Note Taking in 2021 (article & reflection)

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ludwa6

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Jun 18, 2021, 12:36:29 PM6/18/21
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Came across this article today via HackerNews (where it has sparked quite a lively comment thread), which brought me to realise something about an inner tension i have been struggling for too long to reconcile: it's about the difference between NoteTAKING vs NoteMAKING (or DigitalGardening or MindMapping or ZettelKasten or PKMS or whatever you want to call it) -two modalities of work that are so fundamentally different, the idea of trying to do both with the same tool might just never work, period. 

Interestingly, author Victor Dorneau keeps his own Zettelkasten in TiddlyWiki, citing @Soren B's as his inspiration (GMTA ;-)...And tho his NoteTaking/GTD system is rather more complicated than i would like (it involves Emacs ORG mode and some proprietary mobile app,  from which he extracts & converts data to XML via a "simple" Golang script), i completely resonate with the principle:  while one's NoteMAKING tool should be optimised for "Intertwingularity" -as TiddlyWiki of course is- one's NoteTAKING tool should optimised for maximum speed & portability. 

So, i'm now back to using Dynalist for agile NoteTaking, exporting my workfile at day's end as plain text, and copy/pasting it into a new Journal tiddler in TW for integration.  Crude, but effective enough, albeit with some editing overhead in TW that it would be nice to eliminate.  Am starting to explore the possibilities of Logseq as a potential Dynalist replacement; it does outlining in much the same way, but has some interesting export functions, including JSON and Roam JSON.  If there were a way in TW to import such exports and convert them into proper tiddlers... That would be amazing!

If anyone else has got some other solution for agile NoteTaking that integrates nicely with TiddlyWiki for NoteMaking, i'd be very interested to hear about it.

Carsten

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Jun 18, 2021, 1:12:28 PM6/18/21
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Hello Ludwa6,

I also came across an article from https://thesweetsetup.com/the-art-of-note-making-syncing-book-highlights-with-obsidian-and-more/ which is also quite interesting. But thanks for sharing the hackernews thread. A lot of good opinions in there.

Saq Imtiaz

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Jun 18, 2021, 1:53:51 PM6/18/21
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Crude, but effective enough, albeit with some editing overhead in TW that it would be nice to eliminate.  Am starting to explore the possibilities of Logseq as a potential Dynalist replacement; it does outlining in much the same way, but has some interesting export functions, including JSON and Roam JSON.  If there were a way in TW to import such exports and convert them into proper tiddlers... That would be amazing!

It is definitely doable. How useful such an import is will depend on what kind of features/markup you are using in those systems and how well they would translate to wikitext. Converting pure text though is very straight forward.
 
If anyone else has got some other solution for agile NoteTaking that integrates nicely with TiddlyWiki for NoteMaking, i'd be very interested to hear about it.

To this end, it would be interesting to understand what features or workflow in Dynalist (or Logseq) make it better for note taking (vs TiddlyWiki) in your experience. 
 

ludwa6

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Jun 18, 2021, 5:29:42 PM6/18/21
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Thanks for engaging, Saq: responses inline below.

On Friday, June 18, 2021 at 6:53:51 PM UTC+1 saq.i...@gmail.com wrote:
Crude, but effective enough, albeit with some editing overhead in TW that it would be nice to eliminate.  Am starting to explore the possibilities of Logseq as a potential Dynalist replacement; it does outlining in much the same way, but has some interesting export functions, including JSON and Roam JSON.  If there were a way in TW to import such exports and convert them into proper tiddlers... That would be amazing!

It is definitely doable. How useful such an import is will depend on what kind of features/markup you are using in those systems and how well they would translate to wikitext. Converting pure text though is very straight forward.

It is mostly plain text, but for Markdown formatting ( which I could live without) and links- formatted like [Google](https:// Google.com) -which would need conversion to [[wikilinks form|https://google.com]].
 
 
If anyone else has got some other solution for agile NoteTaking that integrates nicely with TiddlyWiki for NoteMaking, i'd be very interested to hear about it.

To this end, it would be interesting to understand what features or workflow in Dynalist (or Logseq) make it better for note taking (vs TiddlyWiki) in your experience. 

Essentially it’s about speed and portability, traversing/ elaborating/ reorganizing outlines as fast as fingers can type, and context switching from local desktop to mobile phone in the field ( i.e. cloud) many times per day without a hitch.  If this is possible in TW, I’d love to know how… But i think it’s a case of architectures that are optimized for different things, don’t you think?

/walt 

Charlie Veniot

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Jun 19, 2021, 12:21:42 AM6/19/21
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Instinctively, I'm thinking it should be possible to simultaneously have both "modes" (taking vs making) at the same time available, just because TiddlyWiki is so flexible.

If not simultaneous modes, then it should be possible to switch between the two modes without batting an eyelash, kind of like how my more recent TiddlyWiki instances can switch between "reader" and "author" modes (triggered by hide/show of sidebar).  Or how my Favourite Stuff and Projects TiddlyWiki can switch between contexts.

That said, I must chew on it a bit, and read all previously mentioned articles a few times over.

ludwa6

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Jun 19, 2021, 3:30:12 AM6/19/21
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I see what you can do about mode-switching , Charlie, and agree: that’s a good hi-level UI affordance..

Still, I think that there be pretty deep issues that keep TW from being a very agile NoteTaking tool. 

The best solution to the portability problem that I have found involves using Quine2 app on my iPhone, with sync to my desktop TW instance via Apple iCloud, but that is kind of a hack, overly dependent on Apple, I would say. 

Still more challenging to my mind is the diff between an outlining editor and the text editing window in a tiddler;  that is fundamentally constrained by web standards -is it not?

/walt 

Saq Imtiaz

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Jun 19, 2021, 4:06:31 AM6/19/21
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Hi Walt,

It is mostly plain text, but for Markdown formatting ( which I could live without) and links- formatted like [Google](https:// Google.com) -which would need conversion to [[wikilinks form|https://google.com]].

Right so importing something like this is definitely doable. You could then either use the markdown plugin and just use these tiddlers as markdown, or try to convert to TW markup. Where things get problematic is if your content is using features or syntax specific to them. A markdown to TW converter currently does not exist but should not be that much work. I've dabbled in both areas previously, so time permitting might be able to help out if you go down this road.
 
To this end, it would be interesting to understand what features or workflow in Dynalist (or Logseq) make it better for note taking (vs TiddlyWiki) in your experience. 

Essentially it’s about speed and portability, traversing/ elaborating/ reorganizing outlines as fast as fingers can type, and context switching from local desktop to mobile phone in the field ( i.e. cloud) many times per day without a hitch.  If this is possible in TW, I’d love to know how… But i think it’s a case of architectures that are optimized for different things, don’t you think?

It actually isn't my intention to push TiddlyWiki here. I find it interesting from a UX perspective when someone has a strong preference for one tool over another. I always feel its best to choose the tool best suited for a particular task. Also, tools should always complement one's natural way of thinking and working rather than the other way. I often find that conversations around note taking don't take into account individual cognitive differences.

Context switching and mobile usage is indeed in my opinion something TW doesn't have a good workflow for. The single file model doesn't help either when it comes to concerns about overwriting one version with one with older content. For the use case you describe I would consider this to be the biggest barrier. Setting up something like TiddlyWiki on node.js on Azure would help, especially with the upcoming server sent events feature in 5.2.0. However, that only takes care of the syncing and the UI issues will remain.

> Still more challenging to my mind is the diff between an outlining editor and the text editing window in a tiddler;  that is fundamentally constrained by web standards -is it not?

Not really. After all dynalist also is implemented as a web app. Streams goes some ways towards creating a similar workflow in TiddlyWiki even though it was never intended as an outliner. I think a key difference is that in dynalist you feel like you are editing a document, versus in TW or Streams you have an edit window for one portion of the document. Part of the reason for that is how rich TW markup (think widgets and transclusions) can be and how different rendered text can be from the markup. This drives the need for separation between viewing and editing for all but the most limited use cases. However, for a keyboard driven workflow the difference in practice in Streams is not that significant in my experience.

Cheers,
Saq

TiddlyTweeter

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Jun 19, 2021, 6:10:55 AM6/19/21
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Ciao ludwa6

Slightly in a different direction, but strongly related, is fact that computer science is UNDER appreciative of cognitive variations.

Meaning and pattern finding is an infinite human activity that existed long before computers or modern ideas of what is "kosher".

It is certainly true that some kind of typology of different strategies in  HOW ONE LEARNS & RECORDS is useful.

But, to be honest, our current usual models on the net are somewhat crude to what human beings actually do, which is vast, in many directions.

Just thoughts :-)
TT 

ludwa6

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Jun 19, 2021, 10:30:41 AM6/19/21
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Amen, @TT: machine models are all too simplistic, AFAICT, forcing us to choose between either hierarchical (I.e. outlining) or network (I.e. wiki-weaving) mode, while reality calls for sometimes one modality and sometimes the other, depending on the context. 

A corresponding dichotomy that has gained currency among cognitive theorists wants us to decide: are you an Architect or a Gardener? I for one am both, in fact - and i think I’m not the only one!

/walt

ludwa6

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Jun 19, 2021, 11:04:42 AM6/19/21
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Agree, @Saq: context switching and mobile (+desktop) usage is the toughest nut to crack. It’s the classic problem of concurrent databases: in case of edit conflict, which version wins?

Best solution to this problem i know about is GitHub; indeed it’s the ease with which Logseq can sync from browser LocalStorage to GitHub that has me considering switch from Dynalist to Logseq. 

If we only had a good way to bridge the gap between .md file format ( default format of Logseq files at GitHub) and .tid format ( the way content of my TW instance at GitHub is stored), then we could have the first solid bridge between worlds of outlining and wiki-weaving that the world has ever seen, AFAICT. 

What do you think?

/walt 

Charlie Veniot

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Jun 19, 2021, 11:07:37 AM6/19/21
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I am really enjoying this thread of discussion.

Fully recognizing (almost giddy about it) that any one solution can be the best for one group of doers'n thinkers, it can come up short for other groups of doers'n thinkers (cognitive differences/preferences are one of the beautiful thing that make our species so danged interesting)...

I can't help myself, always wondering: how would I do this/that with TiddlyWiki.

There are a lot of angles to cover re taking vs making notes.

Maybe we can go over, one-by-one, your list of deep issues that keep TW from being Agile.  (Yeah, I"m kind of an over-eager beaver over here, ready to jump at each "feature" and instinctively react with a "why couldn't TiddlyWiki can do that?  All rainbows and blue skies and butterflies me...")

ludwa6

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Jun 19, 2021, 11:54:59 AM6/19/21
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OK @Charlie: For a scenario of agile NoteTaking in an outliner that might hold a “deep issue” or few for TW to solve, let us consider the case of an isolated eLearner taking notes in one window while video lecture is playing in another. 

 Teacher is talking, and I’m here banging out notes as fast as i can type a key phrase and hit return… And before you know it, I’ve got a screen full of lines that reflect the lecturer’s train of thought, insofar as i have followed it. Thing is, I’ve been having my own thoughts about all this as we go along -some of which i may want to nest beneath a pithy quote from Teacher, while others may be my own original train of thought that I want to organize in a separate group- and this i can easily do, without needing to pause the video, because each line is a discrete object that i can move up or down, indent or outdent, fold or unfold, whether by a single keystroke or mouse click&drag or gesture on glass.

Now: can you show me a one window interface in TiddlyWiki where i can work like that?

/walt 

Charlie Veniot

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Jun 19, 2021, 12:52:55 PM6/19/21
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Now we're talking.  That is an awesome use case.

Are you thinking of doing that on a smartphone?  If so: yuck.  A small screen would require flipping back and forth between outliner + your thoughts + "presentation" notes.  Could be done (sliding panels), but I'm no fan of not having everything in front of me.

I'd want a device with a screen big enough to have all three panels visible.  A decent-sized tablet?

So a tiddler for a specific class/seminar/presentation would look something like this?

CJ Veniot

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Jun 19, 2021, 1:00:51 PM6/19/21
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Ugh et oops..  e-Learner.  I went a little off-track there thinking in-person classroom/auditorium/hall.

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TiddlyTweeter

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Jun 20, 2021, 4:07:06 AM6/20/21
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Ciao Charlie & Walt

Charlie, actually it was part to the point ...
Screenshot 2021-06-20 095945.jpg

A 4th Column on random concerns that arise in is too would be interesting. 
A 4th column for me might, for instance, read "Slightly concerned Bruno is OK."

There are two issues, I think ... 
   (1) How to make it easy to switch "column" to enter note; 
   (2) How to (auto?) "flag/tag" each column content so you can rearrange the info in many ways later. 
Just thoughts!

But the general idea looks good to me!

Best wishes
TT

Ugh et oops..  e-Learner.  I went a little off-track there thinking in-person classroom/auditorium/hall.

TiddlyTweeter

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Jun 20, 2021, 4:43:50 AM6/20/21
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Ciao Walt ,
(my emphasis)
ludwa6 wrote:
machine models ... forcing us to choose between either hierarchical (I.e. outlining) or network (I.e. wiki-weaving) mode, ... reality calls for sometimes one ... and sometimes the other ...

A corresponding dichotomy ... among cognitive theorists wants us to decide: are you an Architect or a Gardener?
 
I for one am both, in fact - and i think I’m not the only one!

TBH, I think that is very accurate to both the situation and the problematic.

In TW's favor I find it very usefully AGNOSTIC in architecture.   
It is NOT, in its deep code, UNLIKE many apps, committed to any particular theory of knowing.
Basically, you can get it to work (with WORK :-) in support of many ways of recording info that are "cognitively-compliant to me!".

Best wishes
TT

PMario

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Jun 20, 2021, 4:49:19 AM6/20/21
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Hi TT,
A "master" Tiddler ... could be called "primary" or "main" Tiddler. ... to be political correct.
-m

ludwa6

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Jun 20, 2021, 4:52:18 AM6/20/21
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Charlie, TT et al: Much as I do like these multi-pane views for NoteMAKING in TW, this is not what one wants for NoteTAKING, as I see it - as per the article i referenced up top, and the one shared by @Carsten and many more.

The two window setup i posited in the eLearning UserStory presumed a video lecture in one window (via Zoom, YouTube or what have you), plus one other window where I do my agile NoteTaking. Any additional frames would bu not only unnecessary, but moreover a distraction. This is key to the power of outlining, as i see it (and most outliner aficionados would probably agree, tho i realize that outlining mode is not for everyone): it’s a blank canvas on which i can capture and organize a set of ideas just as quickly as they come to me- whether in context of a video lecture, a focus meeting, or in a solitary coffee-fueled brainstorm.

Only when this job of NoteTAKING is finished do i want to think about NoteMAKING; that is when i value the many affordances that TW brings to the challenge of integrating this new material into my preexisting web of deeply intertwingled ideas.  This is the problem-space/ opportunity zone where i think development effort would do best to focus: interoperability, versus trying to be all things to all users.

/walt

Si

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Jun 20, 2021, 6:30:46 AM6/20/21
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@ludwa Do you know about the Streams plugin? Saq mentioned it above but maybe you have not yet come across it?

I have use Workflowy in the past and I think that Streams works just as well, but with all the added benefits of TiddlyWiki. I gave a partial description of how I use it back in this thread: https://groups.google.com/g/tiddlywiki/c/gbEHUyX8dc0/m/rCl_smc3BQAJ

TiddlyTweeter

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Jun 20, 2021, 6:51:08 AM6/20/21
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PMario wrote:
A "master" Tiddler ... could be called "primary" or "main" Tiddler. ... to be political correct.

:-) !! As George Orwell  may well have said: "All Tiddlers are equal, but some Tiddlers are more equal than others."  :-)

TT, x

TiddlyTweeter

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Jun 20, 2021, 7:18:45 AM6/20/21
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Ciao Walt

ludwa6 wrote:
Charlie, TT et al: Much as I do like these multi-pane views for NoteMAKING in TW, this is not what one wants for NoteTAKING, as I see it

Right. Charlie's example is, I think, a good proof-of-concept for end-users who COGNITIVELY "PRE-SLICE", i.e. know in ADVANCE where the chips should land. There are many people whose dominant cognitive style is that. 
You & me are probably not one of them! :-)

Only when this job of NoteTAKING is finished do i want to think about NoteMAKING; that is when i value the many affordances that TW brings to the challenge of integrating this new material into my preexisting web of deeply intertwingled ideas.  This is the problem-space/ opportunity zone where i think development effort would do best to focus: interoperability, versus trying to be all things to all users.

RIGHT! There are a few things I can say here. 
  1. EMERGENT MAKES (i.e. "Creating" not "Recording") of as yet not fully-formed ideas and notes need a different approach.
  2. As a start, actually about a year ago Mark S. & BTC gave some very good workable ideas on this ...
  3. ... the idea was to use MARKUP in an existing Tiddler of a TAKE that will auto-create a link to a MAKE that, once actually created becomes a transclusion. I think it was a very powerful idea. I did not have time to fully play with it. 
  4. ... Let me know if that sounds interesting & I'll see if I can find the thread that has the code.
Basically I think you are on the right track pursuing this stuff! And is doable in TW.

Best wishes
TT

ludwa6

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Jun 20, 2021, 10:33:14 AM6/20/21
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No, @Si: tho I’ve heard many good things; I’ve yet to try Streams. Will do for sure, soon as i get home to my desktop (am on the road right now, typing on glass, which is always a pain for me).  / walt 

ludwa6

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Jun 20, 2021, 10:38:03 AM6/20/21
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Thanks @TT: sounds interesting, that method for handling “Emergent Makes,” would appreciate if you could share more details.   /walt 

Hans Wobbe

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Jun 20, 2021, 11:22:53 AM6/20/21
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A Canadian observation @Mario:

Canada is engulfed in several scandals just now several of which have real merit.  As a result, the wronged "minority" groups are gaining momentum that may well drive corrections that over-shoot other rights.

It appears that a growing number of Canadian folk are becoming quite tired to being enslaved by "politically correct" jargon.  This may be a natural backlash to the fact that I recently found being part of the "MPS" (Male Pale Stale) cohort dramatically reduces my job advancement opportunities in Institutions.

I do not want to digress from the TW focus, but I do see that this may be a positive influence on TW as Individuals start to form truly collaborative groups that provide mutual benefits that Institutions cannot.

Charlie Veniot

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Jun 20, 2021, 12:12:20 PM6/20/21
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The purpose of that mock-up was just to pin down the various things needed for simultaneous notemaking and notetaking (if one wants), or just focused on notemaking for the current task, or just focused on notetaking for the current task.

I had just gone with columns to make the pieces easy to identify, but any kind of interface can be slapped together.  Anything could be done.  Columns, rows, panels, tabs, etc. etc. etc.

So let's not see that as design, but just as discussion about the necessary pieces/components/features/functionality/workflows/etc.

Regardless, from what I see so far in this thead, I still think: why can't that all be done in TiddlyWiki ?

Anything and everything that's ever been done with TiddlyWiki, bits and pieces can be pulled together and combined, I believe, to build something that can handle all of:
  • distraction-free notetaking
  • distraction-free notemaking
  • simultaneous notetaking + notemaking when the urge strikes
So pick any screenshots from anything out there as sources of inspiration, but don't be limited by them (i.e. imagine what doesn't yet exist, but could exist.)

Just as ideas (inspiration?), here are a couple of screenshots:
Sniffs like a big project.  For it to have any hope of happening, it needs some tangible list of problems that need solving, needs that have to be addressed, features to be described ... yup, requirements gathering.

Regardless, even just the discussions of  the problems/needs is right awesome.  Discussions of features/solutions to address individual problems/needs is icing on the cake.




ludwa6

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Jun 20, 2021, 12:30:39 PM6/20/21
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PS @Saq, re: all that stuff i said about what TW can’t do, and why some additional tool is needed for NoteTAKING?  Having just installed Streams on my iPad, i gotta walk it all back and admit: TW + Streams is an amazing environment for both NoteMaking AND NoteTaking  -even without a keyboard! Can’t wait to get back to my desktop, so i can give all these keyboard shortcuts a proper try… But it does appear from that list like having all the essentials needed for a full blown outliner in a single TW editor frame.  I’m a bit freaked out right now by the number of tiddlers under my Recent tab, and wondering if this will quickly blow up the Backups folder in my TiddlyDesktop instance, but nevertheless: this is a truly revolutionary plugin you have created, Saq; congrats!
On Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 9:06:31 AM UTC+1 saq.i...@gmail.com wrote:

Charlie Veniot

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Jun 20, 2021, 12:33:46 PM6/20/21
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Just to be clear, I use "master" in the non-vile sense.

So like "master of ceremonies."  (Now I have the "master of my domain", i.e. "The Contest", Seinfeld episode on my brain.)

The word "master" is so pervasive in many non-vile contexts, that it is a little hard to banish from my vocabulary.

ludwa6

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Jun 20, 2021, 12:42:08 PM6/20/21
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Yes @Charlie: on more careful research + reflection , i now realize that you are quite right.  Am doing further research and will be elaborating on those requirements in due course.  /walt 

CJ Veniot

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Jun 20, 2021, 12:48:03 PM6/20/21
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That might need a TiddlyWiki...  ☺

Smiles aside, TiddlyWiki for requirements management.  Hmmmmm

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ludwa6

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Jun 20, 2021, 1:40:37 PM6/20/21
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I wouldn’t think of doing documentation any other way, mate ;-)    
/w

CJ Veniot

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Jun 20, 2021, 2:03:07 PM6/20/21
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Albeit virtually, I am hugging you (a whole bunch of you, really) quite fiercely.

Just know that, since we can't all be fierce huggers, much more conservative-style virtual hugging or virtual fist-bumps are available upon request.

I may like to scare folk a little, but I draw the line at scarring folk.  I am neither old enough nor cute enough to get away with that.  Yet.

In the spirit of Jack Nicholson as "The Joker", but minus the evil and in the context of senior care: wait 'til they get a load of me ...

Aside and for the collaborative-experimentation-giggles, I've got a privately shared-for-editing version of that Google drawing.

If you want to play (you don't gotta pay!  Just because it rhymes.), send a request for edit access to the publicly visible document, and I'll share the private one.

Well, since I can't know for sure who is requesting access, I'll be putting the kibosh on access privs right pronto should anybody start doing bad things.  (Hence edit privs only on the private document, and not the public one.)

Saq Imtiaz

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Jun 20, 2021, 3:32:53 PM6/20/21
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@walt I assumed you had already tried Streams. Give it a go on a device with a proper keyboard and see what you think.

 I’m a bit freaked out right now by the number of tiddlers under my Recent tab,

The FAQ has guidance on how to clean up the Recent tab and the same technique can be used to things like search.

 
and wondering if this will quickly blow up the Backups folder in my TiddlyDesktop instance,

I don't think it will make a significant difference here. You will probably want a keyboard shortcut to save the wiki from time to time.

TW Tones

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Jun 20, 2021, 9:09:39 PM6/20/21
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Folks,

First, the malleability of tiddlywiki promises to provide a method for whatever you dream to be implemented note taking, making or both simultaneously. This includes using hierarchies,  networks and time delimited lists amongst others where valid.

Streams is the out of the box solution to the original thread for personal use. The thing is it has being developed in a very hackable form, and you can deploy it in unique ways with a little customisation. I currently define the "sub tiddler titles" as $:/s/<<now "[UTC]YY-0MM-0DD 0hh:0mm:0ss XXX">> which hides the subtiddlers yet they can be readily renamed to become visible tiddlers (rename inside the Streams interface). Streams makes great use of the relink tiddlers plugin. 

Some of you may recall the "google wave", which was a "multi-user streams" in many ways. It allowed simultaneous edit of a stream of data, in some ways it allowed comments "out of band" or to the side of the "core thread", a feature I am keen to develop myself because I can annotate my own content over multiple generations which sounds like "note making", post "note taking". 

I would not be surprised if on top of bob, a multiuser implementation of streams could use the username to store the subtiddler and allow collaborative streams built by multiple users, or the same user over time. 

Regards
Tones

ludwa6

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Jun 21, 2021, 4:03:25 AM6/21/21
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Wow: the deeper one dives into Streams, the cooler it gets!  Love your hack on subtiddler titles, @Tones; thanks for clueing me in to this.  

/walt 

ludwa6

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Jun 21, 2021, 4:35:46 AM6/21/21
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You’ve really gone the extra mile, Saq, to make this software customizable. That FAQ should be held up as an example of best practice for TW devs.  I am no developer myself, but these docs are so good, I feel myself compelled to start hacking on this, soon as i get home to my computer. :-)

Before i do tho, i guess i will do best to clarify the intention.  The essential need- much as @Si has already described -is to convert a select (sub)set from one stream of “fleeting notes” to a set of “evergreen notes” (i.e. appropriately named tiddlers), each one with a backlink to the source tiddler that spawned those child tiddlers.  Then that source tiddler could be flattened into one note with links to all its children.

How this might be best done, i don’t yet have working experience with Streams enough to say… But i am eager for any suggestions at this point!

/walt 

Saq Imtiaz

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Jun 21, 2021, 6:21:51 AM6/21/21
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@walt 

You’ve really gone the extra mile, Saq, to make this software customizable. That FAQ should be held up as an example of best practice for TW devs.  I am no developer myself, but these docs are so good, I feel myself compelled to start hacking on this, soon as i get home to my computer. :-)
 
To be honest I feel the docs are still pretty slapdash, but I am trying to fill them out when I can and contributions to the docs are very welcome from all Streams users.

Before i do tho, i guess i will do best to clarify the intention.  The essential need- much as @Si has already described -is to convert a select (sub)set from one stream of “fleeting notes” to a set of “evergreen notes” (i.e. appropriately named tiddlers), each one with a backlink to the source tiddler that spawned those child tiddlers.  Then that source tiddler could be flattened into one note with links to all its children.

The reason there is no in-built mechanism for flattening a stream is simply because I don't think there is a one size fits all export format. Depending on the content of your streams tiddlers, you may want anything from a simple concatenation to a hierarchical structure. It is important to remember that all the components of a stream are just tiddlers with their relationships maintained via fields. So you can manipulate them just as you would any other tiddlers.

I think this is also an area where input from other Streams users would probably be helpful for you and it might be worth starting a new thread asking for input. Note that I don't actually use Streams myself apart from on the odd occasion and neither do I have much detailed feedback on user workflows, so it is difficult for me to provide guidance. Once you know  how you want things set up, it is then easier for me to provide input on the implementation part if you run into difficulties.

Some examples of exporting/flattening a stream are provided in the FAQ. Also some extra filter operators have been introduced to make it easier to work with the streams tiddlers. 

See:

ludwa6

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Jun 21, 2021, 6:47:48 AM6/21/21
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Ok @Saq: will start another thread on this specific topic, soon as I get back to my desk.

Meanwhile: browsing related threads, i have come across this Streams to Text plugin ; can’t install on this mobile instance i am running, but would like to know if anyone has experience to share, and if it can accomplish something along the lines of what I’ve described.   
?

/walt 

Saq Imtiaz

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Jun 21, 2021, 7:20:55 AM6/21/21
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That plugin is by Jan. That version needs updating to work with the latest Streams. I know that he has an update in the works. I have never used it so I can't comment on how well it works.

Victor Dorneanu

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Jun 22, 2021, 5:58:01 AM6/22/21
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Hi Community,

if you need more details about my workflow (as described in my blog post), feel free to ask. I do admit it's not easy (coz of ORG mode + golang + miMind) but I just use these tools to adapt the note structure to Tiddlywiki.

Cheers,
Victor

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