Mat on Hangouts - any questions?

[Mat]

So, the plan is that I'll join Jeremy for a hangout within due time. I figure these occasions are an opportunity for the community to ask about questions that the guest can explain/demo/whatever, i.e in a way that can't quite be done in mere writing. So, if there's anything, now is the time.

<:-)

[TW Tones]

Mat,

At a high level what workflow do you use designing and developing plugins?

I look forward to the video.

Tones

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 6:38:10 AM UTC+10, Mat wrote:

So, the plan is that I'll join Jeremy for a hangout within shortly. Likely already tomorrow. (Which, of course, doesn't necessarily mean it is published then.) I figure these occasions are an opportunity for the community to ask about questions that the guest can explain/demo/whatever, i.e in a way that can't quite be done in mere writing. So, if there's anything, now is the time.

<:-)

[TiddlyTweeter]

Ciao Mat

I have benefited from your stuff a lot over time. Sometimes the gizmo itself, or, often more, the demonstration of an approach to issues that is v. enlightening.

One issue. I often recall (half-formed) thoughts of things you made (like: "that table demo with sloping headings").

So, question: Do you have a plugin library that would make is easy to find your gems? :-)

Best wishes

TT

[Ste]

Is it too late?
Mat.. How do you remain so devilishly handsome while doing so much tiddlywiki?

[Birthe C]

Ste,

I am sure you would like that as a plugin, I would like the creativity, energy and humour.

It is kind of included in the plugins we do get, how do you do that, Mat?

Birthe

[Mat]

Update: The hangout will be postponed for a few weeks. (Original post updated to reflect this).

As for the questions posed thus far, I can reply to some of already in writing:

@Tony

At a high level what workflow do you use designing and developing plugins?

Yeah, I'll outline it in the hangout. Don't expect any surprises.

@TiddlyTweeter

Do you have a plugin library that would make is easy to find your gems?

Sorry, no. I'm hoping for a federated solution. Meanwhile (...merely 1.5 decades now) people basically can't find my stuff.

@Ste

How do you remain so devilishly handsome while doing so much tiddlywiki?

It is all CSS.

@Birthe

creativity, energy and humour.

To me it's more like: trials, errors and, above all, time.

<:-)

[Joshua Fontany]

On Monday, August 10, 2020 at 6:38:48 AM UTC-7 Mat wrote:

Update: The hangout will be postponed for a few weeks. (Original post updated to reflect this).

As for the questions posed thus far, I can reply to some of already in writing:

... 

@Ste

How do you remain so devilishly handsome while doing so much tiddlywiki?

It is all CSS.

:D :D :D

Looking forward to the hangout.

Best,
Joshua F 

[TiddlyTweeter]

@TiddlyTweeter

Do you have a plugin library that would make is easy to find your gems?

Sorry, no. I'm hoping for a federated solution. Meanwhile (...merely 1.5 decades now) people basically can't find my stuff.

Whilst you wait to produce Feder-Godot  could you benefit humans by making finding you & yours easier in the interim years?

Thanks

TT

[Birthe C]

TT,

Not many has created a plugin library. I think it is due to them having to change the way they work to do so.

Not at anytime will everyone be on github either.

I wonder if every plugin writer had a plugin library, how would you be able to find anything from the plugin tab in control panel,

It is kind of like the Community Search. Not much to find there. Tobias and Jed - yes...and others got connected due to links from their pages. Not so simple after all.

I wonder could it still be used today if people knew how to?

Birthe

[Mark S.]

We have an official plugin library, that mostly works.

What we need is an UN-official library, with a big disclaimer that the plugins are not maintained by the TW team and may not work with TW upgrades. This would mean that people have easy access to the hundreds of various solutions that are currently scattered all over the net.

It would probably take volunteers to package things up, since in many cases the original authors have moved on to other things, lack time, etc.

[TW Tones]

Birthe et al..

Libraries are tiddlers that point to libraries. Currently libraries are focused on plugins, not other types of tiddlywiki object. However we could have a library of community libraries. Choose a library install it, then go to plugins get more and select the recently installed library tab. I would suggest enhancing the library tiddlers a little to include more details or keywords to help find what is in an installed library. It would not be harmful if libraries also contain an updated library tiddler and version number so it too could be updated from a library.

• Community library of libraries
• To install library tiddlers from the community
• Contains an update library tiddler if necessary
• Caviet that the content in controlled by others and to be careful in your choice/backup or test on an empty wiki first
• Each community members library
• Exists at a URL they can control and update allowing the latest version to be available to any one with the library tiddler installed
• Can be opened and searched for plugins and ideally also macros, or test date tiddler packages

The community libraries of libraries can be updated occasionally after applying the library tiddler update contained in the library or when new ones are submitted.

Library usage methods to consider

• I have all but finished in a single file wiki a way to generate libraries from selected plugins. see here, I am frozen at the moment dealing with how to pack tiddler titles that not only store in the zip but work when hosted online after expansion of the ZIP. This would democratise the library creation to support my suggestion of a library of libraries.
• My Playground wiki here demonstrates an online tiddlywiki, with multiple plugin libraries available, see get more plugins, as it has local storage activated you can download a plugin and reload without saving the wiki. It allows you to preview/test any plugin, then download the plugin or drag and drop it you your on wiki.
• Most people could be encouraged to do what I do and have a staging place for plugins. I drop all plugins I acquire on a Bob wiki and disable them, that is my first repository I refer to when looking for plugins, where I also have additional notes for each plugin, including links to source and demo pages if they were not provided. If we had the community library of libraries I would put that on my local plugin wiki. When I drag and drop a disabled plugin it is enabled on the target wiki.

Whilst libraries may be the way to go others are available.

• I have drag-able package Icons that can be used to export or drag and drop bundles of tiddlers from a wiki.
• We build a community registry of tiddlywiki sites, not unlike tiddly, or extending TiddlyWiki Toolmap to permit community submissions of wikis and libraries, seperate from the current "curated" lists.

Regards

Tones