Make TiddlyWiki your own - discussion

#1

I would like to start a discussion here about providing a smooth and simple as possible workflow to New and Naïve users to “Make TiddlyWiki your/their own”, or a solution we develop for them.

TiddlyWiki.com suggests you download empty.html but I believe this is really an edition for experienced users to obtain the minimal build, from which to construct a solution. Although essential it is not the best introduction to tiddlywiki, perhaps we need a separate “Learn through Play” option.

But I would like this thread to focus on

The quickest and easiest ways to obtain TiddlyWiki so you can experiment or build.

  • I believe The most critical and potentially confusing is how to guarantee you can save your changes back to the same file / tiddlywiki you loaded.
  • Whilst this can be somewhat complicated by all the browsers and Operating systems we can go a long way to detecting the users current browser and going from there. Use the KISS principal “Keep it Simple Sweetheart”.
  • Sure, near at hand is the sophisticated and comprehensive multi-browser, OS and server options but they need come later, when someone is committed.

It seems to me there are three key needs to Make TiddlyWiki your own;

  1. First time users and visitors to TiddlyWiki.com and other “community sites” - this is the gateway to the “TiddlyWiki Platform”. This approach can include play, learning, building and documenting.
  2. First time users and visitors to our custom wikis, who may only care about our published site;
    2.1 Perhaps you encourage them that they make your edition their own - so they save their own content or data. The solution in #1 should be transferable to other these TiddlyWikis.
  3. Other TiddlyWiki’s will be server based, interactive, use in browser memory, local storage or databases. These need their own processes and procedure’s, however it would be helpful if we built a set of resources to support such solutions, like standard user “login” processes, using across multiple devices . This will make what “one learns on one tiddlywiki, transferable to others” and also reduce the implementation time for designers.

What if every wiki that wanted to, had the same “Make this my own” button ?

TiddlyWiki is full of potential to detect browsers, store information, display conditionally, undertake Q&A, provide links eg; Directly to an Edition, browser Add On, instructions etc… I have always felt TiddlyWiki can be a superior workflow tool with options and feedback, perhaps even better than confluence and other solutions. Why not put tiddlywiki to work for its own good?

So I will post a reply shortly, with some tricks and features we can make use of to this end. I hope you can contribute your ideas so we can progress this and make TiddlyWiki easy to make your own, for everyone.

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#2

Hi TW_Tones, strangely I am making up such a starter Tiddlywiki myself right now for a non-tech friend who has the same research interest as me.

My plan is to supply them with a Tiddlywiki complete with certain customisations and plugins I have found very useful - for instance back linking.

The Tiddlywiki will also contain tiddlers that each explain a basic functional task, for instance how to save the Tiddlywiki - both the simplistic way and then explaining the benefits of Tiddly Desktop etc.

Basic functionality to be covered

Creating a new Tiddler
Creating a new tag
Creating Custom Color tags so button is in a non default colour
Creating a link
Back linking ( automatic but still explain )
Story river
How to import images and include them in a tiddler

And many more besides…

Since I know this person I will be creating a guide specifically for them.

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#3

Although the key feature I chose TW for was its ability to be used as a single-HTML-self-updatable-without-installation-file, I do believe it’s not what people look for nowadays: we’re in the Apps era, so maybe TW should promote itself as an App first. This would probably need some packaging for desktop platforms, and direct links to mobile apps. In both case we’d have to choose the best suited solution for the user beforehand and this might prove difficult.

On a more practical point of view, every software homepage I visit has a similar structure:

  • A short About text
  • A link to Download the product, with some installation instructions
  • A list of major features
  • Some kind of showcase highlighting the products abilities
  • When available, a link to translated versions of the homepage
  • A link to documentation

Updating tiddlywiki.com (or .org) to look more like this could make newcomers feel “at home”, and TW’s flexibility should make it a sensible goal.

Fred

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#4

@tw-FRed

I use Tiddlywiki using Tiddloid on my phone and Tiddly Desktop on my laptop.

I explained to my non-tech friend that Tiddlywiki is a single file that contains not only all of their lovingly hand crafted notes and snippets etc but also contains the ‘app’ itself.

I think it might help to explain precisely what you mean by ‘app’ and what features the combo of Tiddly Desktop ( or the mobile equivalents ) and Tiddlywiki lack in this respect - what features do you feel prevent that combo from being called an ‘App’.

#5

Please try and make some of your work public, here if no where else, no need to be perfect.

Drop this on tiddlywiki.com to see my foray of my own, into an about, it adds “!” icon an about tab and an About menu item, on tiddlywiki it opens the existing About tiddler.
about.json (2.0 KB)

I think this is a good approach generally, and especially ideal on custom editions, but the next question arises;

  • How do we do this when the applications of tiddlywiki are so broad, the features innumerable, possibilities infinite and “non-linear” ?

Thanks all for your considered feedback, very helpful.

#6

Short response going out in 5…

I think there is nothing like an example wiki that is on a subject close to your own area of interest.

I am also planning to supply my non-tech friend with same research interest area a cutdown version of my own wiki after have removed sensitive tiddlers and ones I think are idiosyncratic to me. Hopefully then a fairly generic ready populated wiki that they will immediately “get” because we have the same area of interest. When I say “get” they will of course initially be overwhelmed by a new ‘app’ as indeed most people are but what they will ‘get’ quickly is the power of Tiddywiki through the lens of our common area of interest. Of course they will delete and change according to taste but they hit the ground with a working wiki.

It might be useful to supply ready made populated wikis on areas of interest judged to be generic or readily understood or appreciated by a wide audience for instance film info - actors, plot directors etc etc…

My master wiki has around 1500 tiddlers some article length, I plan to hand over a cut down version with 100 tiddlers (highly interconnected) which is the number I feel is needed to really get the feel of the power of TW.

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#7

This sounds like a “TiddlyWiki edition”, search tiddlywiki for some editions already available.

I encourage people to share custom editions.

#8

Feel free to use or adapt any of the tutorial tiddlers from Stroll!

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#9

@DaveGifford
You are a very good example. You have created so many TWs over time- and always with very good explanations. I know, I have learned so much from you - right from TWclassic and most importantly the slideshow you created when TW5 was new.

You have always made it as easy as possible to pick and choose whatever we want - or not.

@TW_Tones Is that not some of what you want - just for us to find a way to do it consistently?

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#10

Thanks Birthe for the kind words! You have a gift of encouraging others.

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#11

Along the lines of an ideal tailored 'starter TiddlyWiki" and thinking “Blue Sky” then what about a page where a newbie goes to download their starter TiddlyWiki.

A screen with sliders or tick boxes to select options.

Each option to have a link that opens a new window / pop up that explains briefly to a newbie what this option is all about so they can decide if they want it.

Example:

Option: Automatic Bi directional Linking ( recommended ).

Description: When you create a link from Tiddler A to Tiddler B then Tiddler B will contain in it’s footer an automatically created link back to Tiddler A This provides two way or bi-directional linking with only half the work. Includes smart features, if you delete Tiddler A then the link that was automatically placed in the footer of tiddler B will be removed saving you the task of tidying up.

So a series of option switches to select what plugins and features will be pre-installed in the ‘starter Tiddlywiki’ with nicely documented information to ease the decision making process.

But then a number of options to pre-populate the Tiddlywiki with a few Tiddlers along a certain subject theme so that the newbie can see some tags and links that have already been set up, an explanation that these tiddlers and associated tags can be easily deleted once they are no longer required.

Simple example wikis containing perhaps a few tens of content tiddlers might be

  • Film Wiki - plot, rating, principle actors including photos, remakes and so on.
  • Places to visit in Paris
  • etc

Also an option to preload the ‘starter Tiddlywiki’ with help tiddlers each explaining a certain feature or how to do, examples - how to set up a link, import and display images, embed video, create a tag, delete a tiddler, print a tiddler etc…The help tiddlers might have a tag “help” so that they can be selected easily.

So straight off the newbie gets a preloaded Tiddlywiki with plugins and some tiddlers that they can mess around with and pull apart before eventually deleting them and replacing with their own stuff, perhaps noticing for themselves that tags magically disappear when no longer required. If they mess up then no problem just repeat the same settings on the download page and start afresh.

Just thoughts summed up by “a user configurable starter pack” nicely presented with enough information to make decisions and easy repeat if the learning process ends up compromising the TiddlyWiki.

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#12

Link to my Customizer below had something of that vibe.

https://giffmex.org/gifts/Customizer/customizer.html

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#13

Right!

In the sense of having an application. IF there is an application then it makes great sense it has its documentation specific for the app. and nothing more.

Side comment, TT

#14

Yes Dave that’s the kind of thing - shopping basket for Tiddlywiki features and plugins.

#15

Just to be clear on the Original Thread. I am keen to get the supporting tools so users can make any edition their own, from tiddlywiki accessible solution to anyone’s published wiki so I would like us to focus on the underlying method and the guidance to users and for designers to implement.

There is no reason for each of us to do this on our own and a consistent and tested reusable solution that we can refine and enhance together is what I hope to inspire.

There are some good ideas here for inclusion in a “standard” tiddlywiki, and other special editions but lets deal with these separately.

Can we discuss the “Make it your Own” process in this thread.

  • How can we minimise the the need for steps to take.
  • How can we reduce the choices that must be made.
  • Minimise the the amount of “need to know”, the user can always learn more when they are ready to.
  • Give them the power to customise but only after they decide they want to.
#16

In the spirit of collaboration I continue to publish in this thread my thinking on this subject, I would love your feedback and if possible joining me in this endvour.

When we consider the various ways to save or host a tiddlywiki the combinations get complex quickly. What I would like with a “Make TiddlyWiki your own” is a specific way to obtain and use a standalone wiki built to achieve particular requirements.

Once users are “sold on TiddlyWiki” they could obtain a private or publicly hosted wiki (tiddlyhost) or simply installing Timimi and/or Webdav, applications (TiddlyDesktop) or server options (Node, Bob) makes sense and yes we can improve these options with guided installs. These options require some local permissions not every one has and introduces a few more variables like Browser brand and Operating systems.

It seems to me people will do the necessary steps if motivated to do so, the effort they will expend is proportional to the degree of motivation. This motivation can include;

  • Make use of the functionality they see on the site they are looking at
  • If they see the potential of tiddlywiki in general - this is not so easy to sell
  • If they fancy themselves at creating solutions they will later publish
  • Fear of Missing out - lets say we offer half a dozen applications they can review or acquire easily if they provision a local solution, a lot of people will want to see them all, this may be enough motivation to put in a little more effort. If they install Timimi as an example they can quickly acquire a few TiddlyWikis to review and play with.

Give these above thoughts it seems to me there is value in us keeping things simple but promoting and stimulating their motivation to take a few more steps to over come the install steps needed.

  • In fact for many users familiar with downloading and installing applications they may be quite happy to do this without question as long as what they have seen already justifies this.
  • In this case I think we need to provide a high level of functionality that they can use for some time before they need to look at other options.

A few solutions can be published on line that pique users interest and a install solution provided that unlocks them all using a single install guide.

I have started a New discussion The essential editions of TiddlyWiki with a view to identifying an “essential collection” to include in an installable solution.

1 Like
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#17

Good approach, I think I will add a link to this kind of TiddlyWiki editions gallery, alongside with a button to download TidGi, and tell people all these can be created and use with TidGi app (don’t even need to tell anything about the saving mechanism, because saving happens naturally/automatically)

And I will suggest my friends in QQ group to add button like “Make this my own” in their public wiki

#18

Thanks @linonetwo for your support but lets collaborate on the "Make this my own” so we can have a similar look and feel and we can innovate and evolve it over time to more sophisticated setups. I have at least a dozen useful hacks and methods to share on this.

#19

OTOH, tiddlyhost is by far the most intuitive saving-solution for a newbie. Why not lead with it?

Perhaps tiddlyhost can’t really accommodate an influx of accounts from merely-curious experimenters, and of course it has maintenance costs (toward which I donate). BUT if such limits were no obstacle, I’d say it’s obvious that tiddlyhost offers the most friendly sandbox for saving projects.

So, conversely from what you suggest, I’d say after you’re sold on what TiddlyWiki can do, THEN if your priorities include having a non-web-hosted (or intranet-hosted, etc.) solution, you can learn your way around how to work directly with saving html files on your own machine(s).

(I admit my feeling here is shaped by needing to hop among computers/devices all the time. Finding a hassle-free hosted solution has thus been essential from the beginning.)

-Springer

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#20

It may have toxic lead in it? :slight_smile:. I think that is part of the issue. Terminology.

Getting the issues sharp enough to know what to do seems an endless saga :slight_smile: with segues.

TT

Bootstrapping (inter)personal / community editions