Upload/download Binaries with TiddlyWiki

[TW_Tones]

Folks,

I understand when a binary file such as an executable is imported into tiddlywiki it is encoded and saved. If there an existing tool or method do decode and generate the source binary file again so if can be downloaded and executed? eg of type=application/x-msdownload

Of course other binary files such as image etc…

Alternatively perhaps a button that initiates downloading from a “URL to the executable”.

Why?

This is a useful way to include essential components for Guided install such as Timimi saver etc…

if may also;

Allow us to repurpose binary content in other solutions by making tiddlywiki a source (of embedded files) that can be downloaded locally.

Note:

Along with such a solution I will develop so tools to allow such binaries to not display the content including in the editor, store its source filename and recommended download location.

• The file downloads plugin would also work well with this for external binary tiddlers.

[jeremyruston]

Hi @TW_Tones

@TW_Tones

I understand when a binary file such as an executable is imported into tiddlywiki it is encoded and saved. If there an existing tool or method do decode and generate the source binary file again so if can be downloaded and executed?

If you drop most binary files into TiddlyWiki and import them as a tiddler then you’ll see a big yellow download button when displaying the tiddler.

Transcluding a binary tiddler into another tiddler will show the big yellow download button.

[TW_Tones]

Thanks @jeremyruston I have seen that, But not for the executable I got from Timimi. I see the title can be the filename but can we save executables?

Is this download different to standard exports?, I imagine so.

[linonetwo]

I also want to use TW to manage my PDF and words, so I created a plugin https://tiddly-gittly.github.io/tiddlywiki-plugins/#%24%3A%2Fplugins%2Flinonetwo%2Fopen-in-external-app

That will call TidGi 's electron api to open the file, so I can open embedded PDF with system reader.

[jeremyruston]

@TW_Tones

But not for the executable I got from Timimi. I see the title can be the filename but can we save executables?

Is this download different to standard exports?, I imagine so.

What happens when you import the Timini executable into TiddlyWiki? Browsers may well restrict saving files with the .exe extension, but TiddlyWiki should handle them.

The process here is ultimately the same as the export process: the core builds a base64 representation of the content, puts it in a data URI, and triggers a click to force a download of the file.

[TW_Tones]

@jeremyruston

What happens when you import the Timini executable into TiddlyWiki? Browsers may well restrict saving files with the .exe extension, but TiddlyWiki should handle them.

Long time before replying. I just dropped an exe on a tiddlywiki and it imports it but gives it a type of application/x-msdownload unlike a zip file application/x-zip-compressed.

Of course application/x-zip-compressed can be found in $:/boot/boot.js

I Just added $tw.utils.registerFileType("application/x-msdownload","base64",".exe"); to $:/boot/boot.js saved and reload. An exe uploaded shows the yellow bar “This tiddler contains binary data” and the button but it is not working. This could be because the browser resists exe downloads.

• It can be seen that this download link constructs a data:application/x-msdownload... link.

Trying $tw.utils.registerFileType("application/octet-stream","base64",".exe"); and changing the type on the binary tiddler does not resolve this.

I have long thought it would be usful if there were hackability support for additional types/mime and their display in tiddlywiki.

• I would be keen to create a type for embedding mime types in a text field that subsequently becomes an attachement to an email.

[Hanlon]

Just yesterday, I worked on a Wiki that consists of Standard Operation Procedures and their forms.
I embedded some *.pdf- and Excel- files and used @Scott_Sauyet’s download link.
It worked great until I learned, that it doesn’t work with *.xlsm (Spreadsheet file that support Macros) and *.7z ( 7-zip-compressed files).

I can not help with development but I can assure, that there are use cases and I would highly appreciate the ability to embedded more types of binary files in TiddlyWiki.

[john.edw_gmail.com]

Hanlon, have you attempted to register those file types?
This link discusses how to register a type:

Current capability for adding binary files to TW under node.js?

Hi @Shane_Ashby the instructions that @TW_Tones gave pertain to the configuration for determining which editor should be used for a given content type. However, inside TiddlyWiki’s JavaScript code there is a bunch of more fundamental configuration data for each of the known content types, and it is here that the information for Project files is lacking. For those interested, the code can be seen on GitHub. Without that information, TW doesn’t know that Project files are binary, and so doesn’t co…

[Hanlon]

I have had not, but did now.
After a reload for the js it works for *.7z- and *.xlsm-files.

Thanks!

Type:application/javascript
module-type:startup


exports.after = ["startup"];
exports.synchronous = true;

exports.startup = function() {
	
$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/x-compressed","base64",".7z");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/x-compressed"] = $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/zip"];
$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroenabled.12","base64",".xlsm");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroenabled.12"] = $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/excel"];
};

I have no idea what consequences the used parser has.
I can use $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/excel"]; for both file-types and it works and looks identical or I can use $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/zip"];. (But 7-zip is not zip…)

[TW_Tones]

Thanks all, given the above advice I tried this in a startup module

exports.name = "register-exe";
exports.after = ["startup"];
exports.synchronous = true;

exports.startup = function() {
	$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/octet-stream","base64",".exe");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/octet-stream"]
};

I still get a data: link but it refuses to download the exe, does nothing.

I wonder how the exported name is referenced, have I dont this incorrectly?

@Hanlon it all depends on what type the imported zip file is given .7z and .zip could get or be given the same type.

[Hanlon]

I found a way that works for *.exe.
I imported one to learn its’s application from it’s type-field.
As I meantioned, as long as the parser is known to TW it seams to not matter.

So this works:

$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/x-msdownload","base64",".exe");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/x-msdownload"] = $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/zip"];
};

[TW_Tones]

@Hanlon

$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/zip"];

This is of note. I wonder what this consists of and if it can be modified?

• I have added your above code to a tiddler with module-type startup, save and reload. It, a small.exe only looks like unicode grafittie. I continue to research

[Hanlon]

@TW_Tones I tried it again. It works with the installer for Adobe Reader and for Everything. Perhaps you can find a difference in the exe-files ?

[TW_Tones]

I am afraid I dont understand your last post and how to implement the code before.

[Hanlon]

This is my tiddler.

title:$:/_embeddBinaries
Type:application/javascript
module-type:startup
text:

exports.after = ["startup"];
exports.synchronous = true;

exports.startup = function() {
	
$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/x-compressed","base64",".7z");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/x-compressed"] = $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/zip"];
$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroenabled.12","base64",".xlsm");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroenabled.12"] = $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/excel"];
$tw.utils.registerFileType("application/x-msdownload","base64",".exe");
	$tw.Wiki.parsers["application/x-msdownload"] = $tw.Wiki.parsers["application/zip"];
};

I tested it with the two installer-*.exe-files (Adobe Reader and Everything) that you can download from the web and test and inspect. Maybe they differ from your small.exe?

[TW_Tones]

@Hanlon

$:/_embeddBinaries

Thank you this is now working well. I attach the resulting tiddler for ease of use. I am not sure that the file types application/x-compressed and application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroenabled.12 are needed for me.

embeddBinaries.json (826 Bytes)

@TW_Tones

I have long thought it would be usful if there were hackability support for additional types/mime and their display in tiddlywiki

Looks like we have this via startup module.

[TW_Tones]

Am I missing something or is there a gap in tiddlywiki support for binary tiddlers? we seem to accept all types but cant export or save/download backinto the original form. See here Exporting images in TW using wikitext.

I belive my code here should just work, at least for common filetypes we alreade parse in here but also other binaries as discussed in this thread.