Advice on procedures and templates

[danielw2904]

Hi,
I’m new to TiddlyWiki, please let me know if this is not an appropriate post.

I am experimenting with programmatically creating new Tiddlers for a Project management system. I’d like to have two buttons

1. In a Projects Tiddler a New Project button that generates a project Tiddler that includes
2. A button that creates a new task tagged with that project

I would appreciate some feedback on my approach. This is what I got

The project template tiddler called NewProjectParam

\define newProjTaskActionWidget(title)
<$action-sendmessage
    $message="tm-new-tiddler"
    title="New Task"
    tags="[[task]] [[$title$]]"
		priority="Z"
		/>
\end

\procedure toButton()
	<$transclude $variable="newProjTaskActionWidget" title={{!!title}}/>
\end

!! TOC


<$list filter="[all[current]tagging[]!tag[Meeting]!tag[task]sort[title]]">
<<currentTiddler>><br>
</$list> 


!!! Meetings

<$list filter="[all[current]tagging[]tag[Meeting]!sort[created]]">
<<currentTiddler>> ({{!!at}})<br>
</$list> 

!!! Tasks



<$button actions=<<toButton>>>New Task</$button>



<<list-tagged-draggable tag:"task" subFilter:"all[current]tagging[]tag[task]!has[draft.of]!tag[done]sort[priority]" itemTemplate:"TemplTask" emptyMessage:"You don't have any active tasks">>

<$list filter="[!has[draft.of]all[current]tagging[]tag[task]tag[done]sort[modified]]">
<div>
<$checkbox tag="done"> ~~<$link/>~~</$checkbox>
</div>
</$list>

Than in Project I have

\define newProjectActionWidget()
<$action-sendmessage
    $message="tm-new-tiddler"
		$param="NewProjectParam"
    title="New Project"
    tags="[[Project]]" />
\end

<$button actions=<<newProjectActionWidget>>>New Project</$button>

<<list-links "[tag[Project]sort[title]]">>

TemplTask is very simple:

<$checkbox tag="done"> <$link/> {{!!priority}}</$checkbox>

It seems to work fine but I am not sure about the procedure and definition. Any feedback is highly appreciated! Thanks!

[danielw2904]

I also added a New Meeting button that links to the current date (in the format I have set up my Journal):

\define newProjMeetingActionWidget(title, at)
<$action-sendmessage
    $message="tm-new-tiddler"
    title="New Meeting"
    tags="[[Meeting]] [[$title$]]"
		at=[[$at$]]
/>
\end

\procedure toButtonMeetingAction()
	<$transclude $variable="newProjMeetingActionWidget" title={{!!title}} at={{{[{!!modified}format:date[YYYY-0MM-0DD]]}}}/>
\end

<$button actions=<<toButtonMeetingAction>>>New Meeting</$button>

This also summarizes my question. Is the define - procedure /$transclude - $button combination a robust definition? Are there easier ways?

[pmario]

@danielw2904

Hi,
I’m new to TiddlyWiki, please let me know if this is not an appropriate post.

Hi Daniel – Welcome!

Every post, that is according to the forum rules is appropriate.

IMO it’s better to ask questions frequently, than to “bang your head against a wall”, because it sometimes works differently as expected

have fun!
-mario

[TW_Tones]

@danielw2904

A button that creates a new task tagged with that project

Welcome to the forum @danielw2904 what is interesting is that you are starting to leverage new TW 5.3.0 features. Whilst I am a “super user” as opposed to “Developer” I have tried and true methods devloped prior to 5.3.0 and only now evaluating the best approaches using the new features. To allow some evaluation of your methods now perhaps I just add a few notes;

• If you are going to use 5.3.0 Features, you may as well concider avoiding using the earler methods such as \define.
• If you use 5.3.0 features they will not work on earlier wiki versions, not a big issue as they can be upgraded.
  • In these forums there is already a lot of discussions using the pre 5.3.0 methods for new tiddler buttons which remain valid.
• I often made use of the createtiddler widget, as it has more options than the tm-new-tiddler message.
• There is an Unused title macro if you want
• Its wise to move commonly used macro definitions into a tiddler with the $:/tags/Macro tag to make them global, then use a tiddler with the $:/tags/ViewTemplate tag to display on all tiddlers, but then wrap your project handling buttons in a condition to only appear on project tiddlers.

<$list filter="[all[current] is project filter " variable=~>

all project code here

</$list>

• Note the use of variable=~ so as not to change currentTiddler.
• I see you are using <$transclude $variable which is the modern form of the macrocall widget, which is in effect a proceedure call, yet you call a macro defined by \define.
  • It would be wise to refactor newProjMeetingActionWidget as a procedure.
• In some ways I can’t see a template (in the title of this topic) in use in your code, more like a button to create particular tiddlers.
• What you are doing is a common function, creating a new tiddler of different types, that also inherits a context, in this case the project.
  • It would be nice if we had some supporting macros already for users to create such tiddlers, but it does get a little complex trying to meet all possible needs.

[danielw2904]

Thank you @pmario and @TW_Tones for the warm welcome and the great advice. Lots to think about! I started using TW just a couple of days before 5.3.0 was released so I figured I might as well get started with the new features (but as you noted I am not 100% clear on what is a new feature yet).

I’m going to try to refactor and document here for future reference.

[TW_Tones]

You can see everything in the new release here Releases and will see this on the documentation

We are a helpful bunch so feel free to ask. But it always helps if you;

• Try your self first but;
• Ask for what you want to achive rather than describe half a solution that’s not working.

[Bapak_Ireng]

@danielw2904

Thanks for your kind efforts and input. I tried your extension New Meeting, but it does not work in 5.3.0.

Best regards, Bapak Ireng

[danielw2904]

Very strange. I am on 5.3.0 and it works for me. Unfortunately I have no idea how to debug.

[danielw2904]

I made some progress in implementing this fully (I hope) using 5.3.0 features. Does the following work for you?

\procedure newTask()
	<$action-sendmessage
			$message="tm-new-tiddler"
			title="New Task"
			tags=`[[task]] [[$(currentTiddler)$]]`
	/>
\end

\procedure newMeetingCore(at)
	<$action-sendmessage
			$message="tm-new-tiddler"
			title="New Meeting"
			tags=`[[Meeting]] [["$(currentTiddler)$"]]`
			at=`[[$(at)$]]`
	/>
\end

\procedure newMeeting()
	<$transclude 
		$variable="newMeetingCore" 
		at={{{[{!!modified}format:date[YYYY-0MM-0DD]]}}}/>
\end


<$button actions=<<newTask>>>
New Task
</$button>

<$button actions=<<newMeeting>>>
New Meeting
</$button>

[Bapak_Ireng]

This version works like a charm.

[danielw2904]

Thank you again for your great suggestions! I (think I) managed to refactor to 5.3.0 features (see above) and moved definitions to $:/tags/Macro tagged Tiddlers (this is great!).

Could you please elaborate on:

@TW_Tones

Note the use of variable=~ so as not to change currentTiddler.

In which cases is variable=~ used? How would it change if that is not used?

[EricShulman]

By default, when variable=... is NOT used, the $list widget sets the value of currentTiddler, so that references to <<currentTiddler>> can be used inside the body content of the $list widget.

By using variable="something" it sets the value of something instead of currentTiddler, which allows you to preserve the existing value of currentTiddler within the body content of the $list widget.

In @TW_Tones example code, he uses “variable=~”, but you could also use any other name, such as variable=none (my preference) or variable=arglebargle to accomplish the same effect.

[danielw2904]

@TW_Tones

In some ways I can’t see a template (in the title of this topic) in use in your code, more like a button to create particular tiddlers.

Finally also figured out that point. I refactored to:

1. The project template (also using tables to render known types of tiddlers now)

!! TOC


<$list filter="[all[current]tagging[]!tag[Meeting]!tag[Task]sort[title]]">
<<currentTiddler>><br>
</$list> 


!!! Meetings


<$button actions=<<procNewMeeting>>>
New Meeting
</$button>

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Meeting</th>
		<th>Date</th>
		<th>Summary</th>
  </tr>
	<$list filter="[!has[draft.of]tag<currentTiddler>tag[Meeting]] :sort:date:reverse[get[at]else[modified]]">
  <tr>
    <td>{{!!title}}</td>
		<td>{{!!at}}</td>
		<td>{{!!summary}}</td>
  </tr>
	</$list>
</table>

!!! Tasks


<$button actions=<<procNewTask>>>
New Task
</$button>

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Task</th>
		<th>Tags</th>
		<th>Priority</th>
  </tr>
	<$list filter="[!has[draft.of]tag<currentTiddler>tag[Task]!tag[blocked]!tag[done]sort[modified]sort[tags]] :sort:string[get[priority]else[Z]]">
  <tr>
    <td>
			<$checkbox tag="done"> 
				<$link/>
			</$checkbox>
		</td>
		<td>{{!!tags}}</td>
		<td>{{!!priority}}</td>
  </tr>
	</$list>
</table>



<$list filter="[!has[draft.of]tag<currentTiddler>tag[Task]tag[done]sort[modified]]">
<div>
<$checkbox tag="done"> ~~<$link/>~~</$checkbox>
</div>
</$list>

And a button in my dasboard that creates a new project and edits it

<$button>
<$action-createtiddler $basetitle="New Project" tags="[[Project]]" $template="templateNewProject">
<$action-sendmessage $message="tm-edit-tiddler" $param=<<createTiddler-title>>/>
</$action-createtiddler>
New Project
</$button>