The following is a high level discussion about classifying tiddlers in wikis to explore what alternative approaches are in use and forshadow some useful code patterns.
- It has some learning value but also seeks to know what you think.
Tiddler types with tags:
For a long time of course people have used tags to indicate a tiddler type such as the tag “project” or “todo” and can also be used to drive different viewTemplates and now cascades.
- Using this approach the one tiddler could have more than one tiddler type at the one time, unless we enforce the use of only one tiddler type at a time.
- This is the most common approach to classifying tiddlers across different solutions and plugins perhaps due to the compatibility allowing a tiddler to have multiple “types” or a lack of a field standard (see below).
- Because we use the tags for other classification’s some of our code needs to test each tag on a given tiddler, to see if it represents a “tiddler type” which can add a little complexity.
Tiddler types with a common field:
I have myself long adopted the object-type field to indicate different tiddler types (separately from the type field which is for mime types). The object-type will contain a value like project or task and can be used to drive different viewTemplates even cascades.
- Using this approach each tiddler can have only one object-type at a time.
- Sometimes its useful to force a tiddler to only have one type at a time.
- Using this method all plugins and solutions used in the same wiki may need to know about this standard and it precludes multiple tiddler types at one time.
Tiddler types with a Specific field:
You may be aware that various solutions and plugins out there currently adopt their own fieldnames to classify one tiddler type vs another.
- This is a good independent approach but it means open solution or plugin is not aware that another solution using a different “tiddler typing solution”. It is thus hard to get such solutions to be aware of each other because there is no agreed standard.
What other methods exist?
There are other ways to classify tiddlers or assign a tiddler type;
- Such as title prefixes and suffixes. Personally I have argued against the use of “compound titles” elsewhere because to make use of the information in the title, you first need to deconstruct the title.
Do you know any other ways to indicate different tiddler types?
- Please let us know in a reply
Where to from here?
I hope the above clarification helps some users understand the options we have but I am reaching out to the community asking you to share what you do. I want us to “keep an open mind” however;
- It seems to me that if the community adopts a more sophisticated “de facto standard” for handling tiddler types we could simplify the code patterns we need and still allow different plugins and solutions work together in independent or integrated ways.
- I have in mind an approach which I will share soon, but setting a community “de facto standard” for handling tiddler types will have great value and we can develop shared support tools.
Let me know what you think, your answers need not be expert, just how you see it.
