticated
List of all webs. Hidden webs are excluded, e.g. webs with a NOSEARCHALL=on preference variable. The "format" defines the format of one web item. The $name variable gets expanded to the name of the web, $qname gets expanded to double quoted name, $marker to marker where web matches selection.
comma sep list of Web, public expands to all non-hidden
"public"
marker="selected"
Text for $marker where item matches selection, otherwise equals ""
"selected"
selection="%WEB%"
Current value to be selected in list
section="%WEB%"
Example: %WEBLIST{" * [[$name.WebHome]]"}% creates a bullet list of all webs.
Example: %WEBLIST{"<option $marker value=$qname>$name</option>" webs="Trash,public" selection="TWiki" separator=" "}% Dropdown of all public Webs + Trash Web, current Web highlighted.
Default state of the link check box in the attach file page. Check box is initially checked if value is set to CHECKED , unchecked if empty. If checked, a link is created to the attached file at the end of the topic. Value is:
%DENYTOPICCHANGE%
(any topic)
List of users and groups who are not allowed to change the current topic. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
%DENYTOPICCHANGE%
%DENYTOPICRENAME%
(any topic)
List of users and groups who are not allowed to rename the current topic. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
%DENYTOPICRENAME%
%DENYWEBCHANGE%
WL
List of users and groups who are not allowed to change topics in the TWiki web. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
%DENYWEBRENAME%
WL
List of users and groups who are not allowed to rename topics in the TWiki web. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
%DONTNOTIFYCHECKBOX%
SL , UL
Default state of the "Minor Changes, Don't Notify" (DontNotify) check box in preview. Check box is initially checked if Set DONTNOTIFYCHECKBOX = checked="checked", or unchecked if empty. Value is:
%EDITBOXHEIGHT%
SL , UL
Vertical size of edit box, is 42
42
%EDITBOXWIDTH%
SL , UL
Horizontal size of edit box, is 100
100
%EDITBOXSTYLE%
SL , UL
Style of text edit box. Set to width: 99% for full window width (default; overwrites the EDITBOXWIDTH setting), or width: auto to disable. Value is: width: 99%
width: 99%
%FINALPREFERENCES%
SL , WL
List of preferences that are not allowed to be overridden by next level preferences
http-equiv meta tags for view, rdiff, attach, search* scripts.
%NEWTOPICBGCOLOR%
SL , UL
Background color of non existing topic. ( UL needs authentication for topic views )
#FFFFCE
%NEWTOPICFONTCOLOR%
SL , UL
Font color of non existing topic. ( UL needs authentication for topic views )
#0000FF
%NOSEARCHALL%
WL
Exclude web from a web="all" search (set variable to on for hidden webs)
%RELEASEEDITLOCKCHECKBOX%
SL , UL
Default state of the "Release edit lock" (UnlockTopic) check box in preview. Checkbox is initially checked if Set RELEASEEDITLOCKCHECKBOX = checked="checked", or unchecked if empty. If checked, make sure to click on Edit to do more changes; do not go back in your browser to the edit page, or you risk that someone else will edit the topic at the same time! Value is:
Note: There are some more useful variables defined in the TWikiPreferences like %BR% for line break, colors like %RED% for colored text and small icons like %H% for a Help icon.
Setting Preferences
The syntax for Preferences Variables is the same anywhere in TWiki (on its own TWiki bullet line, including nested bullets): [multiple of 3 spaces] * [space] Set [space] VARIABLENAME [space] = [value] Examples:
Set VARIABLENAME = value
Set VARIABLENAME = value
Creating Custom Variables
You can add your own Preference Variables for us across an entire site or a single web, using the standard Preferences syntax. Whatever you include in your Variable will be expanded on display, exactly as if it had been entered directly. You can place formatted text, page links, image paths.
Example: Create a custom logo variable the TWiki web
To place a logo anywhere in a web by typing %MYLOGO%, define the Variable on the web's WebPreferences page, and upload a logo file, ex: mylogo.gif. You can upload by attaching the file to WebPreferences, or, to avoid clutter, to any other topic in the same web, ex: LogoTopic:
Each topic can have one or more files of any type attached to it by using the Attach screen to upload (or download) files from your local PC. Attachments are stored under revision control: uploads are automatically backed up; all previous versions of a modified file can be retrieved.
What Are Attachments Good For?
File Attachments can be used to create powerful customized groupware solutions, like file sharing and document management systems, and quick Web page authoring.
Document Management System
You can use Attachments to store and retrieve documents (in any format, with associated graphics, and other media files); attach documents to specific TWiki topics; collaborate on documents with full revision control; distribute documents on a need-to-know basis using web and topic-level access control; create a central reference library that's easy to share with an user group spread around the world.
File Sharing
For file sharing, FileAttachments on a series of topics can be used to quickly create a well-documented, categorized digital download center for all types of files: documents; graphics and other media; drivers and patches; applications; anything you can safely upload!
Web Authoring
Through your Web browser, you can easily upload graphics (or sound files, or anything else you want to link to on a page) and place them on a single page, or use them across a web, or site-wide.
NOTE: You can also add graphics - any files - directly, typically by FTP upload. This requires FTP access, and may be more convenient if you have a large number of files to load. FTP-ed files can't be managed using browser-based Attachment controls. You can use your browser to create TWikiVariables shortcuts, like this %H% = .
Uploading Files
Click on the Attach link at the bottom of the page. The Attach screen lets you browse for a file, add a comment, and upload it. The uploaded file will show up in the File Attachment table.
NOTE: The topic must already exist. It is a two step process if you want to attach a file to a non-existing topic; first create the topic, then add the file attachment.
Any type of file can be uploaded. Some files that might pose a security risk are renamed, ex: *.php files are renamed to *.php.txt so that no one can place code that would be read in a .php file.
The previous upload path is retained for convenience. In case you make some changes to the local file and want to upload it, again you can copy the previous upload path into the Local file field.
TWiki can limit the file size. This is defined by the %ATTACHFILESIZELIMIT% variable of the TWikiPreferences, currently set at 100000 KB.
It's not recommended to upload files greater than a few hundred K through a browser. Large files can be extremely slow-loading, and often time out. Use an FTP site for large file uploads.
NOTE: There is no access control on individual attachments. If you need control over single files, create a separate topic per file and set topic-level access restrictions for each.
Moving Attachment Files
An attachment can be moved between topics.
Click Manage on the Attachment to be moved.
On the control screen, select the new web and/or topic.
Click Move. The attachment and its version history are moved. The original location is stored as topic Meta Data.
Deleting Attachments
Move unwanted Attachments to web Trash, topic TrashAttachment.
Linking to Attached Files
Once a file is attached it can be referenced in the topic. Example:
Attach file: Sample.txt
Edit topic and enter: %ATTACHURL%/Sample.txt
Preview: %ATTACHURL%/Sample.txt text appears as: /pub/TWiki/FileAttachment/Sample.txt, a link to the text file.
To reference an attachment located in another topic, enter:
%PUBURL%/%WEB%/OtherTopic/Sample.txt (if it's within the same web)
%PUBURL%/Otherweb/OtherTopic/Sample.txt (if it's in a different web)
Attached HTML files and text files can be inlined in a topic. Example:
Attach file: Sample.txt
Edit topic and write text: %INCLUDE{"%ATTACHURL%/Sample.txt"}%
GIF, JPG and PNG images can be attached and shown embedded in a topic. Example:
Attach file: Smile.gif
Edit topic and write text: %ATTACHURL%/Smile.gif
Preview: text appears as /pub/TWiki/FileAttachment/Smile.gif, an image.
File Attachment Contents Table
Files attached to a topic are displayed in a directory table, displayed at the bottom of the page, or optionally, hidden and accessed when you click Attach.
Clicking on a Manage link takes you to a new page that looks like this:
The first table is a list of all attachments, including their attributes. An h means the attachment is hidden, it isn't listed when viewing a topic.
The second table is all the versions of the attachment. Click on View to see that version. If it's the most recent version, you'll be taken to an URL that always displays the latest version, which is usually what you want.
To change the comment on an attachment, enter a new comment and then click Change properties. Note that the comment listed against the specific version will not change, however the comment displayed when viewing the topic does change.
To hide/unhide an attachment, enable the Hide file checkbox, then click Change properties.
Known Issues
Unlike topics, attachments are not locked during editing. As a workaround, you can change the comment to indicate an attachment file is being worked on - the comment on the specific version isn't lost, it's there when you list all versions of the attachment.
TWiki Forms
Form-based input in topics, with name/value pairs stored as Meta Data variables; choose one of multiple forms per web & topic
Overview
By adding form-based input to freeform content, you can structure topics with unlimited, easily searchable categories. When forms are enabled for a web and selected in a topic, a single form appears in edit mode, and the contents are rendered as a table when viewed on the display page. You can define unlimited forms per web. For each topic, you can select a template if more than one is defined, or remove forms entirely. Form input values are stored as TWikiMetaData; all data is saved.
Form Templates replace TWikiCategoryTables from the 01-Dec-2000 version of TWiki. - see #FormsVsCategoryTables
Defining a Form Template
A Form Template is simply a page containing your form, defined as a table where each row is one form field.
Form Template Elements
form template - a set of fields defining a form (replaces category table definition)
A web can use one or more form templates
form - a topic containing additional meta data (besides the freeform TEXTAREA) that categorizes the content (replaces category table)
Within a form-enabled web, individual topics can have a form or no form
form field - a named item in a form (replaces category item name)
One or more checkboxes, plus Set and Clear buttons
checkbox+buttons
(same)
(same)
Read-only label text
label
1
(unused)
One or more radio buttons
radio
number of radio buttons per line
comma list of checkbox labels
Drop-down menu or scrollable box
select
1 for drop down, 2 and up for scrollable box
comma list of options
A one-line text field
text
text box width in number of characters
(unused)
A text box; size is 40x10 (columns x rows)
textarea
columns x rows, e.g. 40x6
(unused)
field value - one or more values from a fixed set (select, checkbox, radio type) or free-form (text). (replaces category item value)
Defining a Form in One Topic
Create a new topic with your form name: YourForm, ExpenseReport, InfoCategory, RecordReview, whatever you need.
Create a TWiki table, with each column head representing one element of an entry field: Name, Type, Size, Values, and Tooltip message(see sample below).
For each field, fill in a new line; for the type of field, select from the list.
Save the topic (you can later choose to enable/disable individual forms).
Implementation Notes: This format allows you to define field items with or without WikiNames, depending on your needs.
Topics can be protected in the usual manner, using TWikiAccessControl, to limit who can change the form template and/or individual value lists.
[[...]] links can be used to force a link (at present, the [[...][...]] format is not supported).
The Tooltip message column is used as a tooltip for the field name (only if field name is a WikiName) - you only see the tooltip In edit.
The first item in the list is the default item. Alternative initial values can be set in a topic template, like WebTopicEditTemplate, with field=value, or, for checkboxes, field=1.
The topic definition is not read when a topic is viewed.
Enabling Forms by Web
Forms are enabled on a per web basis. The WEBFORMS variable in WebPreferences is optional and defines a list of possible form templates. Example:
Set WEBFORMS = BugForm, FeatureForm, BookLoanForm
With WEBFORMS enabled, an extra button is added to the edit view. If the topic doesn't have a Form, an Add Form button appears at the end of the topic. If a Form is present, a Change button appears in the top row of the Form. The buttons open a screen that enables selection of a form specified in WEBFORMS, or the No form option.
Including Forms in New Topics
A default Form Template (new topics get this default form) can be provided by creating the WebTopicEditTemplate topic in a web and adding a form to it. Initial Form values can be set there.
Additionally a new topic can be given a Form using the formtemplate parameter in the URL. Initial values can then be provided in the URLs or as form values:
other than checkboxes: name, ex: ?BugPriority=1
checkbox: namevalue=1, ex: ?ColorRed=1.
Boxes with a tick must be specified.
Setting Up Multiple Form Options
The optional WEBFORMS variable defines alternative forms that can be selected by pressing Change in edit mode.
A topic template can use any form.
New topics with a form are created by simple HTML forms asking for a topic name. For example, you can have a SubmitExpenseReport topic where you can create new expense reports, a SubmitVacationRequest topic, and so on. These can specify the required template topic with its associated form.
Form Data Storage
The form topic name, fields and values are stored as TWikiMetaData - the order of the field/value pairs is the same as in the template.
Using Form Data
TWikiForms accept user-input data, stored as TWikiMetaData. Meta data also contains program-generated info about changes, attachments, etc. To find, format and display form and other meta data, see TWikiMetaData, SEARCH and METASEARCH variables in TWikiVariables, and TWiki Formatted Search for various options.
Main Changes from Category Tables
The Form Template system is a more powerful, flexible replacement for the original TWikiCategoryTable. Data from existing category tables can be imported directly.
On upgrading from the previous TWiki, a Form Template topic has to be built for each web that used a Category Table, recreating the fields and values from the old twikicatitems.tmpl. The replacement Form Template must be set as the first item in the WebPreferences variable WEBFORMS. If missing, pages will display, but attempting to edit results in an error message.
The new Form Template system should work with old Category Table data with no special conversion. Data is assigned to Meta variables the first time an imported topic is edited and saved in the new system.
NOTE: If things aren't working correctly, there may be useful entries in data/warning.txt.
Using Forms For Settings
Example process to change your WebPreferences to use forms instead of {3 spaces}* Set statements:
create WebPrefencesForm topic
fill it with a table like this: | *Name*|*Type*|*Size*|*Value*|*Tooltip message*|*Attributes*| | WEBTOPICLIST |textarea| | | List of topics of the %WEB% web |S| | SITEMAPLIST |select |3| on, | list this web in the Site Map |S| | SITEMAPWHAT |textarea| | | short web summary |S| | WEBBGCOLOR |text |8| | Web specific background color |S|
etc...
Edit WebPreferences, jump straight down to the form ignoring all the textarea stuff, and set as you like
if everything works as you like it, you can delete the Set statements (the form overrides set if they are both used).
Notes:
If it isn't working, double check that the S attribute has been specified (S for Setting).
If you change the form, the changes will not take affect until you edit and save the preferences' topics again.
Using the TWiki:Plugins.EditTablePlugin on WebPreferencesForm makes adding new prefedrences a breeze.
A possibly unwanted side effect for using forms for the SKINS setting in their personal user topic: because the User Preferences are final you can't have different skins for different webs as the user's setting always wins. A workaround is to simply omit SKIN in the form.
Another example, this one using EditTablePlugin, source:
%EDITTABLE{ header="|*Name*|*Type*|*Size*|*Values*|*Tooltip message*|*Attributes*|" format="|text,20|text,20|text,20|text,20|text,20|text,1|" }%
Result (after some editing):
-- TWiki:Main.JohnTalintyre - 16 Aug 2001
-- TWiki:Main.MikeMannix - 05 Jan 2002
-- TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny - 25 Apr 2004
-- TWiki:Main.MattWilkie - 27 Jul 2004
TWiki Templates
Definition of the templates used to render all HTML pages displayed in TWiki
Overview
The new modular template system offers flexible, easy control over the layout of all TWiki pages. The master template approach groups parts that are shared by several templates - like headers and footers - in a common file. Special variables allow individual layouts to include parts from a master template - variables are mixed with regular HTML markup for template-specific content. Templates are used to define page layout, and also to supply default content for new pages.
Major changes from the previous template system
Where the old templates were each complete HTML documents, the new templates are defined using variables to include template parts from a master file. You can now change one instance of a common element to update all occurrences; previously, every affected template had to be updated. This simplifies the conversion of templates into XHTML format, and provides a more versatile solution for templates and for TWikiSkins. The new system:
separates a set of common template parts into a base template that is included by all of the related templates;
defines common variables, like a standard separator (ex: "|"), in the base template;
defines variable text in the individual templates and passes it back to the base template.
How Template Variables Work
Special template directives (or preprocessor commands) are embedded in normal templates.
All template preprocessing is done in &TWiki::Store::readTemplate() so that the caller simply gets an expanded template file (the same as before).
Directives are of the form %TMPL:<key>% and %TMPL:<key>{"attr"}%.
Directives:
%TMPL:INCLUDE{"file"}%: Includes a template file. The template directory of the current web is searched first, then the templates root (twiki/templates).
%TMPL:DEF{"var"}%: Define a variable. Text between this and the END directive is not returned, but put into a hash for later use.
%TMPL:END%: Ends variable definition.
%TMPL:P{"var"}%: Prints a previously defined variable.
Variables live in a global name space: there is no parameter passing.
Two-pass processing lets you use a variable before or after declaring it.
Templates and TWikiSkins work transparently and interchangeably. For example, you can create a skin that overloads only the twiki.tmpl master template, like twiki.print.tmpl, that redefines the header and footer.
Use of template directives is optional: templates work without them.
NOTE: Template directives work only for templates: they do not get processed in topic text.
Types of Template
There are three types of template:
Master Template: Stores common parts; included by other templates
HTML Page Templates: Defines the layout of TWiki pages
Template Topics: Defines default text when you create a new topic
Master Templates
Common parts, appearing in two or more templates, can be defined in a master template and then shared by others: twiki.tmpl is the default master template.
Simple header with reduced links (ex: edit, attach, oops)
%TMPL:DEF{"standardfooter"}%
Footer, excluding revision and copyright parts
%TMPL:DEF{"oops"}%
Skeleton of oops dialog
HTML Page Templates
TWiki uses HTML template files for all actions, like topic view, edit, and preview. This allows you to change the look and feel of all pages by editing just a few template files.
Templates are stored either in the twiki/templates directory or in user topics. As an example, twiki/templates/view.tmpl is the template file for the twiki/bin/view script.
Templates can be overloaded by individual webs.
TWikiSkins can overload the standard templates.
TWiki uses the following search order to determine which template to use:
Legend: • script refers to the script name, e.g view, edit • Script refers to the same, but with the first character capitalized, e.g View • skin refers to the skin name, e.g dragon, pattern • Skin refers to the same, but with the first character capitalized, e.g Dragon • %WEB% refers to the current web
Additionally (and primarily for use in %TMPL:INCLUDE{}%) the template name may be a wiki topic name, specified as Web.Topic, in which case the search is:
If Web is not specified in the INCLUDE, it defaults to TWiki, and the search to the first type.
Special variables are used in templates, especially in view, to display meta data.
Template Topics
Template topics define the default text for new topics. There are three types of template topic:
All template topics are located in the TWiki web. The WebTopicEditTemplate can be overloaded. When you create a new topic, TWiki locates a topic to use as a content template according to the following search order:
A topic name specified by the templatetopic CGI parameter.
WebTopicEditTemplate in the current web
WebTopicEditTemplate in the TWiki web
Edit Template Topics and Variable Expansion
The following variables get expanded when a user creates a new topic based on a template topic:
A no-operation variable that gets removed. Useful to prevent a SEARCH from hitting an edit template topic; also useful to escape a variable like %URLPARAM%NOP%{...}%
%NOP{ ... }%
A no-operation text that gets removed. Useful to write-protect an edit template topic, but not the topics based this template topic. See notes below. Example: %NOP{ * Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.TWikiAdminGroup }%
Notes:
Unlike other variables, %NOP{ ... }% can span multiple lines.
The scan for the closing }% pattern is "non-greedy", that is, it stops at the first occurance. That means, you need to escape variables with parameters located inside %NOP{ ... }%: Insert a %NOP% between } and %. Silly example: %NOP{ %GMTIME{"$year"}%NOP%% }%.
All other variables are unchanged, e.g. are carried over "as is" into the new topic.
Template Topics in Action
Here is an example for creating new topics based on a specific template topic:
The above form asks for a topic name. A hidden input tag named templatetopic specifies ExampleTopicTemplate as the template topic to use. Here is the HTML source of the form:
Name of topic to create. Can be set in a text field, or is set programmatically (e.g. with a sequential number)
onlywikiname
If set, TWiki will complain if the topic name is not a WikiWord
onlynewtopic
If set, TWiki will complain if a topic of the same name already exists
templatetopic
The name of the template topic, e.g. topic used to copy the initial content
topicparent
Sets the parent topic
TopicClassification
Assuming the template topic has a form with a field called "TopicClassification", it will set the value of the field
contenttype
Optional parameter that defines the application type to write into the CGI header. Defaults to text/html. May be used to invoke alternative client applications
anyname
Any parameter can passed to the new topic; if the template topic contains %URLPARAM{"anyname"}%, it will be replaced by its value
TIP: You can use the %WIKIUSERNAME% and %DATE% variables in your topic templates to include the signature of the person creating a new topic. The variables are expanded into fixed text when a new topic is created. The standard signature is: -- %WIKIUSERNAME% - %DATE%
Templates by Example
Attached is an example of an oops based template oopsbase.tmpl and an example oops dialog oopstest.tmpl based on the base template. %A% NOTE: This isn't the release version, just a quick, simple demo.
Base template oopsbase.tmpl
The first line declares a delimiter variable called "sep", used to separate multiple link items. The variable can be called anywhere by writing %TMPL:P{"sep"}%
Each oops template basically just defines some variables and includes the base template that does the layout work.
%TMPL:DEF{"titleaction"}% (test =titleaction=) %TMPL:END%
%TMPL:DEF{"webaction"}% test =webaction= %TMPL:END%
%TMPL:DEF{"heading"}%
Test heading %TMPL:END%
%TMPL:DEF{"message"}%
Test =message=. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...
* Some more blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...
* Param1: %PARAM1%
* Param2: %PARAM2%
* Param3: %PARAM3%
* Param4: %PARAM4%
%TMPL:END%
%TMPL:DEF{"topicaction"}%
Test =topicaction=:
[[%WEB%.%TOPIC%][OK]] %TMPL:P{"sep"}%
[[%TWIKIWEB%.TWikiRegistration][Register]] %TMPL:END%
%TMPL:INCLUDE{"oopsbase"}%
Sample screen shot of oopstest.tmpl
With URL: .../bin/oops/Sandbox/TestTopic2?template=oopstest¶m1=WebHome¶m2=WebNotify
Known Issues
A drawback of referring to a master template is that you can only test a template from within TWiki, where the include variables are resolved. In the previous system, each template was a structurally complete HTML document with a .tmpl filename extension - it contained unresolved %VARIABLES%, but could still be previewed directly in a browser.
Skins overlay regular templates with alternate header/footer layouts; topic text is not affected
Overview
Skins are customized TWikiTemplates files. You can use skins to change the look of a TWiki topic, for example, the layout of the header and footer. Rendered text between header and footer does not change. You can also use skins to define an alternate view, like a view optimized for printing.
Defining Skins
Skin files are located in the twiki/templates directory and are named with the syntax: <scriptname>.<skin>.tmpl. For example, the Printable skin for the view template is view.print.tmpl.
Use the existing TWikiTemplates (like view.tmpl) or skin files as a base for your own skin, name it for example view.myskin.tmpl.
Variables in Skins
You can use template variables, TWikiVariables, and other predefined variables to compose your skins. Some commonly used variables in skins:
Web specific background color, defined in the WebPreferences
%WIKITOOLNAME%
The name of your TWiki site
%SCRIPTURL%
The script URL of TWiki
%SCRIPTSUFFIX%
The script suffix, ex: .pl, .cgi
%WEB%
The name of the current web. Note: It is recommended to URL-encode the variable in form actions with %INTURLENCODE{"%WEB%"}% for proper handling in an internationalized environment
%TOPIC%
The name of the current topic. Note: It is recommended to URL-encode the variable in form actions with %INTURLENCODE{"%TOPIC%"}% for proper handling in an internationalized environment
%WEBTOPICLIST%
Common links of current web, defined in the WebPreferences. It includes a #GoBox
%TEXT%
The topic text, e.g. the content that can be edited
Broadcast message at the beginning of your view template, can be used to alert users of scheduled downtimes; is set in TWikiPreferences
The "Go" Box and Navigation Box
The %WEBTOPICLIST% includes a "Go" box to jump to a topic. The box also understand URLs, e.g. you can type http://www.google.com/ to jump to an external web site. The feature is handy if you build a skin that has a select box of frequently used links, like Intranet home, employee database, sales database and such. A little JavaScript gets into action on the onSelect method of the select tag to fill the selected URL into the "Go" box field, then submits the form.
Here is an example form that has a select box and the "Go" box for illustration purposes. You need to have JavaScript enabled for this to work:
Using Cascading Style Sheets
Although work is underway at TWiki:Codev.CssClassNames, the regular templates files currently do not use style sheets. Many skin developers, however, choose to use them; it helps in separating style from content.
Example: To use a style sheet for the broadcast message, add this to view.myskin.tmpl:
Controlling the look and feel of attachment tables is a little bit more complex than for the rest of a skin. By default the attachment table is a standard TWiki table, and the look is controlled in the same ay as other tables. In a very few cases you may want to change the content of the table as well.
The format of standard attachment tables is defined through the use of special TWiki template macros which by default are defined in the templates/twiki.tmpl template using the %TMPL:DEF macro syntax described in TWikiTemplates. These macros are:
A file icon suitable for representing the attachment content
%A_FILE%
The name of the file
%A_SIZE%
The size of the file
%A_DATE%
The date the file was uploaded
%A_USER%
The user who uploaded it
%A_COMMENT%
The comment they put in when uploading it
%A_ATTRS%
The attributes of the file as seen on the upload screen e.g "h" for a hidden file
Note: it is easy to change the look and feel for an entire site by editing the twiki.tmpl template file. However, to simplify upgrading, you should avoid doing this. Instead, write a skin-specific template file e.g. attach.myskin.tmpl and use %TMPL:INCLUDE{attach.myskin.tmpl}% to include it in each of your skin files. As long as it it included after twiki.tmpl, your macro definitions will override the defaults defined there.
Inline search feature allows flexible formatting of search result
The %SEARCH{...}% variable documented in TWikiVariables has a fixed format for the search result, that is, a table consisting of topic names and topic summaries. Use the format="..." parameter to specify a customized format of the search result. The string of the format parameter is typically a bullet list or table row containing variables (such as %SEARCH{ "food" format="| $topic | $summary |" }%).
Syntax
Two parameters can be used to specify a customized search result:
1. header="..." parameter
Use the header parameter to specify the header of a search result. It should correspond to the format of the format parameter. This parameter is optional. Example: header="| *Topic:* | *Summary:* |"
2. format="..." parameter
Use the format parameter to specify the format of one search hit.
Example: format="| $topic | $summary |"
Variables that can be used in the format string:
Topic name, hyphenated each 30 characters with separator "-<br />"
$topic(40, ...)
Topic name, shortended to 40 characters with "..." indication
$parent
Name of parent topic; empty if not set
$parent(20)
Name of parent topic, same hyphenation/shortening like $topic()
$text
Formatted topic text. In case of a multiple="on" search, it is the line found for each search hit.
$locked
LOCKED flag (if any)
$date
Time stamp of last topic update, e.g. 25 Jul 2020 - 02:20
$isodate
Time stamp of last topic update, e.g. 2020-07-25T02:20Z
$rev
Number of last topic revision, e.g. 1.4
$username
Login name of last topic update, e.g. jsmith
$wikiname
Wiki user name of last topic update, e.g. JohnSmith
$wikiusername
Wiki user name of last topic update, like Main.JohnSmith
$createdate
Time stamp of topic revision 1.1
$createusername
Login name of topic revision 1.1, e.g. jsmith
$createwikiname
Wiki user name of topic revision 1.1, e.g. JohnSmith
$createwikiusername
Wiki user name of topic revision 1.1, e.g. Main.JohnSmith
$summary
Topic summary
$formname
The name of the form attached to the topic; empty if none
$formfield(name)
The field value of a form field; for example, $formfield(TopicClassification) would get expanded to PublicFAQ. This applies only to topics that have a TWikiForm
$formfield(name, 10)
Form field value, "- " hyphenated each 10 characters
$formfield(name, 20, -<br />)
Form field value, hyphenated each 20 characters with separator "-<br />"
$formfield(name, 30, ...)
Form field value, shortended to 30 characters with "..." indication
$pattern(reg-exp)
A regular expression pattern to extract some text from a topic (does not search meta data; use $formfield instead). In case of a multiple="on" search, the pattern is applied to the line found in each search hit. • Specify a RegularExpression that covers the whole text (topic or line), which typically starts with .*, and must end in .* • Put text you want to keep in parenthesis, like $pattern(.*?(from here.*?to here).*) • Example: $pattern(.*?\*.*?Email\:\s*([^\n\r]+).*) extracts the email address from a bullet of format * Email: ... • This example has non-greedy .*? patterns to scan for the first occurance of the Email bullet; use greedy .* patterns to scan for the last occurance • Limitation: Do not use .*) inside the pattern, e.g. $pattern(.*foo(.*)bar.*) does not work, but $pattern(.*foo(.*?)bar.*) does • Note: Make sure that the integrity of a web page is not compromised; for example, if you include an HTML table make sure to include everything including the table end tag
$n or $n()
New line
$nop or $nop()
Is a "no operation". This variable gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot
Double quote ("). Alternatively write \" to escape it
TWikiFAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About TWiki This is a real FAQ, and also a demo of one easily implemented knowledge base solution. See how it's done, click Edit . SEARCH ...
TWikiFaqTemplate: FAQ: Answer: Back to: NOP TWikiFAQ WIKIUSERNAME DATE
TextFormattingFAQ: Text Formatting FAQ The most frequently asked questions about text formatting are answered. Also, TextFormattingRules contains the complete TWiki shorthand system ...
Table showing form field values of topics with a form
In a web where there is a form that contains a TopicClassification field, an OperatingSystem field and an OsVersion field we could write:
| *Topic:* | *OperatingSystem:* | *OsVersion:* | %SEARCH{ "[T]opicClassification.*?value=\"[P]ublicFAQ\"" scope="text" regex="on" nosearch="on" nototal="on" format="| [[$topic]] | $formfield(OperatingSystem) | $formfield(OsVersion) |" }%
To get this:
How do I delete or rename a file attachment? Answer...
Why does the topic revision not increase when I edit a topic? Answer...
TWiki has a GPL (GNU General Public License). What is GPL? Answer...
How do you log off? Suppose I log in with the guest username but later I want to use another username, how do I log off from the guest user name? Answer...
I've problems with the WebSearch. There is no Search Result on any inquiry. By clicking the Index topic it's the same problem. Answer...
What happens if two of us try to edit the same topic simultaneously? Answer...
I would like to install TWiki on my server. Can I get the source? Answer...
Everybody can edit any page, this is scary. Doesn't that lead to chaos? Answer...
Nested Search
Search can be nested. For example, search for some topics, then form a new search for each topic found in the first search. The idea is to build the nested search string using a formatted search in the first search.
Here is an example. Let's search for all topics that contain the word "culture" (first search), and let's find out where each topic found is linked from (second search).
First search:
%SEARCH{ "culture" format=" * $topic is referenced by: (list all references)" nosearch="on" nototal="on" }%
Second search. For each hit we want this search:
%SEARCH{ "(topic found in first search)" format="$topic" nosearch="on" nototal="on" separator=", " }%
Now let's nest the two. We need to escape the second search, e.g. the first search will build a valid second search string. Note that we escape the second search so that it does not get evaluated prematurely by the first search:
Use $percnt to escape the leading percent of the second search
Note: Nested search can be slow, especially if you nest more then 3 times. Nesting is limited to 16 levels. For each new nesting level you need to "escape the escapes", e.g. write $dollarpercntSEARCH{ for level three, $dollardollarpercntSEARCH{ for level four, etc.
A regular expression search is flexible, but there are limitations. For example, you cannot show all topics that are up to exactly one week old, or create a report that shows all records with invalid form fields or fields within a certain range, etc. You need some additional logic to format output based on a condition:
Specify a search which returns more hits then you need
For each search hit apply a spreadsheet formula to determine if the hit is needed
If needed, format and output the result
Else supress the search hit
This requires the TWiki:Plugins.SpreadSheetPlugin. The following example shows all topics that are up to exactly one week old.
Write this:%CALC{$SET(weekold, $TIMEADD($TIME(), -7, day))}% %SEARCH{ "." scope="topic" regex="on" nosearch="on" nototal="on" order="modified" reverse="on" format="$percntCALC{$IF($TIME($date) < $GET(weekold), <nop>, | [[$topic]] | $wikiusername | $date | $rev |)}$percnt" limit="100" }%
The first line sets the weekold variable to the serialized date of exactly one week ago
The SEARCH has a deferred CALC. The $percnt makes sure that the CALC gets executed once for each search hit
The CALC compares the date of the topic with the weekold date
If topic is older, a <nop> is returned, which gets removed at the end of the TWiki rendering process
Otherwise, the search hit is formatted and returned
To get this:
Embedding search forms to return a formatted result
Use an HTML form and an embedded formatted search on the same topic. You can link them together with an %URLPARAM{"..."}% variable. Example:
Write this:
Additional topic data, program-generated or from TWikiForms, is stored in META variable name/value pairs
Overview
TWikiMetaData uses META variables to store topic data that's separate from the main free-form content. This includes program-generated info like FileAttachment and topic movement data, and user-defined TWikiForms info. Use META variables to format and display Meta Data.
Meta Data Syntax
Format is the same as in TWikiVariables, except all fields have a key.
%META:<type>{key1="value1" key2="value2" ...}%
Order of fields within the meta variables is not defined, except that if there is a field with key name, this appears first for easier searching (note the order of the variables themselves is defined).
Each meta variable is on one line.
\n (new line) is represented in values by %_N_ and " (double-quotes) by %_Q_%.
Example of Format
%META:TOPICINFO{version="1.6" date="976762663" author="PeterThoeny" format="1.0"}%
text of the topic
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="Codev.NewName"
by="JohnTalintyre" date="976762680"}%
%META:TOPICPARENT{name="NavigationByTopicContext"}%
%META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="Sample.txt" version="1.3" ... }%
%META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="Smile.gif" version="1.1" ... }%
%META:FORM{name="WebFormTemplate"}%
%META:FIELD{name="OperatingSystem" value="OsWin"}%
%META:FIELD{name="TopicClassification" value="PublicFAQ"}%
Meta Data Specifications
The current version of Meta Data is 1.0, with support for the following variables.
Format of this topic, will be used for automatic format conversion
META:TOPICMOVED
This is optional, exists if topic has ever been moved. If a topic is moved more than once, only the most recent META:TOPICMOVED meta variable exists in the topic, older ones are to be found in the rcs history.
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="Codev.NewName" by="talintj" date="976762680"}%
The topic from which this was created, WebHome if done from Go, othewise topic where ? or form used. Normally just topic, but is full web.topic format if parent is in a different Web. Renaming a Web will then only break a few of these references or they can be scanned and fixed.
There is no absolute need for Meta Data variables to be listed in a specific order within a topic, but it makes sense to do so a couple of good reasons:
form fields remain in the order they are defined
the diff function output appears in a logical order
The recommended sequence is:
META:TOPICINFO
META:TOPICPARENT (optional)
text of topic
META:TOPICMOVED (optional)
META:FILEATTACHMENT (0 or more entries)
META:FORM (optional)
META:FIELD (0 or more entries; FORM required)
Viewing Meta Data in Page Source
When viewing a topic the Raw Text link can be clicked to show the text of a topic (i.e., as seen when editing). This is done by adding raw=on to URL. raw=debug shows the meta data as well as the topic data, ex: debug view for this topic
Rendering Meta Data
Meta Data is rendered with the %META% variable. This is mostly used in the view, preview and edit scripts.
Note: Rendering meta data is currently not supported in topic text. As a workaround, use FormattedSearch on the current topic only to render form fields.
Current support covers:
Show form field value. Parameter: name="field_name". Example: %META{ "formfield" name="TopicClassification" }%
%META{"attachments"}%
Show attachments, except for hidden ones. Options: all="on": Show all attachments, including hidden ones.
%META{"moved"}%
Details of any topic moves.
%META{"parent"}%
Show topic parent. Options: dontrecurse="on": By default recurses up tree, at some cost. nowebhome="on": Suppress WebHome. prefix="...": Prefix for parents, only if there are parents, default "". suffix="...": Suffix, only appears if there are parents, default "". separator="...": Separator between parents, default is " > ".
Known Issues
At present, there is no Meta Data support for Plugins. However, the format is readily extendable and the Meta.pm code that supports the format needs only minor alteration.
-- TWiki:Main.JohnTalintyre - 29 Aug 2001
-- TWiki:Main.MikeMannix - 03 Dec 2001
-- TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny - 15 Aug 2004
TWiki Plugins
Plug-in enhanced feature add-ons, with a Plugin API for developers
Overview
You can add Plugins to extend TWiki's functionality, without altering the core program code. A plug-in approach lets you:
add virtually unlimited features while keeping the main TWiki code compact and efficient;
heavily customize an installation and still do clean updates to new versions of TWiki;
rapidly develop new TWiki functions in Perl using the Plugin API.
Everything to do with TWiki Plugins - demos, new releases, downloads, development, general discussion - is available at TWiki.org, in the TWiki:Plugins web.
Preinstalled Plugins
TWiki comes with a set of Plugins as part of the standard installation.
DefaultPlugin: Optionally handles some legacy variables from older versions of TWiki. You can control this option from TWikiPreferences. (Perl programmers can also add rules for simple custom processing.)
EmptyPlugin: Is a fully functional module, minus active code; it does nothing and serves as a template for new Plugin development
InterwikiPlugin: Use it for shorthand linking to remote sites, ex: TWiki:Plugins expands to TWiki:Plugins on TWiki.org. You can edit the predefined set of of Wiki-related sites, and add your own
EditTablePlugin: Edit TWiki tables using edit fields, date pickers and drop down boxes
SpreadSheetPlugin: Add spreadsheet calculation like "$SUM( $ABOVE() )" to tables located in TWiki topics.
TablePlugin: Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
Installing Plugins
Each TWikiPlugin comes with full documentation: step-by-step installation instructions, a detailed description of any special requirements, version details, and a working example for testing.
Most Plugins can be installed in three easy steps, with no programming skills required:
Download the zip file containing the Plugin, documentation, and any other required files, from TWiki:Plugins.
Distribute the files to their proper locations - unzip the zip archive in your TWiki installation directory - if have a standard TWiki installation, this will distribute automatically. Otherwise, place the files according to the directory paths listed on the Plugin top in TWiki:Plugins.
Check the demo example on the Plugin topic: if it's working, the installation was fine!
Special Requests: Some Plugins need certain Perl modules to be preinstalled on the host system. Plugins may also use other resources, like graphics, other modules, applications, templates. In these cases, detailed instructions are in the Plugin documentation.
Each Plugin has a standard release page, located in the TWiki:Plugins web at TWiki.org. In addition to the documentation topic (SomePlugin), there's a separate development page.
Doc page: Read all available info about the Plugin; download the attached distribution files.
Dev page: Post feature requests, bug reports and general dev comments; topic title ends in Dev (SomePluginDev).
User support: Post installation, how to use type questions (and answers, if you have them) in the TWiki:Support web.
On-Site Pretesting
To test new Plugins on your installation before making them public, you may want to use one of these two approaches:
Method 1: Safely test on-the-fly by creating separate Production and Test branches in your live TWiki installation.
Duplicate the twiki/bin and twiki/lib directories for the Test version, and adjust the paths in the new lib/TWiki.cfg. The following directories are shared: twiki/data, twiki/templates and twiki/pub.
Test Plugins and other new features in the Test installation until you're satisfied.
If you modify topics using the new features, live users will likely see unfamiliar new META tags showing up on their pages - to avoid this, create and edit test-only topics to try out new features.
Copy the modified files to the Production installation. You can update a TWiki installation live and users won't even notice.
Method 2: List the Plugin being tested in the DISABLEDPLUGINS variable in TWikiPreferences. Redefine the DISABLEDPLUGINS variable in the Sandbox web and do the testing there.
Checking that Plugins are Working on a Live Server
InstalledPlugins shows which Plugins are: 1) installed, 2) loading properly and 3) what TWiki:Codev.PluginHandlers they invoke. Any failures are shown in the Errors section.
A Note on Plugin Performance
The performance of the system depends on the number of Plugins installed and on the Plugin implementation. Some Plugins impose no measurable performance decrease, some do. For example, outsidePREHandler is an expensive callback function, or a Plugin might use many Perl libraries that need to be initialized with each page view (unless you run mod_perl). It is recommended to measure the performance with and without a new Plugin. Example for Unix: time wget -qO /dev/null /view/TWiki/AbcPlugin
In case you need to install an "expensive" Plugin and you need its functionality only in one web you can place the Plugin topic into that web. TWiki will initialize the Plugin only if the Plugin topic is found (which won't be the case for other webs.)
Managing Plugins
When you finish installing a Plugin, you should be able to read the user instructions and go. In fact, some Plugins require additional settings or offer extra options that you have to select. Also, you may want to make a Plugin available only in certain webs, or temporarily disable it. And may want to list all available Plugins in certain topics. You can handle all of these management tasks with simple procedures.
Setting Preferences
Installed Plugins can be toggled on or off, site-wide or by web, through TWikiPreferences and individual WebPreferences:
All Plugin modules present in the lib/TWiki/Plugins directory are activated automatically unless disabled by the DISABLEDPLUGINS Preferences variable in TWikiPreferences. You can optionally list the installed Plugins in the INSTALLEDPLUGINS Preferences variable. This is useful to define the sequence of Plugin execution, or to specify other webs than the TWiki web for the Plugin topics. Settings in TWikiPreferences are:
Set INSTALLEDPLUGINS = DefaultPlugin, ...
Set DISABLEDPLUGINS = EmptyPlugin, ...
Plugin execution order in TWiki is determined by searching Plugin topics in a specific sequence: First, full web.topicname name, if specified in INSTALLEDPLUGINS; next, the TWiki web is searched; and finally, the current web.
Plugin-specific settings are done in individual Plugin topics. Two settings are standard for each Plugin:
One line description, used to form the bullets describing the Plugins in the TextFormattingRules topic:
Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Blah blah woof woof.
Debug Plugin, output can be seen in data/debug.txt. Set to 0=off or 1=on:
Set DEBUG = 0
The settings can be retrieved as Preferences variables like %<pluginname>_<var>%, ex: %DEFAULTPLUGIN_SHORTDESCRIPTION% shows the description of the DefaultPlugin.
Listing Active Plugins
Plugin status variables let you list all active Plugins wherever needed. There are two list formats:
The %ACTIVATEDPLUGINS% variable lists activated Plugins by name. (This variable is displayed in TWikiPreferences for debugging use.)
The %PLUGINDESCRIPTIONS% variable displays a bullet list with a one-line description of each active Plugins. This variable is based on the %<plugin>_SHORTDESCRIPTION% Preferences variables of individual topics and is shown in TextFormattingRules.
SpreadSheetPlugin: Add spreadsheet calculation like "$SUM( $ABOVE() )" to tables located in TWiki topics.
TablePlugin: Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
The TWiki Plugin API
The Application Programming Interface (API) for TWikiPlugins provides the specifications for hooking into the core TWiki code from your external Perl Plugin module. The Plugin API is new to the Production version of TWiki with the 01-Sep-2001 release.
Available Core Functions
The TWikiFuncModule (lib/TWiki/Func.pm) implements ALL official Plugin functions. Plugins should ONLY use functions published in this module.
If you use functions not in Func.pm, you run the risk of creating security holes. Also, your Plugin will likely break and require updating when you upgrade to a new version of TWiki.
Predefined Hooks
In addition to TWiki core functions, Plugins can use predefined hooks, or call backs, listed in the lib/TWiki/Plugins/EmptyPlugin.pm module.
All but the initPlugin are disabled. To enable a call back, remove DISABLE_ from the function name.
For best performance, enable only the functions you really need. NOTE: outsidePREHandler and insidePREHandler are particularly expensive.
Most Plugins use either the commonTagsHandler or startRenderingHandler for rendering tasks:
commonTagsHandler: Use it to expand %XYZPLUGIN% and %XYZPLUGIN{...}% variables
startRenderingHandler: Use it for your own rendering rules or to overload TWiki's internal rendering like [[links]]
Delay the Plugin initialization to the actual function which is handling the tag. This way all the expensive initialization is done only when needed.
For example, use an eval block like: eval { require IPC::Run } return "<font color=\"red\">SamplePlugin: Can't load required modules ($@)</font>" if $@;
You could return errors as strings to show what happened
You can use a flag to avoid running the initialization twice
Plugin Version Detection
To eliminate the incompatibility problems bound to arise from active open Plugin development, a Plugin versioning system is provided for automatic compatibility checking.
All modules require a $VERSION='0.000' variable, beginning at 1.000.
The initPlugin handler should check all dependencies and return TRUE if the initialization is OK or FALSE if something went wrong.
The Plugin initialization code does not register a Plugin that returns FALSE (or that has no initPlugin handler).
$TWiki::Plugins::VERSION in the TWiki::Plugins module contains the TWiki Plugin API version, currently 1.025.
You can also use the %PLUGINVERSION{}% variable to query the Plugin API version or the version of installed Plugins.
Creating Plugins
With a reasonable knowledge of the Perl scripting language, you can create new Plugins or modify and extend existing ones. Basic plug-in architecture uses an Application Programming Interface (API), a set of software instructions that allow external code to interact with the main program. The TWiki Plugin API Plugins by providing a programming interface for TWiki.
The DefaultPlugin Alternative
DefaultPlugin can handle some outdated TWiki variables, found, for example, in sites recently updated from an old version. Settings are in DefaultPlugin topic. You can also add your own simple custom processing rules here, though in all but very simple cases, writing a new Plugin is preferable.
Anatomy of a Plugin
A basic TWiki Plugin consists of two elements:
a Perl module, ex: MyFirstPlugin.pm
a documentation topic, ex: MyFirstPlugin.txt
The Perl module can be a block of code that connects with TWiki alone, or it can include other elements, like other Perl modules (including other Plugins), graphics, TWiki templates, external applications (ex: a Java applet), or just about anything else it can call.
In particular, files that should be web-accessible (graphics, Java applets ...) are best placed as attachments of the MyFirstPlugin topic. Other needed Perl code is best placed in a lib/TWiki/Plugins/MyFirstPlugin/ directory.
The Plugin API handles the details of connecting your Perl module with main TWiki code. When you're familiar with the Plugin API, you're ready to develop Plugins.
Creating the Perl Module
Copy file lib/TWiki/Plugins/EmptyPlugin.pm to <name>Plugin.pm. The EmptyPlugin.pm module contains mostly empty functions, so it does nothing, but it's ready to be used. Customize it. Refer to the Plugin API specs for more information.
If your Plugin uses its own modules and objects, you must include the name of the Plugin in the package name. For example, write Package MyFirstPlugin::Attrs; instead of just Package Attrs;. Then call it using:
use TWiki::Plugins::MyFirstPlugin::Attrs;
$var = MyFirstPlugin::Attrs->new();
Writing the Documentation Topic
The Plugin documentation topic contains usage instructions and version details. It serves the Plugin files as FileAttachments for downloading. (The doc topic is also included in the distribution package.) To create a documentation topic:
OUTLINE: Doc Topic Contents
Check the Plugins web on TWiki.org for the latest Plugin doc topic template. Here's a quick overview of what's covered:
Syntax Rules: <Describe any special text formatting that will be rendered.>"
Example: <Include an example of the Plugin in action. Possibly include a static HTML version of the example to compare if the installation was a success!>"
Plugin Settings: <Description and settings for custom Plugin %VARIABLES%, and those required by TWiki.>"
Plugins Preferences <If user settings are needed, explain... Entering values works exactly like TWikiPreferences and WebPreferences: six (6) spaces and then:>"
Set <EXAMPLE = value added>
Plugin Installation Instructions: <Step-by-step set-up guide, user help, whatever it takes to install and run, goes here.>"
Plugin Info: <Version, credits, history, requirements - entered in a form, displayed as a table. Both are automatically generated when you create or edit a page in the TWiki:Plugins web.>"
Packaging for Distribution
A minimum Plugin release consists of a Perl module with a WikiName that ends in Plugin, ex: MyFirstPlugin.pm, and a documentation page with the same name(MyFirstPlugin.txt).
Distribute the Plugin files in a directory structure that mirrors TWiki. If your Plugin uses additional files, include them ALL:
Create a zip archive with the Plugin name (MyFirstPlugin.zip) and add the entire directory structure from Step 1. The archive should look like this:
lib/TWiki/Plugins/MyFirstPlugin.pm
data/TWiki/MyFirstPlugin.txt
pub/TWiki/MyFirstPlugin/uparrow.gif
Publishing for Public Use
You can release your tested, packaged Plugin to the TWiki community through the TWiki:Plugins web. All Plugins submitted to TWiki.org are available for download and further development in TWiki:Plugins/PluginPackage. Publish your Plugin in these steps:
Attach the distribution zip file to the topic, ex: MyFirstPlugin.zip
Link from the doc page to a new, blank page named after the Plugin, and ending in Dev, ex: MyFirstPluginDev. This is the discussion page for future development. (User support for Plugins is handled in TWiki:Support.)
Thank you very much for sharing your Plugin with the TWiki community :-)
Recommended Storage of Plugin Data
Plugins sometimes need to store data. This can be Plugin internal data like cache data, or generated data for the browser like images. The following is a recommendation where to store the data.
Where to store Plugin Internal Data
In case the Plugin generates data just for internal use, or data which is not specific to a topic, store it in the Plugin's attachment directory.
The Plugin's attachment directory is pubdir/Installweb/FooBarPlugin
Installweb refers to the name of the web where the Plugin is installed
The Plugin's attachment URL is %PUBURL%/Installweb/FooBarPlugin
The filename should start with an underscore, followed by an identifier, e.g. _any_name.ext
The leading underscore avoids a nameclash with files attached to the Plugin topic
Use only alphanumeric characters, underscores and periods to avoid platform dependency issues and URL issues
Do not use subdirectories (rename and delete would fail)
Use Plugin API functions documented in TWikiFuncModule to ensure portability:
Use getPubDir() to get the attachment root directory
Use getUrlHost() and getPubUrlPath() to build the URL in case you create content for the browser
Use $installWeb to get the name of the web where the Plugin is installed
Create the web directory and topic attachment directory if needed
Hint: Package the Plugin at least with one file attachment. This ensures that the attachment directory already exists
Where to Store Data for Topics using the Plugin
In case the Plugin generates data which is specific to a topic, store it in the topic's attachment directory.
The topic's attachment directory is pubdir/Webname/TopicName
The topic's attachment URL is %PUBURL%/Webname/TopicName
The filename should start with an underscore, followed by the Plugin name, an underscore and an identifier, e.g. _FooBarPlugin_any_name.ext
The leading underscore avoids a nameclash with files attached to the same topic
Use only alphanumeric characters, underscores and periods to avoid platform dependency issues and URL issues
Do not use subdirectories (rename and delete would fail)
Use Plugin API functions documented in TWikiFuncModule to ensure portability:
Use getPubDir() to get the attachment root directory
Use getUrlHost() and getPubUrlPath() to build the URL in case you create content for the browser
Official list of stable TWiki functions for Plugin developers
Description
This module defines official funtions that Plugins
and add-on scripts can use to interact with the TWiki engine and content.
Plugins should only use functions published in this module. If you use
functions in other TWiki libraries you might impose a security hole and
you will likely need to change your Plugin when you upgrade TWiki.
The version of the TWiki::Func module is defined by the VERSION number of the
TWiki::Plugins module, currently 1.025. This can be shown by the
%PLUGINVERSION{}% variable. The "Since" field in the function documentation
refers to the VERSION number and the date that the function was addded.
Functions: CGI Environment
getSessionValue( $key ) ==> $value
Description:
Get a session value from the Session Plugin (if installed)
Parameter: $key
Session key
Return: $value
Value associated with key; empty string if not set; undef if session plugin is not installed
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
setSessionValue( $key, $value ) ==> $result
Description:
Set a session value via the Session Plugin (if installed)
Parameter: $key
Session key
Parameter: $value
Value associated with key
Return: $result
"1" if success; undef if session plugin is not installed
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (17 Aug 2001)
getSkin( ) ==> $skin
Description:
Get the name of the skin, set by the SKIN preferences variable or the skin CGI parameter
Return: $skin
Name of skin, e.g. "gnu". Empty string if none
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (29 Jul 2001)
getUrlHost( ) ==> $host
Description:
Get protocol, domain and optional port of script URL
Return: $host
URL host, e.g. "http://example.com:80"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getScriptUrl( $web, $topic, $script ) ==> $url
Description:
Compose fully qualified URL
Parameter: $web
Web name, e.g. "Main"
Parameter: $topic
Topic name, e.g. "WebNotify"
Parameter: $script
Script name, e.g. "view"
Return: $url
URL, e.g. "http://example.com:80/cgi-bin/view.pl/Main/WebNotify"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getScriptUrlPath( ) ==> $path
Description:
Get script URL path
Return: $path
URL path of TWiki scripts, e.g. "/cgi-bin"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getViewUrl( $web, $topic ) ==> $url
Description:
Compose fully qualified view URL
Parameter: $web
Web name, e.g. "Main". The current web is taken if empty
Parameter: $topic
Topic name, e.g. "WebNotify"
Return: $url
URL, e.g. "http://example.com:80/cgi-bin/view.pl/Main/WebNotify"
First extract text between {...} to get: "nameless" name1="val1" name2="val2"
Then call this on the text: my $noname = TWiki::Func::extractNameValuePair( $text ); my $val1 = TWiki::Func::extractNameValuePair( $text, "name1" ); my $val2 = TWiki::Func::extractNameValuePair( $text, "name2" );
getPreferencesValue( $key, $web ) ==> $value
Description:
Get a preferences value from TWiki or from a Plugin
Parameter: $key
Preferences key
Parameter: $web
Name of web, optional. Current web if not specified; does not apply to settings of Plugin topics
Return: $value
Preferences value; empty string if not set
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
Example for Plugin setting:
MyPlugin topic has: * Set COLOR = red
Use "MYPLUGIN_COLOR" for $key
my $color = TWiki::Func::getPreferencesValue( "MYPLUGIN_COLOR" );
Example for preferences setting:
WebPreferences topic has: * Set WEBBGCOLOR = #FFFFC0
my $webColor = TWiki::Func::getPreferencesValue( "WEBBGCOLOR", "Sandbox" );
getPluginPreferencesValue( $key ) ==> $value
Description:
Get a preferences value from your Plugin
Parameter: $key
Plugin Preferences key w/o PLUGINNAME_ prefix.
Return: $value
Preferences value; empty string if not set
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.021 (27 Mar 2004)
getPreferencesFlag( $key, $web ) ==> $value
Description:
Get a preferences flag from TWiki or from a Plugin
Parameter: $key
Preferences key
Parameter: $web
Name of web, optional. Current web if not specified; does not apply to settings of Plugin topics
Return: $value
Preferences flag "1" (if set), or "0" (for preferences values "off", "no" and "0")
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
Example for Plugin setting:
MyPlugin topic has: * Set SHOWHELP = off
Use "MYPLUGIN_SHOWHELP" for $key
my $showHelp = TWiki::Func::getPreferencesFlag( "MYPLUGIN_SHOWHELP" );
getPluginPreferencesFlag( $key ) ==> $flag
Description:
Get a preferences flag from your Plugin
Parameter: $key
Plugin Preferences key w/o PLUGINNAME_ prefix.
Return: $flag
Preferences flag "1" (if set), or "0" (for preferences values "off", "no" and "0", or values not set at all)
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.021 (27 Mar 2004)
getWikiToolName( ) ==> $name
Description:
Get toolname as defined in TWiki.cfg
Return: $name
Name of tool, e.g. "TWiki"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
getMainWebname( ) ==> $name
Description:
Get name of Main web as defined in TWiki.cfg
Return: $name
Name, e.g. "Main"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
getTwikiWebname( ) ==> $name
Description:
Get name of TWiki documentation web as defined in TWiki.cfg
Return: $name
Name, e.g. "TWiki"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
Functions: User Handling and Access Control
getDefaultUserName( ) ==> $loginName
Description:
Get default user name as defined in TWiki.cfg's $defaultUserName
Return: $loginName
Default user name, e.g. "guest"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getWikiName( ) ==> $wikiName
Description:
Get Wiki name of logged in user
Return: $wikiName
Wiki Name, e.g. "JohnDoe"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getWikiUserName( $text ) ==> $wikiName
Description:
Get Wiki name of logged in user with web prefix
Return: $wikiName
Wiki Name, e.g. "Main.JohnDoe"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
wikiToUserName( $wikiName ) ==> $loginName
Description:
Translate a Wiki name to a login name based on Main.TWikiUsers topic
The $oopsUrl for calling redirectCgiQuery(), user's $loginName, and estimated $unlockTime in minutes. The $oopsUrl and $loginName is empty if topic has no edit lock.
Save topic text, typically obtained by readTopicText(). Topic data usually includes meta data; the file attachment meta data is replaced by the meta data from the topic file if it exists.
Parameter: $web
Web name, e.g. "Main", or empty
Parameter: $topic
Topic name, e.g. "MyTopic", or "Main.MyTopic"
Parameter: $text
Topic text to save, assumed to include meta data
Parameter: $ignorePermissions
Set to "1" if checkAccessPermission() is already performed and OK
Parameter: $dontNotify
Set to "1" if not to notify users of the change
Return: $oopsUrl
Empty string if OK; the $oopsUrl for calling redirectCgiQuery() in case of error
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.010 (31 Dec 2002)
Example: my $oopsUrl = TWiki::Func::setTopicEditLock( $web, $topic, 1 ); if( $oopsUrl ) { TWiki::Func::redirectCgiQuery( $query, $oopsUrl ); # assuming valid query return; } my $text = TWiki::Func::readTopicText( $web, $topic ); # read topic text # check for oops URL in case of error: if( $text =~ /^http.*?\/oops/ ) { TWiki::Func::redirectCgiQuery( $query, $text ); return; } # do topic text manipulation like: $text =~ s/old/new/g; # do meta data manipulation like: $text =~ s/(META\:FIELD.*?name\=\"TopicClassification\".*?value\=\")[^\"]*/$1BugResolved/; $oopsUrl = TWiki::Func::saveTopicText( $web, $topic, $text ); # save topic text TWiki::Func::setTopicEditLock( $web, $topic, 0 ); # unlock topic if( $oopsUrl ) { TWiki::Func::redirectCgiQuery( $query, $oopsUrl ); return; }
getPublicWebList( ) ==> @webs
Description:
Get list of all public webs, e.g. all webs that do not have the NOSEARCHALL flag set in the WebPreferences
Return: @webs
List of all public webs, e.g. ( "Main", "Know", "TWiki" )
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getTopicList( $web ) ==> @topics
Description:
Get list of all topics in a web
Parameter: $web
Web name, required, e.g. "Sandbox"
Return: @topics
Topic list, e.g. ( "WebChanges", "WebHome", "WebIndex", "WebNotify" )
Format the time in seconds into the desired time string
Parameter: $time
Time in epoc seconds
Parameter: $format
Format type, optional. Default e.g. " TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.010 (31 Dec 2002) - 19:30", can be "iso" (e.g. "2002-12-31T19:30Z"), "rcs" (e.g. "2001/12/31 23:59:59", "http" for HTTP header format (e.g. "Thu, 23 Jul 1998 07:21:56 GMT")
Parameter: $timezone
either not defined (uses the displaytime setting), "gmtime", or "servertime"
Return: $text
Formatted time string
Note:
if you used the removed formatGmTime, add a third parameter "gmtime"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (26 Feb 2004)
formatGmTime( $time, $format ) ==> $text
NOTE:
This function is deprecated and should not be used. Use formatTime() instead
Description:
Format the time to GM time
Parameter: $time
Time in epoc seconds
Parameter: $format
Format type, optional. Default e.g. "31 Dec 2002 - 19:30", can be "iso" (e.g. "2002-12-31T19:30Z"), "rcs" (e.g. "2001/12/31 23:59:59", "http" for HTTP header format (e.g. "Thu, 23 Jul 1998 07:21:56 GMT")
Return: $text
Formatted time string
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
Functions: File I/O
getDataDir( ) ==> $dir
Description:
Get data directory (topic file root)
Return: $dir
Data directory, e.g. "/twiki/data"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getPubDir( ) ==> $dir
Description:
Get pub directory (file attachment root). Attachments are in $dir/Web/TopicName
Return: $dir
Pub directory, e.g. "/htdocs/twiki/pub"
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
readTopic( $web, $topic ) ==> ( $meta, $text )
NOTE:
The following function is deprecated and should not be used. Use readTopicText() instead
Description:
Read topic text and meta data, regardless of access permissions.
Read text file, low level. NOTE: For topics use readTopicText()
Parameter: $filename
Full path name of file
Return: $text
Content of file
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
saveFile( $filename, $text )
Description:
Save text file, low level. NOTE: For topics use saveTopicText()
Parameter: $filename
Full path name of file
Parameter: $text
Text to save
Return:
none
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
TODO:
This should return an error for the different failure modes.
writeWarning( $text )
Description:
Log Warning that may require admin intervention to data/warning.txt
Parameter: $text
Text to write; timestamp gets added
Return:
none
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (16 Feb 2004)
writeDebug( $text )
Description:
Log debug message to data/debug.txt
Parameter: $text
Text to write; timestamp gets added
Return:
none
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (16 Feb 2004)
Functions: System and I18N related
getRegularExpression( $regexName ) ==> $pattern
Description:
Retrieves a TWiki predefined regular expression
Parameter: $regexName
Name of the regular expression to retrieve. See notes below
Return:
String or precompiled regular expression matching as described below
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (9 Feb 2004)
Notes: TWiki internally precompiles several regular expressions to represent various string entities
in an I18N-compatible manner. Plugins are encouraged to use these in matching where appropriate.
The following are guaranteed to be present; others may exist, but their use is unsupported and
they may be removed in future TWiki versions. Those which are marked "CC" are for use within
character classes and may not produce the desired results outside of them.
my $upper = TWiki::Func::getRegularExpression("upperAlpha");
my $alpha = TWiki::Func::getRegularExpression("mixedAlpha");
my $capitalized = qr/[$upper][$alpha]+/;
Context description e.g. name of the module being checked
Parameter: $dependenciesRef
Reference of list of hashes containing dependency information; see notes below
Return: $error
undef if dependencies are OK, an error message otherwise
Since:
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.025 (01 Aug 2004)
The dependencies are expressed as a list of hashes. Each hash contains
the name of a package and (optionally) a boolean constraint on the VERSION
variable in that package. It is usually used from the initPlugin method
like this:
Copyright (C) 2000-2004 Peter Thoeny, Peter@Thoeny.com
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details, published at
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.htmlNOTE: Above text is copied from the TWiki::Plugins/PerlDocPlugin output of TWiki::Func in twiki format. In case you want to get dynamically updated documentation based on the actual Perl module, install the PerlDocPlugin and replace above text with %PERLDOC{"TWiki::Func"}%.
-- PeterThoeny - 31 Dec 2002
TWiki Site Tools
Utilities for searching, navigation, and monitoring site activityTWikiSiteTools include utilities for navigating, searching and keeping up with site activity. Preferences can be configured by web or site-wide. You are currently in the TWiki web. In particular, TWiki provides two highly configurable, automated site monitoring tools, WebNotify, to email alerts when topics are edited, and WebStats, to generate detailed activity reports.
WebNotify Recent Changes Alert
Each TWiki web has an automatic email alert service that sends a list of recent changes on a preset schedule, like once a day. Users can subscribe and unsubscribe using WebNotify in each web. The Perl script mailnotify is called by a background process at regular intervals. The script sends an automated email to subscribed users if topics were changed in a web since the script was last run.
Format: TWiki handles entries in bullet list (<space><space><space>*) format containing the WikiName of a user; a WikiName with e-mail address; or a TWikiGroup. Examples:
Main.FredBloggs
Main.FredBloggs - secondary@home.com
Main.EngineeringGroup
The first entry is the default form, the notification gets sent to the e-mail address specified in the user's home page. The second entry lists an alternative e-mail address. The third entry specifies a group, the notification gets sent to each member of the group.
You can also use %MAINWEB% instead of Main, but this is not necessary even if you have renamed the main web by configuring $mainWebname in TWiki.cfg.
Configuring Outgoing Mail
TWiki will use the Net::SMTP module if it is installed on your system. Set this with the SMTPMAILHOST variable in TWikiPreferences.
The notify e-mail uses the default changes.tmpl template, or a skin if activated in the TWikiPreferences.
mailnotify also relies on two hidden files in each TWiki/data/[web] directory: .changes and .mailnotify. Make sure both are writable by your web server process. .changes contains a list of changes; go ahead and make this empty. .mailnotify contains a timestamp of the last time notification was done.
You can use an external mail program, like sendmail, if the Net::SMTP module is not installed. Set the program path in $mailProgram in TWiki.cfg.
Net::SMTP can be easily disabled (ex: if there is an installation error) by setting SMTPMAILHOST in TWikiPreferences to an empty value.
You can set a separate SMTPSENDERHOST variable to define the mail sender host (some SMTP installations require this).
Setting the Automatic Email Schedule
For Unix platforms: Edit the cron table so that mailnotify is called in an interval of your choice. Please consult man crontab of how to modify the table that schedules program execution at certain intervals. Example:
The above line will run mailnotify nightly at 02:00. The -q switch suppresses all normal output.
For ISP installations: Many ISPs don't allow hosted accounts direct cron access, as it's often used for things that can heavily load the server. Workaround scripts are available.
On Windows NT/2000: You can use a scheduled task if you have administrative privileges.
Note: AT on an NT machine is pretty limited.
Microsoft lists several third-party
replacements. TWiki:Codev/CronTabWin is a free scheduler for Windows.
WebStatistics Site Usage Log
You can generate a listing manually, or on an automated schedule, of visits to individual pages, on a per web basis. Compiled as a running total on a monthly basis. Includes totals for Topic Views, Topic Saves, Attachment Uploads, Most Popular Topics with number of views, and Top Contributors showing total of saves and attachment uploads. Previous months are saved.
You can automatically generate usage statistics for all webs. To enable this:
Make sure variable $doLogTopicView, $doLogTopicSave and $doLogTopicUpload in TWiki.cfg are set. This will generate log file entries (see below).
The WebStatistics topic must be present in all webs where you want to have statistics. You can use the topic in the Main web as a template.
Call the twiki/bin/statistics script from a cron job, once a day is recommended. This will update the WebStatistics topics in all webs.
Attention: The script must run as the same user as the CGI scripts are running, which is user nobody on many systems. Example crontab entry: 0 0 * * * (cd /path/to/TWiki/bin; ./statistics >/dev/null 2>&1)
There is a workaround in case you can't run the script as user nobody : Run the utility twiki/bin/geturl in your cron job and specify the URL of the twiki/bin/statistics script as a parameter. Example: 0 0 * * * (cd /path/to/TWiki/bin; ./geturl mydomain.com /urlpath/to/TWiki/bin/statistics >/dev/null 2>&1)
Generating Statistics Manually by URL
The twiki/bin/statistics script can also be executed as a CGI script, just enter the URL in your browser. Examples:
Update current month for all webs: http://mydomain.com/twiki/bin/statistics
Update current month for Main web only: http://mydomain.com/twiki/bin/statistics/Main
Update January 2000 for Main web: http://mydomain.com/twiki/bin/statistics/Main?logdate=200001
Log File Details
TWiki generates monthly log files which are used by the statistics
The log directory is defined by the $logDir variable in TWiki.cfg
when viewing attach screen of previous uploaded attachment: filename
changes
changes
edit
edit
when editing non-existing topic: (not exist)
register
register
E-mail address
save
save
when replacing existing revision: repRev 1.3 when user checks the minor changes box: dontNotify
search
search
search string
rdiff
rdiff
1.4 1.3
rename
rename
when moving topic: moved to Newweb.NewTopic
rename
move
when moving attachment: Attachment filename moved to Newweb.NewTopic
upload
upload
filename
view
view
when viewing non-existing topic: (not exist) when viewing previous topic revision: r1.3
WebSearch
WebSearch is an extremely fast and flexible search facility, part of the core TWiki feature set. Options include:
topic title or full-text search
regular expressions
search within web or site-wide
index-style A-Z alphabetical listing sorted topic title
many more
See also: TWikiVariables for including hard-coded searches in text.
WebChanges
To check for the most recently edited topics while on-site, use the WebChanges link, usually located on the upper toolbar. It lists the most recently modified topics, newest first, along with the first couple of lines of the page content.
This is simply a preset SEARCH. The number of topics listed by the limit parameter.:
Browser-based rename, move, and delete for individual topics
Overview
You can use browser-based controls to change a topic's name, move it to another TWiki web, or delete it to a hidden Trash web.
How to Rename/Move/Delete a Topic
Click on [More] (bottom right of page) on the topic to be changed, then, in the new screen, on [Rename/move]. You can now rename and/or move/delete in one operation:
Move/Delete: Select the target web if other than the current web - choose Trash to delete a topic.
Rename: Enter the new topic name - default is current name NOTE: You'll be warned if any of the topics to be affected are locked (being edited), or if there is a name conflict.
Prevent updates by unchecking individual items on the list of referring links - these topics will NOT to be updated with the new name (by default, all referring links will be updated).
Click on [Rename/Move]: the topic will be renamed and links to the topic updated as requested.
If any of the referring pages are locked then they will be listed: you can correct these later by again pressing [Rename/Move].
There is a Put back feature that allows you to undo a Rename/Move/Delete - an instruction line and undo link will appear at the bottom of the modified topic. This allows you to revert from the last modification only.
Deleted Topics: How to Clear the Trash
Deleted topics are moved to a special Trash web - they are NOT physically erased from the server. All webs share Trash - in case of a name conflict with a topic already Trash, the user is alerted and asked to choose a new name.
The Trash web should be be cleared periodically, by archiving (saving) the text and RCS files if required (recommended), then deleting them from the Trash directory.
This can only be done from on the server, not through the browser.
Since simple FTP access to the Trash directory is all that's required for maintenance, it's possible to grant Trash admin privileges to multiple users, while strictly limiting server access.
Redirecting from an Old Topic
You can use TWikiMetaData to place a command in the WebTopicViewTemplate and WebTopicNonWikiTemplate that will indicate that a topic has been moved by searching for the tag %META:TOPICMOVED{...}%. Customize something like this:
%<nop>METASEARCH{type="topicmoved" web="%WEB%" topic="%TOPIC%"
title="This topic used to exist and was moved to: "}%
How Rename/Move Works
%SEARCH%, with a special template, finds and displays all occurrences of the topic name in other topics, site-wide. These referring links are by default automatically changed to the new topic and/or web name. This includes relevant TWikiMetaData definitions.
User can omit one or more topics from the update list by unchecking them.
<pre> and <verbatim> are honoured - no changes are made to text within these areas.
The topic is moved (if locks allow).
References are changed (locks and permissions permitting).
Any referring topics that can't be changed due to locks are listed - user can take note and change them at another time.
How Referring Topics Are Found
Referring topics are found using the %SEARCH% variable - see the template searchrenameview.tmpl. First, matching topics in the current web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. Because %SEARCH% is used, webs marked in WebPreferences as NOSEARCHALL will not show up in the search for references to the topic being changed.
Changed references are kept are as short as possible, ex: topic is used in preference to web.topic.
Effect of User Access Settings
User permissions affect the Rename function in various ways. To rename a topic, you need both ALLOWTOPICCHANGE and ALLOWTOPICRENAME permission for that topic. To alter referring topics, you need change permission. See TWikiAccessControl for information on setting up access permissions.
Special Considerations
Consider carefully whether to make browser-based Rename/Move/Delete widely available, or to restrict it to an administrator/moderator group. Allowing all users to easily manipulate topics can be extremely useful in refactoring a busy web or site. However, there are at least two significant potential drawbacks to take into account:
When referring links are updated, the modified topics appear in WebChanges, creating the impression that editorial changes were made. This can undermine the usefulness of WebChanges.
Due to current limitations, fairly heavy use of Rename/Move/Delete functions can lead to an accumulation of minor technical problems (ex: broken links) and usability issues (ex: user confusion). If Rename... is used heavily, these negatives will obviously increase, in number and effect.
Ultimately, the size, objectives, and policies of your TWiki site, the real-world behavior of your user group, and most importantly, the initial TWiki site management leadership, will determine the most effective implementation of this feature, and the success of the site overall.
Known Issues
Rename/Move is fairly complicated due to the dynamic generation of links. Ideally, it would be possible to run the required part of rendering in a way that would allow identification of the text to be changed. Unfortunately, these hooks don't exist in TWiki at present. Instead, %SEARCH% is used with a special template to show the text to be changed, and the selected topics are then altered. One drawback is that search can show matches that will not be updated due to case differences. Other mismatches with actual rendered output are also possible as the approaches are so different.
The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.
[[Old Topic]] => [[NewTopic][Old Topic]]
[[old topic]] => [[NewTopic][old topic]]
[[old t opic]] => not changed
[[OldTopic]] => [[NewTopic]]
Adding webs is a web based operation; renaming and deleting webs are manual operations done directly on the server
Overview
A TWikiSite is divided into webs; each one represents one subject, one area of collaboration. Administrators can add/rename/delete webs.
Choose Web Template
There are two methods used to create a new web. First you can use a specially designed TemplateWeb. This is an invisible web that begins with an underscore "_" character. All topics in the _default template web will be copied into your new web.
The second method is to use an existing web as a template web. This may be useful if you already have a web that you like to use as a starting point. Only topics that have names beginning with Web... (like "WebHome", "WebNotify", etc.) are copied.
In either case you will want to be sure to verify that your new web has all the custom modifications that you desire.
Adding a New Web
Notes:
Attachments will NOT get copied over along with their topics
The manage script while creating the new web will update the following variables in the WebPreferences: WEBBGCOLOR, SITEMAPLIST, SITEMAPWHAT, SITEMAPUSETO and NOSEARCHALL. These variables are used to dynamically generate the SiteMap
This script does not edit the TWiki.TWikiPreferences file to update the WIKIWEBLIST. This must be done by hand
As of TWiki Release 01 Sep 2004, a web name can be a WikiWord. Prior to that it could be only UPPER or UPPERlower. A side effect of this is that if you do use a wiki name, %WEB% must be written as <nop>%WEB% or else it will try to link to a non-existing topic of that name
Renaming or Deleting a Web
Renaming or deleting a web requires direct access to the installation files on the host server. There are currently no browser-based equivalents of the Rename/move/delete topic tools for working with webs.
Prepare your site: Search each web for links to the target web, searching topic text for Oldwebname., including the dot so you'll find references like Oldwebname.SomeTopic
Make changes as required, to Newwebname.SomeTopic or better yet, to %MAINWEB%.SomeTopic
Edit the TWikiPreferences topic: Rename or delete the web from the WIKIWEBLIST variable
Login to the TWiki server, via Telnet or FTP
Go to twiki/data and rename or remove the web directory
Go to twiki/templates and rename or remove the web directory if present
Go to twiki/pub and rename or remove the web directory if present
Renaming the MAINWEB
If you plan to rename the Main web, remember that TWiki stores user and group topics in %MAINWEB%, default named Main. That means, every WikiName signature - Main.SomeUserName - points to it and would need updating (unless the variable, %MAINWEB%.SomeUserName, is used throughout).
-- TWiki:Main.MikeMannix - 14 Sep 2001
-- TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny - 07 Apr 2002
-- TWiki:Main.GrantBow - 16 Jan 2003
Appendix A: TWiki Filesystem
Annotated directory and file listings, for the 01-Sep-2004 TWiki production release.
Who and What is This Good For?
Interested Users and Site Administrators can find out in simple terms what each part of TWiki actually does. Adventurous Adminstrators with server access to files (via telnet, ssh or ftp) can also figure out where to look to make minor modifications, like changing hardcode text or color. Software Developers can get an at-a-glance overview of TWiki code architecture.
Directory Structure
You can rename the root TWiki directory - twiki - to whatever you like by changing it in the TWiki.cfg configuration file. However, to keep the current installation and future upgrades simple, you should leave the five main subdirectories intact:
Back-end storage, *.txt text file and *.txt,v RCS repository file handling
TWiki/Store/RcsFile.pm
Generic file handling code, a class
TWiki/Store/RcsWrap.pm
Wrappers around RCS executables, a class that inherits from RcsFile
TWiki/Store/RcsLite.pm
A Perl RCS implemention, a class that inherits from RcsFile
TWiki/UI.pm
User interface handling
TWiki/UI/Changes.pm
Functionality of changes script
TWiki/UI/Edit.pm
Functionality of edit script
TWiki/UI/Manage.pm
Functionality of manage script
TWiki/UI/Oops.pm
Functionality of oops script
TWiki/UI/Preview.pm
Functionality of preview script
TWiki/UI/RDiff.pm
Functionality of rdiff script
TWiki/UI/Save.pm
Functionality of save script
TWiki/UI/Search.pm
Functionality of search script
TWiki/UI/Statistics.pm
Functionality of statistics script
TWiki/UI/Upload.pm
Functionality of upload script
TWiki/UI/View.pm
Functionality of view script
TWiki/UI/Viewfile.pm
Functionality of viewfile script
TWiki/Upgrade/TWikiCfg.pm
Supporting module of TwikiUpgrade script
TWiki/Upgrade/UpdateTopics.pm
Supporting module of TwikiUpgrade script
TWiki/Upgrade/UpdateTopicsManualSymlinks.pm
Supporting module of TwikiUpgrade script
TWiki/User.pm
Abstraction package to allow plugable user authentication systems
TWiki/User/HtPasswdUser.pm
Apache Htpasswd file implementation (the default)
TWiki/User/NoPasswdUser.pm
simple, no users authentication (totally wiki)
Files under twiki/pub
The pub directory stores topic-related files, including images used by TWiki and FileAttachments. Attachments are stored in subdirectories created with the related topic name. You can also upload files directly for and link manually (but not through Attach) Partial file list:
Lookup table to translate file extension to file type
icn/bat.gif
GIF file for file type
icn/bmp.gif
GIF file for file type
...
...
TWiki/FileAttachment/Sample.txt
TEXT file: sample
TWiki/FileAttachment/Smile.gif
GIF image: sample
TWiki/FileAttachment/Smile.gif,v
RCS repository for GIF file
TWiki/PreviewBackground/blankltgraybg.gif
GIF image
TWiki/PreviewBackground/blankwhitebg.gif
GIF image
TWiki/PreviewBackground/previewbg.gif
GIF image: Preview view background
TWiki/PreviewBackground/preview2bg.gif
GIF image: Alternate preview view background
TWiki/TWikiLogos/twikiRobot121x54.gif
GIF image: TWiki logo
...
...
TWiki/TWikiTemplates/testscreen.gif
GIF image: Screen shot
TWiki/WabiSabi/wabisabi.gif
GIF image: illustration
Files under twiki/data
TWiki topics: data stored as individual text files and rendered by TWiki for display as regular Web pages. Each active web has its own subdirectory. The TWiki distribution includes a number of start-up webs - Main, TWiki, and Sandbox - with documentation and demo content, a Trash web for browser-based, recoverable topic deletion, and a _default directory containing a core topic set required to start a new web. Partial file list:
Attachment control screen for updating an existing attachment
attachnew.tmpl
Attachment control screen for adding a new attachment
attachtables.tmpl
Macros for definition of attachment tables
changeform.tmpl
Control screen to change the form in edit mode
changes.tmpl
Displays list of recently changed topics
edit.iejs.tmpl
Edit window with IE-specific JavaScript
edit.tmpl
Main edit window
mailnotify.tmpl
Email notification
moveattachment.tmpl
Move attachment control screen
oopsaccesschange.tmpl
Error message
oopsaccessgroup.tmpl
Error message
oopsaccessmanage.tmpl
Error message
oopsaccessrename.tmpl
Error message
oopsaccessview.tmpl
Error message
oopsattachnotopic.tmpl
Error message
oopsauth.tmpl
Error message
oopsbadcharset.tmpl
Error message
oopsbadpwformat.tmpl
Error message
oopschangepasswd.tmpl
Error message
oopscreatenewtopic.tmpl
Error message
oopsempty.tmpl
Error message
oopslocked.tmpl
Error message
oopslockedrename.tmpl
Error message
oopsmanage.tmpl
Error message
oopsmissing.tmpl
Error message
oopsmngcreateweb.tmpl
Error message
oopsmore.tmpl
More topic actions message
oopsmoveerr.tmpl
Error message
oopsnoformdef.tmpl
Error message
oopsnotwikiuser.tmpl
Error message
oopsnoweb.tmpl
Error message
oopspreview.tmpl
Error message
oopsregemail.tmpl
Error message
oopsregexist.tmpl
Error message
oopsregpasswd.tmpl
Error message
oopsregrequ.tmpl
Error message
oopsregthanks.tmpl
Error message
oopsregwiki.tmpl
Error message
oopsremoveuserdone.tmpl
Error message
oopsrenameerr.tmpl
Error message
oopsrenamenotwikiword.tmpl
Error message
oopsresetpasswd.tmpl
Error message
oopsrev.tmpl
Error message
oopssave.tmpl
Error message
oopssaveerr.tmpl
Error message
oopssendmailerr.tmpl
Error message
oopstopicexists.tmpl
Error message
oopsupload.tmpl
Error message
oopsuploadlimit.tmpl
Error message
oopswrongpassword.tmpl
Error message
preview.tmpl
Preview Changes screen
rdiff.tmpl
Displays text changes before & after Diffs
registernotify.tmpl
Registration notification
rename.tmpl
Rename/move control screen (choose web & new topic tile
renamebase.tmpl
Used by other rename templates
renameconfirm.tmpl
Confirms a pre-specified rename, ex: undoing a rename
renamedelete.tmpl
Confirms a delete
renamerefs.tmpl
Display if rename done, but some references not changed (topics were locked)
search.tmpl
Search screen
searchbookview.tmpl
Search results with full topic content
searchformat.tmpl
Search screen for formatted search
searchmeta.tmpl
Search screen
searchrenameview.tmpl
Used by rename to list references to topic being renamed
twiki.tmpl
Master template: definitions are used by other templates
view.plain.tmpl
Skin for bare bone topic view without header/footer but with HTML head and body tags
view.print.tmpl
Skin for printable topic view with a simple header/footer
view.rss.tmpl
Skin for topic view in RDF XML format
view.text.tmpl
Skin for topic text only, without HTML head and body tags, and no form and attachments
view.tmpl
Main topic view - the standard regular Web page
TWiki File System Snapshot
The following partial directory listings from a Linux installation show typical file permissions and ownership. This is provided for general debugging use only and isn't an exact representation of the current distribution.
On an ISP installation... The user and group - twiki twiki - will probably be your domain or login name, eg: yourdomain yourdomain and can't be changed; same for nobody nobody files further down. Also, in the bin directory, scripts might need a .cgi (sometimes .pl) extension.
Listing of CSS class names emitted from TWiki core code and standard plugins, for the 01-Aug-2004 TWiki production release.
Who should read this document?
More or less all html elements generated by TWiki core code now have Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) tags. Skin builders and others who want to change the appearance of the default TWiki installation or any of the skins can use this document to see what styles can be created for these html elements.
Naming conventions
All TWiki class names have the prefix twiki. So: twikiEditPage, twikiTopicAction, etcetera. Remember that CSS class names are case sensitive - TWiki CSS uses lowercase tw.
TWiki uses class names only (.twikiViewPage) and no id names (#twikiViewPage), to allow multiple class names. Class names are written using the dot prefix.
If you define your own CSS classes, it is preferable that you do not use the twiki prefix to prevent undesired overriding effects.
This page addresses implemented UTF-8 support for URLs only. The overall plan for UTF-8 support for TWiki is described in TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N .
Current Status
To simplify use of internationalised characters within WikiWords and attachment names, TWiki now supports UTF-8 URLs, converting on-the-fly to virtually any character set, including ISO-8859-*, KOI8-R, EUC-JP, and so on.
Support for UTF-8 URL encoding avoids having to configure the browser to turn off this encoding in URLs (the default in Internet Explorer, Opera Browser and some Mozilla Browser URLs) and enables support of browsers where only this mode is supported (e.g. Opera Browser for Symbian smartphones). A non-UTF-8 site character set (e.g. ISO-8859-*) is still used within TWiki, and in fact pages are stored and viewed entirely in the site character set - the browser dynamically converts URLs from the site character set into UTF-8, and TWiki converts them back again.
System requirements are updated as follows:
ASCII or ISO-8859-1-only sites do not require any additional CPAN modules to be installed.
Perl 5.8 sites using any character set do not require additional modules, since CPAN:Encode is installed as part of Perl.
This feature still works on Perl 5.005_03 as per TWikiSystemRequirements, or Perl 5.6, as long as CPAN:Unicode::MapUTF8 is installed.
ISO-2022-*, HZ-* and other 'non-ASCII-safe' multi-byte character sets are now specifically excluded from use as the site character set, since they interfere with TWiki ML; however, many multi-byte character sets work fine, e.g. EUC-JP, GB2312, etc.
It's now possible to override the site character set defined in the $siteLocale setting in TWiki.cfg - this enables you to have a slightly different spelling of the character set in the server locale (e.g. 'eucjp') and the HTTP header sent to the browser (e.g. 'euc-jp').
This feature should also support use of Mozilla Browser with TWiki:Codev.TWikiOnMainframe (as long as mainframe web server can convert or pass through UTF-8 URLs) - however, this specific combination is not tested. Other browser-server combinations should not have any problems.
Please note that use of UTF-8 as the site character set is not yet supported - see Phase 2 of TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N for plans and work to date in this area.
This feature is complete in TWiki releases newer than February 2004.
Note for skin developers: %INTURLENCODE% is no longer required (TWiki:Plugins.InternationalisingYourSkin).
Details of Implementation
URLs are not allowed to contain non-ASCII (8th bit set) characters:
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/appendix/notes.html#non-ascii-chars
The overall plan for UTF-8 support for TWiki is described in two phases in TWiki:/Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N - this page addresses the first phase, in which UTF-8 is supported for URLs only.
UTF-8 URL translation to virtually any character set is supported as of TWiki Release 01 Sep 2004, but full UTF-8 support (e.g. pages in UTF-8) is not supported yet - this will be phase 2.
The code automatically detects whether a URL is UTF-8 or not, taking care to avoid over-long and illegal UTF-8 encodings that could introduce TWiki:Codev.MajorSecurityProblemWithIncludeFileProcessing (tested against a comprehensive UTF-8 test file, which IE 5.5 fails quite dangerously, and Opera Browser passes). Any non-ASCII URLs that are not valid UTF-8 are then assumed to be directly URL-encoded as a single-byte or multi-byte character set (as now), e.g. EUC-JP.
The main point is that you can use TWiki with international characters in WikiWords without changing your browser setup from the default, and you can also still use TWiki using non-UTF-8 URLs. This works on any Perl version from 5.005_03 onwards and corresponds to Phase 1 of TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N. You can have different users using different URL formats transparently on the same server.
UTF-8 URLs are automatically converted to the current $siteCharset (from the TWiki.cfg locale setting), using modules such as CPAN:Encode if needed.
TWiki generates the whole page in the site charset, e.g. ISO-8859-1 or EUC-JP, but the browser dynamically UTF-8 encodes the attachment's URL when it's used. Since Apache serves attachment downloads without TWiki being involved, TWiki's code can't do its UTF-8 decoding trick, so TWiki URL-encodes such URLs in ISO-8859-1 or whatever when generating the page, to bypass this URL encoding, ensuring that the URLs and filenames seen by Apache remain in the site charset.
TWiki:Codev.TWikiOnMainframe uses EBCDIC web servers that typically translate their output to ASCII, UTF-8 or ISO-8859-1 (and URLs in the other direction) since there are so few EBCDIC web browsers. Such web servers don't work with even ISO-8859-1 URLs if they are URL encoded, since the automated translation is bypassed for URL-encoded characters. For TWiki on Mainframe, TWiki assumes that the web server will automatically translate UTF-8 URLs into EBCDIC URLs, as long as URL encoding is turned off in TWiki pages.
Support for /bin/view/Web.TopicName topic view URL (besides the default /bin/view/Web/TopicName URL); useful for InterwikiPlugin links like TWiki:Codev.ReadmeFirst
In WebNotify, if only the WikiName is specified, the e-mail is taken from the user's home page; if the WikiName is a group name, a notification is sent to all members of the group
The page logo is configurable with new %WIKILOGOIMG%, %TWIKILOGOURL% and %WIKILOGOALT% variables in TWikiPreferences; replacing $wikiHomeUrl in TWiki.cfg
New data storage framework that lets you use external RCS commands for revision control, or a new native Perl implementation that does not depend on the external RCS commands
New topic templates as topics instead of templates. Customize by editing the topic. Retired notedited.tmpl, notext.tmpl and notwiki.tmpl templates. More in TWikiTemplates.
The table syntax has been enhanced to (i) render | *bold* | cells as table headers, (ii) render space padded cells | center aligned | and | right aligned |, (iii) span multiple columns using | empty cells |||. More in TextFormattingRules.
Security fix Questionable files like PHP scripts (executables) and .htaccess files that are attached to a topic get a .txt suffix appended to the file name. See also TWiki:Codev/FileAttachmentFilterSecurityAlert
New Wiki rule to specify arbitrary text for external links (i.e. [[http://TWki.org][TWiki]]) and internal links (i.e [[WikiSyntax][syntax]]). More in TWikiVariables.
New Wiki rule for named anchors, e.g. links within a topic. Define a named anchor with #MyAnchor at the beginning of a line, and link to it with [[#MyAnchor]]. More in TWikiVariables.
Format changed of %GMTIME{"..."}% and %SERVERTIME{"..."}% variables. Format is now "$hour:$min" instead of "hour:min". More in TWikiVariables. Attention: Check your existing topics when you upgrade TWiki!
WebChanges, WebSearch and e-mail notification indicate also the revision number of a topic (i.e. 18 Jan 2001 16:43 r1.5), or NEW for a new topic (i.e. i.e. 18 Jan 2001 16:43 NEW).
TWiki skins Define a different page layout with a customized header and footer layout, i.e. a print skin for a printable view of a topic. More in TWikiSkins and TWiki:Codev/TWikiSkins.
Improved include handling. Infinite recursion of includes are prevented; new variables %BASEWEB%, %INCLUDINGWEB%, %BASETOPIC% and %INCLUDINGTOPIC% to have more control over include handling. More in TWikiVariables and TWiki:Codev/IncludeHandlingImprovements.
New TWikiPreferences variables %HTTP_EQUIV_ON_VIEW% , %HTTP_EQUIV_ON_EDIT% and %HTTP_EQUIV_ON_PREVIEW% that define the <meta http-equiv="..."> meta tags for the TWiki templates. This can be used for example to set a document expiration time.
More forgiving syntax for *bold*, italic, __bold italic__ and fixed , where it is not necessary anymore to have a trailing space before .,;:?! characters.
Advanced search features like search multiple webs; sort by topic name / modified time / author; limit the number of results returned. More in TWikiVariables.
Uploading a file (topic file attachment) will optionally create a link to the uploaded file at the end of the topic. The preference variable %ATTACHLINKBOX% controls the default state of the link check box in the attach file page.
Edit preferences topics to set TWiki variables. There are three level of preferences Site-level (TWikiPreferences), web-level (WebPreferences in each web) and user-level preferences (for each of the TWikiUsers). With this, discontinue use of server side include of wikiwebs.inc , wikiwebtable.inc , weblist.inc , webcopyright.inc and webcolors.inc files.
New variable %SCRIPTSUFFIX% / $scriptSuffix containing an optional file extension of the TWiki Perl script. Templates have been changed to use this variable. This allows you to rename the Perl script files to have a file extension like for example ".cgi".
New variable %SCRIPTURLPATH% / $scriptUrlPath containing the script URL without the domain name. Templates have been changed to use this variable instead of %SCRIPTURL% . This is for performance reasons.
Changed the syntax for server side include variable from %INCLUDE:"filename.ext"% to %INCLUDE{"filename.ext"}% . (Previous syntax still supported. Change was done because of inline search syntax)
Inline search. New variable %SEARCH{"str" ...}% to show a search result embedded in a topic text. TWikiVariables has more on the syntax. Inline search combined with the category table feature can be used for example to create a simple bug tracking system.
Access statistics. Each web has a WebStatistics topic that shows monthy statistics with number of topic views and changes, most popular topics, and top contributors. (It needs to be enabled, TWikiDocumentation has more.)
Fixed bug where TWiki would not initialize correctly under certain circumstances, i.e. when running it under mod_perl. Sub initialize in wiki.pm did not handle $thePathInfo correctly.
Fixed bug where an email address starting with a WikiName was rendered as an internal Wiki link instead of an email address, i.e. SomeWikiName@somewhere.test .
Limit the number of revisions shown at the bottom of the topic. Example Topic TWikiHistory . { ..... Diffs r1.10 >r1.9>r1.8>r1.7>... } Additional revisions can be selected by pressing the >... link.
New text formatting rule for creating tables. Text gets rendered as a table if enclosed in " " vertical bars. Example line as it is written and how it shows up
Flag $doRemovePortNumber in wikicfg.pm to optionally remove the port number from the TWiki URL. Example www.some.domain:1234/twiki gets www.some.domain/twiki .
Search path for include files in %INCLUDE:"file.inc"% variable. Search first in the current web, then in parent data directory. Useful to overload default include text in the data directory by web-specific text, like for example webcopyright.inc text.
Link a plural topic to a singular topic in case the plural topic does not exist. Example TestVersion / TestVersions , TestPolicy / TestPolicies , TestAddress / TestAddresses , TestBox / TestBoxes .
Separate wiki.pm into configuration (wikicfg.pm) and TWiki core (wiki.pm) . This is to ease the upgrade of TWiki installations, it also allows customized extensions to TWiki without affecting the TWiki core.
New text formatting rule for creating fixed font text . Words get showns in fixed font by enclosing them in "=" equal signs. Example Writing =fixed font= will show up as fixed font .
Possible to view complete revision history of a topic on one page. Access at the linked date in the Changes page, or the Diffs link at the bottom of each topic, e.g. Topic TWikiHistory . { Edit Ref-By Diffs r1.3 > r1.2 > r1.1 } Revision r1.3 1998/11/10 01:34 by PeterThoeny
Possible to add a category table to a TWiki topic. This permits storing and searching for more structured information. Editing a topic shows a HTML form with the usual text area and a table with selectors, checkboxes, radio buttons and text fields. TWikiDocumentation has more on setup. The TWiki.Know web uses this category table to set classification, platform and OS version.
Internal log of topic save actions to the file data/logYYYYMM.txt, where YYYYMM the year and month in numeric format is. Intended for auditing only, not accessible from the web.
The email notification and the Changes topic have now a topic date that is linked. Clicking on the link will show the difference between the two most recent topic revisions.
View differences between topic revisions. Each topic has a list of revisions (e.g. r1.3) and differences thereof (e.g. >) at the bottom Topic TWikiHistory . { Edit Ref-By r1.3 > r1.2 > r1.1 } Revision r1.3 1998/11/10 01:34 by TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny
Added revision control using RCS. Each topic has now a list of revisions at the bottom and a revision info, e.g. Topic TWikiHistory . { Edit Ref-By r1.3 r1.2 r1.1 } Revision r1.3 1998/10/26 01:34:00 by TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny
Refered-By Find out which topics have a link to the current topic. Each topic has a Ref-By link for that. Note Only references from the current web are shown, not references from other webs.
Topic WebChanges shows Wiki username instead of Intranet username, e.g. PeterThoeny instead of thoeny in case the Wiki username exists. Implementation Automatic lookup of Wiki username in topic TWikiUsers.