Drag-and-drop plugins under node

[dieg...@gmail.com]

Hello all,

Ive been using TW on node for a while. Ive always just installed plugins by dragging and dropping, effectively ignoring anything having to do with tiddlywiki.info files.

Today, I decided to do a "fresh install" of 5.1.23, essentially abandoning all of my configurations and only import my "content" tiddlers into a fresh server.

I now see the official plugin library is disabled, in favor of using the tiddlywiki.info file to install official plugins. Also, custom plugin installation is now an order of magnitude more complicated than previously.

In checking the docs there is the following: "Note that including a plugin as an ordinary tiddler (e.g. by dragging and dropping a plugin into the browser) will result in the plugin only being active in the browser, and not available under Node.js."

What does the bold part mean? Specifically the "not available under node"? I only use node to run one TW instance locally.

I find plugin dragging and dropping to be the absolute easiest way to install plugins, and I would love to keep this ability under node.

Thanks!

[dieg...@gmail.com]

Can anyone help?

[Mark S.]

On Tuesday, December 29, 2020 at 7:36:13 AM UTC-8 wrote:

In checking the docs there is the following: "Note that including a plugin as an ordinary tiddler (e.g. by dragging and dropping a plugin into the browser) will result in the plugin only being active in the browser, and not available under Node.js."

I think it's talking about the official plugins, not the plugins you get from 3rd party authors. If you install them by drag/drop, they will only be available in the TW file where you dropped them.

I think if you try it you'll find that it is not as dire as it sounds. That is, most plugins will work fine, even under node.js. Many (most ?) plugins have not been separated into their own plugin library. And most plugin authors write-em-and-leave-em, never looking back to check on compatibility.

Of course, it's good to make backups before making major changes, like adding plugins.

 

[Sylvain Naudin]

You can't have your cake and eat it too ;)

(just discover this translate proposal of french expression "avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre").

Since you run Node.js server, plugins are typically served by server. And when you update from 5.1.22 to 5.1.23, official plugins are updated too. If you use drag&drop, you can't benefit from this behaviour and stay with old plugin (since it's not deal by Node.js).

Sylvain

[duche...@gmail.com]

I have the exact same case as dieg: I used tiddlywiki for a while under nodejs and importing plugins via drag and drop.

Now with 5.1.23 I wanted like to install them the recommended way, so I added some of the officials plugins to my tiddlywiki.info file, restarted my tiddlywiki and it worked fine.

However I missed how to install custom plugins.  Just adding them to the .info file is obviously not sufficient and I wonder how to download them.  Per instance SideEditor?

Thank you.

[Jeremy Ruston]

To clarify, the recommendation to install plugins via tiddlywiki.info rather than by dragging and dropping only applies to plugins from the official plugin library.

Installing plugins in this way allows them to be automatically upgraded when the core is upgraded

What does the bold part mean? Specifically the "not available under node"? I only use node to run one TW instance locally. 

When you run TiddlyWiki under Node.js there are actually two instances of the exact same JS code running: one in the browser, and one on the server. The two instances talk to each other to synchronise changes.

Plugins installed by drag and drop will only be treated as plugins by the instance of TiddlyWiki running in the browser. To the Node.js instance, they’re just tiddlers with no special behaviour.

Best wishes

Jeremy

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[Mark S.]

Many (most?) 3rd party plugins (including SideEditor) have not been set up as node.js plugins. So you just drag and drop them to update.

Third party plugins that have been set up for node.js can be placed inside your node TW directory structure like this

MyTiddlyWiki <Dir>

  tiddlywiki.info <file>

  tiddlers <Dir>

    (a bunch of tiddlers)

  plugins <Dir>

     myfavoriteplugin <Dir>

       plugin.info (required file)

       tiddler.td

       tiddler2.tid

       ...

     myotherfavoriteplugin <Dir>

       plugin.info (required file)

       tiddler.tid

       ...

[duche...@gmail.com]

Crystal clear!  Thank you Jeremy and Mark,

[dieg...@gmail.com]

Yes thank you all for the reply! I now understand what the docs meant.

[TW Tones]

This is my view and if you have a more nuanced view please share.

I would just add, in Cases like say the JSON Mangler Plugin, it makes sense to drag and drop it as a plugin on one of your node JS wikis, so that the plugin is active there, and may not be needed elsewhere. The wiki is then loaded with plugin(s) needed by that wiki alone.

• I use the JSON Mangler plugin as a database import and preparation tool to generate data sets for other wikis, the other wikis do not need the JSON Mangler installed.

The installation of plugins available to all separate node wikis, using the official method for node, is also great for those plugins you want everywhere and upgraded with one step.

• I believe a more user friendly comprehensive guide could be written for node plugin installs, however if you know of one please provide a link. 
  • Similarly if one wants to do this with a plugin that is not already prepared for node install, how do we build a node install version, and then re-publish it for others to save rework.
• It seems to me that many cases in which nodeJS installed plugins are discussed, the documentation misleadingly suggests its the only way on node, however there are sound reasons why direct drag and drop install makes sense for a user and designer in many cases.

In short I have not bothered very often to do note install plugins because so far it has being of little or no value to me to follow difficult instructions for little or no added value (in my use cases)

• I would be happy to review and comment on any documentation on Node shared plugin setup.

Regards

Tones