TiddlyWiki best practices

[Cl0d]

Hi there,

Been using TiddlyWiki for a few weeks now. I'm still learning how to cope with the enormous potential offered by TiddlyWiki.

For example, I discovered today that it was possible to create a dynamic table of content using keywords.

So I was wondering, what are your best practices, or let's say, advices, for using TiddlyWiki ? How does your "basic wiki" look like ? What plugins and/or custom features do you use ?

I'm still in a transitional phase, meaning that I'm writing my new notes in TiddlyWiki to get used to it and I'm at the same time trying to discover new tools to organize my future wiki's in the best way possible.

Thanks in advance for every answer.

[springer]

Cl0d, exactly what I find marvelous about TiddlyWiki is how much it can be molded to very different purposes. I maintain different TW5 projects for different purposes, with different plugin sets and other customizations suited to the purposes of each project. 

Two things that I suspect I do more than most people are:

(1) Make a dynamic table, using the Shiraz plugin,  for virtually every important tag. It offers a great compact way to get the big picture on any slice that interests me. I used to use TOC-style tiddlers for this purpose, and that structure still has uses, but the dynamic table is more powerful. I love that I can structure each such dynamic table to focus on the fields that are important for that particular tag. (Of course, you can build a dynamic table around criteria other than tags, but that's my main workhorse use.) I also tend to populate my stylesheet with tag-specific css, so that there are clear visual cues as to which kind of tiddler we're looking at. (I use TW for teaching. So, a quiz question tiddler has a look and feel that differs from an author-specific tiddler or a definition tiddler or a tiddler focused on excerpts from the readings, etc.)

(2) Liberally employ a "details" GUI for things that I don't want to see (or don't want to show to students) unless/until it's time to dig in deeper. I use telmiger's details plugin, because it's super-flexible about the contents within the details area (allows any formatting or markup you can think of within the hidden "pocket" area). But to put ordinary text elaboration into a details "pocket," Shiraz's details function is simple and great too.

If you'd like to poke around on one of my teaching sites, feel free to visit this link: https://springerspandrel.github.io/tw/ethicsatwes.html#TiddlyWiki

Enjoy the adventure of discovering the possibilities!

-Springer 

[Cl0d]

Thank you for your answer.

It can without a doubt serve, I'd say, unlimited purposes. And the fact that you outlined that, made me realize something I internally knew since the first day I started using TiddlyWiki : the way you organize TW, greatly depends on what you do with it.

I have flown over both plugins tutorials and I'm going to try them out on one of my test Wiki's, to see how I can use them.

Your site is amazing. This is definetly the kind of organization I'm looking forward to achieve.

I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but do you use TW for other purposes ? I'm asking because, I couldn't get my head around a question, which is, should I use only one Wiki for everything ?

To give you an example, I read a lot of books and I take plenty of notes and I also write extended documentations about computer science. Now, what I'm doing right now, is creating one Wiki per subject. So I have a Wiki for programming, one for everything that's related to pentesting, one for system related things, one containing all my notes on books etc.

I don't really know if this is going to be sustainble once I'll start transfering all the information to TW.

Said like this, it might sound trivial, but I feel like if I mess up my '"entry" in TW, it's going to be hard to get everything straight later on.

[springer]

Cl0d,

You'll find people here at both extremes: some use one massive TW5 as a repository for everything, figuring that this path makes maximal room for connections even across domains that may seem separate.

My own approach is different largely because I like to have TW5 files that I can share with different audiences, without worrying that something intended for one audience would be distracting or even inappropriate for another audience. Obviously, that holds for a project devoted to a particular university course. I also set up a TW5 for a committee I chair; it's locked down with an encryption password and includes notes that aren't appropriately shared except with others on the committee (though I don't naively upload anything to an online repository like GitHub that is super-sensitive). For another example, folks at the TWGG know that I just set up a super-minimal TW5 for hosting the images connected with the 5.1.23 logo contestants. Anyone who visits that wiki can poke around the "Recent" list without being confused by a long list of irrelevant things. Many plugins offer demo TW5 pages that are similarly stand-alone. I enjoy developing each of my projects with a distinctive color scheme and style set so that it feels like I'm arriving in a different "work environment" when I shift from one project to another.

Whichever way you go, you should be reassured that dragging tiddlers between files, or filtering and exporting a JSON batch and dropping it onto a different TW5, allows you to engage in fusion or fission as needed down the road.

-Springer

[Charlie Veniot]

G'day Cl0d,

So far, my favourite can't-live-without plugins:  Relink and DetailsWidget.

I am a "tweaker" by nature.  Like for anything else, I am always Tiddler Titles (incrementally, iteratively) tweaking them until I get them juuuuuust right, as elucidation of information and structural needs comes together bit by bit.  I'd be lost without Relink.

DetailsWidget is a simple and wonderful way to structure content.  It really helps me visually organize the cognitive mess that is this old sponge of mine (I see everything as deeply  intertwingled, i.e. every little thing is connected to everything.)  I like being able to see more info "right there", without leaving the happy confines of whatever thing I'm looking at.

I tend to prefer having multiple TiddlyWiki instances for very clear purposes (kind of like the kid who does not like the potatoes touching the peas.)  You will see, though, that when there are intersections of largely common info, I'm quite happy with one TiddlyWiki handling multiple purposes (or contextual views) in one TiddlyWiki.

Here are a few examples of mine for your interest, even if just for the $hit$ and the giggle$:

• Le P'tit Aurèle (my first TiddlyWiki)
  • a lexicon of Acadian French / un lexique du français acadien
• ADHD Slice'n Dice
  
  • An "Intertwingularity Mapping" journey with TiddlyWiki about ADHD (inattentive subtype)
• Product Reviews, which wound up turning into a multi-purpose TiddlyWiki (one TiddlyWiki with a URL parameter for purpose) for:
  
  • Product Reviews
    
  • Urban Off Gridding for Laypersons
    
  • Hydro Bill Cutting for Laypersons
    
  • Chromebook: Beyond Web Browsing
    
• ORM-ish à la TiddlyWiki (my newest project that has all my attention lately)
  • Using TiddlyWiki for fact-based information modelling and database engineering

Cheers, and welcome to TiddlyWikiHood !

[Charlie Veniot]

Man, I wish this new Google Groups allowed edits to posts.

... I am always adjusting Tiddler Titles (incrementally, iteratively), tweaking them ...

[Cl0d]

@springer : Alright. That lowers my fear of messing up my data. Got you, that's also what I saw on your teaching Wiki. You have a red outline and yellow background for definitions for example, which, as you say, tells us clearly that we're looking at a definition.

@Charlie Veniot : I'm sorry if I sound dumb, but I don't understand what could be the use of "relink". Is it related to the dynamic modification of links ? So basically, whenever you change a title, it gets updated everywhere thanks to relink ?

Thanks :)

[springer]

Yes, Relink is about being able to rename tiddlers without having any markup links to them go cold. But given how many of us found it to be essential, I believe it's been brought into the core for a while now (since 5.1.14). So if you're just starting up you should already see an option box appear, when you rename a tiddler, to verify that you want the links to follow along. (Sometimes you might specifically *not* want the links to follow, so it's great that it's de-selectable.)

[springer]

Cl0d, the DetailsWidget linked by Charlie above is the same one I use. Very powerful!

Also, I want to correct what I just posted about the Relink plugin and related functions: only *some* such functions were added to the core in 5.1.14; if you rename tiddlers frequently (and also employ links in markdown) then you should check out the flibbles relink plugin that Charlie points to.

-Springer

[Mohammad]

CI0d,

While you got some good replies from right people I would like to add my two cents:

You use Word processor like (MS Word, LibreOffice Write, Google Doc,... or similar) do you put all your writings in on document? For example consider me as a PhD student

I store my manuscripts each in their own file e.g  a docx (MS Word), progress reports in their own files (but in one folder), thesis report in its own file (even each chapter in a separate file in one folder),... you may for example create a master document to build your thesis report for chapters,....

Tiddlywiki is the same, keep different things in different Tiddlywikis.

Don't put learning notes about Tiddlywiki in the same wiki you prepared as a monthly report for your supervisor. Keep monthly reports in separate wikis.

You work on a research project say: COVID-19, use a separate wiki and store all related research notes, links to resources, webpages, ... in that wiki

I see each Tiddlywiki like a Word document, so I don't expect it to keep everything for me  from grocery list to my lecture notes, recent manuscript, my talk for xx conference, TW learning notes, Q&A from GG, bla bla ... 

Those who use Tiddlywiki as a comprehensive second brain, they mostly use it for notes! In most cases it is just like Mr Woopee and hos closet

--Mohammad

[Mohammad]

Springer,

I really like your Tiddlywikis act as course pages with all related materials. One difference between my own wikis with yours is I keep information in a loose format while you arrange them in a dense format! By this I mean I have little information per tiddler, most of them are visible, I use fields for special purposes so I use the rich environment of Tiddlywiki but in its simple possible form. Like you I am a big fan of dynamic tables.

I also use Tiddlywiki for Homework. Students submit their homework as a Tiddlywiki single file. It is a standard one I distribute to them. (with Relink + Shiraz+ favorites+ comment+ todo+ commander + Highlight.js + KaTeX)

Using comment plugin I can review and comment their solution and return to them.

I also use Tiddlywiki + Tiddlyshow for lecturing!

I also distribute some course materials as plugin. I learned this from Xavier Cazin. For example they can download a plugin called: Root finding. This plugin contains all my course notes, pyhton codes, ... in a form of plugin regarding root fining for scalar algebraic equations. So, they can play with them add their own notes, ... but they always have my original course notes in their Course Tiddlywiki.

Cheers

Mohammad

[Manish Mohandas]

Hi Springer

I have no coding knowledge and have been exploring a way to collate quotes and excerpts.

Would it be possible to educate me on the way you have listed the Excerpts in your tiddlywiki. Or could you please direct me to some links that explain the process.

Thanks a ton

Manish

[springer]

Manish, there are different ways to think about organizing quotes.

If I had been working in Tiddlywiki all along, I'd probably set up each excerpt as its own tiddler, putting only the actual excerpt in the body of the tiddler and using fields for various citation details such as author, title, page, meta-title (journal or enclosing book), notes. I'd tag each one with "excerpt" and use an excerpt-specific template to make each excerpt display with the relevant fields as desired. Then I would use a dynamic table for any desired "slice" of tiddlers (filtered based on a certain source, or a certain author, or with a certain word or keyword, whatever). If you're starting fresh with TiddlyWiki, I recommend this granular approach. A tiddler should generally be the smallest informational unit that is of interest to you and/or your audience.

In my own case, I had already developed (starting in the 1990s) a full-fledged database of research- and teaching-related excerpts using the FileMaker database app (which was my software brain prior to TiddlyWiki, and still handles most of my document-generation tasks). And my main use for excerpts in TiddlyWiki was to organize the excerpts for each particular reading, for access during classroom discussion. (It was easy for me to get FileMaker to "dress" the excerpts up with various bits of syntax and bundle them in sets based on my usual teaching needs. At the time (duing TW Classic times) it was easier to copy and paste large sets; I didn't know how to import a whole array.) So, I batch-generated an excerpt set for each class session, using a combination of <$details> formatting (using telmiger's plugin, referenced earlier in this thread) and quotation-graphics css. The result, for each chapter or article, is a neat-looking "accordion" array of quotes, where the summary for each excerpt includes a "teaser" phrase and page number, and the drop-down allows us to expand passages of interest as needed during discussion. You can hit "edit" within an excerpt-oriented tiddler to see what the guts look like: https://springerspandrel.github.io/tw/ethicsatwes.html#Arisotle%201%20excerpts ...  But again, the reason I didn't take a "granular" approach (one tiddler per excerpt) is idiosyncratic, and I don't recommend emulating this aspect of my site organization!

I believe some other folks here have actually developed a full-fledged biblio tool for tiddlywiki. In particular, if you haven't seen it yet, check out Mohammad's Refnotes plugin: https://kookma.github.io/Refnotes/

-Springer

[Cl0d]

@Mohammad : Yes for sure, you're 100% right. I think on that, I'm now ready to go. I'm definetly going for a separation on broad subjects, which will allow me 1) to have a clear separation but also 2) to be able to link things together within a single Wiki.

@Springer : Absolutely, I've already renamed several tiddlers, so Relink built-in plugin, is of massive help. Going to check that out also.

Thanks to all of you for your precious help.

[Manish Mohandas]

Dear Springer

Thank you for your detailed response. I read about the Dynamic Table feature and am learning to incorporate it.

If I can re-frame my predicament:  Say, I read 50 books in a year. Now, I have 50 tiddlers in which the notes, bullet points and 2-3 quotes/excerpts are included in each.

Is it possible for me view all the 100-150 quotes in one tiddler?

The code which I'm using for the quotes within the tiddler is:

<<<.tc-big-quote
[[Quotes]] <br>
It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. But perhaps there is a key. That key is National Interest

<<<Churchill

When I search 'quotes', what i get is a list of 50 Book title tiddlers which isnt very helpful. It's also awkward to tag every tiddler with 'Quotes'

Would be grateful for your comments.

Regards

Manish

[TiddlyTweeter]

Ciao Mohammad & Springer

Interesting thread. I like the concrete examples. Mohammad's use case in particular I find very interesting.

This is a thread that some parts of would make the basis for a fine Permanent Article. Would need a few illustrations or links to wikis, but basically its highly illustrative of use cases in a great way.

Thoughts

TT

[Cl0d]

@Manish : I'm in the same case and I plan to transfer all my notes on a TW file. What you're using for quotes, is that from the same plugins we've talked about in the posts above ?

[Manish Mohandas]

@Cl0d, I picked this from a tiddler that I saw online. I cant remember where. It makes the quote stand out well in the tiddler. :)

[David Gifford]

Hi

This question is really hard to answer. You might see my https://giffmex.org/gifts/documenting.tw.html as an attempt to answer that question!

Essential, non-negotiable plugins for me: Relink, edit-comptext, link-to-tab, the bi-directional linking from Stroll, also these fixes:

https://giffmex.org/gifts/documenting.tw.html#Control%20what%20is%20visible%20in%20edit%20mode,

https://giffmex.org/gifts/documenting.tw.html#Tag%20editor%20dropdown

Essential fixes to control panel: Zoomin story view, turn off CamelCase.

I usually hide the viewtemplate/tags and viewtemplate/subtitle to free up vertical real estate.

I have recently been enjoying tw-admin plugin and the official Freelinks plugin, too.

This weekend I created a New Tab Here button that is already revolutionizing the way I take notes on reading. I posted about it here the other day. I hope to create a "Stroll premium" or soemthing like that, complete with video tutorial, by January.

[springer]

Manish,

I gave a more  specific answer over in your thread about books and quotes management, since it seems that thread is a better home for detailed discussion of how to handle excerpts/quoted passages.

I'll do a bit more, over at that thread, to clarify what the structure looks like, and why...

Here's that thread: https://groups.google.com/g/tiddlywiki/c/Zewezsh2hcU/m/8SOGWrN1AgAJ

-Springer

[TW Tones]

Fol;ks,

I can't put the full solution together yet, insufficient time for off topic work, however I have the components to extract the contents of any arbitrary html tags. Not known by too many is that html with all its  <div> </div>  <section></section> etc.. is you can use any name and using css give it many of the qualities from almost any other html tag. With a little wikitext management and regex you can subsequently extract these and their content from any tiddler containing them, even post render with additional tricks. 

With the customise project and Mario and TT this can be turned into a custom wiki text also. 

My point is some nice solutions will be along soon to handle managing content into excerpts/quoted passages, references and footnotes and more. 

Regards

Tones