Relink plugin installation on Node.js TW

Ubuntu 22.04
node v22.10.0
tiddlywiki . --version 5.3.6
Firefox browser

Hello,
I successfully installed TW a month ago. Now, I want to install Relink plugin. I have been trying for two days, but nothing works. If someone can point me to a known, working procedure to do this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Serge

I hope this is just a case of over-complicating things rather than some fundamental issue! I’m pretty sure I installed it just by dragging the drag n' drop me! link from Relink — flexibility when relinking renamed tiddlers into my TW, approving the import, and reloading. Certainly that’s how I just updated from 2.4.5 to 2.5.1 (just now in fact - this thread is why I checked if there was an update, thankyou!)

For context, my setup is reasonably similar to yours - I’m using firefox, TW version 5.3.6, node v18.19.0 on Debian 12.7

1 Like

Welcome to the forum Serge!

I’m similar to Nemo. I’m using plugin 2.4.5 in node 5.3.6 (running in docker, but that shouldn’t matter). I originally installed the plugin by drag/drop. I think. It’s been awhile.

If you haven’t already, make sure the plugin shows up in your plugin list. And of course reload your browser.

Good luck!

1 Like

Thanks a lot!

The drag & drop from the link you provided worked perfectly.

However, I’m still a bit confused about my understanding of the whole process. Originally, I was following the instructions from GitHub - flibbles/tw5-relink: Tiddlywiki5 plugin to better update all other tiddlers when renaming a tiddler., since I’m using TiddlyWiki with Node.js, I never tried the TiddlyWiki demo site — I went directly to the “How to Install… For Node.js” section. Unfortunately, I was never able to get it working using that method.

What’s not clear to me is whether the drag & drop method actually works with the Node.js version of TiddlyWiki. Maybe I’m missing a key concept here, or just misunderstanding something fundamental.

Anyway, thanks again — it does work this way, and I really appreciate your help!

yeah, my understand (from other readings over the last year) is that the drag-and-drop method of installing plugins to node, will work but isn’t recommended, and instead the “add files to the filesystem and meddle with the tiddlywiki.info file manually (don’t make any syntax errors!) and then restart node” … is the recommended way. I’m not sure why, since it just feels like a lot of extra effort just to be less flexible compared to doing things the same as single-file TW. (I assume there is some reason (perhaps it makes sense for more complex setups than mine?), but I’ve not found it in any doco I’ve seen)

relevant tangent: it’s worth keeping a single-file version of TW around so you can search for plugins, since the documentation for installing plugins on Node (https://tiddlywiki.com/#Installing%20official%20plugins%20on%20Node.js) says

Identify the plugins you want to install using the Plugins tab of ControlPanel

However within a node TW, that tab says

The official plugin library is disabled when using the client-server configuration.

…making it impossible to search the official plugin library from Node :frowning:

1 Like

I would say this part of the documentation is completely untrue:

Including a plugin as an ordinary tiddler by drag and drop into the browser, will result in the plugin only being active in the browser

It will not be available under Node.js

I think what they meant to say was that a drag-and-drop plugin will prevent a local folder plugin from working. But it’s very unclear.

1 Like

Most of my TW work is done in Node, but I never bother to install plugins through the file system. Drag-and-drop has always worked for me. I really don’t understand the reason for the recommendation.

Of course I don’t use very many plugins, either.

1 Like

I think the recommendation was written from the perspective of the developer. If you have a drag-and-drop version of an official plugin, then it won’t update when you update your node version.

But I suspect most of us have more unofficial plugins than official plugins. And for these, there is no auto-update feature, no matter how you install them.

That makes sense. When I develop plugins, I do have folders for them.

I don’t use the CPL myself, but I think that it also has auto-updates…