Opening files or directories in TiddlyWiki revisited

[wiki_user]

thanks for posting

iv had similar ( proto-handler) method
to this under my hat / @ the back of my mind
for a while tbh
… make me wander if similar proto technique might have potential to do more** than just ‘open files/dirs’ ?

[wikster]

For anyone interested, I created a new macro that replaces the previous one as follows:

\define twfile(path, label:"//path//")
<$let tip="$path$">
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title=<<tip>> class="twfile-link-base">$label$</a>
</$let>
\end

\define twfile-styled(path, label:"//path//")
<$let tip="$path$">
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title=<<tip>> class="twfile-link-base twfile-highlight">$label$</a>
</$let>
\end

\define twfile-pill(path, label:"//path//")
<$let tip="$path$">
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title=<<tip>> class="twfile-link-base twfile-pill">$label$</a>
</$let>
\end

\define twfile-folder(path, label:"//path//")
<$let tip="$path$">
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title=<<tip>> class="twfile-link-base twfile-folder">$label$</a>
</$let>
\end

\define twfile-alert(path, label:"//path//")
<$let tip="$path$">
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title=<<tip>> class="twfile-link-base twfile-alert">$label$</a>
</$let>
\end

\define twfile-dotted(path, label:"//path//")
<$let tip="$path$">
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title=<<tip>> class="twfile-link-base twfile-dotted">$label$</a>
</$let>
\end

I also created a stylesheet:

/* — BASE CLASS (Unstyled Default) — */
.twfile-link-base {
    color: #4d93ff;
    text-decoration: underline;
    cursor: pointer;
    font-weight: normal;
}/* — 1. HIGHLIGHT CLASS — */
.twfile-highlight {
    background-color: #ffffe0;
    padding: 1px 3px;
    border-radius: 3px;
    color: #444444;
    text-decoration: none;
    font-weight: bold;
}/* — 2. PILL/TAG CLASS — */
.twfile-pill {
    border: 1px solid #005f99; /* Blue border */
    color: #005f99; /* Blue text */
    padding: 0 5px;
    border-radius: 12px; /* Makes the corners very round */
    text-decoration: none;
    font-size: 0.9em;
    cursor: pointer;
    display: inline-block;
}/* — 3. FOLDER CLASS — */
.twfile-folder {
    /* Subtle background and border */
    background: #e9e9e9;
    border: 1px solid #c0c0c0;
    border-bottom: 2px solid #a0a0a0; 
    
    color: #333333 !important; /* Dark gray text */
    padding: 2px 5px;
    border-radius: 4px;
    text-decoration: none;
    cursor: pointer;
    display: inline-block;
}/* — 4. ALERT CLASS — */
.twfile-alert {
    background-color: #ffcccc; /* Light Red/Pink */
    border: 1px solid #cc0000; /* Dark Red border */
    color: #cc0000; /* Dark Red text */
    padding: 1px 4px;
    border-radius: 2px;
    font-weight: bold;
    text-decoration: none;
    cursor: pointer;
    display: inline-block;
}/* — 5. DOTTED LINK CLASS — */
.twfile-dotted {
    font-weight: bold;
    color: #444444; /* Dark gray text */
    border-bottom: 2px dotted #808080; /* Dotted gray line */
    text-decoration: none; /* Removes default underline */
    cursor: pointer;
}

With these changes the linking to external files is more evident and more flexible.

There’s probably a way to simplify the macro, but the AI that I consulted couldn’t do it!

USAGE for style selections:

Usage for Style Selection:

• Default Link: <<twfile "path" "Label">>
• Highlight Style: <<twfile-styled "path" "Label">>
• Pill Style: <<twfile-pill "path" "Label">>
  etc.

EDIT: Apologies for saying that I did the above. It’s misleading. The AI did it all. What I did was to do a copy + paste.

EDIT 2: No need to use !important in the Stylesheet. Edited accordingly. See pmario’s comments below.

[wikster]

My Ai shortened the macro as shown below. Don’t try this at home! It took me all morning to get it work.

\define twfile-base(path, label:"//path//", style:"")
<a href="twfile:///$path$" title="$path$" class="twfile-link-base $style$">$label$</a>
\end

\define twfile(path, label:"//path//") <<twfile-base "$path$" "$label$" "">>
\define twfile-pill(path, label) <<twfile-base "$path$" "$label$" "twfile-pill">>
\define twfile-folder(path, label) <<twfile-base "$path$" "$label$" "twfile-folder">>
\define twfile-dotted(path, label) <<twfile-base "$path$" "$label$" "twfile-dotted">>
\define twfile-alert(path, label) <<twfile-base "$path$" "$label$" "twfile-alert">>
\define twfile-highlight(path, label) <<twfile-base "$path$" "$label$" "twfile-highlight">>

EDITED to fix the syntax which was wrong.

[pmario]

@wikster

EDIT: Apologies for saying that I did the above. It’s misleading. The AI did it all. What I did was to do a copy + paste.

Please do not blindly copy / paste AI created code here. Most of the time it’s wrong.
!important in a stylesheet is not needed and causes problems in the long run. It should still work, if you remove it. See: Why You Should Avoid Using !important in CSS

Those styles will not work properly, if the palettes are switched.

The OP and the other posts are interesting.

[pmario]

@wikster

Wrapping the <a> in <html>…</html> ensures the parser doesn’t strip the custom scheme.

That’s wrong. See: <html>: The HTML Document / Root element - HTML | MDN

The <html> HTML element represents the root (top-level element) of an HTML document, so it is also referred to as the root element. All other elements must be descendants of this element. There can be only one <html> element in a document.

The HTML element is a root element of a wiki. It does not make sense to cover an A element inside an HTML element.

@wikster

The defining tiddler won’t render its own macro; calls must be in other tiddlers.

That’s also not true. The following code works just fine in the same tiddler.

What is true: If procedures or macros should be used globally, they need to be tagged $:/tags/Global or (old) “$:/tags/Macro” – See: Procedure Definitions or Macro definitions

\procedure hello() Hello There!

<<hello>>

Please fix your code and the text.

[wikster]

Thank you for your comments and corrections.

[wattahay]

There are a lot of features like this that I think would be possible to program into Tiddly Desktop, which uses nw.js.

[TW_Tones]

Can any meaningful lessons be learned from this by people knowledgeable about tiddlywiki to create a standard solution in tiddlywiki script?

• Clearly as there are external requirements can they at least be described in a general way that similar can be achived on other OS’s?

Otherwise I dont think it belongs in the Tips & Tricks area as it is more a exploration

[wikster]

@pmario kindly pointed out a number of mistakes in what AI had suggested to me. I finally changed the macro to a procedure and it’s working, but I’ll not post anything here about it. As it has rightly been mentioned AI can make mistakes and there’s a risk in propagating them.

Perhaps in future I could describe a possible solution for something in general terms and leave it up to more knowledgeable persons to mold it into a working solution.

[wiki_user]

@TW_Tones

Clearly as there are external requirements can they at least be described in a general way that similar can be achived on other OS’s?

it appears so

.learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/search/-search-3x-wds-ph-install-registration

.https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1947209/registering-a-url-protocol-handler-in-a-multiple-platforms

.Build your own custom protocol handler for MacOS | jw bargsten

.URL protocol handler registration for PWAs  |  Web Platform  |  Chrome for Developers

[TW_Tones]

I moved this to the Discussion topic as its incomplete

@wikster

Perhaps in future I could describe a possible solution for something in general terms and leave it up to more knowledgeable persons to mold it into a working solution.

Totaly agree, we are a helpful buch here and get it right much more often than LLM’s

I think the only place for LLM content here is once you have a working result, even if the LLM helped you get there. Always mention involvement of an LLM, it helps people be on gard for probelms that are very common.

• LLM’s can come up with new and even good innovations but it must be guided carfully

See past comments of mine and others AI Generated Content on talk.tiddlywiki.org - #18 by TW_Tones

[wiki_user]

@wikster

I finally changed the macro to a procedure and it’s working, but I’ll not post anything here about it. As it has rightly been mentioned AI can make mistakes

i thunk the point hear

@pmario

Please do not >blindly< copy / paste AI created code here.

is dont blindly copy
from ~unreliable-narrators~
to talk.tiddlywiki.org
(id guess*)
if you think whatever

@wikster

it’s working,

and that is because you tested your assumptions
presumably in a wiki
that would constitute some insight in to whatever
and not be considered blindly copying & pasteing

*imho

[pmario]

@wikster

I finally changed the macro to a procedure and it’s working, but I’ll not post anything here about it. As it has rightly been mentioned AI can make mistakes and there’s a risk in propagating them.

If you tested it and it works, you can post it. – Tested stuff is very welcome by future readers of the thread. It may directly help them or give them new ideas for their own tests.

What should not be posted is untested AI output

[wikster]

Here’s a tested procedure that works on my setup (TUXEDO OS), TiddlyWiki Node.js edition. A custom twfile:// URL scheme handler for TiddlyWiki asset links under Linux (KDE Plasma) was created as described earlier.

\procedure twfile-base(path, label:"//path//", style:"")
<$set name="finalUrl" value={{{ [<path>addprefix[twfile://]] }}}>
<$set name="finalClass" value={{{ [<style>addprefix[twfile-link-base ]trim[]] }}}>
<a href=<<finalUrl>> title=<<path>> class=<<finalClass>>>
  <$text text=<<label>>/>
</a>
</$set>
</$set>
\end

\procedure twfile-style(style, path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-base" path=<<path>> label=<<label>> style=<<style>>/>
\end

\procedure twfile(path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-style" style="" path=<<path>> label=<<label>>/>
\end

\procedure twfile-pill(path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-style" style="twfile-pill" path=<<path>> label=<<label>>/>
\end

\procedure twfile-folder(path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-style" style="twfile-folder" path=<<path>> label=<<label>>/>
\end

\procedure twfile-dotted(path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-style" style="twfile-dotted" path=<<path>> label=<<label>>/>
\end

\procedure twfile-alert(path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-style" style="twfile-alert" path=<<path>> label=<<label>>/>
\end

\procedure twfile-highlight(path, label)
<$macrocall $name="twfile-style" style="twfile-highlight" path=<<path>> label=<<label>>/>
\end

I can affirm that it works on my system, but with no guarantee that it will work for everyone else.

[TW_Tones]

Did you create the CSS for this. I expect it is needed to be complete?

thanks for sharing, as it will come up in future searches.

Sometime in the future, as your skills develop, I think you may refine this tiddlywiki script down into a single function

[wikster]

@TW_Tones

it will come up in future searches

I’m concerned that as @pmario rightly cautioned, wrong code could end up in search engines and this would be undesirable. Maybe the Forum could have a dedicated space where untested, unverified or otherwise possibly incorrect code could be posted, but that space would not be made accessible by search engines.

The CSS was built gradually by AI. I used ChatGPT initially and later added refinements using Copilot.

[wiki_user]

@wikster

Forum could have a dedicated space where untested, unverified or otherwise possibly incorrect code could be posted

why ???

im not shore i understand what advantage (you think) would that bring to forum users ?

[wikster]

@wiki_user

why ???

im not shore i understand what advantage (you think) would that bring to forum users ?

Thank you for your question. I think that my proposal if implemented may prevent bad coding to propagate through search engines (in line with what @pmario pointed to) and it would also serve to make Forum users exercise extra caution when using coding that is posted in the particular section.

[wiki_user]

@wikster

Thank you for your question.

thanks for testing the code !

if

@wikster

Forum users exercise extra caution

when posting code ( by testing that code )
its not a problem

my question is
what is the point of posting untested code ?
( i cant fathom what it might be )

[wikster]

@wiki_user

what is the point of posting untested code ?

Ordinarily code should be tested. However, perhaps not everybody is in a position to test code exhaustively in order to cover all scenarios. Therefore, until it has been validated by persons who have the time, skills and know-how to do it, one should treat it with caution.

Another instance is when someone puts out experimental code for discussion or to promote ideas.