Server and client requirements
Low client and server base requirements are core features that keep TWiki widely deployable, particularly across a range of browser platforms and versions. Many Plugins and contrib modules exist which enhance and expand TWiki's capabilities; they may have additional requirements.
Server Requirements
TWiki is written in Perl 5, uses a number of shell commands, and requires RCS (Revision Control System), a GNU Free Software package. TWiki is developed in a basic Linux/Apache environment. It also works with Microsoft Windows, and should have no problem on any other platform that meets the requirements.
5.7 or higher (including GNU diff) Optional, TWiki includes a pure perl implementation of RCS that can be used instead (although it's slower)
GNU diff
GNU diff 2.7 or higher is required when not using the all-Perl RcsLite. Install on PATH if not included with RCS (check version with diff -v) Must be the version used by RCS, to avoid problems with binary attachments - RCS may have hard-coded path to diff
Most of them will probably already be available in your installation. You can check version numbers with the configure script, or if you're still trying to get to that point, check from the command line like this:
CSS and Javascript are used in most skins, although there is a low-fat skin (Classic skin) available that minimises these requirements. Some skins will require more recent releases of browsers. The default skin (Pattern) is tested on IE 6, Safari, and Mozilla 5.0 based browsers (such as Firefox).
You can easily select a balance of browser capability versus look and feel. Try the installed skins at TWikiSkinBrowser and more at TWiki:Plugins.SkinPackage.
Important note about TWiki Plugins
Plugins can require just about anything - browser-specific functions, stylesheets (CSS), Java applets, cookies, specific Perl modules,... - check the individual Plugin specs.
The following is installation instructions for the TWiki 5.0 production release on an Apache web server on Linux. Visit TWiki:TWiki.InstallingTWiki for the latest updates to this guide and supplemental information for installing or upgrading TWiki, including notes on installing TWiki on different platforms, environments and web hosting sites.
If you are upgrading from a previous version of TWiki, you probably want to read TWikiUpgradeGuide instead.
Preparing to install TWiki
Before attempting to install TWiki, you are encouraged to review the AdminSkillsAssumptions. This guide assumes the user installing TWiki has, at a minimum, basic knowledge of server administration on the system on which TWiki is to be installed. While it is possible to install TWiki with FTP access alone (for example, on a hosted site), it is tricky and may require additional support from your hosting service (for example, in setting file ownership and installing missing Perl CPAN libraries).
To help setup a correct Apache configuration, you are very much encouraged to use the automatic tool TWiki:TWiki.ApacheConfigGenerator which generates the contents for an Apache config file for TWiki based on your inputs.
While this installation guide specifically describes installation on an Apache web server on Linux, TWiki should be fine with any web server and OS that meet the system requirements (see below). For additional notes on installing TWiki on other systems, see TWiki:TWiki.InstallingTWiki#OtherPlatforms.
If you are installing TWiki without Unix/Linux root (administrator) privileges (for example, on a hosted domain), see "Notes on Installing TWiki on Non-Root Account" below for supplemental instructions to the basic steps presented below.
If you are upgrading from an earlier major version of TWiki such as Cairo (TWiki-3) or TWiki 4.x you will need the information found at TWikiUpgradeGuide.
One of the more difficult tasks is installation of additional CPAN libraries. See TWiki:TWiki.HowToInstallCpanModules for detailed information on how to install CPAN libraries.
If you need help, ask a question in the TWiki:Support.WebHome web or on TWiki:Codev.TWikiIRC (irc.freenode.net, channel #twiki).
Basic Installation
Download the TWiki distribution from http://TWiki.org/. (Example - download TWiki-5.0.0.tgz for Linux)
Copy the downloaded package into the directory where you want to install TWiki (Example: /home/httpd ). Unpack the distribution in it (Example: tar xvfz TWiki-5.0.0.tgz). The unpack will create a directory called twiki which contains the TWiki package. In the rest of this document we assume this directory is called twiki.
Note: TWiki does not allow spaces in the directory names. Especially on Windows make sure to use a directory path without spaces.
Setup access file and directory rights to enable the webserver user (the user Apache runs the CGI scripts as) to read and write inside the twiki directory.
Warning: Do not just just run a chmod -R 770 twiki. The access rules have different meaning for files and directories. This is the most common mistake installers make.
The distribution tgz has the file and directory access rights setup to work with a reasonable security level that will work for all types of installations including shared hosting.
The ownership of the twiki directory tree is normally set to the user that unpacked the tgz and will have to be changed to the webserver user using the command chown -R user:group /path/to/twiki. The webserver username varies from Distributions. Examples for some major distributions:
If you mistakenly change the access rights in a way that makes TWiki stop working, simply run the script found at TWiki:TWiki.SettingFileAccessRightsLinuxUnix to set the access right of the entire TWiki tree back to the distributed defaults.
It is possible to define tighter access rules than the ones given by default after the installation is complete. But how tight they should be depends on your distribution and local needs. Typically you may want to limit all access from world if the webserver machine has login access for other users than root and the web server administrator. For a dedicated web server made just for running TWiki with limited login access the default access rights have a good safety level.
Check the Perl installation. Ensure that Perl 5 and the Perl CGI library are installed on your system.
The default location of Perl is /usr/bin/perl. If it's somewhere else, change the path to Perl in the first line of each script in the twiki/bin directory.
Some systems require a special extension on perl scripts (e.g. .cgi or .pl). This is normally only needed under Windows and only where perl scripts are only recognized by file extension. Linux and Unix users should normally never need to do this. If necessary, rename all files in twiki/bin (i.e. rename view to view.pl etc). If you do this, make sure you set the ScriptSuffix option in configure (Step 6).
Create the file LocalLib.cfg located as twiki/bin/LocalLib.cfg
There is a template for this file in twiki/bin/LocalLib.cfg.txt. Simply copy LocalLib.cfg.txt to LocalLib.cfg. Make sure the ownership and access rights of the copy are the same as LocalLib.cfg.txt
The file twiki/bin/LocalLib.cfg must contain a setting for $twikiLibPath, which must point to the absolute file path of your twiki/lib e.g. /var/www/twiki/lib.
If you need to install additional CPAN modules, but can't update the main Perl installation files on the server, you can set $CPANBASE to point to your personal CPAN install. Don't forget that the webserver user has to be able to read those files as well.
Choose best configuration method for your webserver. There are two ways to configure Apache: config file included from httpd.conf or .htaccess files
Apache config file: The recommended method is using a config file. With a config file you can put the entire TWiki configuration in ONE file (typically named twiki.conf). Performance is much better with a config file, and one file gives the best overview and ensures that you get a safe installation . However using a config file requires that you can restart Apache which again means that you need root or sudo access to stop and start Apache. The TWiki apache config file is included from the main Apache config file http.conf. Most distributions have a directory from which any file that ends with .conf gets included when you restart Apache (Example RedHat/Fedora/Centos: /etc/httpd/conf.d). If you use a virtual host setup in Apache you should include the twiki.conf file from inside the desired virtual host config in your Apache configuration.
.htaccess file: This should only be used when you cannot use a config file. Performance is slowed down because Apache has to look through all directories in search for possible .htaccess files each time someone views a page in TWiki. Normally this is the only way to control Apache in a shared host environment where you have no root or sudo privileges.
Configure the webserver
Unless you are an Apache expert setting up the webserver can be quite difficult. But TWiki has three resources that make setting up Apache easier.
The best and easiest way is to use webpage TWiki:TWiki.ApacheConfigGenerator which contains a tool that can generate a safe and working config file for TWiki on Apache.
In the root of the twiki installation you find an example config file twiki_httpd_conf.txt
In the root of the twiki installation and in the twiki/bin directory you find example .htaccess files you can copy and modify. The files contains help text explaining how to set them up. In twiki/bin you find .htaccess.txt which can be copied to .htaccess and defined access to the CGI scripts. In the root of TWiki you find pub-htaccess.txt which you can copy to pub/.htaccess, subdir-htaccess.txt which you can copy to all directories as .htaccess except bin and pub, and you find root-htaccess.txt which you can copy to .htaccess in the twiki root directory. But again only use .htaccess files if you do not have root priviledges.
Note: When you use config files you need to restart Apache each time you change a setting to make the new setting active.
Protect the configure script
You should never leave the configure script open to the public. Limit access to the twiki/bin/configure script to either localhost, an IP address or a specific user using basic Apache authentication. The TWiki:TWiki.ApacheConfigGenerator lets you setup who has access to the configure script. Also the example twiki-httpd-conf.txt and bin/.htaccess.txt files includes the needed setting to protect the configure script.
If you limit the access to a particular user then you need to setup a .htpasswd file that contains the user name and password that Apache will authenticate against. Per default both TWiki:TWiki.ApacheConfigGenerator and the example config files and .htaccess files uses twiki/data/.htpasswd but this file does not exist until you have TWiki running and have registered the first user. You therefore have two options. Either limit the access to localhost or an IP address, or make a .htpasswd file. To make a .htpasswd file change directory to twiki/data and issue the command htpasswd -c .htpasswd username and enter your password when asked. The username must match the Require user username directive in the Apache config file or .htaccess file. Do not use a username you will later use to register in TWiki because TWiki will then claim that you are already registered.
Run the configure script from your browser (enter http://yourdomain/twiki/bin/configure into your browser address bar)
Specify and reenter a password. This is your configure password, as well as the admin user password once TWiki is running.
Note: In case you forgot the password, you can reset it by deleting $TWiki::cfg{Password} from LocalSite.cfg file from {TWIKI_ROOT}/lib directory.
When you run configure for the first time, you can only edit the General Path Settings section. Save these settings, and then return to configure to continue configuration.
Resolve any errors or warnings it tells you about.
If your webserver can be accessed by more than one domain name make sure to add the additional alternative URLs to {PermittedRedirectHostUrls}
When you return to configure you now need to setup Mail and Proxies. Especially the {WebMasterEmail}, and {SMTP}{MAILHOST} must be defined to enable TWiki to send administrative emails, such as for registration and notification of topic changes. Many ISPs have introduced authentication when sending emails to fight spam so you may also have to set {SMTP}{Username} and {SMTP}{Password}. If you do not want to enable mailing or want to enable it later you can uncheck {EnableEmail}.
You now have a basic, unauthenticated installation running. At this point you can just point your web browser at http://yourdomain.com/twiki/bin/view and start TWiki-ing away!
Important Server Security Settings
Before you continue any further there are some basic and very important security settings you have to make sure are set correctly.
As already described above you should protect the configure script from general access. The configure script is designed for use by administrators only and should be restricted to invocation by them only, by using the basic Apache authentication. Because of this there has not been put much effort into hardening the script. The configure script cannot save any settings once the password has been saved the first time, but the script could still be vulnerable to specially crafted field values and the script reveals many details about the webserver that you should not display in public.
You absolutely must turn off any kind of PHP, Perl, Python, Server Side Includes etc in the pub directory. TWiki has some built-in protection which renames files with dangerous filenames by appending .txt to the filename. But this is a secondary security measure. The essential action that you must take is to turn off any possible execution of any of the attached files. Most Linux distributions have a default Apache installation which has PHP and server side include (SSI) enabled.
Make sure that you deny access to all other twiki directories than the bin and pub directories. When you have access to the Apache config files the twiki_httpd_conf.txt file mentioned above also contains protection of these directories. For those that do not have access to the Apache config files a sample subdir-htaccess.txt file can be copied as .htaccess to the data, lib, locale, templates, tools and working directories.
Attachments are not secured by default to the access control setting of the topic. In other words, anyone can read them if they know the direct URL of the attachment, which includes name of the web, topic and attachment. You can configure TWiki to secure attachments.
The TWiki:TWiki.ApacheConfigGenerator as well as the example twiki_httpd_conf.txt and example htaccess.txt files include the needed settings that protect against all 4 security elements.
Next Steps
Once you have TWiki installed and running, you might consider the following optional steps for setting up and customizing your TWiki site. Many of the references below refer to topics within your TWiki installation. For example, TWiki.TWikiSkins refers to the TWikiSkins topic in your TWiki web. Easy way to jump directly to view the pages is to open your own TWiki in your browser and write TWiki.TWikiSkins in the Jump test box to the right in the top bar and hit Enter. You can find these topics in the on-line reference copy at the official TWiki website: TWiki Release 5.0
Enable Authentication of Users
This step provides for site access control and user activity tracking on your TWiki site. This is particularly important for sites that are publicly accessible on the web. This guide describes only the most common of several possible authentication setups for TWiki and is suitable for public web sites. For information about other setups, see TWikiUserAuthentication, and TWiki:TWiki.TWikiUserAuthenticationSupplement.
These are the steps for enabling "Template Login" which asks for a username and password in a web page, and processes them using the Apache 'htpasswd' password manager. Users can log in and log out.
Under the Security Settings pane of configure :
Select TWiki::LoginManager::TemplateLogin for {LoginManager}.
Select TWiki::Users::HtPasswdUser for {PasswordManager}.
Save your configure settings.
Register yourself using the TWikiRegistration topic. Check that the password manager recognizes the new user. Check that a new line with the username and encrypted password is added to the data/.htpasswd file. If not, you probably got a path wrong, or the permissions may not allow the webserver user to write to that file.
Edit a topic (by clicking on the Edit link at beginning or end of topic) to check if authentication works.
You are strongly encouraged to read TWikiUserAuthentication, TWiki:TWiki.TWikiUserAuthenticationSupplement, and TWiki:TWiki.SecuringTWikiSite for further information about managing users and security of your TWiki site.
Note: The other LoginManager option TWiki::LoginManager::ApacheLogin uses a basic Apache type authentication where the browser itself prompts you for username and password. Most will find the TemplateLogin looking nicer. But ApacheLogin is required when you use Apache authentication methods like mod_ldap where all authentication is handled by an Apache module and not by the TWiki perl code. When you use ApacheLogin the apache configuration must be set up to require authentication of the some but not all the scripts in the bin directory. This section in the Apache config (or .htaccess) controls this
The TWiki:TWiki.ApacheConfigGenerator includes this section when you choose ApacheLogin. In the example twiki_httpd_conf.txt and bin/.htaccess.txt files this section is commented out with #. Uncomment the section when you use ApacheLogin. It is important that this section is commented out or removed when you use TemplateLogin.
Define the Administrator User(s)
Administrators have read and write access to any topic in TWiki, irrespectively of TWiki access controls. When you install TWiki one of the first things you will want to do is define yourself as an administrator. You become an administrator simply by adding yourself to the TWikiAdminGroup. It is the WikiName and not the login name you add to the group. Editing the Main.TWikiAdminGroup topic requires that you are an administrator. So to add the first administrator you need to login using the internal TWiki admin user login and the password you defined in configure.
Follow carefully the steps TWikiAdminGroup of how to become an admin
Note that if you use ApacheLogin you have to be registered and logged in before you use the internal admin login
Set TWiki Preferences
Preferences for customizing many aspects of TWiki are set simply by editing a special topic with TWiki.
TWikiPreferences. Read through it and identify any additional settings or changes you think you might need. You can edit the settings in System.TWikiPreferences but these will be overwritten when you later upgrade to a newer TWiki version. Instead copy any settings or variables that you want to customize from System.TWikiPreferences and paste them into Main.TWikiPreferences. When you later upgrade TWiki simply avoid overwriting the data/Main/TWikiPreferences.txt file and all your settings will be kept. Settings in Main.TWikiPreferences overrides settings in both System.TWikiPreferences and any settings defined in plugin topics. See notes at the top of System.TWikiPreferences for more information.
Enable Email Notification
Each TWiki web has an automatic email notification service that sends you an email with links to all of the topics modified since the last alert. To enable this service:
Confirm the Mail and Proxies settings in the Configure interface.
Setup a cron job (or equivalent) to call the tools/mailnotify script as described in the MailerContrib topic.
Enable Signed Email Notification
TWiki administrative e-mails are an attractive target for SPAM generators and phishing attacks. One good way to protect against this possibility to enable S/MIME signatures on all administrative e-mails. To do this, you need an an X.509 certificate and private key for the the {WebMasterEmail} email account. Obtain these as you would for any other S/MIME e-mail user.
To enable TWiki to sign administrative e-mails:
Enable e-mail as described above
If necessary, convert your certificate and key files to PEM format ( openssl has all the necessary utilities)
Place the certificate anyplace convenient that the webserver can read. It should be protected against write. The conventional place under linux is /etc/pki/tls/certs
Place the key file in a secure location that only the webserver can read. It must not be readable by anyone else, and must not be served by the webserver.
Using the configure script, change the following settings under Mail and Proxies:
Follow the directions under {MailProgram} to enable an external mail program such as sendmail. Net::SMTP is not supported.
Enter the full path to the certificate file in the {SmimeCertificateFile} configuration variable
Enter the full path to the private key file in the {SmimeKeyFile} configuration variable
Save the configuration
Re-run the configure script an resolve any errors that it identifies
All out-going administrative e-mails will now be signed.
Enable WebStatistics
You can generate a listing manually, or on an automated schedule, of visits to individual pages, on a per web basis. For information on setting up this feature, see the TWikiSiteTools topic.
Automate removal of expired sessions and lease files
Per default TWiki cleans out expired session and lease files each time any topic is viewed. This however cost performance. It is an advantage to define a negative value in configure for {Sessions}{ExpireAfter} and install let cron run the tools/tick_twiki.pl script. Read The topic TWikiScripts#tick_twiki_pl for details how to do this.
Enable Localisation
TWiki now supports displaying of national (non-ascii) characters and presentation of basic interface elements in different languages. To enable these features, see the Localisation section of configure. For more information about these features, see TWiki:TWiki.InternationalizationSupplement.
Tailor New Users Home Topic
When a new users registers on your TWiki, a home topic is created for them based on the NewUserTemplate topic (and its UserForm). It contains additional resources you can use to:
Localize the user topic.
Add a default ALLOWTOPICCHANGE so only the user can edit their own home topic. We do not encourage this for Intranet sites as it sends a wrong signal to new users, but it can be necessary on a public TWiki to prevent spam.
Add and remove fields defined in the UserForm
If you choose to tailor anything you are strongly adviced to copy NewUserTemplate and UserForm to the Main web and tailor the Main web copies. TWiki will look for the NewUserTemplate in the Main web first and if it does not exist it uses the default from the System web. By creating a Main.NewUserTemplate and its Main.UserForm you will not loose your tailorings next time you upgrade TWiki.
If you added or removed fields from the user form you may also need to tailor TWikiRegistration.
Install Plugins
TWiki:Plugins.WebHome is an extensive library of plugins for TWiki, that enhance functionality in a huge number of ways. A few plugins are pre-installed in the TWiki distribution. For more information on these, see InstalledPlugins.
You activate installed plugin in the Plugins section of configure. In this section you also find a Find More Extensions button which opens an application which can install additional plugins from the TWiki.org website. If you are behind a firewall or your server has no access to the Internet it is also possible to install plugins manually. Manual installation instructions for the plugins can be found in the plugin topics on TWiki.org. Additional documenation on TWiki plugins can be found at TWiki:TWiki.TWikiPluginsSupplement.
Some plugins require that you define their settings in configure. You fill find these under the Extensions section of configure.
Customize Your TWiki!
The real power of TWiki lies in it's flexibility to be customized to meet your needs. You can with small means change the looks of the default skins (called TopMenuSkin and PatternSkin) by reading the PatternSkinCustomization.
At the official TWiki website you can find more resources. A good place to start for exploring what's possible is TWiki:TWiki.TWikiAdminCookBook which offers tips and tricks for customizing your TWiki site. Many of these are appropriate to implement immediately after installing TWiki and before adding content so now's a good time to look at these.
Customization of Special Pages
Some pages are meant to be customized after choice of authentication. If you do not use the internal TWiki password manager the topics that contains the features for changing and resetting passwords and changing the email address should be changed to a note describing how to perform these tasks in your organization. The topics are:
From TWiki release 4.2.0 on the WYSIWYG editor has been replaced by a much better and more powerful editor and it was decided that WYSIWYG would be the default edit mode. An Edit Raw link is available for those that have a need or preference for this mode.
However you may prefer to have the same user interface as in TWiki 4.1 where Edit was the raw text editor and you had a WYSIWYG button. You can modify the templates that define the buttons by following the description on TWiki:Codev.TWikiRawEditDefault04x02.
If your TWiki is used in a commercial application without public access you should replace this by your normal copyright notice. You should also consider adding classifications (e.g. For Internal Use Only) so people do not have to add this manually to every new topic.
If your TWiki is public with public access you need to decide which copyright and license the contributions should be covered by. For open source type applications licenses such as the GNU Free Documentation License, FreeBSD Documentation License, and Creative Commons license are possible licenses to consider. Remember that once people have started contributing it is difficult and not correct to change or impose licenses on existing contributions.
You change the copy right statement globally by taking these steps.
You can create a unique message for each web by adding the WEBCOPYRIGHT setting to WebPreferences in each web. E.g. adding a confidencial classification to a very restricted web.
The WEBCOPYRIGHT in System.WebPreferences covers the documentation that comes with TWiki and is covered by the original TWiki Copyright and GPL License. You will normally leave this unchanged.
Troubleshooting
The first step is to re-run the configure script and make sure you have resolved all errors, and are satisfied that you understand any warnings.
If by any chance you forgot the "admin" password, the same is used in "configure" script, then please login to the server. Delete $TWiki::cfg{Password}= ' ...'; . Set the new password using "configure" script.
Failing that, please check TWiki:TWiki.InstallingTWiki on TWiki.org, the supplemental documentation that help you install TWiki on different platforms, environments and web hosting sites. For example:
Low client and server base requirements are core features that keep TWiki widely deployable, particularly across a range of browser platforms and versions.
Server Requirements
TWiki is written in Perl 5, uses a number of shell commands, and requires RCS (Revision Control System), a GNU Free Software package. TWiki is developed in a basic Linux/Apache environment. It also works with Microsoft Windows, and should have no problem on any other platform that meets the requirements.
5.8.4 or higher is recommended. TWiki will run in perl 5.6.1 but only with Wysiwyg editor disabled. Wysiwyg requires unicode support which is provided by perl 5.8.1 and forward.
RCS
5.7 or higher (including GNU diff) Optional, TWiki includes a pure perl implementation of RCS that can be used instead (although it's slower)
GNU diff
GNU diff 2.7 or higher is required when not using the all-Perl RcsLite. Install on PATH if not included with RCS (check version with diff -v) Must be the version used by RCS, to avoid problems with binary attachments - RCS may have hard-coded path to diff
Most of the CPAN libraries listesd below are part of a standard Perl installation so you most likely have them all!
See TWiki:TWiki.HowToInstallCpanModules for detailed information on how to install CPAN libraries
The following Perl CPAN modules are used by TWiki:
May be required by the Extensions Installer in configure if command line tar or unzip is not available
CGI::Cookie
>=1.24
Used for session support
CGI::Session
>=3.95
Highly recommended! Used for session support
Crypt::SMIME
>=0.09
Required if S/MIME-signed administrative e-mail is enabled.
Digest::base
Digest::SHA1
Jcode
Used for I18N support with perl 5.6
Locale::Maketext::Lexicon
>=0
Used for I18N support
Authen::SASL
Used for SMTP Authentication
Net::SMTP
>=2.29
Used for sending mail
Unicode::Map
Used for I18N support with perl 5.6
Unicode::Map8
Used for I18N support with perl 5.6
Unicode::MapUTF8
Used for I18N support with perl 5.6
Unicode::String
Used for I18N support with perl 5.6
URI
Used for configure
Most of them will probably already be available in your installation. You can check version numbers with the configure script, or if you're still trying to get to that point, check from the command line like this:
The TWiki standard installation has relatively low browser requirements:
HTML 3.2 compliant
Cookies, if persistent sessions are required
CSS and Javascript are used in most skins, although there is a low-fat skin (Classic skin) available that minimises these requirements. Some skins will require more recent releases of browsers. The default skin (Pattern) is tested on IE 6, Safari, and Mozilla 5.0 based browsers (such as Firefox).
You can easily select a balance of browser capability versus look and feel. Try the installed skins at TWikiSkinBrowser and more at TWiki:Plugins.SkinPackage.
Important note about TWiki Plugins
Plugins can require just about anything - browser-specific functions, stylesheets (CSS), Java applets, cookies, specific Perl modules,... - check the individual Plugin specs.
Note: Plugins included in the TWiki distribution do not add requirements, except for the CommentPlugin which requires Perl 5.6.1.
Notes on Installing TWiki on Non-Root Account
The following supplemental notes to the Basic Installation instructions apply to installing TWiki on a system where you don't have Unix/Linux root (administrator) privileges, for example, on a hosted Web account or an intranet server administered by someone else.
Referring to the Basic Installation steps presented above:
Step 2: If you cannot unpack the TWiki distribution directly in your installation directory, you can unpack the distribution on your local PC and then manually create the directory structure on your host server and upload the files as follows:
Using the table below, create a directory structure on your host server
Upload the TWiki files by FTP (transfer as text except for the image files in pub directory.)
Note: Don't worry if you are not able to put the twiki/lib directory at the same level as the twiki/bin directory (e.g. because CGI bin directories can't be under your home directory and you don't have root access). You can create this directory elsewhere and configure the twiki/bin/setlib.cfg file (done in Step 2).
Step 3: Files in the pub directory must be readable as a url. This means that directory permissions should be set to 755 (or 775 ) and file permissions should be set to 644 (or 664). If you can run a chmod command, you can accomplish this in two quick steps by running these commands from the root direct:
chmod -R 755 pub
chmod 644 `find pub -type f -print`
In addition, you should create a .htaccess file in the pub directory, using the template included in the root level of the distribution entitled pub-htaccess.txt.
Note: This setup does not provide for absolute security for TWiki attachments. For more information, see TWiki:Codev.SecuringYourTWiki.
Step 6: In order to run the configure script, create a file called .htaccess in the bin directory that includes the following single line: SetHandler cgi-script . This informs the server to treat all the perl scripts in the bin directory as scripts.
It is highly recommended to use run configure from the browser when setting up TWiki. Configure does a lot of the hard work for you.
But there may be instances where you do not want to use configure or where configure simply won't run because of a missing dependency.
The manual steps you have to take are:
Copy the file lib/TWiki.spec to lib/LocalSite.cfg
Remove the comment # in front of $TWiki::cfg{DefaultUrlHost}, $TWiki::cfg{ScriptUrlPath}, $TWiki::cfg{PubUrlPath}, $TWiki::cfg{PubDir}, $TWiki::cfg{TemplateDir}, $TWiki::cfg{DataDir}, $TWiki::cfg{LocalesDir}, and $TWiki::cfg{OS} and make sure these settings have the correct values.
Make sure to define at least these settings: $TWiki::cfg{LoginManager}, $TWiki::cfg{WebMasterEmail}, $TWiki::cfg{SMTP}{MAILHOST}, $TWiki::cfg{SMTP}{SENDERHOST}.
This guide covers upgrading from a previous version of TWiki (such as TWiki-4.3) to TWiki-5.0
Overview
TWiki-5.0.0 is a major release introducing usability enhancements, feature enhancements, and adds extensions to strengthen TWiki as an enterprise collaboration platform. Use this guide to upgrade a previous TWiki release to 5.0. Use the TWikiInstallationGuide if you do not have data to carry forward.
To upgrade from a release prior to TWiki Release 01-Sep-2004, start with TWiki:TWiki.UpgradingTWiki on TWiki.org
To upgrade from a standard TWiki Release 01-Sep-2004 to the latest TWiki-5.0 Production Release, follow the instructions below
Once the upgrade has been applied, an existing earlier installation will still be able to read all the topics, but should not be used to write. Make sure you take a backup!
The following steps are a rough guide to upgrading only. It is impossible to give detailed instructions, as what you have to do may depend on whether you can configure the webserver or not, and how much you have changed distributed files in your current TWiki release.
The main steps are:
Install the new TWiki version, configure it, and get it to work similar to the old version
Install additional extensions (plugins) -- make sure to use the latest versions
Copy all the non-default webs from the old installation to the new
Copy the users from old installation to the new including all their topics from Main
Apply customizations to your skin (logos, menu bars etc)
Apply preferences from old installation
After the extensions are installed (or upgraded) in step 2, take a "golden" backup. That will come in handy for your next patch or upgrade: By checking the differences between the golden copy and your production copy, you will be able to identify all the modifications that you have applied to the core or extensions.
Installation
Follow the installation instructions at TWiki:TWiki.TWikiInstallationGuide. Install the new release in a new directory. Do not install on top of the old release.
If you are upgrading from a 4.x.x release, you can carry over the configure settings from the old release.
You need to run configure and save the configuration once when you upgrade as this will update the altered and added settings.
You can also choose to start with a fresh configuration and walk through all the settings using your old twiki/lib/LocalSite.cfg as a reference. This way you will not have old obsolete settings in the new LocalSite.cfg.
If at any time during the installation you want to start over from fresh, delete the LocalSite.cfg file and re-run configure.
If you upgrade from an older TWiki your lib/TWiki.cfg from the old TWiki installation is a good resource for some of the settings you will need but you cannot reuse the old TWiki.cfg.
Make sure you have a working basic TWiki before you continue
Install Extensions
From TWiki-4.1.0 on the configure script which you ran during installation supports installation of additional plugins.
Manual installation is possible. Follow the instruction on the plugin page at twiki.org.
Check the plugin topics from your old TWiki installation. There may be plugin settings that you want to transfer to the new TWiki installation. Hint: For an easier upgrade later on, set the plugin preferences settings in the Main.SitePreferences topic, not in the plugin topic. To identify the plugin, prefix the name of the setting with the capitalized name of the plugin. For example, to change the DEFAULT_TYPE setting of the CommentPlugin, create a COMMENTPLUGIN_DEFAULT_TYPE setting in Main.SitePreferences.
InterWikis - If you added your own rules you should save this topic and not overwrite it.
SlideShowPlugin - Make sure you did not change the embedded 'Default Slide Template' If you did you should save it. It is a bad idea to do. It is better to define your own slide show templates as separate topics that do not get overwritten when you upgrade.
Remember that a plugin must be activated in configure.
To avoid having to re-apply plugin settings each time you upgrade a plugin or TWiki itself, define the altered plugin settings in Main.SitePreferences instead.
Copy your old webs to new TWiki
Webs come in pairs, such as twiki/data/Engineering (for page content) and twiki/pub/Engineering (for attachments).
When upgrading from Cairo or earlier it may be necessary to unlock the rcs files in data and pub directories from the old installation using the following shell commands:
find data -name '*,v' -exec rcs -u -M '{}' \;
find pub -name '*,v' -exec rcs -u -M '{}' \;
Copy your local webs over to the data and pub directories of the new install. Do not copy the default webs: TWiki, Main, Trash, Sandbox, _default, and _empty.
Make sure all data and pub files and directories are owned by the webserver user.
Note: TWiki's WebChanges topics depend on the file timestamp. If you touch the .txt files make sure to preserve the timestamp, or to change them in the sequence of old file timestamps.
Copy Users And Their Topics From Main Web
Copy all the topics from the Main web and corresponding pub/Main directories from the old TWiki to the new TWiki but do not overwrite any of the new topics already inside the new Main directory!
Manually merge all the users from the old Main.TWikiUsers topic to the new TWiki. If you upgrade from Cairo you can simply use the old file and add the missing new system users to the list of users. If you upgrade from TWiki-4.0.x simply use the old topic. Starting from 4.2.0 TWiki no longer ships with a Main.TWikiUsers topic. When you register the first user TWiki now checks for an existing Main.TWikiUsers and if it does not exist it gets created.
If you use data/.htpasswd for authentication copy this file from the old TWiki to the new.
If you upgrade from Cairo and you are using the Htpasswd login manager, then note that email addresses for users have moved out of user topics and into the password file. There is a script that performs this extra upgrade step for you - see tools/upgrade_emails.pl.
The old Sandbox web may have a lot of useful topic and users may use it actively for drafts. Manually select the topics (remember the corresponding pub directories) from the old Sandbox web and copy them to the one of the new TWiki. Decide if you want to overwrite the sandbox homepage and left menu bar or keep the new.
If you added or removed fields from the user topic form you may also have tailored TWiki.TWikiRegistration. Make sure you either reuse the registration topic from the old installation or apply the same field changes to the new TWiki.TWikiRegistration topic.
Starting from 4.2.0 TWiki ships with NewUserTemplate and UserForm in the TWiki web. If you choose to tailor anything you are strongly advised to copy NewUserTemplate and UserForm to the Main web and tailor the Main web copies. TWiki will look for the NewUserTemplate in the Main web first and if it does not exist it uses the default from the TWiki web. By creating a Main.NewUserTemplate and its Main.UserForm you will not loose your tailorings next time you upgrade TWiki.
Make sure all data and pub files and directories are owned by the webserver user.
Apply Customizations To The Skin
Add Logos, update top bar and left bar as required.
Apply any desired changes to style sheets and templates. The default TopMenuSkin is based on the PatternSkin.
Transfer any customized and local settings from System.TWikiPreferences to the topic pointed at by {LocalSitePreferences} (Main.SitePreferences). Per default this is Main.TWikiPreferences. This avoids having to write over files in the distribution on a later upgrade.
If you changed any of the topics in the original TWiki distribution, you will have to transfer your changes to the new install manually. There is no simple way to do this, though a suggestion is to use 'diff' to find changed files in the data/TWiki of the old and new TWiki installation, and transfer the changes into the new TWiki install. If you can run a GUI on your server, you may find that using a visual diff tool like WinMerge, meld, kdiff3, xxdiff, etc. is helpful.
Compare the WebPreferences topics in the old TWiki Installation with the default from the new TWiki installation and add any new Preferences that may be relevant.
Compare the WebLeftBar topics in the old TWiki Installation with the default from the new TWiki installation and add any new feature that you desire.
Customization of Special Pages
Some pages in the TWiki web are meant to be customized after choice of authentication. If you do not use the internal TWiki password manager the topics that contains the features for changing and resetting passwords and changing the email address should be changed to a note describing how to perform these tasks in your organization. If you have made such customizations remember to replace these topics in the TWiki web with the tailored versions from your old installation. The topics are:
TWiki.ChangePassword
TWiki.ResetPassword
TWiki.ChangeEmailAddress
Upgrading from Cairo to TWiki-4 (additional advice)
Favicon
TWiki-4's PatternSkin introduces the use of the favicon feature which most browsers use to show a small icon in front of the URL and for bookmarks.
In TWiki-4 it is assumed that each web has a favicon.ico file attached to the WebPreferences topic. When you upgrade from Cairo to TWiki-4 you do not have this file and you will get flooded with errors the error log of your web server. There are two solutions to this.
Attach a favicon.ico file to WebPreferences in each web.
Preferred: Change the setting of the location of favicon.ico in TWikiPreferences so all webs use the favicon.ico from the TWiki web. This is the fastest and easiest solution.
To change the location of favicon.ico in TWikiPreferences to the TWiki web add the following setting to Main.SitePreferences:
* Set FAVICON = %PUBURLPATH%/%SYSTEMWEB%/%WEBPREFSTOPIC%/favicon.ico
TWikiUsers topic in Main web
Your old Main.TWikiUsers topic will work in the new TWiki but you will need to ensure that the following four users from the TWikiUsersTemplate topic are copied to the existing TWikiUsers topic in proper alphabetical order:
TWikiContributor - placeholder for a TWiki developer, and is used in TWiki documentation
TWikiGuest - guest user, used as a fallback if the user can't be identified
TWikiRegistrationAgent - special user used during the new user registration process
UnknownUser - used where the author of a previously stored piece of data can't be determined
You additionally need to ensure that TWikiUsers has the Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = TWikiAdminGroup, TWikiRegistrationAgent access control setting. Otherwise people will not be able to register.
Important Changes since TWiki-4.0.5
Supported Perl version
TWiki 4.0.5 worked on Perl version 5.6.X. Reports from users has shown that unfortunately TWiki 4.1.0 does not support Perl versions older then 5.8.0. It is the goal that TWiki should work on at least Perl version 5.6.X but none of the developers have had access to Perl installations older than 5.8.0.
Since TWiki 4.1.0 has some urgent bugs the development team decided to release TWiki 4.1.1 without resolving the issue with Perl 5.6.X. We will however address this and try and resolve it for a planned 4.1.2 release. The TWiki community is very interested in contributions from users that have fixes for the code which will enable TWiki to run on older versions of Perl.
See the WhatVersionsOfPerlAreSupported topic to keep up to date with the discussion how to get back support for earlier Perl versions.
Template spec changed
Until TWiki 4.0.5 TWikiTemplates the text inside template definition blocks (anything between %TMPL:DEF{"block"}% and %TMPL:END% was stripped of leading and trailing white space incl new lines.
This caused a lot of problems for skin developers when you wanted a newline before or after the block text.
From TWiki 4.1.0 this has changed so that white space is no longer stripped. Skins like PatternSkin and NatSkin have been updated so that they work with the new behavior. But if you use an older skin or have written your own you will most likely need to make some adjustments.
It is not difficult. The general rule is - if you get mysterious blank lines in your skin, the newline after the %TMPL:DEF{"block"}% needs to be removed. Ie. the content of the block must follow on the same line as the TMPL:DEF.
The spec change have the same impact on CommentPlugin templates where you may have to remove the first line break after the TMPL:DEF. See the CommentPluginTemplate for examples of how comment template definitions should look like in TWiki-4.1.X
An example: A CommentPlugin template that adds a comment as appending a row to a table. Before the spec change this would work.
The advantage of the spec change is that now you can add leading and trailing white space including new lines. This was not possible before.
Important Changes since TWiki-4.1.0
New location for session and other temporary files
An upgrader upgrading to 4.1.1 should note the following important change
The directory for passthrough files and session files have been replaced by a common directory for temporary files used by TWiki. Previously the two configure settings {PassthroughDir} and {Sessions}{Dir} were by default set to /tmp. These config settings have been replaced by {TempfileDir} with the default setting value /tmp/twiki. If the twiki directory does not exist twiki will create it first time it needs it.
It is highly recommended no longer to use the tmp directory common to other web applications and the new default will work fine for most. You may want to delete all the old session files in /tmp after the upgrade to 4.1.1. They all start with cgisess_. It is additionally highly recommended to limit write access to the {TempfileDir} for security reasons if you have non-admin users with login access to the webserver just like you would do with the other webserver directories.
TWiki now ships with a new WYSIWYG editor based on TinyMCE replaces the Kupu based editor. TinyMCE is not a perfect Wysiwyg editor but it is magnitudes better than the Kupu editor
The WysiwygPlugin that drives the engine behind both TinyMCE has additionally been heavily improved so that less TWiki Applications are negatively affected by editing WYSIWYG
When TinyMCEPlugin is enabled the Edit button per default becomes WYSIWYG editing mode. A new Raw Edit link has been added to enable application developers to edit the good old way
The WYSIWYG button has been removed.
NEWTOPICLINKSYMBOL removed
The NEWTOPICLINKSYMBOL preference which was deprecated in 4.1 has now been removed from the code. If you want to control the appearance of new links, you can use NEWLINKFORMAT.
UserForm and NewUserTemplate Customization
When a new user registers on TWiki his user topic is created based on the NewUserTemplate and UserForm.
The NewUserTemplate was located in the TWiki web and the UserForm in the Main web. When upgrading TWiki these were some of the topics you had to take care not to overwrite.
From 4.2.0 the UserForm and NewUserTemplate are distributed in the TWiki web. If you create the two in the Main web the Main web version will be used instead. So if you tailor the user topic format or the form then you should always copy the two files to the Main web and modify the ones in the Main web. When you later upgrade TWiki your tailored template and form will not be overwritten.
TWikiUsers no longer distributed
The Main.TWikiUsers topic contains all the registered users. It is a topic you do not want to overwrite when you upgrade TWiki.
From 4.2.0 this file is no longer included in the TWiki distribution. When you register the first time TWiki creates the Main.TWikiUsers topic in the Main web if it does not exist already. This means that you can now upgrade TWiki without risk of overwriting the important TWikiUsers topic.
For new installers this makes no difference at all
For upgraders this is one less problem to worry about as your important Main.TWikiUsers topic now no longer gets overwritten when upgrading.
New working directory
A new directory working which per default is located in the twiki root, has been introduced which contains:
registration_approvals - with 4.2.0 it is moved to here from the data directory.
tmp - so we now avoid having to fight with special access rights and /tmp directory that gets cleaned out when booting.
work_areas - with 4.2.0 it is moved to here from the pub directory. Configure automatically moved the directory when you upgrade.
Note: Remember to restrict access to this new directory when you upgrade.
The configuration setting {WorkingDir} defines the container directory for temporary files, extensions' work areas, and intermediate registration data. The default is working under your installation root.
Take care for that change if you run your own routine to delete obsolete session files, which will now be found under working/tmp/cgisess*.
New Internal Admin Login
TWiki 4.2 introduces a new Internal Admin Login feature which uses "admin" (configurable) as username and the password used for configure to become temporary administrator. When you do a new installation you need to use this feature as Main.TWikiAdminGroup is now access restricted by default to avoid security attacks during the hours an installation may take. From configure there is a link to the TWikiAdminGroup topic and on TWikiAdminGroup the step by step instructions are written in a yellow box. Our advice is not to remove this help text in case you need it later.
Important Changes since TWiki-5.0.0
New TopMenuSkin
The TopMenuSkin adds pulldown menus for better usability and corporate/modern look&feel. This skin is based on the PatternSkin, which used the WebLeftBar in each web for navigation. The TopMenuSkin has a new WebTopBar that defines the menu structure in each web. A default menu is shown in case WebTopBar is missing in a web, so you do not need to add a WebTopBar topic to all your existing webs. See TopMenuSkin#WebSpecific instructions in case you need a customized menu structure in a specific web.
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TWiki User Authentication
TWiki site access control and user activity tracking options
Overview
Authentication, or "login", is the process by which a user lets TWiki know who they are.
Authentication isn't just to do with access control. TWiki uses authentication to identify users, so it can keep track of who made changes, and manage a wide range of personal settings. With authentication enabled, users can personalise TWiki and contribute as recognised individuals, instead of shadows.
TWiki authentication is very flexible, and can either stand alone or integrate with existing authentication schemes. You can set up TWiki to require authentication for every access, or only for changes. Authentication is also essential for access control.
Quick Authentication Test - Use the %USERINFO% variable to return your current identity:
TWiki user authentication is split into four sections; password management, user mapping, user registration, and login management. Password management deals with how users personal data is stored. Registration deals with how new users are added to the wiki. Login management deals with how users log in.
Once a user is logged on, they can be remembered using a Client Session stored in a cookie in the browser (or by other less elegant means if the user has disabled cookies). This avoids them having to log on again and again.
TWiki user authentication is configured through the Security Settings pane in the configure interface.
Please note FileAttachments are not protected by TWiki User Authentication.
Tip:TWiki:TWiki.TWikiUserAuthenticationSupplement on TWiki.org has supplemental documentation on user authentication.
Password Management
As shipped, TWiki supports the Apache 'htpasswd' password manager. This manager supports the use of .htpasswd files on the server. These files can be unique to TWiki, or can be shared with other applications (such as an Apache webserver). A variety of password encodings are supported for flexibility when re-using existing files. See the descriptive comments in the Security Settings section of the configure interface for more details.
You can easily plug in alternate password management modules to support interfaces to other third-party authentication databases.
User Mapping
Often when you are using an external authentication method, you want to map from an unfriendly "login name" to a more friendly WikiName. Also, an external authentication database may well have user information you want to import to TWiki, such as user groups.
By default, TWiki supports mapping of usernames to wikinames, and supports TWiki groups internal to TWiki. If you want, you can plug in an alternate user mapping module to support import of groups etc.
User Registration
New user registration uses the password manager to set and change passwords and store email addresses. It is also responsible for the new user verification process. the registration process supports single user registration via the TWikiRegistration page, and bulk user registration via the BulkRegistration page (for admins only).
The registration process is also responsible for creating user topics, and setting up the mapping information used by the User Mapping support.
Note: If you are restricting the entire Main web to TWikiGuest, you are required to add TWikiRegistrationAgent to ALLOWWEBCHANGE in your Main/WebPreferences. By doing so, new users are able to register without any errors.
Login Management
Login management controls the way users have to log in. There are three basic options; no login, login via a TWiki login page, and login using the webserver authentication support.
No Login (select none in configure)
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Forget about authentication to make your site completely public - anyone can browse and edit freely, in classic Wiki style. All visitors are given the TWikiGuest default identity, so you can't track individual user activity.
Note: This setup is not recommended on public websites for security reasons; anyone would be able to change system settings and perform tasks usually restricted to administrators.
Template Login (select TWiki::LoginManager::TemplateLogin in configure)
Template Login asks for a username and password in a web page, and processes them using whatever Password Manager you choose. Users can log in and log out. Client Sessions are used to remember users. Users can choose to have their session remembered so they will automatically be logged in the next time they start their browser.
select the TWiki::LoginManager::TemplateLogin login manager (on the Security Settings pane).
select the appropriate password manager for your system, or provide your own.
there is also an EXPERT configure setting {TemplateLogin}{PreventBrowserRememberingPassword} that you can set to prevent Browsers from remembering username and passwords if you are concerned about public terminal usage.
Register yourself in the TWikiRegistration topic. Check that the password manager recognises the new user. If you are using .htpasswd files, check that a new line with the username and encrypted password is added to the .htpasswd file. If not, you probably got a path wrong, or the permissions may not allow the webserver user to write to that file.
Create a new topic to check if authentication works.
Edit the TWikiAdminGroup topic in the Main web to include users with system administrator status. This is a very important step, as users in this group can access all topics, independent of TWiki access controls.
TWikiAccessControl has more information on setting up access controls.
At this time TWikiAccessControls cannot control access to files in the pub area, unless they are only accessed through the viewfile script. If your pub directory is set up in the webserver to allow open access you may want to add .htaccess files in there to restrict access.
You can create a custom version of the TWikiRegistration form by copying the topic, and then deleting or adding input tags in your copy. The name="" parameter of the input tags must start with: "Twk0..." (if this is an optional entry), or "Twk1..." (if this is a required entry). This ensures that the fields are carried over into the user home page correctly. Do not modify the version of TWikiRegistration shipped with TWiki, as your changes will be overwritten next time you upgrade.
The default new user template page is in System.NewUserTemplate. The same variables get expanded as in the template topics. You can create a custom new user home page by creating the Main.NewUserTemplate topic, which will then override the default.
Apache Login (select TWiki::LoginManager::ApacheLogin in configure)
Using this method TWiki does not authenticate users internally. Instead it depends on the REMOTE_USER environment variable, which is set when you enable authentication in the webserver.
The advantage of this scheme is that if you have an existing website authentication scheme using Apache modules such as mod_auth_ldap or mod_auth_mysql you can just plug in directly to them.
The disadvantage is that because the user identity is cached in the browser, you can log in, but you can't log out again unless you restart the browser.
TWiki maps the REMOTE_USER that was used to log in to the webserver to a WikiName using the table in TWikiUsers. This table is updated whenever a user registers, so users can choose not to register (in which case their webserver login name is used for their signature) or register (in which case that login name is mapped to their WikiName).
The same private .htpasswd file used in TWiki Template Login can be used to authenticate Apache users, using the Apache Basic Authentication support.
Warning: Do not use the Apache htpasswd program with .htpasswd files generated by TWiki! htpasswd wipes out email addresses that TWiki plants in the info fields of this file.
Enabling Apache Login using mod_auth
You can use any other Apache authentication module that sets REMOTE_USER.
Use configure to select the TWiki::LoginManager::ApacheLogin login manager.
Use configure to set up TWiki to create the right kind of .htpasswd entries.
Create a .htaccess file in the twiki/bin directory. There is an template for this file in twiki/bin/.htaccess.txt that you can copy and change. The comments in the file explain what need to be done. If you got it right, the browser should now ask for login name and password when you click on the Edit. If .htaccess does not have the desired effect, you may need to "AllowOverride All" for the directory in httpd.conf (if you have root access; otherwise, e-mail web server support) At this time TWikiAccessControls do not control access to files in the pub area, unless they are only accessed through the viewfile script. If your pub directory is set up to allow open access you may want to add .htaccess files in there as well to restrict access
You can create a custom version of the TWikiRegistration form by copying the default topic, and then deleting or adding input tags in your copy. The name="" parameter of the input tags must start with: "Twk0..." (if this is an optional entry), or "Twk1..." (if this is a required entry). This ensures that the fields are carried over into the user home page correctly. Do not modify the version of TWikiRegistration shipped with TWiki, as your changes will be overwritten next time you upgrade. The default new user template page is in System.NewUserTemplate. The same variables get expanded as in the template topics. You can create a custom new user home page by creating the Main.NewUserTemplate topic, which will then override the default.
Register yourself in the TWikiRegistration topic. Check that a new line with the username and encrypted password is added to the .htpasswd file. If not, you may have got a path wrong, or the permissions may not allow the webserver user to write to that file.
Create a new topic to check if authentication works.
Edit the TWikiAdminGroup topic in the Main web to include users with system administrator status. This is a very important step, as users in this group can access all topics, independent of TWiki access controls.
Any time a user requests a page that needs authentication, they will be forced to log on. It may be convenient to have a "logon" link as well, to give the system a chance to identify the user and retrieve their personal settings. It may be convenient to force them to log on.
The bin/logon script enables this. If you are using Apache Login, the bin/logon script must be setup in the bin/.htaccess file to be a script which requires a valid user. Once authenticated, it will redirect the user to the view URL for the page from which the logon script was linked.
Sessions
TWiki uses the CPAN:CGI::Session and CPAN:CGI::Cookie modules to track sessions. These modules are de facto standards for session management among Perl programmers. If you can't use Cookies for any reason, CPAN:CGI::Session also supports session tracking using the client IP address.
You don't have to enable sessions to support logins in TWiki. However it is strongly recommended. TWiki needs some way to remember the fact that you logged in from a particular browser, and it uses sessions to do this. If you don;t enable sessions, TWiki will try hard to remember you, but due to limitations in the browsers it may also forget you (and then suddenly remember you again later!). So for the best user experience, you should enable sessions.
There are a number of TWikiVariables available that you can use to interrogate your current session. You can even add your own session variables to the TWiki cookie. Session variables are referred to as "sticky" variables.
Getting, Setting, and Clearing Session Variables
You can get, set, and clear session variables from within TWiki web pages or by using script parameters. This allows you to use the session as a personal "persistent memory space" that is not lost until the web browser is closed. Also note that if a session variable has the same name as a TWiki preference, the session variables value takes precedence over the TWiki preference. This allows for per-session preferences.
To make use of these features, use the tags:
Note that you cannot override access controls preferences this way.
Cookies and Transparent Session IDs
TWiki normally uses cookies to store session information on a client computer. Cookies are a common way to pass session information from client to server. TWiki cookies simply hold a unique session identifier that is used to look up a database of session information on the TWiki server.
For a number of reasons, it may not be possible to use cookies. In this case, TWiki has a fallback mechanism; it will automatically rewrite every internal URL it sees on pages being generated to one that also passes session information.
TWiki Username vs. Login Username
This section applies only if you are using authentication with existing login names (i.e. mapping from login names to WikiNames).
Foswiki internally manages two usernames: Login Username and TWiki Username.
Login Username: When you login to the intranet, you use your existing login username, ex: pthoeny. This name is normally passed to TWiki by the REMOTE_USER environment variable, and used internally. Login Usernames are maintained by your system administrator.
TWiki Username: Your name in WikiNotation, ex: PeterThoeny, is recorded when you register using TWikiRegistration; doing so also generates a personal home page in the Main web.
TWiki can automatically map an Intranet (Login) Username to a TWiki Username if the {AllowLoginName} is enabled in configure. The default is to use your WikiName as a login name.
NOTE:To correctly enter a WikiName - your own or someone else's - be sure to include the Main web name in front of the Wiki username, followed by a period, and no spaces, for example Main.WikiUsername or %USERSWEB%.WikiUsername.
This points WikiUsername to the Main web, where user home pages are located, no matter which web it's entered in. Without the web prefix, the name appears as a NewTopic everywhere but in the Main web.
Changing Passwords
If your {PasswordManager} supports password changing, you can change and reset passwords using forms on regular pages.
If the active {PasswordManager} supports storage and retrieval of user e-mail addresses, you can change your e-mail using a regular page. As shipped, this is true only for the Apache 'htpasswd' password manager.
You may want to add or remove scripts from the list of scripts that require authentication. The method for doing this is different for each of Template Login and Apache Login.
For Template Login, update the {AuthScripts} list using configure
For Apache Login, add/remove the script from .htaccess
How to choose an authentication method
One of the key features of TWiki is that it is possible to add HTML to topics. No authentication method is 100% secure on a website where end users can add HTML, as there is always a risk that a malicious user can add code to a topic that gathers user information, such as session IDs. The TWiki developers have been forced to make certain tradeoffs, in the pursuit of efficiency, that may be exploited by a hacker.
This section discusses some of the known risks. You can be sure that any potential hackers have read this section as well!
At one extreme, the most secure method is to use TWiki via SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), with a login manager installed and Client Sessions turned off.
Using TWiki with sessions turned off is a pain, though, as with all the login managers there are occasions where TWiki will forget who you are. The best user experience is achieved with sessions turned on.
As soon as you allow the server to maintain information about a logged-in user, you open a door to potential attacks. There are a variety of ways a malicious user can pervert TWiki to obtain another users session ID, the most common of which is known as a cross-site scripting attack. Once a hacker has an SID they can pretend to be that user.
To help prevent these sorts of attacks, TWiki supports IP matching, which ensures that the IP address of the user requesting a specific session is the same as the IP address of the user who created the session. This works well as long as IP addresses are unique to each client, and as long as the IP address of the client can't be faked.
Session IDs are usually stored by TWiki in cookies, which are stored in the client browser. Cookies work well, but not all environments or users permit cookies to be stored in browsers. So TWiki also supports two other methods of determining the session ID. The first method uses the client IP address to determine the session ID. The second uses a rewriting method that rewrites local URLs in TWiki pages to include the session ID in the URL.
The first method works well as long as IP addresses are unique to each individual client, and client IP addresses can't be faked by a hacker. If IP addresses are unique and can't be faked, it is almost as secure as cookies + IP matching, so it ranks as the fourth most secure method.
If you have to turn IP matching off, and cookies can't be relied on, then you may have to rely on the second method, URL rewriting. This method exposes the session IDs very publicly, so should be regarded as "rather dodgy".
Most TWiki sites don't use SSL, so, as is the case with most sites that don't use SSL, there is always a possibility that a password could be picked out of the aether. Browsers do not encrypt passwords sent over non-SSL links, so using Apache Login is no more secure than Template Login.
Of the two shipped login managers, Apache Login is probably the most useful. It lets you do this sort of thing:
wget --http-user=RogerRabbit --http-password=i'mnottelling http://www.example.com/bin/save/Sandbox/StuffAUTOINC0?text=hohoho,%20this%20is%20interesting
i.e. pass in a user and password to a request from the command-line. However it doesn't let you log out.
Template Login degrades to url re-writing when you use a client like dillo that does not support cookies. However, you can log out and back in as a different user.
Finally, it would be really neat if someone was to work out how to use certificates to identify users.....
See TWiki:TWiki.SecuringTWikiSite for more information.
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TWiki Access Control
Restricting read and write access to topics and webs, by Users and groups
TWiki Access Control allows you restrict access to single topics and entire webs, by individual user and by user Groups. Access control, combined with TWikiUserAuthentication, lets you easily create and manage an extremely flexible, fine-grained privilege system.
Tip:TWiki:TWiki.TWikiAccessControlSupplement on TWiki.org has additional documentation on access control.
An Important Control Consideration
Open, freeform editing is the essence of WikiCulture - what makes TWiki different and often more effective than other collaboration tools. For that reason, it is strongly recommended that decisions to restrict read or write access to a web or a topic are made with great care - the more restrictions, the less Wiki in the mix. Experience shows that unrestricted write access works very well because:
Peer influence is enough to ensure that only relevant content is posted.
Peer editing - the ability for anyone to rearrange all content on a page - keeps topics focused.
In TWiki, content is transparently preserved under revision control:
Authentication: Identifies who a user is based on a login procedure. See TWikiUserAuthentication.
Access control: Restrict access to content based on users and groups once a user is identified.
Users and Groups
Access control is based on the familiar concept of Users and Groups. Users are defined by their WikiNames. They can then be organized in unlimited combinations by inclusion in one or more user Groups. For convenience, Groups can also be included in other Groups.
Managing Users
A user can create an account in TWikiRegistration. The following actions are performed:
WikiName and encrypted password are recorded using the password manager if authentication is enabled.
A confirmation e-mail is sent to the user.
A user home page with the WikiName of the user is created in the Main web.
The default visitor name is TWikiGuest. This is the non-authenticated user.
Managing Groups
The following describes the standard TWiki support for groups. Your local TWiki may have an alternate group mapping manager installed. Check with your TWiki administrator if you are in doubt.
Groups are defined by group topics located in the Main web. To create a new group, visit TWikiGroups and enter the name of the new group ending in Group into the "new group" form field. This will create a new group topic with two important settings:
Set GROUP = < list of Users and/or Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of Users and/or Groups >
The GROUP setting is a comma-separated list of users and/or other groups. Example:
Set GROUP = Main.SomeUser, Main.OtherUser, Main.SomeGroup
The ALLOWTOPICCHANGE setting defines who is allowed to change the group topic; it is a comma delimited list of users and groups. You typically want to restrict that to the members of the group itself, so it should contain the name of the topic. This prevents users not in the group from editing the topic to give themselves or others access. For example, for the KasabianGroup topic write:
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.KasabianGroup
Note: TWiki has strict formatting rules. Make sure you have three spaces, an asterisk, and an extra space in front of any access control rule.
The Super Admin Group
A number of TWiki functions (for example, renaming webs) are only available to administrators. Administrators are simply users who belong to the SuperAdminGroup. This is a standard user group, the name of which is defined by {SuperAdminGroup} setting in configure. The default name of this group is the TWikiAdminGroup. The system administrator may have chosen a different name for this group if your local TWiki uses an alternate group mapping manager but for simplicity we will use the default name TWikiAdminGroup in the rest of this topic.
You can create new administrators simply by adding them to the TWikiAdminGroup topic. For example,
Set GROUP = Main.ElizabethWindsor, Main.TonyBlair
A member of the Super Admin Group has unrestricted access throughout the TWiki, so only trusted staff should be added to this group.
Restricting Access
You can define who is allowed to read or write to a web or a topic. Note that some plugins may not respect access permissions.
Restricting VIEW blocks viewing and searching of content. When you restric VIEW to a topic or web, this also restricts INCLUDE and Formatted SEARCH from showing the content of the topics.
Restricting CHANGE blocks creating new topics, changing topics or attaching files.
Restricting RENAME prevents renaming of topics within a web.
Note that there is an important distinction between CHANGE access and RENAME access. A user can CHANGE a topic, but thanks to version control their changes cannot be lost (the history of the topic before the change is recorded). However if a topic or web is renamed, that history may be lost. Typically a site will only give RENAME access to administrators and content owners.
Controlling access to a Web
You can define restrictions on who is allowed to view a Foswiki web. You can restrict access to certain webs to selected Users and Groups, by:
authenticating all webs and restricting selected webs: Topic access in all webs is authenticated, and selected webs have restricted access.
authenticating and restricting selected webs only: Provide unrestricted viewing access to open webs, with authentication and restriction only on selected webs.
You can define these settings in the WebPreferences topic, preferable towards the end of the topic:
Set DENYWEBVIEW = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set DENYWEBCHANGE = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBCHANGE = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set DENYWEBRENAME = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBRENAME = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
If your site allows hierarchical webs, then access to sub-webs is determined from the access controls of the parent web, plus the access controls in the sub-web. So, if the parent web has ALLOWWEBVIEW set, this will also apply to the subweb. Also note that you will need to ensure that the parent web's FINALPREFERENCES does not include the access control settings listed above. Otherwise you will not be able override the parent web's access control settings in sub-webs.
Creation and renaming of sub-webs is controlled by the WEBCHANGE setting on the parent web (or ROOTCHANGE for root webs). Renaming is additionally restricted by the setting of WEBRENAME in the web itself.
Note: If you restrict access to the Main, make sure to add the TWikiRegistrationAgent so that users can register. Example:
Set ALLOWWEBCHANGE = TWikiAdminGroup, TWikiRegistrationAgent
Note: For Web level access rights Setting any of these settings to an empty value has the same effect as not setting them at all. Please note that the documentation of TWiki 4.0 and earlier versions of TWiki 4.1 did not reflect the actual implementation, e.g. an empty ALLOWWEBVIEW does not prevent anyone from viewing the web, and an an empty DENYWEBVIEW does not allow all to view the web.
Controlling access to a Topic
You can define these settings in any topic, preferable towards the end of the topic:
Set DENYTOPICVIEW = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICVIEW = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set DENYTOPICRENAME = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Remember when opening up access to specific topics within a restricted web that other topics in the web - for example, the WebLeftBar - may also be accessed when viewing the topics. The message you get when you are denied access should tell you what topic you were not permitted to access.
Be careful with empty values for any of these.
Set ALLOWTOPICVIEW = This means the same as not setting it at all. (This was documented wrong in versions 4.0.X, 4.1.0 and 4.1.1)
Set DENYTOPICVIEW = Since TWiki 4.0 this means do not deny anyone the right to view this topic. If DENYTOPICVIEW is set to an empty value anyone has access even if ALLOWTOPICVIEW or ALLOWWEBVIEW is defined. This allows to have very restrictive default access rights to an entire web and still allow individual topics to have more open access.
The same rules apply to ALLOWTOPICCHANGE/DENYTOPICCHANGE and APPLYTOPICRENAME/DENYTOPICRENAME. Setting ALLOWTOPICCHANGE or ALLOWTOPICRENAME to en empty value means the same as not defining it. Setting DENYTOPICCHANGE or DENYTOPICRENAME to an empty value means that anyone can edit or rename the topic.
If the same setting is defined multiple times the last one overrides the previous. They are not OR'ed together.
The setting to an empty has caused confusion and great debate and it has been decided that the empty setting syntax will be replaced by something which is easier to understand in a later version of TWiki. A method to upgrade will be provided. Please read the release notes carefully when you upgrade.
See "How TWiki evaluates ALLOW/DENY settings" below for more on how ALLOW and DENY interacts.
Securing File Attachments
By default, TWiki does not secure file attachments. Without making the following changes to the twiki.conf file, it is possible for anyone who has access to the server to gain access to an attachment if they know the attachment's fully qualified path, even though access to the topic associated with the attachment is secured. This is because attachments are referred to directly by Apache, and are not by default delivered via TWiki scripts. This means that the above instructions for controlling to topics do not apply to attachments unless you make the changes as described below.
An effective way to secure attachments is to apply the same access control settings to attachments as those applied to topics. This security enhancement can be accomplished by instructing the webserver via Apache's mod_rewrite module to redirect accesses to attachments via the TWiki viewfile script, which honors the TWiki access controls settings to topics.
The preferred method to secure attachments is by editing the twiki.conf file to include:
ScriptAlias /twiki/bin/ /filesystem/path/to/twiki/bin/
Alias /twiki/pub/ /filesystem/path/to/twiki/pub/
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/+twiki/+pub/+(TWiki|Sandbox)/+.+
RewriteRule ^/+twiki/+pub/+(.*)$ /twiki/bin/viewfile/$1 [L,PT]
You will need to restart your Apache server after this change.
Images embedded in topics will load slower since attached images will also be delivered by the viewfile script. The TWiki web and Sandbox web are excluded for performance reasons.
As an alternative to editing the twiki.conf file used by Apache, you can make the same change directly to the .htaccess file in the /twiki/bin directory.
The viewfile script sets the mime type based upon file name suffix. Unknown types are served as text/plain which can result in corrupt files.
Controlling who can manage top-level webs
Top level webs are a special case, because they don't have a parent web with a WebPreferences. So there has to be a special control just for the root level.
You can define these settings in the Main.%TWIKIPREFSTOPIC% topic, preferable towards the end of the topic:
Set DENYROOTCHANGE = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWROOTCHANGE = < comma-delimited list of Users and Groups >
Note that you do not require ROOTCHANGE access to rename an existing top-level web. You just need WEBCHANGE in the web itself.
How TWiki evaluates ALLOW/DENY settings
When deciding whether to grant access, TWiki evaluates the following rules in order (read from the top of the list; if the logic arrives at PERMITTED or DENIED that applies immediately and no more rules are applied). You need to read the rules bearing in mind that VIEW, CHANGE and RENAME access may be granted/denied separately.
If DENYTOPIC is set to empty ( i.e. Set DENYTOPIC = )
access is PERMITTEDi.e no-one is denied access to this topic. Attention: Use this with caution. This is deprecated and will likely change in the next release.
If ALLOWTOPIC is set
people in the list are PERMITTED
everyone else is DENIED
If DENYWEB is set to a list of wikinames
people in the list are DENIED access
If ALLOWWEB is set to a list of wikinames
people in the list will be PERMITTED
everyone else will be DENIED
If you got this far, access is PERMITTED
Access control and INCLUDE
ALLOWTOPICVIEW and ALLOWTOPICCHANGE only applies to the topic in which the settings are defined. If a topic A includes another topic B, topic A does not inherit the access rights of the included topic B.
Examples: Topic A includes topic B
If the included topic B has ALLOWTOPICCHANGE set to block editing for a user, it does not prevent editing the including topic A.
If the included topic B has ALLOWTOPICVIEW set to block view for a user, the user can still view topic A but he cannot see the included topic B. He will see a message No permission to view B
Access Control quick recipes
Obfuscating Webs
Another way of hiding webs is to keep them hidden by not publishing the URL and by preventing the all webs search option from accessing obfuscated webs. Do so by enabling the NOSEARCHALL variable in WebPreferences:
Set NOSEARCHALL = on
This setup can be useful to hide a new web until content its ready for deployment, or to hide view access restricted webs.
Note: Obfuscating a web without view access control is very insecure, as anyone who knows the URL can access the web.
Restrict Access to Whole TWiki Site
For a firewalled TWiki, e.g. an intranet wiki or extranet wiki, you want to allow only invited people to access your TWiki. In this case, enable user authentication with ApacheLogin and lock down access to the whole twiki/bin and twiki/pub directories to all but valid users. In the Apache .htaccess file or the appropriate .conf file, replace the <FilesMatch "(attach|edit|... section with this:
If needed, you can further restrict access to selected webs with ALLOWWEBVIEW and other access control settings.
Note: With this configuration, someone with access to the site needs to register new users.
Authenticate all Webs and Restrict Selected Webs
Use the following setup to authenticate users for topic viewing in all webs and to restrict access to selected webs. Requires TWikiUserAuthentication to be enabled.
Set require valid-user on your view script in .htaccess or the appropriate Apache .conf file. As of 4.x, this looks like: FilesMatch "(attach|edit|manage|rename|save|view|upload|mail|logon|.*auth).*" (normally view is not in that list).
Restrict view access to selected Users and Groups. Set one or both of these variables in its WebPreferences topic:
Set DENYWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Note:DENYWEBVIEW is evaluated before ALLOWWEBVIEW. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYWEBVIEW list, or not in the ALLOWWEBVIEW list. Access is granted if DENYWEBVIEW and ALLOWWEBVIEW are not defined.
Use the following setup to provide unrestricted viewing access to open webs, with authentication only on selected webs. Requires TWikiUserAuthentication to be enabled.
Restrict view access to selected Users and Groups. Set one or both of these variables in its WebPreferences topic:
Set DENYWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < list of Users and Groups >
Note:DENYWEBVIEW is evaluated before ALLOWWEBVIEW. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYWEBVIEW list, or not in the ALLOWWEBVIEW list. Access is granted if DENYWEBVIEW and ALLOWWEBVIEW are not defined.
Hide Control Settings
Tip: To hide access control settings from normal browser viewing, you can put them into the topic preference settings by clicking the link Edit topic preference settings under More topic actions menu. Preferences set in this manner are not visible in the topic text, but take effect nevertheless. Access control settings added as topic preference settings are stored in the topic meta data and they override settings defined in the topic text.
Alternatively, place them in HTML comment markers, but this exposes the access setting during ordinary editing.
Working in TWiki is as easy as typing in text. You don't need to know HTML, though you can use it if you prefer. Links to topics are created automatically when you enter WikiWords. And TWiki shorthand gives you all the power of HTML with a simple coding system that takes no time to learn. It's all laid out below.
TWiki Editing Shorthand
Formatting Command:
You write:
You get:
Paragraphs:
Blank lines will create new paragraphs.
1st paragraph
2nd paragraph
1st paragraph
2nd paragraph
Headings:
Three or more dashes at the beginning of a line, followed by plus signs and the heading text. One plus creates a top level heading, two pluses a second level heading, etc. The maximum heading depth is 6.
You can create a table of contents with the %TOC% variable. If you want to exclude a heading from the TOC, put !! after the ---+.
Empty headings are allowed, but won't appear in the table of contents.
---++ Sushi
---+++ Maguro
---+++!! Not in TOC
Sushi
Maguro
Not in TOC
Bold Text:
Words get shown in bold by enclosing them in * asterisks.
*Bold*
Bold
Italic Text:
Words get shown in italic by enclosing them in _ underscores.
_Italic_
Italic
Bold Italic:
Words get shown in bold italic by enclosing them in __ double-underscores.
__Bold italic__
Bold italic
Fixed Font:
Words get shown in fixed font by enclosing them in = equal signs.
=Fixed font=
Fixed font
Bold Fixed Font:
Words get shown in bold fixed font by enclosing them in double equal signs.
==Bold fixed==
Bold fixed
You can follow the closing bold, italic, or other (* _ __ = ==) indicator
with normal punctuation, such as commas and full stops.
Make sure there is no space between the text and the indicators.
_This works_,
_this does not _
This works,
_this does not _
Verbatim (Literal) Text:
Surround code excerpts and other formatted text with <verbatim> and </verbatim> tags. verbatim tags disable HTML code. Use <pre> and </pre> tags instead if you want the HTML code within the tags to be interpreted. NOTE: Preferences variables (* Set NAME = value) are set within verbatim tags.
Separator (Horizontal Rule):
Three or more three dashes at the beginning of a line..
-------
Bulleted List:
Multiple of three spaces, an asterisk, and another space. For all the list types, you can break a list item over several lines by indenting lines after the first one by at least 3 spaces.
* level 1
* level 2
* back on 1
* A bullet
broken over
three lines
* last bullet
level 1
level 2
back on 1
A bullet broken over three lines
last bullet
Numbered List:
Multiple of three spaces, a type character, a dot, and another space. Several types are available besides a number:
1. Sushi
1. Dim Sum
1. Fondue
A. Sushi
A. Dim Sum
A. Fondue
i. Sushi
i. Dim Sum
i. Fondue
Sushi
Dim Sum
Fondue
Sushi
Dim Sum
Fondue
Sushi
Dim Sum
Fondue
Definition List:
Three spaces, a dollar sign, the term, a colon, a space, followed by the definition.
Deprecated syntax: Three spaces, the term with no spaces, a colon, a space, followed by the definition.
$ Sushi: Japan
$ Dim Sum: S.F.
Sushi
Japan
Dim Sum
S.F.
Table:
Each row of the table is a line containing of one or more cells. Each cell starts and ends with a vertical bar '|'. Any spaces at the beginning of a line are ignored.
| *bold* | header cell with text in asterisks
| center-aligned | cell with at least two, and equal number of spaces on either side
| right-aligned | cell with more spaces on the left
| 2 colspan || and multi-span columns with multiple |'s right next to each other
|^| cell with caret indicating follow-up row of multi-span rows
You can split rows over multiple lines by putting a backslash '\' at the end of each line
Contents of table cells wrap automatically as determined by the browser
Use %VBAR% or | to add | characters in tables.
Use %CARET% or ^ to add ^ characters in tables.
The TablePlugin provides the |^| multiple-span row functionality and additional rendering features
WikiWord Links:
CapitalizedWordsStuckTogether (or WikiWords) will produce a link automatically if preceded by whitespace or parenthesis. If you want to link to a topic in a different web write Otherweb.TopicName.
To link to a topic in a subweb write Otherweb.Subweb.TopicName. The link label excludes the name of the web, e.g. only the topic name is shown. As an exception, the name of the web is shown for the WebHome topic. Dots '.' are used to separate webs and subwebs from topic names and therefore cannot be used in topic names.
It's generally a good idea to use the TWikiVariables %SYSTEMWEB% and %USERSWEB% instead of TWiki and Main.
Anchors:
You can define a reference inside a TWiki topic (called an anchor name) and link to that. To define an anchor write #AnchorName at the beginning of a line. The anchor name must be a WikiWord of no more than 32 characters. To link to an anchor name use the [[MyTopic#MyAnchor]] syntax. You can omit the topic name if you want to link within the same topic.
[[WikiWord#NotThere]]
[[#MyAnchor][Jump]]
#MyAnchor To here
Forced Links:
You can create a forced internal link by enclosing words in double square brackets.
Text within the brackets may contain optional spaces; the topic name is formed by capitalizing the initial letter and by removing the spaces; for example, [[text formatting FAQ]] links to topic TextFormattingFAQ. You can also refer to a different web and use anchors.
To "escape" double square brackets that would otherwise make a link, prefix the leading left square bracket with an exclamation point.
Specific Links:
You can create a link where you specify the link text and the URL separately using nested square brackets [[reference][text]]. Internal link references (e.g. WikiSyntax) and URLs (e.g. http://TWiki.org/) are both supported.
The rules described under Forced Links apply for internal link references.
Anchor names can be added as well, to create a link to a specific place in a topic.
Prevent a Link:
Prevent a WikiWord from being linked by prepending it with an exclamation point.
!SunOS
SunOS
Disable Links:
You can disable automatic linking of WikiWords by surrounding text with <noautolink> and </noautolink> tags. It is possible to turn off all auto-linking with a NOAUTOLINK preferences setting.
<noautolink>
RedHat & SuSE
</noautolink>
RedHat & SuSE
Mailto Links:
E-mail addresses are linked automatically. To create e-mail links that have more descriptive link text, specify subject lines or message bodies, or omit the e-mail address, you can write [[mailto:user@domain][descriptive text]].
Literal content:
TWiki generates HTML code from TWiki shorthand.
Experts surround anything that must be output literally in the HTML code, without the application of
TWiki shorthand rules, with <literal>..</literal> tags. any HTML
within literal tags must be well formed i.e. all tags must be properly closed before
the end of the literal block. TWiki Variables are expanded within literal blocks.
<literal>
| Not | A | Table |
<literal>
| Not | A | Table |
Protected content: Experts protect text from mangling by WYSIWYG editors using
<sticky>..</sticky> tags. Sticky tags don't have any effect on normal
topic display; they are only relevant when content has to be
protected from a WYSIWYG editor (usually because it isn't well-formed HTML, or because it
is HTML that WYSIWYG would normally filter out or modify). Protected
content appears as plain text in the WYSIWYG editor.
<sticky>
<div>
This div is required
</div>
</sticky>
This div is required
Using HTML, CSS and JavaScript
You can use most HTML tags in topics without a problem. This is useful where you want to
add some content that is formatted in a way that is not supported using wiki syntax, for example,
you can write <strike>deleted text</strike> to get deleted text.
There are a few usability and technical considerations to keep in mind:
On collaboration pages, it's better not to use HTML, but to use wiki syntax instead - this keeps the text uncluttered and easy to edit using the plaintext editor.
Use <literal>..</literal> tags around blocks of HTML to avoid accidental interpretation of Wiki syntax within the HTML.
Script tags may be filtered out, at the discretion of your Wiki administrator.
Recommendations when pasting HTML from other sources (using the plain-text editor):
Copy only text between <body> and </body> tags.
Remove all empty lines. Foswiki inserts <p /> paragraph tags on empty lines, which causes problems if done between HTML tags that do not allow paragraph tags, like for example between table tags.
Remove leading spaces. Foswiki might interpret some text as lists.
Do not span a tag over more than one line. Foswiki requires that the opening and closing angle brackets - <...> - of a HTML tag are on the same line, or the tag will be broken.
In your HTML editing program, save without hard line breaks on text wrap.
When using a WYSIWYG editor, you can just copy-paste directly into the editor, and the content will
be converted to wiki syntax automatically when you save.
Hyperlinks
Being able to create links without any special formatting is a core TWiki feature, made possible with WikiWords and inline URLs.
Internal Links
GoodStyle is a WikiWord that links to the GoodStyle topic located in the current web.
NotExistingYet is a topic waiting to be written because it is a red-link. Create the topic by clicking on the link. (Try clicking, but then, Cancel - creating the topic would wreck this example!)
External Links
http://..., https://..., ftp://..., gopher://..., news://..., file://..., telnet://... and mailto:...@... are linked automatically.
E-mail addresses like name@domain.com are linked automatically.
You can also write [[http://yahoo.com Yahoo home page]] as an easier way of doing external links with descriptive text for the link, such as http://yahoo.com/ Yahoo home page.
TWiki Variables
TWiki Variables are names enclosed in percent signs that are that are expanded to some other text when the topic is displayed. For example, %TOPIC% is expanded to TWikiVariablesQuickStart. Some variables can take arguments in curly braces - for example, %INCLUDE{"OtherTopic" ARG="arg"}%.
Many TWiki variables are built-in, and others are predefined for your convenience. TWikiVariables describes how you can also define your own TWiki Variables at the entire site, individual web, or individual topic level. Variables are fully expanded before any of the TWiki text formatting rules are applied.
Commonly used variables:
%TOC% : Automatically generates a table of contents based on headings in a topic - see the top of this page for an example.
%WEB% : The current web, is System.
%TOPIC% : The current topic name, is TWikiVariablesQuickStart.
%ATTACHURL% : The attachment URL of the current topic. Example usage: If you attach a file to a topic you can refer to it as %ATTACHURL%/image.gif to show the URL of the file or the image in your text.
%INCLUDE{"SomeTopic"}% : Server side include, includes another topic. The current web is the default web. Example: %INCLUDE{"System.SiteMap"}%
%SEARCH{"sushi"}% : Inline search showing the search result embedded in a topic. FormattedSearch gives you control over formatting, used to create web-based applications.
Documentation Graphics: There are many graphics available to use in your topics. Use %ICON{"help"}%, %ICON{"tip"}%, and %ICON{"warning"}% to get: , , and , respectively.
To "escape" a variable, prefix it with an exclamation mark. Write: !%SOMEVARIABLE% to get: %SOMEVARIABLE%.
TWikiPlugin Formatting Extensions
Plugins can extend the functionality of TWiki into many other areas. There are a huge number of TWiki plugins available from the Plugins web on TWiki.org.
Currently enabled plugins on this TWiki installation, as listed by %PLUGINDESCRIPTIONS%:
SpreadSheetPlugin(19 Jul 2018, 1.24): Add spreadsheet calculations like "$SUM($ABOVE())" to Foswiki tables and other topic text
SlideShowPlugin(09 Mar 2021, 2.40): Create web based presentations based on topics with headings
AutoViewTemplatePlugin(2016-04-08, 1.24): Automatically sets VIEW_TEMPLATE and EDIT_TEMPLATE
CommentPlugin(06 Aug 2023, 2.95): Quickly post comments to a page without an edit/save cycle
PreferencesPlugin(1.16, 1.16): Allows editing of preferences using fields predefined in a form
RenderListPlugin(06 Aug 2023, 2.29): Render bullet lists in a variety of formats
SmiliesPlugin(17 Sep 2015, 2.03): Render smilies like as icons
SubscribePlugin(06 Aug 2023, 3.7): This is a companion plugin to the MailerContrib. It allows you to trivially add a "Subscribe me" link to topics to get subscribed to changes.
TablePlugin(22 Jan 2018, 1.160): Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
Check on current Plugin status and settings for this site in TWikiPreferences.
Common Editing Errors
TWiki formatting rules are fairly simple to use and quick to type. However, there are some things to watch out for, taken from the TextFormattingFAQ:
Q: Text enclosed in angle brackets like <filename> is not displayed. How can I show it as it is?
A: The '<' and '>' characters have a special meaning in HTML, they define HTML tags. You need to escape them, so write '<' instead of '<', and '>' instead of '>'. Example: Type 'prog <filename>' to get 'prog <filename>'.
Q: Why is the '&' character sometimes not displayed?
Special text strings expand on the fly to display user data or system info
TWikiVariables are text strings - %VARIABLE% or %VARIABLE{ parameter="value" }% - that expand into content whenever a topic is rendered for viewing. There are two types of variables:
Preferences variables: Can be defined and changed by the user
Predefined variables: Defined by the TWiki system or by plugins (for example, the SpreadSheetPlugin introduces a %CALC{}% variable)
Using Variables
To use a variable type its name. For example,
type %T% to get (a preferences variable)
type %TOPIC% to get TWikiVariables (a predefined variable)
type %CALC{ "$UPPER(Text)" }% to get TEXT (a variable defined by a plugin)
Note:
To leave a variable unexpanded, precede it with an exclamation point, e.g. type !%TOPIC% to get %TOPIC%
Variables are expanded relative to the topic they are used in, not the topic they are defined in
Type %ALLVARIABLES% to get a full listing of all variables defined for a particular topic
Variable Names
Variable names must start with a letter. The following characters can be letters, numbers and the underscore '_'. You can use both upper-case and lower-case letters and you can mix the characteres. E.g. %MYVAR%, %MyVar%, %My2ndVar%, and %My_Var% are all valid variable names. Variables are case sensitive. %MyVAR% and %MYVAR% are not the same variable.
By convention all settings, predefined variables and variables used by plugins are always UPPER-CASE.
Preferences Variables
Unlike predefined variables, preferences variables can be defined by the user in various places.
Setting Preferences Variables
You can set variables in all the following places:
Settings at higher-numbered levels override settings of the same variable at lower numbered levels, unless the variable was included in the setting of FINALPREFERENCES at a lower-numbered level, in which case it is locked at the value it has at that level.
If you are setting a variable and using it in the same topic, note that TWiki reads all the variable settings from the saved version of the topic before it displays anything. This means you can use a variable anywhere in the topic, even if you set it somewhere inconspicuous near the end. But beware: it also means that if you change the setting of a variable you are using in the same topic, preview will show the wrong thing, and you must save the topic to see it correctly.
The syntax for setting variables is the same anywhere in TWiki (on its own TWiki bullet line, including nested bullets): [multiple of 3 spaces] * [space] Set [space] VARIABLENAME [space] = [space] valueExamples:
* Set VARIABLENAME1 = value
* Set VARIABLENAME2 = value
Spaces between the = sign and the value will be ignored. You can split a value over several lines by indenting following lines with spaces - as long as you don't try to use * as the first character on the following line.
Example:
* Set VARIABLENAME = value starts here
and continues here
Whatever you include in your variable will be expanded on display, exactly as if it had been entered directly.
Example: Create a custom logo variable
To place a logo anywhere in a web by typing %MYLOGO%, define the Variable on the web's WebPreferences topic, and upload a logo file, ex: mylogo.gif. You can upload by attaching the file to WebPreferences, or, to avoid clutter, to any other topic in the same web, e.g. LogoTopic. Sample variable setting in WebPreferences:
* Set MYLOGO = %PUBURL%/%WEB%/LogoTopic/mylogo.gif
You can also set preferences variables on a topic by clicking the link Edit topic preference settings under More topic actions. Use the same * Set VARIABLENAME = value syntax. Preferences set in this manner are not visible in the topic text, but take effect nevertheless.
Access Control Variables
These are special types of preferences variables to control access to content. TWikiAccessControl explains these security settings in detail.
Local values for variables
Certain topics (a users home topic, web site and default preferences topics) have a problem; variables defined in those topics can have two meanings. For example, consider a user topic. A user may want to use a double-height edit box when they are editing their home topic - but only when editing their home topic. The rest of the time, they want to have a normal edit box. This separation is achieved using Local in place of Set in the variable definition. For example, if the user sets the following in their home topic:
* Set EDITBOXHEIGHT = 10
* Local EDITBOXHEIGHT = 20
Then when they are editing any other topic, they will get a 10 high edit box. However when they are editing their home topic, they will get a 20 high edit box. Local can be used wherever a preference needs to take a different value depending on where the current operation is being performed.
Use this powerful feature with great care! %ALLVARIABLES% can be used to get a listing of the values of all variables in their evaluation order, so you can see variable scope if you get confused.
Most predefined variables return values that were either set in the configuration when TWiki was installed, or taken from server info (such as current username, or date and time). Some, like %SEARCH%, are powerful and general tools.
Predefined variables can be overridden by preferences variables (except TOPIC and WEB)
Plugins may extend the set of predefined variables (see individual plugin topics for details)
Take the time to thoroughly read through ALL preference variables. If you actively configure your site, review variables periodically. They cover a wide range of functions, and it can be easy to miss the one perfect variable for something you have in mind. For example, see %INCLUDINGTOPIC%, %INCLUDE%, and the mighty %SEARCH%.
Search predefined variables
List of all predefined variables
This TWiki: - v2.1.6
ACTIVATEDPLUGINS -- list of currently activated plugins
comma-separated list of the names of zones that the content should be added to. The only zones guaranteed to exist are head, script and body.
head
id
identifier for the text being added with the ADDTOZONE call, to be used in the requires parameter of other ADDTOZONE calls. Multiple ADDTOZONE calls with the same id parameter will simply overwrite the earlier ADDTOZONE call.
requires
comma separated string of ids of text within this zone that this content should follow when the zone is rendered. The content will be rendered even if a specified id is missing.
text
text to be added to the named zone, mutually exclusive with topic.
topic
full qualified web.topic name that contains the text to be added, mutually exclusive with text.
Zones are specific places in the output HTML that are marked by calls to the
RENDERZONE macro. Zones are used to collect various content
together, such as Javascript and CSS, that must be included in the output HTML
in a specific order, and in a specific place.
There are three special zones called head, script and body. The head zone is rendered
as part of the HTML head section. It is the catch-all container for any content supposed
to be placed into the HTML head section, except Javascript, which is collected in the
script zone.
All Javascript must always be added to the script zone exclusively, in order to
grant ordering constraints among scripts are resolved properly. Never add Javascript to
the head zone -- never add non-Javascript content to the script zone.
Both head and script zones are added to the HTML head section automatically just before the
closing </head> tag as if they were specified explicitly in the skin templates using:
The body zone is added to the end of the rendered page just prior to the
closing <body> tag.
The body zone is new with Foswiki 2.1.5. It was
added for improved compatibility with the NatSkin.
You may create as many zones in addition to the standard head and script
zones as you like. For any non-standard zone specified in
ADDTOZONE you will also need to provide an appropriate
RENDERZONE.
Interesting use cases in wiki applications:
Create a sidebar zone to add widgets,
Create a toolbar zone to add buttons icons
Create a menu zone to add menu entries
Adding content to a zone
ADDTOZONE adds content to a zone identified with the id parameter.
An id identifier is unique within the zone that they are added to.
When the same id is used in multiple calls to ADDTOZONE the
last call will win, that is previous content of the same id will be overwritten.
Enforcing a linear order of content within a zone
An ADDTOZONE call may ensure that its content appears after the
content of some other ADDTOZONE calls by specifying their ids in
the requires parameter. The requires parameter constraints the linear order
of content added to a zone. When a zone is rendered, all ordering constraints
expressed via requires are satisfied. Those ids not found in a zone don't
have any influence on the final ordering. Missing ids aren't considered an error
rather than an over-specified ordering problem.
Working with {MergeHeadAndScriptZones} disabled (default)
In this mode, the head and script zones are treated separately.
Even when head and script zones are treated separately, the head zone will
always be rendered before the script zone, unless otherwise specified using RENDERZONE explicitly.
So any content in the script zone that depends on content placed into
the head zone is satisfied intrinsicly as they are both rendered as specified above.
Working with {MergeHeadAndScriptZones} enabled
In this mode, the head and script zones are separate when adding to them,
but may be treated as merged when you call RENDERZONE if
there are any dependencies specified that only exist in the opposite zone. This
allows an ADDTOZONE{"head"...} to to successfully require an id that has
been added to script.
{MergeHeadAndScriptZones} is provided to
maintain compatibility with legacy extensions that use
ADDTOHEAD to add <script> markup and require content
that is now in the script zone. {MergeHeadAndScriptZones} will be removed
from a future version of Foswiki.
Examples
Adding to a zone with missing dependencies
You must ensure that no head content (and no inline Javascript) depends on
script content. Any such dependency will be ignored.
In real world application this isn't a problem as Javascript is never added
to the head zone or Javascript zone part of the script zone never really
depends on non-Javascript content part of the head zone.
HTML comment decoration which normally appears after each id's
content in the rendered HTML will contain a small informative text to aid
debugging.
Example
Make sure that all inline Javascript code in the topic (if it is allowed)
is added to the page using %ADDTOZONE{"script"...requires="library-id"}%
with the appropriate library-id to guarantee a correct load order. For example, jQuery code should be added as follows:
where "MyApp::ShakePart" is a unique id to identify the text added to
script; and JQUERYPLUGIN::SHAKE signifies that the content added with that
identifier should appear beforehand.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
ATTACHURL -- full URL for attachments in the current topic
Shorthand for PUBURL, with path set to the current topic. Otherwise supports all the same parameters as PUBURL.
ATTACHURLPATH -- path of the attachment URL of the current topic
Shorthand for PUBURLPATH with path set to the current topic. Otherwise supports all the same parameters as PUBURLPATH.
AUTHREALM -- authentication realm
String defined as the {AuthRealm} expert option in configureSecurity And Authentication tab, =Login sub-tab.. This is used in certain password encodings, and in login templates as part of the login prompt.
Examples
%AUTHREALM% expands to Enter your WikiName. (First name and last name, no space, no dots, capitalized, e.g. JohnSmith). Cancel to register if you do not have one.
BASETOPIC -- base topic where an INCLUDE started
The name of the topic where a single or nested INCLUDE started - same as %TOPIC% if there is no INCLUDE.
This is the name of the topic requested by the user.
BASEWEB -- base web where an INCLUDE started
The web name where the includes started, e.g. the web of the first topic of nested includes. Same as %WEB% in case there is no include. This is the name of the web requested by the user.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Note: BUTTONS are floating to the left by default. Take care to add a %CLEAR% after the %BUTTON{...}% so that further content does not overlap with the button.
CALC -- add spreadsheet calculations to tables and outside tables
The %CALC{"formula"}% macro is handled by the SpreadSheetPlugin. There are around 90 formulae, such as $ABS(), $EXACT(), $EXISTS(), $GET()/$SET(), $IF(), $LOG(), $LOWER(), $PERCENTILE(), $TIME(), $VALUE().
This macro is specifically for manipulating data in tables, and so is evaluated after the normal Macro expansion order. If you need a standard ordered evaluation see CALCULATE
Examples
%CALC{"$SUM($ABOVE())"}% returns the sum of all cells above the current cell
%CALC{"$EXISTS(Web.SomeTopic)"}% returns 1 if the topic exists
CALCULATE -- add spreadsheet formulae calls using standard Macro evaluation order.
The %CALCULATE{"formula"}% macro is handled by the SpreadSheetPlugin. There are around 90 formulae, such as $ABS(), $EXACT(), $EXISTS(), $GET()/$SET(), $IF(), $LOG(), $LOWER(), $PERCENTILE(), $TIME(), $VALUE(). This macro is uses the normal (left to right, inside out) Macro expansion order. If you need to evaluate after expanding table data, see CALC
Examples
%CALCULATE{"$EXISTS(Web.SomeTopic)"}% returns 1 if the topic exists
COMMENT -- insert an edit box into the topic to easily add comments.
Parameters
The following standard attributes are recognized
Name
Description
Default
type
This is the name of the template to use for this comment. Comment templates are defined in a Foswiki template - see Customisation, below. If this attribute is not defined, the type is whatever is defined by COMMENTPLUGIN_DEFAULT_TYPEpreference setting.
below
default
Default text to put into the prompt.
target
Name of the topic to add the comment to
the current topic
mode
For compatibility with older versions only, synonymous with type
nonotify
Set to "on" to disable change notification for target topics
off
noform
Set to "on" to disable the automatic form that is generated around your comment prompt if you don't provide a FORM template. See CommentPluginExamples:noform for an example.
off
nopost
Set to "on" to disable insertion of the posted text into the topic.
off
remove
Set to "on" to remove the comment prompt after the first time it is clicked.
off
button
Button label text
Add comment
Examples
A %COMMENT% without parameters shows a simple text box.
COVER -- current skin cover
Extends the skin search path. For instance, if SKIN is set to catskin, bearskin, and COVER is set to ruskin, the skin search path becomes ruskin, catskin, bearskin.
The COVER setting can be overridden using the URL parameter cover, such as ?cover=ruskin
Examples
%COVER% currently expands to %COVER% (it will only expand when a cover is actually set)
DATE -- signature format date
Examples
%DATE% expands to 05 Nov 2024
Date format defined as {DefaultDateFormat} in configure
When used in a template topic, this variable will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details.
DISPLAYTIME -- display formatted time
Formatted time - either GMT or Local server time, depending on {DisplayTimeValues} setting in configure. Same format qualifiers as %GMTIME%
EDITACTION defined in a topic or preference setting will define the use of an editaction template instead of the standard edit. If EDITACTION is defined as text, then hide the form. If EDITACTION is defined as form hide the normal text area and only edit the form.
When EDITACTION is defined as text or form the Edit and Edit Raw buttons simply add ;action=text or ;action=form to the URL for the edit script. If you have defined EDITACTION in a topic setting or preference setting you can still edit the topic content or the form by removing the ;action=form or ;action=text from the edit URL in the browser and reload.
EDITTABLE{ attributes } -- edit tables using edit fields and other input fields
Encode character sequences in "string", by mapping characters (or sequences of characters) to an alternative character (or sequence of characters). This macro can be used to encode strings for use in URLs, to encode to HTML entities, to protect quotes, and for as many other uses as you can imagine.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"string"
String to encode
"" (empty string)
type
Use a predefined encoding (see below).
Default is 'url'. Parameter type not be used if old or new are given.
old
Comma-separated list of tokens to replace. Tokens are normally single characters, but can also be sequences of characters. The standard format tokens may be used in this list. Each token must be unique - you cannot list the same token twice.
May not be used with type; required if new is used
new
comma-separated list of replacement tokens. The elements in this list match 1:1 with the elements in the old list. Again, the standard format tokens may be used. An empty element in the new list will result in the corresponding token in the old list being deleted from the string. If the new list is shorter than the old list it will be extended to the same length using the empty element. Tokens do not have to be unique.
When using old and new, be aware that the results of applying earlier tokens are not processed again using later tokens. (see examples below)
May not be used with type; required if old is used
If ENCODE is called with no optional parameters (e.g. %ENCODE{"string"}%) then the default type="url" encoding will be used.
Predefined encodings
Unless otherwise specified, the type parameter encodes the following "special characters"
type="entity" or type="entities" Encode special characters into HTML entities, like a double quote into "
all non-printable ASCII characters below space, except newline ("\n") and carriage return ("\r").
HTML special characters "<", ">", "&", single quote (') and double quote (")
TML special characters "%", "[", "]", "@", "_", "*", "=", "$" and "|"
type="html" As type="entity" except it also encodes \n (newline) and carriage return ("\r").
type="safe" Encode just the characters '"<>% into HTML entities.
type="quote" or type="quotes" Escapes double quotes with backslashes (\"), does not change any other characters
type="url" (default) Encode special characters for use in URL parameters, like a double quote into %22.
Examples
%ENCODE{"spaced name"}% expands to spaced%20name
%ENCODE{"| Blah | | More blah |" old="|,$n" new="|,<br />"}% expands to =| Blah | | More blah | - this encoding is useful to protect special TML characters in tables.
%ENCODE{"10xx1x01x" old="1,x,0" new="A,,B"}% expands to ABABA
%ENCODE{"1,2" old="$comma" new=";"}% expands to 1;2
Values for HTML input fields must be entity encoded. Example:
ENCODE can be used to filter user input from URL parameters and similar to help protect against cross-site scripting. The safest approach is to use type="entity". This can however prevent an application from fully working. You can alternatively use type="safe" which encodes only the characters '"<>% into HTML entities. When ENCODE is passing a string inside another macro always use double quotes ("") type="quote". For maximum protection against cross-site scripting you are advised to install the Foswiki:Extensions.SafeWikiPlugin.
Double quotes in strings must be escaped when passed into other macros. Example:
%SEARCH{ "%ENCODE{ "string with "quotes"" type="quotes" }%" noheader="on" }%
When using old and new, be aware that the results of applying earlier tokens are not processed again using later tokens. For example:
%ENCODE{"A" old="A,B" new="B,C"}% will result in 'B' (not 'C'),
%ENCODE{"asd" old="as,d" new="d,f"}% will yield 'df', and
%ENCODE{"A" old="A,AA" new="AA,B"}% will give 'AA' and.
%ENCODE{"asdf" old="a,asdf" new="a,2"}% will give 'asdf'
Note:%<color>BG% section must end with %ENDBG%. If you want to switch from one background color to another one you first need to end the active background color with %ENDBG%, such as %REDBG% some text %ENDBG% %GREENBG% more text %ENDBG%.
ENDCOLOR is one of the shortcut macros predefined in DefaultPreferences. It is used to terminate a colour change (revert back to the default colour).
The following colours are available: %YELLOW%, %ORANGE%, %RED%, %PINK%, %PURPLE%, %TEAL%, %NAVY%, %BLUE%, %AQUA%, %LIME%, %GREEN%, %OLIVE%, %MAROON%, %BROWN%, %BLACK%, %GRAY%, %SILVER%
Examples
%GREEN% green text %ENDCOLOR% expands to green text
ENDINCLUDE -- end position of topic text if included
If present in included topic, stop to include text at this location and ignore the remaining text. A normal view of the topic shows everyting exept the %STOPINCLUDE% macro itself.
ENDSECTION -- marks the end of a named section within a topic
If the STARTSECTION is named, the corresponding ENDSECTION must also be named with the same name. If the STARTSECTION specifies a type, then the corresponding ENDSECTION must also specify the same type. If the section is unnamed, ENDSECTION will match with the nearest unnamed %STARTSECTION%of the same type above it.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"name"
Name of the section
type
Type of the section being terminated; supported types section, include, expandvariables, templateonly.
section
Examples
%ENDSECTION{"X" type="expandvariables"}%
ENDTAB -- ending marker for a tab of a tabpane
This closes a previously opened TAB.
ENDTABPANE -- ending tag for tabpane widget
This closes a previously opened TABPANE.
ENDTWISTY -- complements an opening TWISTY tag to close a twisty
Closes an open twisty
ENDTWISTYTOGGLE -- Twisty closure
Will end the most inner unclosed Twisty Toggle section, using the proper tag
Examples
%ENDTWISTYTOGGLE%
ENV -- inspect the value of an environment variable
Returns the current value of the environment variable in the CGI (Common Gateway Interface) environment. This is the environment that the CommandAndCGIScripts are running in.
If an environment variable is undefined (as against being set to the empty string) it will be returned as not set.
Note: For security reasons, only those environment variables whose names match the regular expression in the configuration setting {AccessibleENV} (in the Security Settings/Miscellaneous section of configure) can be displayed. Any other variable will just be shown as an empty string, irrespective of its real value.
Examples
%ENV{MOD_PERL}% displays as: not set
EXAMPLETAG -- example macro tag
The %EXAMPLETAG% variable is handled by the ExamplePlugin
EXPAND -- expand macros in a string as if they were used in another topic
The viewer must have VIEW access to topictoexpandin for this to work. All the standard formatting macros can be used in expression, such as $percent and $quot.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"text"
Text to expand. Note that %-signs must be escaped using $percent, or they will be expanded in the context of the calling topic
scope
Scope to expand the topic in. This is the name of a topic. You can use Web.Topic syntax to refer to a topic in another web
%TOPIC%
Examples
EXPAND can be useful when you want to pick up the value of macros defined in another topic. For example, you might want to define a set of preferences in one topic, but pick up their value in another topic (this is very useful when building reusable applications). In this case you can write:
which lets us select which other topic to get the preference value from.
Additional parameters can be passed to the macro being expanded using the standard macro syntax in the name of the macro; for example,
EXPAND is not very efficient, and should be used sparingly.
To expand a web preference (for example, a web access control) then set scope="Theotherweb.%WEBPREFSTOPIC%"
FAILEDPLUGINS -- debugging for plugins that failed to load
Also generates a list of handlers defined by plugins
Examples
%FAILEDPLUGINS%
FORMAT -- format a list of objects
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"one, two, three"
The list to be expanded into the format. Required. Currently only two types of list data are supported; topic names (type="topic") and plain strings (type="string").
%FORMAT{"one,two,three" type="string" format=" * $item"}%
%FORMAT{"%SKIN%"
header="the Skin setting is evaluated in this order:"
format=" 1 =$topic="
footer=" 1 =default="
}%
Supported formatting tokens
If type="topic" (the default) the format string can contain any of the
topic-specific format tokens
specified in FormattedSearch ($web, $topic, $parent, $text, $locked,
$date, $isodate, $index, $item, $rev, $username, $wikiname, $wikiusername,
$createdate, $createusername, $createwikiname, $createwikiusername,
$summary, $changes, $formname, $formfield, $pattern, $count,
$ntopics, $nhits, $pager).
In addition, the macro supports all the standard format tokens.
If type="string" then the comma separated list is treated as a list of
strings. In this case, the format tokens $index and $item will return
the position of the item in the list (1-based), and the item itself,
respectively. Note that a comma can be embedded in the data using the standard
formatting token $comma.
The FORMAT macro is currently only of use in formatting lists of topics,
or of simple strings. It will be extended in future releases to add the
capability to render other object types.
Topic where form data is located. May be of the form Web.TopicName
Current topic
format
Format string. See Tokens expanded in format below.
$value
default
Text shown if the field is defined in the topic, but the field value is empty. For example, a text field for which all the content has been deleted.
alttext
Text shown if the field is not defined in the topic (even if it is specified in the form definition). For example, this is used when a field exists in the form definition, but the referring topic hasn't been edited since it was added.
rev="n"
Specify a revision of the topic. If not specified, defaults to the most recent rev (or the viewed rev if viewing an old rev of the same topic)
Tokens expanded in format:
$value expands to the raw field value
$value(display) is the form field value after mapping the stored value to the display value (use with +values form fields). If the field type does not support value mapping, renders the same as $value
$name is the field name
$title expands to the field title
$formname gives the name of the form the field is in. $form is maintained for compatibility, but is deprecated
$attributes - from the field definition
$type - from the field definition
$size - from the field definition
$definingTopic - topic in which the field is defined
When used in a template topic, this macro will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details.
Note: When used in a template topic, this variable will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TWikiTemplates#TemplateTopicsVars for details.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
If set, and there are no Groups or Members that can be shown, the header and footer are suppressed, and this text is output
undefined
show
filter the output list of Groups - can be set to all, allowschange, denychange, allowschange(UserWikiName), denychange(UserWikiName)
all
expand
Set false if users should not be expanded from nested groups. Default behavior is to expand all nested groups into a flat list of users.
1
limit
If set, limits the number of results to this
∞
limited
If limit is set, and the list is truncated, this text will be added at the end of the list
Note: GROUPINFO will not list members that are hidden from the current authenticated user. If the current user does not have VIEW authority for a user's topic, then the user will not be shown as a group member.
HISTORY -- control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
The %HISTORY{}% macro is handled by the HistoryPlugin
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"format" format="format"
Format of one line, may include any variable which is supported by macro REVINFO
r$rev - $date - $wikiusername
topic
Topic name, can be in web.topic format
current topic
web
Web name
current web
versions
Number or range (format: from..to). Examples: To get version 2, write: versions="2" To get version 2 to 3, write: versions="2..3" To get version 2 to the latest, write: versions="2.." To get all versions up to version 5, write: versions="..5" To get all versions up to but not including the latest, write: versions="..-1" To get the versions from 1 to 5 in reverse order, write: versions="5..1"
all versions in the order latest to first
header
Text to print before the list. May contain the tokens $next and $previous which will be evaluated if there are newer or older revisions available for the topic that are not listed according to versions (or rev1, rev2, nrev). These tokens take the syntax $next{'some text' url='url'} (the same for $previous). 'some text' is the text which should be printed, 'url' is the url for the corresponding link. The tokens $rev1, $rev2, $nrev in 'text' or 'url' will be replaced by appropriate values for the next or previous block of revisions. See the attached oopshistory.tmpl for an example of how to use this.
$next
footer="text"
Text to print after the list. May contain the tokens $next and $previous (see header)
$previous
Deprecated (but supported) parameters:
Parameter
Description
Default
nrev
Number of revisions to show. Ignored if versions is specified, or if both rev1 and rev2 are specified.
10
rev2
Newest revision to show
rev1+nrev if rev1 is specified, latest revision otherwise
rev1
Oldest revision to show
rev2-nrev
reverse
Show newest revisions first, if on
"on"
Additional macros
The following macros are expanded only if there is a corresponding %HISTORY% on the page. If more than one %HISTORY% is used on the same page, the values from the last one will be used.
%HISTORY_REV1%: Oldest revision from the printed history
%HISTORY_REV2%: Latest revision from the printed history
%HISTORY_NREV%: Number of the printed revisions
%HISTORY_MAXREV%: Latest available revision of the topic
HOMETOPIC -- home topic in each web
Examples
%HOMETOPIC% expands to WebHome, renders as WebHome
HTTP -- get HTTP headers
Called with the name of an HTTP request header field, returns its value. Capitalization and the use of hyphens versus underscores are not significant.
Request headers are sent by the browser to the server. It is not possible to access the Response headers returned to the browser.
Only returns headers permitted by site configuration. Returns '' if the header is not allowed.
When called without a parameter, nothing is returned. See VarHTTPS for other options.
The HTTP and HTTPS macros are deprecated as of Foswiki release 2.1. and will be removed in a future release.
The same as %HTTP% but operates on the HTTPS environment variables present when the SSL protocol is in effect. Can be used to determine whether SSL is turned on.
Called with the name of an HTTP request header field, returns its value. Capitalization and the use of hyphens versus underscores are not significant.
Request headers are sent by the browser to the server. It is not possible to access the Response headers returned to the browser.
Only returns headers permitted by site configuration.
When called without a parameter, nothing is returned. See VarHTTPS for other options.
The HTTP and HTTPS macros are deprecated as of Foswiki release 2.1. and will be removed in a future release.
ICON -- small documentation graphic or icon of common attachment types
Generates a small graphic image from the set attached to DocumentGraphics.
Images typically have a 16x16 pixel size.
You can select a specific image by name, or you can give a full filename, in which case the type of the file will be used to select one of a collection of common file type icons.
If you specify an icon which cannot be found, the one specified in the default parameter will be used (and if that fails, the else icon will be used)
If you find that ICON is producing broken HTML when it is used in another macro e.g. for formatting search results, then this may be because it is
using the wrong kind of quotes for the context. In this case you can control the quotes it uses using the quote parameter. For example
%ICON{"pdf" quote="'"}%
You can also use formatting tokens such as $quot and $dollar in quote.
ICONURL -- URL of small documentation graphic or icon
Generates the full URL of a DocumentGraphics image, which Foswiki renders as an image.
The related %ICON{"name"}% generates the full HTML img tag.
Specify image name or full filename (see ICON for details on filenames.)
ICONURLPATH -- URL path of small documentation graphic or icon
Generates the relative URL path of a DocumentGraphics image, typically used in an HTML img tag.
Specify image name or full filename (see ICON for details on filenames.)
String to expand if the condition evaluates to true
else
String to expand if the condition evaluates to false
Examples
%IF{"CONDITION" then="THEN" else="ELSE"}% shows "THEN" if "CONDITION" evaluates to TRUE, otherwise "ELSE" will be shown
%IF{"defined FUNFACTOR"
then="FUNFACTOR is defined"
else="FUNFACTOR is not defined"
}%
renders as
FUNFACTOR is not defined
INCLUDE -- include another topic, or subsection of a topic, or a URL, or Foswiki embedded documentation
(Including a topic) Parameters
Parameter:
Description:
Default:
"SomeTopic"
The name of a topic located in the current web, i.e. %INCLUDE{"WebNotify"}%
"Web.Topic"
A topic in another web, i.e. %INCLUDE{"System.SiteMap"}%
"Web.Topic, SomeOtherTopic, System.OrOtherTopic"
A list of topics - INCLUDE will include the first topic that exists and the user has permission to VIEW. If a section is also specified, it will use the first topic that has that section defined in it.
pattern
Include a subset of a topic or a web page. Specify a RegularExpression that contains the text you want to keep in parenthesis, e.g. pattern="(from here.*?to here)". IncludeTopicsAndWebPages has more.
none
rev
Include a previous topic revision; N/A for URLs
top revision
warn
Warn if topic include fails: Fail silently (if off); output default warning (if set to on); else, output specific text (use $topic for topic name)
Adds the given offset to any HTML headings generated in the included text. Works on headings defined by HTML tags as well as headings defined using foswiki markup.
0
section
Includes only the specified named section, as defined in the included topic by the [VarSTARTSECTION][STARTSECTION{"name" type="section"} ]] and [VarENDSECTION][ENDSECTION{"name" type="section"}]] macros. Nothing is shown if the named section does not exists. section="" is equivalent to not specifying a section
Any other parameter will be defined as a macro within the scope of the included topic. The example parameters on the left will result in %PARONE% and %PARTWO% being defined within the included topic.
A full qualified URL, i.e. %INCLUDE{"https://foswiki.org:80/index.html"}%. Supported content types are text/html and text/plain.
If the URL resolves to an attachment file on the server this will automatically translate to a server-side include.
pattern
Include a subset of a topic or a web page. Specify a RegularExpression that contains the text you want to keep in parenthesis, e.g. pattern="(from here.*?to here)". IncludeTopicsAndWebPages has more.
none
raw
When a page is included, normally Foswiki will process it, doing the following: 1) Alter relative links to point back to originating host, 2) Remove some basic HTML tags (html, head, body, script) and finally 3) Remove newlines from HTML tags spanning multiple lines. If you prefer to include exactly what is in the source of the originating page set this to on. raw="on" is short for disableremoveheaders="on", disableremovescript="on", disableremovebody="on", disablecompresstags="on" and disablerewriteurls="on".
disabled
literal
While using the raw option will indeed include the raw content, the included content will still be processed and rendered like regular topic content. To disable parsing of the included content, set the literal option to "on".
off
disableremoveheaders
Bypass stripping headers from included HTML (everything until first </head> tag)
off
disableremovescript
Bypass stripping all <script> tags from included HTML
off
disableremovebody
Bypass stripping the </body> tag and everything around over and below it
off
disablecompresstags
Bypass replacing newlines in HTML tags with spaces. This compression step rewrites unmatched <'s into < entities unless bypassed
off
disablerewriteurls
Bypass rewriting relative URLs into absolute ones
off
warn
Warn if URL include fails: Fail silently (if off); output default warning (if set to on); else, output specific text (use $topic for topic name) appended with the http error information.
JavaScript in included webpages is filtered out as a security precaution per default (disable filter with disableremovescript parameter)
Foswiki by default is configured to deny URL format includes.
A full qualified Foswiki module, i.e. %INCLUDE{"doc:Foswiki::Func"}%. The module must be found on the Foswiki lib path
level
Override the root heading level to the specified number
pattern
Include a subset of the module. Specify a RegularExpression that contains the text you want to keep in parenthesis, e.g. pattern="(from here.*?to here)". IncludeTopicsAndWebPages has more.
INCLUDINGTOPIC -- name of topic that includes current topic
The name of the topic that includes the current topic - same as %TOPIC% in case there is no include.
If a topic is used in a chain of INCLUDEs, INCLUDINGTOPIC is set to the topic directly INCLUDing this one, NOT the topic that has been requested by the user (which is given by BASETOPIC)
Be careful of the subtle difference between INCLUDINGTOPIC and BASETOPIC. You probably should be using BASETOPIC
INCLUDINGWEB -- web that includes current topic
The web name of the topic that includes the current topic - same as %WEB% if there is no INCLUDE.
If a topic is used in a chain of INCLUDEs, INCLUDINGWEB is set to the topic directly INCLUDing this one, NOT the web that has been requested by the user (which is given by BASEWEB)
Be careful of the subtle difference between INCLUDINGWEB and BASEWEB. You probably should be using BASEWEB
JQICONPATH -- render the url path to an image icon
This is a shortcut for:
%JQICON{"name" format="$iconPath"}%
Note that this macro only makes sense for image icons, those that refer to a single image file. It does not work for font icons such as those defined in JQueryFontAwesome.
This web font holds all icons in one large font file and as such cannot be refered to individually by means of their url path the same way as images can.
Examples
%JQICONPATH{"tick"}% expands to /foswiki/pub/System/FamFamFamSilkIcons/tick.png
JQPLUGINS -- display a summary of available plugins
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"plugins"
this is a regular expression that the plugin identifier must match to be displayed
format
format string to render information for each matching plugin; known variables to be used in the format string are:
$active state of the plugin: displays (active) when this plugin is loaded on the current page
$author author of the plugin
$documentation plugin documentation topic defaults to %SYSTEMWEB%.JQuery$name
$homepage link to the hompeage of this third party plugin
$index the current index in the list of all plugins being displayed
$name name of the plugin as can be used in JQREQUIRE
$summary short description what this plugin does; most plugins provide this piece of information in the summary section of the documentation topic
$tags list of TML macros this plugin implements
$version version of the plugin as provided by the author of this plugin
header string prepended to the output; empty when no plugin matches
footer
footer string appended to the output; empty when no plugin matches
separator
separator put between each plugin rendered in a row
$n
tagformat
format string to render a link to any tag documentation a plugin implements
[[%SYSTEMWEB%.Var$tag][$tag]]
Examples
%JQPLUGINS{
"treeview|slimbox"
header=" * JQuery Plugins:$n"
format=" * [[$documentation][$name]] v$version was developed by [[$homepage][$author]]"
}%
This macro will load a list of plugins to be added to the current page. Use JQPLUGINS to display
the list of available and active plugins. While loading a plugin, additional plugins it may depend on are loaded as well.
Information about these dependencies is stored within the plugins themselves and can't be changed. Dependencies also make
sure the javascript code is added to the html page in the right order. It uses ADDTOZONE
to aggregate javascript and css at the right place on the html page.
in case of an error JQREQUIRE will produce an inline HTML error message.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"plugin,plugin,plugin"
comma-separated list of plugins to be loaded
warn
(on/off) allows you to switch off warnings when a plugin was not found
Create nice looking horizontal tab panes in TWiki topics. Write a sequence of %JQTAB{"..."}% and %JQENDTAB% pairs, and enclose them in %JQTABPANE% and %JQENDTABPANE%. Tab panes can be nested, e.g. within one tab you can add another tab pane. These variable are handled by the JQueryPlugin.
Foswiki's default UI theme is configured in $Foswiki::cfg{JQueryPlugin}{JQueryTheme} and defaults to foswiki.
Use configure to change this site wide. Use JQTHEME if you decide to use a different
theme on the current page.
Some Foswiki skins may come with their own jQuery UI matching the overall user experience of the web design.
in case of an error JQTHEME will produce an inline HTML error message.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"name"
name of theme: JQueryPlugin knows the following themes base, lightness, redmod, smoothness; additional themes maybe created using the themeroller and installed to /foswiki/pub/System/JQueryPlugin/$name
foswiki
warn
(on/off) allows you to switch off warnings when a theme was not found
on
LANG -- the language specified by the server locale
This macro is used to generate the lang (and xml:lang) attribute in generated HTML pages. If {UseLocale} is enabled, it is calculated from the configure Internationalization tab -> Locale sub-tab setting of {Site}{Locale}. Otherwise it defaults to en (English).
In templates the lang attribute is defined like this:
Returns the language code for the current user. This is the language used by Foswiki to generate the user interface.
The language is detected from the user's browser, unless some site/web/user/session-defined preference setting overrides it.
If a LANGUAGE preference is explicitly set, this will be used as the user language instead of any language detected from the browser.
Avoid defining LANGUAGE in a non- per-user way, otherwise users will not be able to choose their preferred language.
Examples
%LANGUAGE% expands to en
LANGUAGES -- list available languages
List the languages available (as PO files).
These are the languages in which the user interface is available.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
format
format for each item. See below for format tokens available in the format string.
" * $langname"
separator
separator between items.
"\n" (newline) Note: The standard format tokens can also be used here.
marker
Text for $marker if the item matches selection
"selected"
selection
Current language to be selected in list
(none)
format tokens: (In addition to these tokens, the standard format tokens can also be used)
Token
Meaning
$langname
language's name, as informed by the translators
$langtag
language's tag. Ex: en, pt-br, etc.
$marker
Marker will be substituted only when the item matches the selection.
Examples
%LANGUAGES% expands to * English
<select>%LANGUAGES{format="<option $marker value='$langtag'>$langname</option>" selection="%LANGUAGE%"}%</select> creates an option list of the available languages with the current language selected
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
LOCALSITEPREFS -- web.topicname of site preferences topic
The full name of the local site preferences topic. These local site preferences overload the system level preferences defined in System.DefaultPreferences.
Examples
%LOCALSITEPREFS% expands to Main.SitePreferences, renders as SitePreferences
MAKETEXT -- creates text using Foswiki's I18N infrastructure
Strings captured in the MAKETEXT macro are automatically mapped to the
current user's selected language via locale/*.po translation files.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"text" string="text"
The text to be displayed (the translatable string).
args
a comma-separated list of arguments to be interpolated in the string, replacing [_N] placeholders in it.
Examples
%MAKETEXT{string="Edit"}% expands to Edit
%MAKETEXT{"If you have any questions, please contact [_1]." args="%WIKIWEBMASTER%"}% expands to If you have any questions, please contact jlee@unist.ac.kr.
%MAKETEXT{"Did you want to [[[_1]][reset [_2]'s password]]?" args="%SYSTEMWEB%.ResetPassword,%WIKIUSERNAME%"}% expands to Did you want to reset Main.WikiGuest's password?
Notes
[_n] brackets are validated to a positive integer from 1 to 100.
Missing arguments are replaced with an empty string ''.
An ampersand (&) followed by one ascii alphabetic character (a...z, A...Z) in the translatable string will be expanded to an access key string. For example, &X will expand to <span class='foswikiAccessKey'>X</span>. If you want to write an actual ampersand, either follow it with a non-alphabetic character or write two consecutive ampersands (&&).
Translatable strings starting with underscores (_) are reserved. You cannot use translatable phrases starting with an underscore.
Make sure that the translatable string is constant. Do not include %MACROS% inside the translatable strings as they will be expanded before the %MAKETEXT{...}% itself is handled. You can, however, use macros in the args, as shown in the examples above.
The string will be output in English if no mapping can be found in the .po translation file for the current user's selected language.
Plurals
The %MAKETEXT macro also supports a limited subset of the quant style bracket notation:
%MAKETEXT{string="Edit [*,_1,file]" args="4"}% expands to Edit 4 files
Notes on plurals
Only 3 arguments are supported.
The first parameter must be an asterisk. Literals quant, numf or # are not supported.
The 2nd parameter must be the argument number
The 3rd parameter is the word or phrase to be made plural.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
How to represent vertical bars in the data. Vertical bars are rewritten to an HTML entity by default so as to not be mistaken for a table separator. This option allows you to change what is produced.
&vbar;
display
If on retrieves the displayed value of a *+values formfield type, as against the default, stored, value
METASEARCH is deprecated in favour of the new and much more powerful query type search. See SEARCH and QuerySearch.
Parameters
Parameter:
Description:
Default:
type="topicmoved"
What sort of search is required? "topicmoved" if search for a topic that may have been moved "parent" if searching for topics that have a specific parent i.e. its children "field" if searching for topics that have a particular form field value (use the name and value parameters to specify which field to search).
Required
web="%WEB%"
Wiki web to search: A web, a list of webs separated by whitespace, or all webs.
Current web
topic="%TOPIC%"
The topic the search relates to, for topicmoved and parent searches
All topics in a web
!| name | form field to search, for field type searches. May be a regular expression (see SEARCH). | |
!| value | form field value, for field type searches. May be a regular expression (see SEARCH). | |
title="Title"
Text that is prefixed to any search results
empty
!| format="..." | Custom format results. Supports same format strings as SEARCH. See FormattedSearch for usage & examples | Results in table |
default="none"
Default text shown if no search hit
Empty
Examples:
%METASEARCH{
type="topicmoved"
web="%WEB%"
topic="%TOPIC%"
title="This topic used to exist and was moved to: "
}%
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
NOP -- template text not to be expanded in instantiated topics
%NOP%
In normal topic text, expands to <nop>, which prevents expansion of adjacent macros and wikiwords
When the topic containing this is used as a template for another topic, it is removed.
%NOP{...}%deprecated
In normal topic text, expands to whatever is in the curly braces (if anything).
This is deprecated. Do not use it. Use %STARTSECTION{type="templateonly"}% .. %ENDSECTION{type="templateonly"}% instead (see TemplateTopics for more details).
NOTIFYTOPIC -- name of the notify topic
Examples
%NOTIFYTOPIC% expands to WebNotify, renders as WebNotify
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
PreferencesPlugin(1.16, 1.16): Allows editing of preferences using fields predefined in a form
RenderListPlugin(06 Aug 2023, 2.29): Render bullet lists in a variety of formats
SmiliesPlugin(17 Sep 2015, 2.03): Render smilies like as icons
SubscribePlugin(06 Aug 2023, 3.7): This is a companion plugin to the MailerContrib. It allows you to trivially add a "Subscribe me" link to topics to get subscribed to changes.
TablePlugin(22 Jan 2018, 1.160): Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
Enable POPUPWINDOW by writing %JQREQUIRE{"popupwindow"}% on the page
PUBURL -- generate an URL for an attachment
Generate an absolute URL for an attachment, or for a web or topic within the attachment database.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"attachment"
Name of attachment to link
web
Web
topic
Topic, or Web.Topic
topic_version
Select topic version, if supported
most recent
attachment_version
Select attachment version, if supported
most recent
Examples
%PUBURL% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/pub
%PUBURL{"icon_plus.png"}% expands to =%PUBURL{"icon_plus.png"}%
%PUBURL{web="System"}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/pub/System
%PUBURL{topic="System.MainFeatures"}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures
%PUBURL{web="System" topic="MainFeatures"}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures
%PUBURL{topic="System.MainFeatures"}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures
%PUBURL{topic="System.MainFeatures" "icon_plus.png"}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures/icon_plus.png
Also supports topic_version and attachment_version parameters. These can be used with advanced store implementations to select specific attachment versions. However simple file-based stores do not normally support them.
The 'old' way of building URLs using PUBURL involved concatenating the web and topic names to the PUBURL e.g. %PUBURL%/Main/SystemFeatures. This practice is strongly discouraged, as it does not correctly handle encoding of the parts of the URL. At the first opportunity you should replace all such URLs with the equivalent %PUBURL%{topic="System.MainFeatures"}%, which will handle URL encoding for you.
ATTACHURL provides a shorter way to refer to the attachments on the current topic.
PUBURLPATH -- generate a relative URL for an attachment
Generate a relative URL for an attachment, or for a web or topic within the attachment database.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"attachment"
Name of attachment to link
web
Web
topic
Topic, or Web.Topic
topic_version
Select topic version, if supported
most recent
attachment_version
Select attachment version, if supported
most recent
Examples
%PUBURLPATH% expands to /foswiki/pub
%PUBURLPATH{"icon_plus.png"}% expands to =%PUBURLPATH{"icon_plus.png"}%
%PUBURLPATH{web="System"}% expands to /foswiki/pub/System
%PUBURLPATH{topic="System.MainFeatures"}% expands to /foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures
%PUBURLPATH{web="System" topic="MainFeatures"}% expands to /foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures
%PUBURLPATH{topic="System.MainFeatures" "icon_plus.png"}% expands to /foswiki/pub/System/MainFeatures/icon_plus.png
Also supports topic_version and attachment_version parameters. These can be used with advanced store implements to select specific attachment versions. However simple file-based stores do not normally support them.
This macro will only generate a relative URL if the store supports them, and the context allows it. Otherwise it will generate the same as PUBURL The 'old' way of building URLs using PUBURLPATHPATH involved concatenating the web and topic names to the PUBURLPATH e.g. %PUBURLPATH%/%WEB%/%TOPIC%. This practice is strongly discouraged, as it does not correctly handle encoding of the parts of the URL. At the first opportunity you should replace all such URLs with the equivalent %PUBURLPATH%{topic="System.MainFeatures"}%, which will handle URL encoding for you.
ATTACHURLPATH provides a shorter way to refer to the attachments on the current topic.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
operate on the given version of the current topic. Note that this will only affect simple queries that refer to the current topic, such as form.name. More complex queries that use searches or indirection to refer to other topics always use the latest version of those topics.
Examples
Get the name of the form in the current topic:
%QUERY{"form.name"}%
Get the value of the 'Firstname' form field in
the current topic:
%QUERY{"fields[name='Firstname'].value"}%
Get the value of the 'Firstname' form field in
the current topic (shorthand version):
%QUERY{"Firstname"}%
Get a list of all the names of attachments on
the topic 'System.DocumentGraphics':
%QUERY{"'System.DocumentGraphics'/attachments.name"}%
Get configuration setting {NameFilter}:
%QUERY{"{NameFilter}"}%
Plain strings (such as field values) are returned without quotes. Simple arrays of scalars are also returned without quotes, in a comma-separated list (beware of values that contain commas!).
More complex data structures (e.g. arrays of hashes) will only be returned if style="perl" or style="json" are set - else will return a string containing 'undef'.
You can make the macro generate different output formats using the style parameter:
style="perl" - generates values as Perl code strings generated by running through CPAN:Data::Dumper
style="json" - generates values as JSON strings, suitable for reading by browsers.
Expands the parameters to the query that was used to display the page.
Parameters
Parameter:
Description:
Default:
format
Format string for each entry
$name=$value
separator
Separator string
$n (newline)
encoding
Control how special characters are encoded. If this parameter is not given, safe encoding is performed which HTML entity encodes the characters '"<>%. entity - Encode special characters into HTML entities, like a double quote into ". Does not encode \n or \r. safe - Encode characters '"<>% into HTML entities. (this is the default) html - As type="entity" except it also encodes \n and \r quotes - Escape double quotes with backslashes (\"), does not change other characters url - Encode special characters for URL parameter use, like a double quote into %22
safe
The following tokens are expanded in the format string:
Token
Expands To
$name
Name of the parameter
$value
String value of the parameter. Multi-valued parameters will have a "row" for each value.
In addition the standard format tokens are also expanded.
Security warning!
Using QUERYPARAMS can easily be misused for cross-site scripting unless specific characters are entity encoded. By default QUERYPARAMS encodes the characters '"<>% into HTML entities (same as encoding="safe") which is relatively safe. The safest is to use encoding="entity". When passing QUERYPARAMS inside another macro always use double quotes ("") combined with using QUERYPARAMS with encoding="quote". For maximum security against cross-site scripting you are advised to install the Foswiki:Extensions.SafeWikiPlugin.
QUERYSTRING -- full, unprocessed string of parameters to this URL
String of all the URL parameters that were on the URL used to get to the current page. For example, if you add ?name=Samantha;age=24;eyes=blue to this URL you can see this in action. This string can be appended to a URL to pass parameter values on to another page.
URLs built this way are typically restricted in length, typically to 2048 characters. If you need more space than this, you will need to use an HTML form and =%QUERYPARAMS%=
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
REDBG is one of the rendering shortcut settings predefined in TWikiPreferences. See the section rendering shortcut settings in that topic for a complete list of background colors.
Displays the user identity established by the Web Server. Not available when using Template Autentication. The REMOTE_USER variable only expands when the active script is configured to Require valid-user in the Apache configuration. Eg. If your site uses Apache authentication and allows guest access, view this page with bin/view and bin/viewauth to see the effect.
RENDERLIST -- render bullet lists in a variety of formats
Rendersa zone. See ADDTOZONE for an explanation of zones.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"zone"
name of the zone
(reguired)
format
format string for each item added to the zone
$item <!--<literal> $id $missing</literal>-->
missingtoken
string assigned to the $missing format token for use in the format parameter.
$id: requires= missing ids: $missingids
chomp
remove leading and trailing whitespace from formatted items, can be useful for pretty-printing and compression.
off
header
prepended to the output
footer
appended to the output
separator
put between each item of a zone
The following tokens are expanded in the format string:
$id - id of the ADDTOZONE call within the zone currently being rendered.
$item - text of the ADDTOZONE call within the zone currently being rendered.
$zone - the "zone" currently being rendered.
$missing - if the ADDTOZONE call being rendered required any id which was not found, then $missing is the missingtoken parameter; empty string otherwise.
$missingids - comma separated list of ids that were required by the ADDTOZONE call currently being rendered but weren't found within this zone.
header and footer are not output if there is no content in the
zone (nothing has been ADDTOZONEd ). However they are output if the
output is the empty string (at least one ADDTOZONE has been processed).
Zones are cleared after being rendered; they are only ever rendered once.
head, script and body are default zones. The corresponding RENDERZONE
is already included in the base foswiki.tmpl. head and script are
automatically inserted before the </head> tag in the output HTML
page. body is automatically inserted before the </body> tag in
the output HTML page.
Macros will be expanded in all zones. TML markup will not be expanded
in the head and scripts zones. Any formatting in head and scripts zones
including [[TML links]] must be done directly using HTML. TML pseudo-tags like
nop. verbatim, literal. and noautolink are removed from head and script zones
and have no influence on the markup. All other zones will be rendered as normal topic text.
Normally, dependencies between individual ADDTOZONE statements are
resolved within each zone. However, if {MergeHeadAndScriptZones} is
enabled in configure, then head
content which requires an id that only exists in script will be re-ordered
to satisfy this dependency. {MergeHeadAndScriptZones} will be
removed from a future version of Foswiki.
REVARG -- &rev=n parameter of current request
%REVARG% If a topic revision is requested in the URL, it returns the revision of the current topic suitable for concatenation to the view query parameters. Otherwise returns an empty string.
Examples
%REVARG% expands to (simulated)&rev=3(actual)
REVINFO -- revision information of current topic
%REVINFO% is equivalent to %REVINFO{format="r1.$rev - $date - $wikiusername"}%
Any other parameters to the macro will be added as parameters to the URL
Examples
%SCRIPTURL{"view" topic="Cartoons.EvilMonkey"}% will expand to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/view/Cartoons/EvilMonkey
%SCRIPTURL{"view" web="Cartoons"}% will expand to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/view/Cartoons?web=Cartoons
%SCRIPTURL{"view" topic="Cartoons.EvilMonkey" rev="1"}% will expand to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/view/Cartoons/EvilMonkey?rev=1
%SCRIPTURL{"edit" web="Cartoons" topic="EvilMonkey" t="%GMTIME{"$epoch"}%"}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/edit/Cartoons/EvilMonkey?t=1730803239
%SCRIPTURL% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin
%SCRIPTURL{script}% expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/script
In most cases you should use SCRIPTURLPATH instead, as it works much better with URL rewriting
The edit script should always be used in conjunction a t="%GMTIME{"$epoch"}%" parameter to ensure pages about to be edited are not cached in the browser
The 'old' way of building URLs using SCRIPTURL involved concatenating the web and topic names to the SCRIPTURL e.g. %SCRIPTURL{"script"}%/Cartoons/EvilMonkey. This practice is strongly discouraged, as it does not correctly handle encoding of the parts of the URL. At the first opportunity you should replace all such URLs with the equivalent %SCRIPTURL%{"script" topic="Cartoons.EvilMonkey"}%, which will handle URL encoding for you.
The SCRIPTURL macro does NOT support building jsonrpc or rest requests with parameters. They should still use the "contatenation" method. This is expected to be fixed in Foswiki 2.2.
SCRIPTURL{"script"} -- URL of TWiki script
Syntax: %SCRIPTURL{"script"}%
Expands to: https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/script
Example: To get the authenticated version of the current topic you can write %SCRIPTURL{"viewauth"}%/%WEB%/%TOPIC% which expands to https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/viewauth/System/TWikiVariables
Example: How to link to another topic with a URL parameter: [[%SCRIPTURL{view}%/%WEB%/MyQuery?food=sushi][Sushi]]
Note: In most cases you should use %SCRIPTURLPATH{"script"}% instead, as it works with URL rewriting much better
Any other parameters to the macro will be added as parameters to the URL
Examples
%SCRIPTURLPATH{"view" topic="Cartoons.EvilMonkey"}% expands to /foswiki/bin/view/Cartoons/EvilMonkey
%SCRIPTURLPATH{"view" web="Cartoons"}% expands to /foswiki/bin/view/Cartoons?web=Cartoons
%SCRIPTURLPATH{"view" topic="Cartoons.EvilMonkey" rev="1"}% will expand to /foswiki/bin/view/Cartoons/EvilMonkey?rev=1
%SCRIPTURLPATH{"edit" web="Cartoons" topic="EvilMonkey" t="%GMTIME{"$epoch"}%"}% expands to /foswiki/bin/edit/Cartoons/EvilMonkey?t=1730803239
%SCRIPTURLPATH% expands to /foswiki/bin
%SCRIPTURLPATH{script}% expands to /foswiki/bin/script
The edit script should always be used in conjunction with a t="%GMTIME{"$epoch"}%" parameter to ensure pages about to be edited are not cached in the browser
See SCRIPTURL if you expect to need the protocol and host e.g. if you are saving the HTML of the page and using it on a different host.
The 'old' way of building URLs using SCRIPTURLPATH involved concatenating the web and topic names to the SCRIPTURLPATH e.g. %SCRIPTURLPATH{"script"}%/Cartoons/EvilMonkey. This practice is strongly discouraged, as it does not correctly handle encoding of the parts of the URL. At the first opportunity you should replace such URLs with the equivalent %SCRIPTURLPATH%{"script" topic="Cartoons.EvilMonkey"}%, which will handle URL encoding for you.
The SCRIPTURL macro does NOT support building jsonrpc or rest requests with parameters. They should still use the "contatenation" method. This is expected to be fixed in Foswiki 2.2.
SCRIPTURLPATH{"script"} -- URL path of TWiki script
As %SCRIPTURL{"script"}%, but doesn't include the protocol and host part of the URL
Inline search, shows a search result embedded in a topic
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default:
"text" search="text"
Search term. Is a keyword search, literal search, regular expression search, or query, depending on the type parameter. SearchHelp has more
required
web
Comma-separated list of webs to search. e.g. web="Main, Know" web="all" The special word all means all webs that do not have the NOSEARCHALL preference set to on in their WebPreferences. You can specifically exclude webs from an all search using a minus sign - for example, web="all,-Secretweb". Caution: The "all,-Secretweb" syntax does not exclude subwebs of the excluded web. It applies to only a single web. See Foswikitask:Item8893AccessControls are respected when searching webs; it is much better to use them than NOSEARCHALL. Wildcards are not currently supported for web names.
Current web
topic
Limit search to topics e.g. topic="WebPreferences" topic="*Bug" topic="MyTopic,YourTopic" A topic, a topic with asterisk wildcards, or a list of topics separated by comma. Note this is a list of topic names and must not include web names. Adding a topic restriction to a search can greatly improve the search performance.
All topics in a web
excludetopic
Exclude topics from search e.g. excludetopic="Web*" excludetopic="WebHome, WebChanges" A topic, a topic with asterisk wildcards, or a list of topics separated by comma. Note this is a list of topic names and must not include web names.
scope
Search topic name ("topic"); the body ("text") of the topic; or name and body ("all")
text
type
Control how the search is performed when scope="text" or scope="all" "keyword" - use Google-like controls as in soap "web service" -shampoo; searches word parts: using the example, topics with "soapsuds" will be found as well, but topics with "shampoos" will be excluded "word" - identical to keyword but searches whole words: topics with "soapsuds" will not be found, and topics with "shampoos" will not be excluded "literal" - search for the exact string, like web service "regex" - use a RegularExpression search like soap;web service;!shampoo; to search on whole words use \bsoap\b "query" - query search of form fields and other meta-data, like (Firstname='Emma' OR Firstname='John') AND Lastname='Peel'
Sort the results of search by the topic names ("topic"), topic creation time ("created"), last modified time ("modified"), last editor's WikiName ("editby"), or named field of DataForms ("formfield(name)"). The sorting is done web by web; if you want to sort across webs, create a formatted table and sort it with TablePlugin's initsort. Note that dates are sorted most recent date last (i.e at the bottom of the table). The web order is always alphabetical. When ordered by topic the result is first ordered by web and then by topic.
topic
limit
A number will limit the number of topics from which results will be returned. This is done after sorting if order is specified. Note that this does not limit the number of hits from the same topic when you have multiple="on".
all
date
limits the results to those pages with latest edit time in the given time interval.
reverse
If "on" will reverse the direction of the search. Does only apply to key specified by order.
off
casesensitive
If "on" perform a case sensitive search. (For type=query searches, casesensitive is always on. See QuerySearch for more flexible case comparison options)
off
decode
Reverse any encoding done to protect search terms by %URLPARAM{}% macro. Comma separated list of encodings, entered in reverse order of the URLPARAM macro arguments. Supported decoding types are entity|entities, safe and url.
bookview
If ="on", perform a BookView search, e.g. show complete topic text. Very resource demanding. Use only with small result sets
off
nonoise
If "on", shorthand for nosummary="on" nosearch="on" nototal="on" zeroresults="off" noheader="on" noempty="on"
off
nosummary
Show topic title only, no content summary
off
nosearch
Suppress search string
off
noheader
Suppress default search header Topics: Changed: By:, unless a header is explicitly specified
Show default search header, unless search is inline and a format is specified
nototal
Do not show number of topics found
off
zeroresults
If off, false or 0, suppress/replace all output if there are no hits. Can also be set to a FormattedSearch string to customise the output
on - displays the summary, and number of topics found. "Number of topics: 0"
noempty
If "on", suppress results for webs that have no hits.
off
header
Custom format results: see FormattedSearch for usage & examples
format
Custom format results: see FormattedSearch for usage & examples
footer
Custom format results: see FormattedSearch for usage & examples
expandvariables
If "on", expand embedded macros before applying a FormattedSearch on a search hit. Useful to show the expanded text, e.g. to show the result of a SpreadSheetPlugin%CALC{}% instead of the formula
off
multiple
If ="on", find multiple hits per topic. Each hit can be formatted. The last token is used in case of a regular expression ";" and search
off (only one hit found per topic
nofinalnewline
If "on", the search variable does not end in a line by itself. Any text continuing immediately after the SEARCH macro on the same line will be rendered as part of the table generated by the search, if appropriate. This feature is only active when format is defined.
on
recurse
If "on", recurse into subwebs, if subwebs are enabled. Note: recurse will currently search subwebs of explicitly excluded webs. (web="all, -Sandbox" recurse="on") will still search subwebs of Sandbox. This behavior is likely to change in a future release.
off
separator
Separator between search hits (only used when format is set) uses FormatTokens. If separator is not defined, the default is "$n" (newline). Not defining the separator will additionally cause a newline to be added after a header and before a footer.
$n (Newline)
headingoffset
Adds the given offset to any HTML headings generated in the search result. Works on headings defined by HTML tags as well as headings defined using foswiki markup.
0
newline
Line separator within a search hit. Useful if you want to put multi-line content into a table cell, for example if the format parameter contains a $pattern() or a $formfield() the result of which may contain newlines, in which case you could use newline="%BR%"
$n (Newline)
pagesize
number of items to show per page
25
showpage
Page of items to show (starts at 1) (overridden by the value specified by the URL parameter hash from $previousurl and $nexturl)
"1"
pager
If "on" adds paging to your SEARCHes Note: the default pager (when pagerformat is not defined) requires the parameters to the SEARCH to not change while paging, as it uses $previousurl and $nexturl. If you use time variable parameters, you will have to define your own pagerformat.
off
pagerformat
Custom format results: see FormattedSearch for usage & examples
filled from skin template
groupby
Warning: this option is liable to change dramatically (and potentially incompatibly) in the next major release of foswiki. Setting to "none" applies only to multi-web SEARCHs, and means the header and footer are only output once - at the beginning and end of the list of results, and the order parameter is applied over the entire set of results (this setting removes the legacy that results are always partitioned by web) see SiteChanges for an example.
(displays results in a table with header - details)
Results are sorted alphanumerically on the web name (major key) and topic name (minor key). Only the minor key is affected by the order parameter.
The appearance of the table emitted by the SEARCH may be controlled with TablePlugin's %TABLE{}% macro placed just before the %SEARCH{}%. Example: %TABLE{ tablewidth="90%" }%
SERVERINFORMATION -- report detailed web server information
Intended for use by installers / administrators, reports on the runtime
information of the Foswiki installation, including all environment variables
and other execution related information.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
environment
Displays critical %ENV Environment variables.
(Displayed if nothing set)
execution
Displays important execution details.
(Displayed if nothing set)
modules
Displays loaded modules, along with version and location..
(Displayed if nothing set)
SERVERTIME -- formatted server time
Same format parameters as VarGMTIME[GMTIME%]], but displaying the server time instead of UTC.
Examples
%SERVERTIME% elsnds to 05 Nov 2024 - 19:40
%SERVERTIME{"$hou:$min"}% expands to 19:40
Note: When used in a template topic, this macro will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details.
Example: %SERVERTIME{"$hou:$min"}% expands to 19:40
Note: When used in a template topic, this variable will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TWikiTemplates#TemplateTopicsVars for details.
The users ID is in the AUTHUSER session variable, and is read-only
Examples
%SESSION_VARIABLE{"MYVAR" set="myval"}%
%SESSION_VARIABLE{"MYVAR" clear=""}%
SET -- set a preference setting during runtime
A preference setting created via a %SET macro is usable by the topic containing the %SET statement, and in any other topics %INCLUDing or %INCLUDEd when
rendering the topic TML. This is unlike list or META style preference settings which are only set when the base topic is loaded, and never set during macro expension when
an %INCLUDEd topic is processed.
A TMPL:DEF template definition containing %SET macros will also add those values to the current scope as if these settings have been
parsed as part of the base topic's text.
Setting a preference setting in a list like in
* Set foo = %SEARCH{...
or in META settings will store the text of the TML expression.
The equivalent %SET statement:
%SET{"foo" value="%SEARCH{..."}%
will store the result of the TML expression as a consequence of the parser processing
macros inside-out-left-to-right.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"name"
Name of preference to set
value
Value to set it to
Examples
To cache the result of another macro use %SET{"search_result" value="%SEARCH{...}%"}%. The result of the value expression will be temporarily bound to the variable
%search_result% and might be used within the scope of the current topic being processed, or in %INCLUDing or other %INCLUDEd topics.
Note that this macro does NOT expand format tokens that are used to alter the macro processing sequence. ($percent, $dollar, ...).
SHOWPREFERENCE -- show where preferences are defined.
Preference values are shown in a bulleted list, together with where they were defined.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default:
"name,name,name"
Comma-separated list of preferences to show
Examples
%SHOWPREFERENCE% will show all preferences
%SHOWPREFERENCE{"ATTACHFILESIZELIMIT"}% expands to
* Set ATTACHFILESIZELIMIT = "10000"
* ATTACHFILESIZELIMIT was *finalised* in System.DefaultPreferences
%SHOWPREFERENCE{"DENYWEBCHANGE,ALLOWWEBCHANGE"}% expands to
* Set DENYWEBCHANGE = ""
* Set ALLOWWEBCHANGE = "%USERSWEB%.AdminGroup"
* ALLOWWEBCHANGE was defined in System.WebPreferences
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
%SKIN% expands the skin search path. For instance, SKIN can be set to catskin, bearskin.
The SKIN setting can be overridden using the URL parameter skin, such as ?skin=catskin,bearskin
You can also extend the existing skin path using covers - see COVER
SPACEDTOPIC -- topic name, spaced and URL-encoded deprecated
The current topic name with added URL-encoded spaces, for use in regular expressions that search for backlinks to the current topic
Examples
%SPACEDTOPIC% expands to Var%20*SPACEDTOPIC
This is a deprecated macro. It can be duplicated with %ENCODE{%SPACEOUT{"%TOPIC%" separator=" *"}%}%
SPACEOUT -- renders string with spaces inserted in sensible places
Inserts spaces after lower case letters that are followed by a digit or a capital letter, and after digits that are followed by a capital letter. Useful for spacing out WikiWords
Examples
%SPACEOUT{"WebHome"}% expands to: Web Home
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
separator
The separator to put between words e.g. %SPACEOUT{"DogsCatsBudgies" separator=", "}% -> Dogs, Cats, Budgies
' '
Spaced out WikiWords are not automatically linked. To SPACEOUT a WikiWord but preserve the link use "double bracket" format. For example, [[WebHome][%SPACEOUT{"WebHome"}%]] expands to Web Home
STARTINCLUDE -- start position of topic text if included
If present in included topic, start to include text from this location up to the next %ENDINCLUDE% macro, or to the end. A normal view of the topic shows everything except the %STARTINCLUDE% macro itself.
If you want more than one part of the topic included, use %STARTSECTION{type="include"}% instead
STARTSECTION -- marks the start of a section within a topic
Section boundaries are defined with %STARTSECTION{}% and %ENDSECTION{}%.
Sections may be given a name to help identify them, and/or a type, which changes how they are used.
type="section" - the default, used for a generic section, such as a named section used by INCLUDE.
type="include" - like %STARTINCLUDE% ... %STOPINCLUDE% except that you can have as many include blocks as you want which are all merged into one when included (%STARTINCLUDE% is restricted to only one). Sections of type include may not be given a name.
type="expandvariables" - all macros inside an "expandvariables" type section gets expanded when a new topic based on the template topic is created. See TemplateTopics for more information.
type="templateonly" - start position of text to be removed when a template topic is used. This is used to embed text that you do not want expanded when a new topic based on the template topic is created. See TemplateTopics for more information.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"name"
Name of the section. Must be unique inside a topic.
Generated name
=type="
Type of the section; type "section", "expandvariables", "include" or "templateonly"
"section"
Any other parameter will be defined as a default value for a macro within the scope of the section. The example parameters on the left will result in %PARONE% and %PARTWO% being defined if they are not defined parameters to the INCLUDE, or nested INCLUDEs surrounding it, or previsouly defined Preferences.
If a section is not given a name, it will be assigned one. Unnamed sections are assigned names starting with _SECTION0 for the first unnamed section in the topic, _SECTION1 for the second, etc..
You can define nested sections. It is not recommended to overlap sections, although it is valid in Foswiki. Use named sections to make sure that the correct START and ENDs are matched. Section markers are not displayed when a topic is viewed.
%STATISTICSTOPIC% expands to WebStatistics, renders as WebStatistics
STOPINCLUDE -- Alias for ENDINCLUDE
STOPSECTION -- Alias for ENDSECTION
SUBSCRIBE{ attributes } - subscribe the current user for notification of changes to the current topic
Anywhere in a topic or template:
%SUBSCRIBE{...}% or simply %SUBSCRIBE%
Parameter
Default
Meaning
who
Logged-in user
Who to subscribe (wikiname, no web)
topic
Current topic
Topic to subscribe to. Wildcards may be used e.g. topic="Item*" will subscribe to all topics starting with Item. Use topic="Main.*" to subscribe to the WebNotify for the Main web.
unsubscribe
Not set
If set to "on", will unsubscribe the user
The format of the Subscribe/Unsubscribe button is defined in a template file templates/subscribe.tmpl. The normal skin mechanisms can be used to override this with your own local definitions. The default template works with Javascript to provide a smooth interactive experience.
The format and formatunsubscribe parameters have been removed and will
be ignored. The version of PatternSkin shipped with Foswiki 1.1.9 used these
parameters.
Defines a tab inside a TABPANE area; must be closed using ENDTAB.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"text"
label of the tab
Tab
before
when switching tabs, this is the javascript fragment to be executed just before the tab is displayed
after
this javascript handler is to be executed after the tab has been made visible
afterload
this javascript handler will be called when content loaded asynchronously (using the url parameter, below) has finished loading; depending on the network latency, this can be significantly later than execution of the after handler above
id
id of this tab; this id can be used in the TABPANEs select parameter to display this tab; this id is also added to the class attribute of the html element representing the tab button
url
link from where to load the content of the tab asynchronously when selecting this tab; the result of the addressed handler will replace the content area; if no url is set the content of the TAB ... ENDTAB area will be shown when the tab is selected
width
width of the tab area
auto
height
height of the tab area
auto
container
element where ajax content will be loaded; this is only used together with url
TABLE -- control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
Table frame, set to "void" (no sides), "above" (the top side only), "below" (the bottom side only), "hsides" (the top and bottom sides only), "lhs" (the left-hand side only), "rhs" (the right-hand side only), "vsides" (the right and left sides only), "box" (all four sides), "border" (all four sides).
unspecified
tableframe="hsides"
tablerules
Table rules, set to "none" (no rules), "groups" (rules will appear between row groups and column groups only), "rows" (rules will appear between rows only), "cols" (rules will appear between columns only), "all" (rules will appear between all rows and columns). See also: headerrules and datarules.
unspecified
tablerules="rows"
tablewidth
Table width: percentage of window width, or absolute pixel value.
unspecified
tablewidth="100%"
headerrows
Number of header rows to exclude from sort. (will be rendered in a HTML thead section)
"1"
headerrows="1"
footerrows
Number of footer rows to exclude from sort. (will be rendered in a HTML tfoot section)
"0"
footerrows="1"
id
Unique table identifier string, used for targeting a table with CSS.
tableN (where N is the table order number on the page)
id="userTable"
summary
Table summary used by screen readers: A summary of what the table presents. It should provide an orientation for someone who listens to the table.
unspecified
summary="List of subscribed users"
caption
Table caption: A title that will be displayed just above the table.
unspecified
caption="Users"
inlinemarkup
Set to "on" to generate inline markup HTML (in addition to the CSS markup); useful if you need to copy the table, for instance to paste the table into an email).
unspecified
inlinemarkup="on"
class
Add specified class to the default foswikiTable class.
unspecified
class="mytable"
Attributes for table sorting
Parameter
Description
Default
Example
sort
Set the table sorting user interface (clickable column headers) "on" or "off".
unspecified
sort="on"
initsort
Column to sort initially (use "1" for the first column). If specified, sorting is enabled; by setting sort="off" the sorting interface can be hidden.
unspecified
initsort="2"
initdirection
Initial sorting direction for initsort, set to "up" (descending, or decreasing in value) or "down" (ascending, or increasing in value).
down
initdirection="up"
disableallsort
Disable all sorting, both initsort and header sort. This is mainly used by plugins such as the EditTablePlugin to disable sorting in a table while editing the table.
unspecified
disableallsort="on"
Attributes for table cells
Argument
Description
Default
Example
cellpadding
Cell padding (pixels).
unspecified
cellpadding="0"
cellspacing
Cell spacing (pixels).
unspecified
cellspacing="3"
cellborder
Cell border width (pixels).
unspecified
cellborder="0"
valign
Vertical alignment of cells and headers, set to "top", "middle", "bottom" or "baseline".
unspecified
valign="top"
columnwidths
Column widths: Comma delimited list of column widths, percentage or absolute pixel value.
unspecified
columnwidths="80%,20%"
Attributes for data cells
Parameter
Description
Default
Example
datarules
Set to "none" (no rules), "rows" (rules will appear between rows only), "cols" (rules will appear between columns only), "all" (rules will appear between all rows and columns). Overrides tablerules for data cells.
unspecified
datarules="none"
datavalign
Vertical alignment of data cells; overrides valign.
unspecified
datavalign="top"
dataalign
Data cell alignment, one value for all columns, or a comma separated list for different alignment of individual columns. Set to "left", "center", "right" or "justify". Overrides individual cell settings.
unspecified
dataalign="center"
databg
Data cell background colour, a comma separated list. Specify "none" for no colour, that is to use the colour/background of the page the table is on.
"#edf4f9,#fff"
databg="#f2f2f2,#fff"
databgsorted
Data cell background colour of a sorted column; see databg.
the values of databg
databgsorted="#d4e8e4, #e5f5ea"
datacolor
Data cell text colour, a comma separated list.
unspecified
datacolor="#00c, #000"
Attributes for headers
Parameter
Description
Default
Example
headerrules
Set to "none" (no rules), "rows" (rules will appear between rows only), "cols" (rules will appear between columns only), "all" (rules will appear between all rows and columns). Overrides tablerules for header cells.
unspecified
headerrules="none"
headerbg
Header cell background colour. Specify "none" for no colour, that is to use the colour/background of the page the table is on.
"#6b7f93"
headerbg="#999"
headerbgsorted
Header cell background colour of a sorted column. Specify "none" for no colour, that is to use the colour/background of the page the table is on.
the value of headerbg
headerbgsorted="#32596c"
headercolor
Header cell text colour.
"#fff"
headercolor="#00c"
headervalign
Vertical alignment of header cells; overrides valign.
unspecified
headervalign="top"
headeralign
Header cell alignment, one value for all columns, or a comma separated list for different alignment of individual columns. Set to "left", "center", "right" or "justify". Overrides individual cell settings.
unspecified
headeralign="left,right"
headerrows
See: Attributes for tables
Other attributes
Parameter
Description
Default
Example
include
Other topic defining the TABLE parameters. The first %TABLE% in the topic is used. This is useful if you have many topics with the same table format and you want to update the format in one place. Use topic or web.topic notation.
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Shows a Table of Contents that is generated automatically based on headings of a topic. Headings in TopicMarkupLanguage ("---++ text") and HTML ("<h2>text</h2>") are taken into account. Any heading text after "!!" is excluded from the TOC; for example, write "---+!! text" if you do not want to list a header in the TOC
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"TopicName"
topic name
Current topic
web
Name of web
Current web
depth
Limit depth of headings shown in TOC
6
title
Title to appear at top of TOC
align
Align at left or right side of the page
id
Optional ID in case multiple TOCs are on the page and each TOC needs to be addressable with an anchor link. Allowed characters: a-zA-Z0-9-_, no spaces. If you don't specify an id, the anchor foswikiTOC can be used in a link to the first TOC: [[#foswikiTOC][Back to TOC]] creates Back to TOC. Multiple TOC macros will increment the generated ID. #foswikiTOC, #foswikiTOC2 ...
If multiple headers have the exact same text, the anchors for the 2nd, 3rd etc will be suffixed by _AN1, _AN2 etc so the anchors become unique.
If other topics are included using INCLUDE then any headingoffset specified on the INCLUDE macro will not be seen by TOC.
TOC{"Topic"} -- table of contents
Table of Contents. Shows a TOC that is generated automatically based on headings of a topic. Headings in WikiSyntax ("---++ text") and HTML ("<h2>text</h2>") are taken into account. Any heading text after "!!" is excluded from the TOC; for example, write "---+!! text" if you do not want to list a header in the TOC. An abbreviated heading can be shown in the TOC, such as "---++ text!! this is excluded from TOC".
%TOPIC% expands to the name of the topic. If you are looking at the text of an included topic, it is the name of the included topic.
Examples
%TOPIC% expands to TWikiVariables, renders as TWikiVariables
TOPICLIST -- topic index of a web
List of all topics in a web. The "format" defines the format of one topic item. It may include formatting tokens: The $topic token gets expanded to the topic name, $marker to marker parameter where topic matches selection, and $web to the name of the web, or any of the standard FormatTokens.
Parameters
Parameter:
Description:
Default:
web
Name of web
Current web
"format" format="format"
Format of one line, may include $web (name of web), $topic (name of the topic), $marker (which expands to marker for the item matching selection only)
"$topic"
separator
topic separator
"$n" (new line)
marker
Text for $marker if the item matches selection
"selected"
selection
Current value to be selected in list
(none)
Examples
Create a bullet list of all topics:
%TOPICLIST{" * $web.$topic"}%
Create a comma separated list of all topics:
%TOPICLIST{separator=", "}%
Create an option list (for drop down menus):
%TOPICLIST{" <option>$topic</option>"}%
Create an option list of web topics with the current topic selected:
<select>%TOPICLIST{
" <option $marker value='$topic'>$topic</option>"
separator=" "
selection="%TOPIC%"
}%</select>
TOPICURL -- shortcut to viewing the current topic
This variable always expands to an url pointing to the current base topic.
"block" or "inline" Specify if the Twisty Toggle section will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be block as well to create valid HTML markup.
<block>
showimgleft
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the show link at the left side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
hideimgleft
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the hide link at the left side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
showimgright
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the show link at the right side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
hideimgright
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the hide link at the right side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
remember
If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared.
Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.
start
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember).
firststart
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember).
noscript
Make content hidden in case use does not have JavaScript on. Default content is shown in case JavaScript if off
class
CSS class name for Twisty element
linkclass
CSS class name for link
prefix
Text to display before the show/hide links
suffix
Text to display after the show/hide links
Additional parameters img, imgleft, imgright, hideimg, showimg are deprecated, use showimgleft, hideimgleft, showimgright or hideimgright.
TWISTYBUTTON -- Shorthand version for TWISTYSHOW & TWISTYHIDE
This is useful if both the show and the hide button take the same arguments.
"block" or "inline" Specify if the Twisty Hide link will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be block as well to create valid HTML markup.
<block>
img
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the right side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
remember
If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared. Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.
start
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember).
firststart
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember).
Examples
%TWISTYHIDE{id="demo" link=" Click to Fold " imgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleclose}%"}%
"block" or "inline" Specify if the Twisty Show link will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be block as well to create valid HTML markup.
<block>
img
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the right side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
imgleft
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the left side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
imgright
Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the right side of the link. You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.
remember
If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared. Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.
start
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember).
firststart
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember).
Examples
%TWISTYSHOW{id="demo" link=" Click to Unfold " imgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleopen}%"}%
"block" or "inline" Specify if the Twisty Toggle section will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be block as well to create valid HTML markup.
<block>
class
CSS class name for content element
linkclass
CSS class name for link
remember
If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared. Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.
start
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember).
firststart
"hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember).
noscript
hide to make content hidden in case use does not have JavaScript on
Returns the value of the named parameter in the URL or HTTP POST request.
Parameters
Parameter:
Description:
Default:
"name"
The name of a URL parameter
required
default
Default value, used if the parameter is not present
""
newline
Convert newlines in textarea to other delimiters
encode
Control how special characters are encoded "off" - No encoding. Avoid using this when possible. See the security warning below. "entity" - Encode special characters into HTML entities. See ENCODE for more details. "safe" - Encode characters '"<>% into HTML entities. "url" - Encode special characters for URL parameter use, like a double quote into %22 "quote" - Escape double quotes with backslashes (\"), does not change other characters; required when feeding URL parameters into other macros. You can combine several encodings together, and they will be applied in the order you specify e.g. encode="safe, quote"
safe
multiple
If set, gets all selected elements of a <select multiple="multiple"> tag. Can be set to a format string, with $item indicating the element, e.g. multiple="Option: $item" (also supports the standard format tokens)
first element
separator
Separator between multiple selections. Only relevant if multiple is specified
$n (new line)
Examples
%URLPARAM{"skin"}% returns print for a .../view/System/TWikiVariables?skin=print URL
URL parameters passed into HTML form fields must be entity encoded.
Double quotes in URL parameters must be escaped when passed into other macros. Example: %SEARCH{ "%URLPARAM{ "search" encode="safe, quote" }%" noheader="on" }% Reverse the encoding when used in SEARCH. Example: %SEARCH{ "%URLPARAM{ "search" encode="safe, quote"}%" decode="safe" noheader="on" }%. (It is not necessary to reverse quote encoding, otherwise decode= options should be specified in the reverse order from the encode= options.)
When used in a template topic, this macro will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details.
Watch out for internal parameters, such as rev, skin, template, topic, web; they have a special meaning in Foswiki. Common parameters and view script specific parameters are documented at CommandAndCGIScripts.
If you have %URLPARAM{ in the value of a URL parameter, it will be modified to %<nop>URLPARAM{. This is to prevent an infinite loop during expansion.
Security warning! Using URLPARAM can easily be misused for cross-site scripting unless specific characters are entity encoded. By default URLPARAM encodes the characters '"<>% into HTML entities (same as encode="safe") which is relatively safe. The safest is to use encode="entity". When passing URLPARAM inside another macro always use double quotes ("") combined with using URLPARAM with encode="quote". For maximum security against cross-site scripting you are adviced to install the Foswiki:Extensions.SafeWikiPlugin.
Comma separated list of email addresses known to the user mapper (this would normally be TopicUserMappingContrib). If expanding for a group, then this will be the email addresses of all members.
$username (*)
Login username. If expanding for a group, this should expand as unknown
$wikiname, $wikiusername
The user's WikiName and Main.WikiName, respectively
$groups (*)
Comma separated list of group membership. Currently only expands for users
$isadmin (*)
Has admin privileges (expands to true or false)
$isgroup
Is a group (expands to true or false)
Tokens flagged '(*)' are considered private and are hidden from other users by default.
The standard format tokens are also supported.
Examples
%USERINFO{"name" format="..."}% expands to guest, Main.WikiGuest, (lists $username, $wikiusername, $emails)
With formatted output, using tokens:
%USERINFO{ format="$username is really $wikiname" }%
Expands to: guest is really WikiGuest
Retrieve information about another user. You can use either a wikiname or a username to identify the user. You can only see the restricted information about another user if you are an admin, or the {AntiSpam}{HideUserDetails} configuration option is not enabled. (User details are hidden on this site) :
%USERINFO{ "WikiGuest" format="$username is really $wikiname" }%
Expands to: guest is really WikiGuest
USERNAME -- your login username
Foswiki makes names available in three formats: USERNAME like jsmith, WIKINAME like JohnSmith and WIKIUSERNAME like Main.JohnSmith. Un-authenticated users are all WikiGuest.
This macro is an alias for the USERINFO macro with a fixed format="$username".
The login username is considered "protected"
information by default and will not be revealed to non-admin users.
When used in a template topic, this macro will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details
USERSWEB -- name of users web
The web containing individual user topics, WikiGroups, and customised site-wide preferences.
%WEB% expands to the name of the web where the topic is located. If you are looking at the text of an included topic, it is the web where the included topic is located.
Examples
%WEB% expands to System
WEBLIST -- index of all webs
Generate a list of webs. Obfuscated webs are excluded, e.g. webs with a NOSEARCHALL = onpreference setting. The "format" defines the format of one web item. The $name gets expanded to the name of the web, $qname gets expanded to double quoted name, $marker to marker where web matches selection. Subwebs are listed recursively.
Parameters
Parameter
Description
Default
"format" format="format"
Format of one line, may include $name (the name of the web), $qname (the name of the web in double quotes), $indentedname (the name of the web with parent web names replaced by indents, for use in indented lists), and $marker (which expands to marker for the item matching selection only). The standard format tokens may also be used.
$name
separator
Web separator
$n (new line). Standard format tokens may also be used.
web
if you specify $web in format, it will be replaced with this value.
webs
Comma separated list of webs to consider. This list can include two pseudo-webs, public which expands to all non-hidden and webtemplate which expands to the names of all template webs. NOTE: Administrators will see all webs, not just the public ones
public
subwebs
Specifies a single web. If specified, then public and webtemplate (described above) will expand relative to show subwebs *below this web only.
selection
Entry to be selected in list. If one of the webs matches this selection, then $marker in the format will be expanded
%WEB%
marker
Text for $marker if the item matches selection
selected="selected"
Examples
Create a bullet list of all webs:
%WEBLIST{" * [[$name.%HOMETOPIC%]]"}%
Create a dropdown of all public webs + Trash web, with the current web highlighted:
WEBLIST will not show a web called 'TWiki' even if it exists in the file system unless the TWikiCompatibilityPlugin is installed and activated in configure. This is done to ensure that the TWiki compatibility components such as the TWiki web are only visible and active when needed
WEBPREFSTOPIC -- name of web preferences topic
Examples
%WEBPREFSTOPIC% expands to WebPreferences, renders as WebPreferences
Expands to: white text (shown with a gray background here)
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
The WikiName is the same as %USERNAME% if not defined in the WikiUsers topic.
This macro is an alias for the USERINFO macro with a fixed format="$wikiname".
When used in a template topic, this macro will be expanded when the template is used to create new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details
WIKIPREFSTOPIC -- name of site-wide preferences topic
Examples
%WIKIPREFSTOPIC% expands to DefaultPreferences, renders as DefaultPreferences
WIKITOOLNAME -- name of your site
Examples
%WIKITOOLNAME% expands to Foswiki
WIKIUSERNAME -- your Wiki username with web prefix
Your %WIKINAME% with Main web prefix, useful to point to your Foswiki home page
This macro is an alias for the USERINFO macro with a fixed format="$wikiusername".
%WIKIUSERNAME% expands to Main.WikiGuest, renders as WikiGuest
%WIKIUSERNAME{guest}% expands to Main.WikiGuest, renders as WikiGuest
When used in a template topic, this macro will be expanded when the template is used to create a new topic. See TemplateTopics#TemplateTopicsVars for details
WIKIUSERSTOPIC -- name of topic listing all registered users
Note:%<color>% text must end with %ENDCOLOR%. If you want to switch from one color to another one you first need to end the active color with %ENDCOLOR%, e.g. write %RED% some text %ENDCOLOR% %GREEN% more text %ENDCOLOR%.
Customize the display of search results.
The default output format of a %SEARCH{...}% is a table consisting of topic names and topic summaries. Use the format="..." parameter to customize the search result. The format parameter typically defines a bullet or a table row containing macros, such as %SEARCH{ "food" format="| $topic | $summary |" }%. See %SEARCH{...}% for other search parameters, such as separator="".
Syntax
Three parameters can be used to specify a customized search result:
1. header="..." parameter
Use the header parameter to specify the header of a search result. It should correspond to the format of the format parameter. This parameter is optional.
Example:
header="| *Topic:* | *Summary:* |"
Format tokens that can be used in the header string:
Number of topics found in current web. Will be 0 (zero).
$nhits
Number of hits if multiple="on". Will be 0 (zero).
$pager
pager control - can be optionally customised using the pagerformat below
$n or $n()
New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
Most macros accept parameter strings which are split over multiple lines. This is usually more readable than using $n tokens. If you are familiar with sectional includes, you might also consider nested sectional includes to hold the newline content outside of the parameter string entirely.
Note that newline is not a line break. The browser will wrap the lines together. If you require a line break, displaying the results on two lines, use %BR%. Or use two consecutive newlines to create a TML "Paragraph".
$nop or $nop()
Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot
Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percent
Percent sign (%) ($percnt also works)
$dollar
Dollar sign ($)
$lt
Less than sign (<)
$gt
Greater than sign (>)
$amp
Ampersand (&)
$comma
Comma (,)
Note that if the separator parameter for SEARCH is not defined a newline is added after the header.
2. footer="..." parameter
Use the footer parameter to specify the footer of a search result. It should correspond to the format of the format parameter. This parameter is optional.
Example:
footer="| *Total:* | *$nhits* |"
Format tokens that can be used in the footer string:
Number of hits if multiple="on". Cumulative across all topics in current web. Identical to $ntopics unless multiple="on"
$pager
pager control - can be optionally customised using the pagerformat below
$n or $n()
New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
Most macros accept parameter strings which are split over multiple lines. This is usually more readable than using $n tokens. If you are familiar with sectional includes, you might also consider nested sectional includes to hold the newline content outside of the parameter string entirely.
Note that newline is not a line break. The browser will wrap the lines together. If you require a line break, displaying the results on two lines, use %BR%. Or use two consecutive newlines to create a TML "Paragraph".
$nop or $nop()
Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot
Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percent
Percent sign (%) ($percnt also works)
$dollar
Dollar sign ($)
$lt
Less than sign (<)
$gt
Greater than sign (>)
$amp
Ampersand (&)
$comma
Comma (,)
Note that if the separator parameter for SEARCH is not defined a newline is added after the last search result.
3. pagerformat="..." parameter
Use the pagerformat parameter to customise the appearance of the paging control.
It should correspond to the format of the format parameter.
This parameter is optional.
Example:
pagerformat="Page $currentpage of $numberofpages [[$nexturl][next page]]"
Format tokens that can be used in the pagerformat string:
The page number before the currently displayed one
$currentpage
The currently displayed page number
$nextpage
The page number after the currently displayed one
$numberofpages
Total number of pages there are results for
$pagesize
The number of results per page
$previousurl
full URL to the previous page - IF using the built in pager system
$nexturl
full URL to the previous page - IF using the built in pager system
$previousbutton
skin template (SEARCH:pager_previous) html for the full URL to the previous page - IF using the built in pager system
$nextbutton
skin template (SEARCH:pager_next) html for the full URL to the previous page - IF using the built in pager system
$n or $n()
New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
Most macros accept parameter strings which are split over multiple lines. This is usually more readable than using $n tokens. If you are familiar with sectional includes, you might also consider nested sectional includes to hold the newline content outside of the parameter string entirely.
Note that newline is not a line break. The browser will wrap the lines together. If you require a line break, displaying the results on two lines, use %BR%. Or use two consecutive newlines to create a TML "Paragraph".
$nop or $nop()
Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot
Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percent
Percent sign (%) ($percnt also works)
$dollar
Dollar sign ($)
$lt
Less than sign (<)
$gt
Greater than sign (>)
$amp
Ampersand (&)
$comma
Comma (,)
4. format="..." parameter
Use the format parameter to specify the format of one search hit.
Example:
format="| $topic | $summary |"
Format tokens that can be used in the format string:
Topic name, hyphenated every 30 characters with separator "-<br />"
$topic(40, ...)
Topic name, shortened to 40 characters with trailing ellipsis.
$parent
Name of parent topic; empty if not set
$parent(20)
Name of parent topic, same hyphenation/shortening as $topic()
$text
Formatted topic text. In case of a multiple="on" search, it is the line found for each search hit.
$locked
LOCKED flag (if any)
$date
Time stamp of last topic update, e.g. 05 Nov 2024 - 10:40
$isodate
Time stamp of last topic update, e.g. 2024-11-05T10:40Z
$index
number of total results - can be used as a running counter in the format, or in the footer. This $index is not affected by web based partitioning of results.
$item
the full name of a result item - in a SEARCH context, equivalent to $web.$topic
$rev
Number of last topic revision, e.g. 4
$username
Login username of last user to update the topic, e.g. jsmith
$wikiname
WikiName of last user to update the topic, e.g. JohnSmith
$wikiusername
WikiName of last usr to update the topic, like Main.JohnSmith
WikiName topic link of topic revision 1, e.g. Main.JohnSmith
$summary
Topic summary, just the plain text, all formatting and line breaks removed; up to 162 characters
$summary(50)
Topic summary, up to 50 characters shown
$summary(showvarnames)
Topic summary, with %SOMEMACRO{...}% macros shown as SOMEMACRO{...}
$summary(noheader)
Topic summary, with leading ---+ headers removed Note: The tokens can be combined, for example $summary(100, showvarnames, noheader)
$summary(searchcontext)
Creates a topic summary with the search terms highlighted
$summary(searchcontext, 50)
Creates a topic summary with the search terms highlighted, up to 50 characters
$changes
Summary of changes between latest rev and previous rev
$changes(n)
Summary of changes between latest rev and rev n
$formname
The name of the form attached to the topic; empty if none
$formfield(name)
The field value of a form field; for example, if FAQWhatIsWikiWiki was a search hit, $formfield(TopicClassification) would get expanded to =. This applies only to topics that have a DataForm. For multi-line textfields new lines are replaced by the value of the =newline parameter if it is defined, otherwise by an HTML <br />
$formfield(name, 10)
Form field value, "- " hyphenated every 10 characters
$formfield(name, 20, -<br />)
Form field value, hyphenated every 20 characters with separator "-<br />"
$formfield(name,30,...)
Form field value, shortened to 30 characters with trailing ellipsis.
$formfield(name, display)
Form field value after mapping the stored value to the display value (use with +values form fields). You can still use the hyphenation controls described above by placing them afterdisplay e.g. $formfield(name, display, 10)
$extract(reg-exp)
A regular expression pattern to extract some text from a topic (does not search meta data; use $formfield instead). Escapes some characters to their standard FormatTokens in the discovered text to make embedding in other macros easier. See Using $extract and $pattern below for more information.
$pattern(reg-exp)
As $extract, with the difference that $pattern does not escape quotes or precent signs in the result.
$count(reg-exp)
Count of number of times a regular expression pattern appears in the text of a topic (does not search meta data). Follows guidelines for use and limitations outlined above under $pattern(reg-exp). Example: $count(.*?(---[+][+][+][+]) .*) counts the number of <H4> headers in a page.
$ntopics
Number of topics found in current web. This is the current topic count, not the total number of topics
$nhits
Number of hits if multiple="on". Cumulative across all topics in current web. Identical to $ntopics unless multiple="on"
$pager
pager control - can be optionally customised using the pagerformat below
$n or $n()
New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
Most macros accept parameter strings which are split over multiple lines. This is usually more readable than using $n tokens. If you are familiar with sectional includes, you might also consider nested sectional includes to hold the newline content outside of the parameter string entirely.
Note that newline is not a line break. The browser will wrap the lines together. If you require a line break, displaying the results on two lines, use %BR%. Or use two consecutive newlines to create a TML "Paragraph".
$nop or $nop()
Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot
Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percent
Percent sign (%) ($percnt also works)
$dollar
Dollar sign ($)
$lt
Less than sign (<)
$gt
Greater than sign (>)
$amp
Ampersand (&)
$comma
Comma (,)
Using $extract and $pattern
$extract and $pattern are subtle. These tokens specify a RegularExpression that covers the whole text (of each line found by the search if multiple="on", of the entire topic text otherwise). The regular expression typically starts with .*, and must end in .*
The leading .* matches all the content up to the start of the string you want to find. It will try to match the longest string of characters it can, so if your pattern occurs several times in the content it will always match the last occurence. If you always want to match the first occurrence, use .*? instead.
You _must* end the pattern with .*
Put the section of the pattern that matches the text you want to keep in parenthesis, like this $extract(.*?(from here.*?to here).*)
Example: $extract(.*?\*.*?Email\:\s*([^\n\r]+).*) extracts the e-mail address from * Email: ...
Do not use .*inside the parentheses, e.g. $extract(.*foo(.*)bar.*) does not work. You can however use .*? thus $extract(.*foo(.*?)bar.*)
Make sure that the integrity of a web page is not compromised; for example, if you include an HTML table make sure to include everything including the table end tag. $extract will automatically escape "<>&%$ characters so that the string matched by the pattern doesn't break any macros that are wrapped around it. $pattern does not do this, and should be used with care. $extract is only available in Foswiki 2.0 and later.
SEARCH is one of many macros that produce output which may be controlled with format, header and footer parameters, among others. To make use of additional macros in the output, familiarity with inside-out, left-to-right order of expansion rules is required. There are two forms:
Standard: Use %INNERMACRO% to build the parameter string before%OUTERMACRO% is expanded
%OUTERMACRO{
format="%INNERMACRO%"
}%
Delayed: Use the parameter string to incorporate %INNERMACRO% into the output of %OUTERMACRO%
When working with a given macro, consult its documentation to determine which parameters support the $percent/$percntformat tokens. Generally only output parameters like header, format and footer support format tokens.
Standard form
The key to understanding nested expressions in Foswiki is to understand that macros are expanded "inside-out, left-to-right". Example:
The macros are expanded in this order: MACRO3, MACRO4, MACRO2, MACRO1.
Step-by-Step Example
Step 1
%INCLUDE{
"%QUERY{
"'%THETOPIC%'/%THEFIELD%"
}%"
section="Summary"
}%
* Set THETOPIC = %SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Step 2
%INCLUDE{
"%QUERY{
"'%SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki'/%THEFIELD%"
}%"
section="Summary"
}%
* Set THETOPIC = %SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Step 3
%INCLUDE{
"%QUERY{
"'%SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki'/TopicClassification"
}%"
section="Summary"
}%
* Set THETOPIC = %SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Step 4
%INCLUDE{
"%QUERY{
"'System.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki'/TopicClassification"
}%"
section="Summary"
}%
* Set THETOPIC = %SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Step 5
%INCLUDE{
"FrequentlyAskedQuestion"
section="Summary"
}%
* Set THETOPIC = %SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Step 6
These topics are for frequently
asked questions including answers.
* Set THETOPIC = %SYSTEMWEB%.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Step 7
These topics are for frequently
asked questions including answers.
* Set THETOPIC = System.FAQWhatIsWikiWiki
* Set THEFIELD = TopicClassification
Delayed form
Standard form macros can nearly always be used to build the parameter string of another macro; however, sometimes it is desirable to bypass the inside-out expansion order and delay the inner macro until after the outer macro has finished expansion. This is accomplished by using the $percent format token instead of %, and escaping any " character it uses (becomes \")
When working with a given macro, consult its documentation to determine which parameters support the $percent/$percntformat tokens. Generally only output parameters like header, format and footer support format tokens.
Problem: search for some topics in an initial (outer) search, and for each of them apply a second (inner) search. The idea is to use the outer search to build a series of inner seraches.
Consider the following example. Let's search for all topics that contain the word "culture" (outer search), and find out where each topic found is linked from (inner search).
Initial (outer) search:
%SEARCH{
"culture"
nonoise="on"
format=" * $topic is referenced by: (list all references)"
}%
Second (inner) search:
For each hit, we want this search:
%SEARCH{
"(topic found in outer search)"
nonoise="on"
format="$topic"
separator=", "
}%
Now let's nest the two.
Method 1 (nesting with escapes)
The inner search cannot be placed directly into the format string of the outer, because of the "inside-out, left-to-right" macro expansion behaviour discussed earlier. It must be delayed so that the outer search is evaluated first. To do this, we need to escape the inner search, i.e. let the outer search build a series of inner searches, which are executed only when the outer list is complete..
Use $percent to escape (delay) the inner search's SEARCH macro
When nesting with escapes, each new nesting level must "escape the escapes", e.g. write $dollarpercentSEARCH{ for level three, $dollardollarpercentSEARCH{ for level four, etc.
Method 2 (nesting with sectional includes)
Nested expressions with delayed macros can be difficult to write: care must be taken to escape all the quotes of the inner delayed macro, and it may become confusing whether to use $topic, $dollartopic or $dollardollartopic.
If you find yourself using escaped tokens like $dollartopic, another approach is to use the STARTSECTION/ENDSECTION feature of INCLUDE. Instead of nesting the inner search expression directly inside the format string of the outer, the inner search is written as a separate stand-alone section of a topic which is INCLUDEd into the format string of the outer.
Sometimes it may be desirable for each hit to be displayed differently depending on some criteria. For example, maybe you want to list 20 topics modified in 2009, but decorate the hits which are children of UserDocumentationCategory with an icon.
Specify a search which returns the hits you need
For each search hit, test the condition that will influence the output using a nested IFstatement
The SEARCH has a delayed ICON. The $percent ensures that ICON is evaluated once for each search hit
The ICON contains an IF, which again is delayed with the $percent token and will also be evaluated for each SEARCH hit. Additionally, the inside-out, left-to-right rule discussed earlier means that this IF expression will be evaluated before ICON.
Each topic can have one or more files of any type attached to it by using the Attach screen to upload (or download) files from your local PC. Attachments are stored under revision control: uploads are automatically backed up; all previous versions of a modified file can be retrieved.
What are attachments good for?
File Attachments can be used to archive data, or to create powerful customized groupware solutions, like file sharing and document management systems, and quick Web page authoring.
Document management system
You can use Attachments to store and retrieve documents (in any format, with associated graphics, and other media files); attach documents to topics; collaborate on documents with full revision control; distribute documents on a need-to-know basis using web and topic-level access control; create a central reference library that's easy to share with an user group spread around the world.
File sharing
For file sharing, FileAttachments on a series of topics can be used to quickly create a well-documented, categorized digital download center for all types of files: documents, graphics and other media, drivers and patches, applications; anything you can safely upload!
Web authoring
Through your web browser, you can easily upload graphics (or sound files, or anything else you want to link to on a page) and place them on a single page, or use them across a web, or site-wide.
You can also add graphics - any files - directly, typically by FTP upload. This requires FTP access, and may be more convenient if you have a large number of files to load. FTP-ed files cannot be managed using browser-based attachment controls. You can use your browser to create shortcuts using Macros, like this %H% = .
Attachment Names
Attachment names are stored directly in the server native file system, so filenames are sanitized to prevent use of names that would be unacceptable to the variety of platforms where Foswiki is supported. Note that the rules are different depending on whether or not your installation is configured to support international characters (UseLocale)
Default rules without international character set support.
Filenames must only be compose of:
"Mixed Alpha-Numeric" characters. (A-Z, a-z and 0-9)
May also contain:
. (period / decimal point / "dot")
_ (Underscore)
- (Hyphen or dash)
embedded spaces (Will be converted to underscore (_) during upload
Any other characters are removed from the filename.
Any leading dots or slashes (., \ or /) will be stripped
Embedded spaces will be converted to underscore _
Certain filenames that might be interpreted as executable code will have .txt appended. (This is set locally by your system administrator)
Attachment name rules with international character set support enabled.
Embedded spaces are converted to _ (Underscore).
Filenames are filtered according to rules set by your administrator.
The default rules will strip the following characters from the filename:
Any "whitespace" characters
* (Asterisk)
? (Question mark)
~ (Tilde)
^ (Caret / Circumflex)
\ (Backslash)
$ (Dollar-sign)
@ (At-sign)
% (Percent-sign)
`'" Quotes (Open-quote, Close-quote/Apostrophe, and Double-quote)
& (Ampersand)
; (Semicolon)
| (Vertical line)
<> (Less and Greater signs)
[] (Open and close square brackets)
And any ASCII control characters (Hex x00-x1f)
Any leading dots or slashes (., \ or /) will be stripped
Certain filenames that might be interpreted as executable code will have .txt appended. (This is set locally by your system administrator)
Uploading files
Click on the [Attach] link at the bottom of the page. The Attach screen lets you browse for a file, add a comment, and upload it. The uploaded file will show up in the file attachment table.
The topic must already exist. If it does not, it is a two step process: First create the topic, then add the file attachment.
Any type of file can be uploaded. Some files that might pose a security risk are renamed, for example: *.php files are renamed to *.php.txt so that no one can place code that would be read in a .php file.
Foswiki can limit the file size. This is defined by the %ATTACHFILESIZELIMIT%preference settings, currently set at 10000 kB.
It is not recommended to upload files greater than a few hundred K through a browser. Large files can be extremely slow-loading, and often time out. Use an FTP site for large file uploads.
Automatic attachments:
When enabled, all files with valid names in a topic's attachment directory are shown as attachments to the topic - even if they were directly copied to the directory and never attached by using an [Attach] link. This is a convenient way to quickly "attach" files to a topic without uploading them one by one; although at the cost of losing audit trail and version control.
Before an attachment is shown, the filename is filtered per the above Attachment name rules. If the filtered name is not identical to the actual file name, the file will not be included in the list of attachments
To enable this feature, set the {AutoAttachPubFiles} configuration option.
The automatic attachment feature can only be used by an administrator who has access to the server's file system.
Linking to the attached file in the topic:
Checking the "Create a link to the attached file" appends a link at the end of the topic. The format can be modified with the %ATTACHEDFILELINKFORMAT%preference setting. Images (files ending in gif, jpg, jpeg or png) are handled by %ATTACHEDIMAGEFORMAT%.
The two named preference settings may use the following variables:
$filename: the name of the file
$fileext: the filename extension (string following the last period, if present) or an empty string.
There is no access control on individual attachments. If you need control over single files, create a separate topic per file and set topic-level access restrictions for each.
Moving attachment files
An attachment can be moved between topics.
Click [Manage] on the Attachment to be moved.
On the control screen, select the new web and/or topic.
Click [Move]. The attachment and its version history are moved. The original location is stored as topic meta data.
Deleting attachments
Move unwanted Attachments to web Trash, topic TrashAttachment.
Linking to attached files
Once a file is attached it can be referenced in the topic. Example:
[Attach] a file, for example: Sample.txt
[Edit] the topic you attached the file to and enter: %ATTACHURL%/Sample.txt
GIF, JPG and PNG images can be attached and shown embedded in a topic. Example:
[Attach] an image file, for example: Smile.gif
[Edit] topic and write text: %ATTACHURL%/Smile.gif
[Preview]: text appears as /foswiki/pub/System/FileAttachment/Smile.gif, an image.
Securing Attachments
In most installations, attachments are not secured. Anyone can read them if they know the name of the web, topic and attachment.
To secure attachments, you have to control access to the attachments through
the viewfile script, which requires a change in your web server configuration. To see how to configure Apache to do this, see https://foswiki.org/Support/ApacheConfigGenerator#Attachments
Examples
Following you will find some examples of screens and tables related to this topic and referenced throughout the previous text. The appearance of these tables might vary, depending on what skin is used on your Foswiki installation.
File attachment table
Files attached to a topic are displayed in a directory table, showing the different file names and attributes. An h means the attachment is hidden and not listed when viewing a topic in normal mode.
The file attachment table is normally displayed at the bottom of the page, or optionally, hidden and accessed when you click [Attach].
Clicking on a [Manage] link takes you to a new page that looks a bit like this (depending on what skin is selected).
Here, you have different options:
To update an existing file, choose the updated file on your local drive and click [Update file]. The filename of the original attachment will preserved; the filename of the local file you chose will not be used.
To change the comment on an attachment, enter a new comment and then click [Change comment and properties only]. Note that the comment listed against the specific version will not change, however the comment displayed when viewing the topic does change.
To hide/unhide an attachment, enable the Do not show attachment in table checkbox, then click [Change comment and properties only].
Attach new file
Select a new local file to update attachment Sample.txt Upload up to 10000 KB.
Comment
Describe the file so other people know what it is.
Properties
Images will be displayed, for other attachments a link will be created.Attachments will not be shown in topic view page.
Add structure to content with forms attached to twiki topics. TWiki forms (with form fields) and formatted search are the base for building database applications.
Overview
By adding form-based input to freeform content, you can structure topics with unlimited, easily searchable categories. A form is enabled for a web and can be added to a topic. The form data is shown in tabular format when the topic is viewed, and can be changed in edit mode using edit fields, radio buttons, check boxes and list boxes. Many different form types can be defined in a web, though a topic can only have one form attached to it at a time.
Typical steps to build an application based on TWiki forms:
Build an HTML form to create new topics based on that template topic
Build a FormattedSearch to list topics that share the same form
Defining a Form
A Form Template specifies the fields in a form. A Form Template is simply a page containing a TWiki table, where each row of the table specifies one form field.
Create a new topic with your form name: YourForm, ExpenseReportForm, InfoCategoryForm, RecordReviewForm, whatever you need.
Create a TWiki table, with each column representing one element of an entry field: Name, Type, Size, Values, Tooltip message, and Attributes(see sample below).
For each field, fill in a new line; for the type of field, select from the list.
Save the topic (you can later choose to enable/disable individual forms).
See structure of a form for full details of what types are available and what all the columns mean.
You can also retrieve possible values for select, checkbox or radio types from other topics:
When used in the value field of the form definition, this will find all topic names in the Main web which end in "Office" and use them as the legal field values.
Enabling Forms by Web
Forms have to be enabled for each individual web. The WEBFORMS variable in WebPreferences is optional and defines a list of possible form templates.
Example:
Set WEBFORMS = BugForm, FeatureForm, Books.BookLoanForm
With WEBFORMS enabled, an extra button is added to the edit view. If the topic doesn't have a Form, an Add Form button appears at the end of the topic. If a Form is present, a Change button appears in the top row of the Form. The buttons open a screen that enables selection of a form specified in WEBFORMS, or the No form option.
You have to list the available form topics explicitly. You cannot use a SEARCH to define WEBFORMS.
Adding a form to a topic
Edit the topic and follow the "Add form" button to add a Form. This is typically done to a template topic, either to the WebTopicEditTemplate topic in a web, or a new topic that serves as an application specific template topic. Initial Form values can be set there.
Additionally a new topic can be given a Form using the formtemplate parameter in the (edit or save) URL. Initial values can then be provided in the URLs or as form values:
other than checkboxes: name, ex: ?BugPriority=1
checkbox: namevalue=1, ex: ?ColorRed=1. Boxes with a tick must be specified.
Example: This will add a textfield for the new topic name and a "Create"-Button to your topic. When the button is pressed, the topic editor will open with the form "MyForm" already attached to the new topic.
Note: You can create a topic in one step, without going through the edit screen. To do that, specify the save script instead of the edit script in the form action. When you specify the save script you have to use the "post" method. Example:
Note: Initial values will not be set in the form of a new topic if you only use the formtemplate parameter.
Changing a form
You can change a form definition, and TWiki will try to make sure you don't lose any data from the topics that use that form.
If you change the form definition, the changes will not take affect in a topic that uses that form until you edit and save it.
If you add a new field to the form, then it will appear next time you edit a topic that uses the form.
If you delete a field from the form, or change a field name, then the data will not be visible when you edit the topic (the changed form definition will be used). If you save the topic, the old data will be lost (though thanks to revision control, you can always see it in older versions of the topic)
If two people edit the same topic containing a form at exactly the same time, and both change fields in the form, TWiki will try to merge the changes so that no data is lost.
Structure of a Form Template
A Form Template specifies the fields in a form. A Form Template is simply a page containing a TWiki table, where each row of the table specifies one form field.
Each column of the table is one element of an entry field: Name, Type, Size, Values, Tooltip message, and Attributes.
The Name, Type and Size columns are required. Other columns are optional. The form must have a header row (e.g. | *Name* | *Type* | *Size* |).
Name is the name of the form field.
The Type, Size and Value fields describe the legal values for this field, and how to display them.
Typecheckbox specifies one or more checkboxes. The Size field specifies how many checkboxes will be displayed on each line. The Value field should be a comma-separated list of item labels.
Typecheckbox+buttons will add Set and Clear buttons to the basic checkbox type.
Typeradio is like checkbox except that radio buttons are mutually exclusive; only one can be selected.
Typelabel specifies read-only label text. The Value field should contain the text of the label.
Typeselect specifies a select box. The Value field should contain a comma-separated list of options for the box. The Size field can specify a fixed size for the box (e.g. 1, or a range e.g. 3..10. If you specify a range, then the box will never be smaller than 3 items, never larger than 10, and will be 5 high if there are only 5 options.
There are two modifiers that can be applied to the select type:
select+multi turns multiselect on for the select, to allow Shift+Click and Ctrl+Click to select (or deselect) multiple items.
select+values allows the definition of values that are different to the displayed text. For example:
| Field 9 | select+values | 5 | One, Two=2, Three=III, Four | Various values formats |
shows but the values or options Two and Three are 2 and III respectively. You can combine these modifiers e.g. select+multi+values
Typetext specifies a one-line text field. Size specifies the text box width in number of characters. Value is the initial (default) content when a new topic is created with this form template.
Typetextarea specifies a multi-line text box. The Size field should specify columns x rows, e.g. 80x6; default size is 40x5. As for text, the Value field specifies the initial text
Typedate specifies a single-line text box and a button next to it; clicking on the button will bring up a calendar from which the user can select a date. The date can also be typed into the text box. Size specifies the text box width in characters. As for text, the Value field specifies the initial text
Tooltip message is a message that will be displayed when the cursor is hovered over the field in edit view.
Attributes specifies special attributes for the field. Multiple attributes can be entered, separated by spaces.
An attribute H indicates that this field should not be shown in view mode. However, the field is available for editing and storing information.
An attribute M indicates that this field is mandatory. The topic cannot be saved unless a value is provided for this field. If the field is found empty during topic save, an error is raised and the user is redirected to an oops page. Mandatory fields are indicated by an asterisks next to the field name.
For example, a simple form just supporting entry of a name and a date would look as follows:
| *Name* | *Type* | *Size* |
| Name | text | 80 |
| Date | date | 30 |
Field Name Notes:
Field names have to be unique.
A very few field names are reserved. If you try to use one of these names, TWiki will automatically append an underscore to the name when the form is used.
You can space out the title of the field, and it will still find the topic e.g. Aeroplane Manufacturers is equivalent to AeroplaneManufacturers.
If a label field has no name, it will not be shown when the form is viewed, only when it is edited.
Field names can in theory include any text, but you should stick to alphanumeric characters. If you want to use a non-wikiname for a select, checkbox or radio field, and want to get the values from another topic, you can use [[...]] links. This notation can also be used when referencing another topic to obtain field values, but a name other than the topic name is required as the name of the field.
Leading and trailing spaces are not significant.
Field Value Notes:
The field value will be used to initialize a field when a form is created, unless specific values are given by the topic template or query parameters. The first item in the list for a select or radio type is the default item. For label, text, and textarea fields the value may also contain commas. checkbox fields cannot be initialized through the form template.
Leading and trailing spaces are not significant.
Field values can also be generated through a FormattedSearch, which must yield a suitable table as the result.
Variables in the initial values of a form definition get expanded when the form definition is loaded.
If you want to use a | character in the initial values field, you have to precede it with a backslash, thus: \|.
You can use <nop> to prevent TWiki variables from being expanded.
The FormatTokens can be used to prevent expansion of other characters.
General Notes:
The topic definition is not read when a topic is viewed.
Form definition topics can be protected in the usual manner, using TWikiAccessControl, to limit who can change the form template and/or individual value lists. Note that view access is required to be able to edit topics that use the form definition, though view access to the form definition is not required to view a topic where the form has been used.
Values in Other Topics
As described above, you can also retrieve possible values for select, checkbox or radio types from other topics. For example, if you have a rows defined like this:
the TWiki will look for the topic AeroplaneManufacturers to get the possible values for the select.
The AeroplaneManufacturers topic must contain a table, where each row of the table describes a possible value. The table only requires one column, Name. Other columns may be present, but are ignored.
For example:
The Values column must be empty in the referring form definition.
Extending the range of form data types
You can extend the range of data types accepted by forms by using TWikiPlugins. All such extended data types are single-valued (can only have one value) with the following exceptions:
any type name starting with checkbox
any type name with +multi anywhere in the name
Types with names like this can both take multiple values.
Hints and Tips
Build an HTML form to create new Form-based topics
New topics with a form are created by simple HTML forms asking for a topic name. For example, you can have a SubmitExpenseReport topic where you can create new expense reports, a SubmitVacationRequest topic, and so on. These can specify the required template topic with its associated form. Template topics has more.
A Form Template specifies the fields in a form. A Form Template is simply a page containing a TWiki table, where each row of the table specifies one form field.
Searching for Form Data
TWiki Forms accept user-input data, stored as TWikiMetaData. Meta data also contains program-generated info about changes, attachments, etc. To find, format and display form and other meta data, see TWikiMetaData, FORMFIELD, SEARCH and METASEARCH variables in TWikiVariables, and TWiki Formatted Search.
Example
TWiki users often want to have an overview of topics they contributed to. With the $formfield parameter it is easy to display the value of a classification field next to the topic link:
Searching forms this way is obviously pretty inefficient, but it's easy to do. If you want better performance, take a look at some of the structured wiki extensions that support higher performance searching e.g. TWiki:Plugins.DBCachePlugin.
Gotcha!
Some browsers may strip linefeeds from text fields when a topic is saved. If you need linefeeds in a field, make sure it is a textarea.
Definition of the templates used to render all HTML pages displayed in TWiki
Overview
Templates are plain text with embedded template directives that tell TWiki how to compose blocks of text together, to create something new.
There are two types of template:
Master Templates: Define the HTML used to display TWiki pages.
Template Topics: Define default text when you create a new topic
TWiki uses master templates when composing the output from all actions, like topic view, edit, and preview.
This allows you to change the look and feel of all pages by editing just a few template files.
Master templates are also used in the definition of TWikiSkins.
Master templates are stored as text files with the extension .tmpl.
They are usually HTML with embedded template directives.
The directives are expanded when TWiki wants to generate a user interface screen.
How Template Directives Work
Directives are of the form %TMPL:<key>% and %TMPL:<key>{"attr"}%.
Directives:
%TMPL:INCLUDE{"file"}%: Includes a template file. The file is found as described below.
%TMPL:DEF{"block"}%: Define a block. All text between this and the next %TMPL:END% directive is removed and saved for later use with %TMPL:P.
%TMPL:END%: Ends a block definition.
%TMPL:P{"var"}%: Includes a previously defined block.
%{...}%: is a comment.
Two-pass processing lets you use a variable before or after declaring it.
Templates and TWikiSkins work transparently and interchangeably. For example, you can create a skin that overloads only the twiki.tmpl master template, like twiki.print.tmpl, that redefines the header and footer.
Use of template directives is optional: templates work without them.
NOTE: Template directives work only for templates: they do not get processed in normal topic text.
TMPL:P also supports simple parameters. For example, given the definition
%TMPL:DEF{"x"}% x%P%z%TMPL:END% then %TMPL:P{"x" P="y"}% will expand to xyz.
Note that parameters can simply be ignored; for example, %TMPL:P{"x"}% will expand to x%P%z.
Any alphanumeric characters can be used in parameter names.
You are highly recommended to use parameter names that cannot be confused with TWikiVariables.
Note that three parameter names, context, then and else are reserved.
They are used to support a limited form of "if" condition that you can use to select which of two templates to use, based on a context identifier:
When the "inactive" context is set, then this will expand the "link_inactive" template; otherwise it will expand the "link_active" template.
See IfStatements for details of supported context identifiers.
Finding Templates
The master templates shipped with a twiki release are stored in the twiki/templates directory.
As an example, twiki/templates/view.tmpl is the default template file for the twiki/bin/view script.
You can save templates in other directories as long as they are listed in the {TemplatePath} configuration setting.
The {TemplatePath} is defined in the Miscellaneous section of the configure page.
You can also save templates in user topics (IF there is no possible template match in the templates directory).
The {TemplatePath} configuration setting defines which topics will be accepted as templates.
Templates that are included with an explicit '.tmpl' extension are looked for only in the templates/ directory.
For instance %TMPL:INCLUDE{"example.tmpl"}% will only return templates/example.tmpl, regardless of {TemplatePath} and SKIN settings.
The out-of-the-box setting of {TemplatePath} supports the following search order to determine which template file or topic to use for a particular script or %TMPL:INCLUDE{"script"}% statement.
The skin path is set as described in TWikiSkins.
templates/web/script.skin.tmpl for each skin on the skin path
this usage is supported for compatibility only and is deprecated. Store web-specific templates in TWiki topics instead.
templates/script.skin.tmpl for each skin on the skin path
templates/web/script.tmpl
this usage is supported for compatibility only and is deprecated. Store web-specific templates in TWiki topics instead.
templates/script.tmpl
The TWiki topic aweb.atopic if the template name can be parsed into aweb.atopic
The TWiki topic web.SkinSkinScriptTemplate for each skin on the skin path
The TWiki topic web.ScriptTemplate
The TWiki topic %SYSTEMWEB%.SkinSkinScriptTemplate for each skin on the skin path
The TWiki topic %SYSTEMWEB%.ScriptTemplate
Legend:
script refers to the script name, e.g view, edit
Script refers to the same, but with the first character capitalized, e.g View
skin refers to a skin name, e.g dragon, pattern. All skins are checked at each stage, in the order they appear in the skin path.
Skin refers to the same, but with the first character capitalized, e.g Dragon
web refers to the current web
For example, the example template file will be searched for in the following places, when the current web is Thisweb and the skin path is print,pattern:
templates/Thisweb/example.print.tmpldeprecated; don't rely on it
templates/Thisweb/example.pattern.tmpldeprecated; don't rely on it
templates/example.print.tmpl
templates/example.pattern.tmpl
templates/Thisweb/example.tmpldeprecated; don't rely on it
templates/example.tmpl
Thisweb.PrintSkinExampleTemplate
Thisweb.PatternSkinExampleTemplate
Thisweb.ExampleTemplate
System.PrintSkinExampleTemplate
System.PatternSkinExampleTemplate
System.ExampleTemplate
Template names are usually derived from the name of the currently executing script; however it is also possible to override these settings in the view and edit scripts, for example when a topic-specific template is required. Two preference variables can be used to override the templates used:
VIEW_TEMPLATE sets the template to be used for viewing a topic
EDIT_TEMPLATE sets the template for editing a topic.
If these preferences are set locally (using Local instead of Set) for a topic, in WebPreferences, in Main.SitePreferences, or System.TWikiPreferences (using Set), the indicated templates will be chosen for view and edit respectively. The template search order is as specified above.
Tip: If you want to override existing templates, without having to worry that your changes will get overwritten by the next TWiki update, change the {TemplatePath} so that another directory, such as the %USERSWEB% appears at the front. You can then put your own templates into that directory or web and these will override the standard templates. (Note that such will increase the lookup time for templates by searching your directory first.)
TMPL:INCLUDE recursion for piecewise customisation, or mixing in new features
If there is recursion in the TMPL:INCLUDE chain (eg twiki.classic.tmpl contains %TMPL:INCLUDE{"twiki"}%, the templating system will include the next twiki.SKIN in the skin path.
For example, to create a customisation of pattern skin, where you only want to over-ride the breadcrumbs for the view script, you can create only a view.yourlocal.tmpl:
%TMPL:INCLUDE{"view"}%
%TMPL:DEF{"breadcrumb"}% We don't want any crumbs %TMPL:END%
and then set SKIN=yourlocal,pattern
The default {TemplatePath} will not give you the desired result if you put these statements in the topic Thisweb.YourlocalSkinViewTemplate. The default {TemplatePath} will resolve the request to the template/view.pattern.tmpl, before it gets to the Thisweb.YourlocalSkinViewTemplate resolution. You can make it work by prefixing the {TemplatePath} with: $web.YourlocalSkin$nameTemplate.
Default master template
twiki.tmpl is the default master template. It defines the following sections.
Simple header with reduced links (ex: edit, attach, oops)
%TMPL:DEF{"standardfooter"}%
Footer, excluding revision and copyright parts
Template Topics
The second type of template in TWiki are template topics. Template topics define the default text for new topics. There are four types of template topic:
Whenever you create a topic ending in the word "Template", it is automatically added to the list of available templates in the "Use Template" drop down field on the WebCreateNewTopic page.
When you create a new topic using the edit script, TWiki locates a topic to use as a content template according to the following search order:
A topic name specified by the templatetopic CGI parameter
if no web is specified, the current web is searched first and then the System web
WebTopicEditTemplate in the current web
WebTopicEditTemplate in the System web
Variable Expansion
TWikiVariables located in template topics get expanded as follows when a new topic is created.
1. Default variable expansion
The following variables used in a template topic automatically get expanded when new topic is created based on it:
A no-operation variable that gets removed. Useful to prevent a SEARCH from hitting an edit template topic; also useful to escape a variable, such as %URLPA%NOP%RAM{...}% escaping URLPARAM
WikiName of user who is instantiating the new topic, e.g. WikiGuest
%WIKIUSERNAME%
User name of user who is instantiating the new tpoic, e.g. Main.WikiGuest
2. Preventing variable expansion
In a template topic, embed text that you do not want expanded inside a %STARTSECTION{type="templateonly"}% ... %ENDSECTION{type="templateonly"}% section. For example, you might want to write this in the template topic:
%STARTSECTION{type="templateonly"}%
This template can only be changed by:
* Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.TWikiAdminGroup
%ENDSECTION{type="templateonly"}%
This will restrict who can edit the template topic, but will be removed when a new topic based on that template topic is created.
%NOP% can be used to prevent expansion of TWiki variables that would otherwise be expanded during topic creation. For example, escape %SERVERTIME% with %SER%NOP%VERTIME%.
3. Control over variable expansion
You can forcefully expand TWikiVariables by placing them inside a type="expandvariables" section in the template topic, such as:
...
Example:
If you have the following content in a template topic:
* %SYSTEMWEB%.ATasteOfTWiki - view a short introductory presentation on TWiki for beginners
* %SYSTEMWEB%.WelcomeGuest - starting points on TWiki
* %SYSTEMWEB%.TWikiUsersGuide - complete TWiki documentation
* Sandbox.%HOMETOPIC% - try out TWiki on your own
* Sandbox.%TOPIC%Sandbox - just for me
you will get this raw text in new topics based on that template topic:
* System.ATasteOfTWiki - view a short introductory presentation on TWiki for beginners
* System.WelcomeGuest - starting points on TWiki
* System.TWikiUsersGuide - complete TWiki documentation
* Sandbox.WebHome - try out TWiki on your own
* Sandbox.JimmyNeutronSandbox - just for me
Specifying a Form
When you create a new topic based on a template, you often want the new topic to have a form attached to it. You can attach a form to the template topic, in which case it will be copied into the new topic.
Sometimes this isn't quite what you want, as it copies all the existing data from the template topic into the new topic. To avoid this and use the default values specified in the form definition instead, you can use the formtemplate CGI parameter to the edit script to specify the name of a form to attach.
See TWikiScripts for information about all the other parameters to edit.
Automatically Generated Topic Names
For TWiki applications it is useful to be able to automatically generate unique topicnames, such as BugID0001, BugID0002, etc. You can add AUTOINC<n> to the topic name in the edit and save scripts, and it will be replaced with an auto-incremented number on topic save. <n> is a number starting from 0, and may include leading zeros. Leading zeros are used to zero-pad numbers so that auto-incremented topic names can sort properly. Deleted topics are not re-used to ensure uniqueness of topic names. That is, the auto-incremented number is always higher than the existing ones, even if there are gaps in the number sequence.
Examples:
ItemAUTOINC0000 - creates topic names Item0000, Item0001, Item0002, ... (sorts properly up to 9999)
DocIDAUTOINC10001 - start with DocID10001, DocID10002, ... (sorts properly up to 99999; auto-links)
Example link to create a new topic:
[[%SCRIPTURLPATH{edit}%/%WEB%/BugIDAUTOINC00001?templatetopic=BugTemplate;topicparent=%TOPIC%;t=%SERVERTIME{"$day$hour$min$sec"}%][Create new item]]
Template Topics in Action
Here is an example for creating new topics (in the Sandbox web) based on a specific template topic and form:
The above form asks for a topic name. A hidden input tag named templatetopic specifies ExampleTopicTemplate as the template topic to use. Here is the HTML source of the form:
Note: You can create a topic in one step, without going through the edit screen. To do that, specify the save script instead of the edit script in the form action. When you specify the save script you have to use the "post" method. Example:
The edit and save scripts understand many more parameters, see TWikiScripts#edit and TWikiScripts#save for details.
TIP: You can use the %WIKIUSERNAME% and %DATE% variables in your topic templates to include the signature of the person creating a new topic. The variables are expanded into fixed text when a new topic is created. The standard signature is: -- %WIKIUSERNAME% - %DATE%
Using Absolute vs Relative URLs in Templates
When you use TWikiVariables such as %PUBURL% and %PUBURLPATH% in templates you should be aware that using %PUBURL% instead of %PUBURLPATH% puts absolute URLs in the produced HTML. This means that when a user saves a TWiki page in HTML and emails the file to someone outside a company firewall, the receiver has a severe problem viewing it. It is therefore recommended always to use the %PUBURLPATH% to refer to images, CSS, Javascript files etc so links become relative. This way browsers just give up right away and show a usable html file.
Related Topics:TWikiSkins, TWikiForms, TWikiScripts, DeveloperDocumentationCategory, AdminDocumentationCategoryBack to top
TWiki Skins
Skins overlay regular templates to give different looks and feels to TWiki screens.
Overview
TWiki uses TWikiTemplates files as the basis of all the screens it uses to interact with users. Each screen has an associated template file that contains the basic layout of the screen. This is then filled in by the code to generate what you see in the browser.
TWiki ships with a default set of template files that give a very basic, CSS-themable, look-and-feel. TWiki also includes support for skins that can be selected to give different, more sophisticated, look and feels. A default TWiki installation will usually start up with the PatternSkin already selected. Skins may also be defined by third parties and loaded into a TWiki installation to give more options. To see how TWiki looks when no skin is selected, view this topic with a non-existant skin.
Topic text is not affected by the choice of skin, though a skin can be defined to use a CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), which can sometimes give a radically different appearance to the text.
Relevant links on TWiki.org:
TWiki default ships with the skin PatternSkin activated. You can set the skin for the whole site, a single web or topic, or for each user individually, by setting the SKIN variable to the name of a skin. If the skin you select doesn't exist, then TWiki will pick up the default templates.
Defining Skins
You may want to define your own skin, for example to comply with corporate web guidelines, or because you have a aesthetic vision that you want to share. There are a couple of places you an start doing this.
The TWikiTemplates files used for skins are located in the twiki/templates directory and are named according to the skin: <scriptname>.<skin>.tmpl. Skin files may also be defined in TWiki topics - see TWikiTemplates for details.
To start creating a new skin, copy the default TWikiTemplates (like view.tmpl), or copy an existing skin to use as a base for your own skin. You should only need to copy the files you intend to customise, as TWiki can be configured to fall back to another skin if a template is not defined in your skin. Name the files as described above (for example view.myskin.tmpl.
If you use PatternSkin as your starting point, and you want to modify the layout, colors or even the templates to suit your own needs, have a look first at the topics PatternSkinCustomization and PatternSkinCssCookbook.
For your own TWiki skin you are encouraged to show a small 80x31 pixel logo at the bottom of your skin:
<a href="http://twiki.org/"><img src="%PUBURL%/%SYSTEMWEB%/TWikiLogos/T-logo-80x15.gif" alt="This site is powered by the TWiki collaboration platform" width="80" height="15" title="This site is powered by the TWiki collaboration platform" border="0" /></a>
The standard TWiki skins show the logo in the %WEBCOPYRIGHT% variable.
Note: Two skin names have reserved meanings; text skin, and skin names starting with rss have hard-coded meanings.
The following template files are used for TWiki screens, and are referenced in the TWiki core code. If a skin doesn't define its own version of a template file, then TWiki will fall back to the next skin in the skin path, or finally, to the default version of the template file.
(Certain template files are expected to provide certain TMPL:DEFs - these are listed in sub-bullets)
addform - used to select a new form for a topic
attachagain - used when refreshing an existing attachment
attachnew - used when attaching a new file to a topic
attachtables - defines the format of attachments at the bottom of the standard topic view
oopschangelanguage - used to prompt for a new language when internationalisation is enabled
oopsgeneric - a basic dialog for user information; provides "ok" button only
oopslanguagechanged - used to confirm a new language when internationalisation is enabled
oopsleaseconflict - used to format lease Conflict messages
lease_active, lease_old
preview - used for previewing edited topics before saving
rdiff - used for viewing topic differences
registernotify - used by the user registration system
registernotifyadmin - used by the user registration system
rename - used when renaming a topic
renameconfirm - used when renaming a topic
renamedelete - used when renaming a topic
renameweb - used when renaming a web
renamewebconfirm - used when renaming a web
renamewebdelete - used when renaming a web
searchbookview - used to format inline search results in book view
searchformat - used to format inline search results
search - used by the search CGI script
settings
view - used by the view CGI script
viewprint - used to create the printable view
twiki.tmpl is a master template conventionally used by other templates, but not used directly by code.
Note: Make sure templates do not end with a newline. Any newline will expand to an empty <p /> in the generated html. It will produce invalid html, and may break the page layout.
Partial customisation, or adding in new features to an existing skin
You can use recusion in the TMPL:INCLUDE chain (eg twiki.classic.tmpl contains %TMPL:INCLUDE{"twiki"}%, the templating system will include the next twiki.SKIN in the skin path.
For example, to create a customisation of pattern skin, where you only want to remove the edit & WYSIWYG buttons from view page, you create only a view.yourlocal.tmpl:
and then set SKIN=yourlocal,pattern.
Because ClassicSkin and the default templates use the same Template definition names, you can over-ride the edit links in them (or any skin derived from them) using the same view.yourlocal.tmpl (just set SKIN=yourlocal,classic either in TWikiPreferences for globally, or a Web's Webname.WebPreferences for a particular web)
Variables in Skins
You can use template variables, TWikiVariables, and other predefined variables to compose your skins. Some commonly used variables in skins:
Broadcast message at the beginning of your view template, can be used to alert users of scheduled downtimes; can be set in SitePreferences
The Jump Box and Navigation Box
The default skins include a Jump Box, to jump to a topic.
The box also understands URLs, e.g. you can type http://www.google.com/ to jump to an external web site. The feature is handy if you build a skin that has a select box of frequently used links, like Intranet home, employee database, sales database and such. A little JavaScript gets into action on the onchange method of the select tag to fill the selected URL into the "Go" box field, then submits the form.
Here is an example form that has a select box and the Jump Box for illustration purposes. You need to have JavaScript enabled for this to work:
Note: Redirect to a URL only works if it is enabled in configure (Miscellaneous, {AllowRedirectUrl}).
Using Cascading Style Sheets
CSS files are gererally attachments to the skin topic that are included in the the skin templates - in the case of PatternSkin in the template styles.pattern.tmpl.
To see how CSS is used in the default TWiki skin, see: PatternSkin
If you write a complete new skin, this is the syntax to use in a template file:
Controlling the look and feel of attachment tables is a little bit more complex than for the rest of a skin. By default, the attachment table is a standard TWiki table, and the look is controlled in the same way as other tables. In a very few cases you may want to change the content of the table as well.
The format of standard attachment tables is defined through the use of special TWiki template macros which by default, are defined in the attachtables.tmpl template using the %TMPL:DEF macro syntax described in TWikiTemplates. These macros are:
TWiki uses a skin search path, which lets you combine skins additively. The skin path is defined using a combination of TWikiVariables and URL parameters.
TWiki works by asking for a template for a particular function - for example, 'view'. The detail of how templates are searched for is described in TWikiTemplates, but in summary, the templates directory is searched for a file called view.skin.tmpl, where skin is the name of the skin e.g. pattern. If no template is found, then the fallback is to use view.tmpl. Each skin on the path is searched for in turn. For example, if you have set the skin path to local,pattern then view.local.tmpl will be searched for first, then view.pattern.tmpl and finally view.tmpl.
The basic skin is defined by a SKIN setting:
Set SKIN = catskin, bearskin
You can also add a parameter to the URL, such as ?skin=catskin,bearskin:
Setting SKIN (or the ?skin parameter in the URL) replaces the existing skin path setting, for the current page only. You can also extend the existing skin path as well, using covers.
Set COVER = ruskin
This pushes a different skin to the front of the skin search path (so for our example above, that final skin path will be ruskin, catskin, bearskin). There is also an equivalent cover URL parameter. The difference between setting SKIN vs. COVER is that if the chosen template is not found (e.g., for included templates), SKIN will fall back onto the next skin in line, or the default skin, if only one skin was present, while COVER will always fall back onto the current skin.
An example would be invoking the printable mode, which is achieved by applying ?cover=print. The view.print.tmpl simply invokes the viewprint template for the current skin which then can appropriately include all other used templates for the current skin. Where the printable mode be applied by using SKIN, all skins would have the same printable appearance.
The full skin path is built up as follows: SKIN setting (or ?skin if it is set), then COVER setting is added, then ?cover.
Additional topic data, program-generated or from TWikiForms, is stored embedded in the topic text using META: tags
Overview
By default, TWiki stores topics in files on disk, in a really simple and obvious directory structure. The big advantage of this approach is that it makes it really easy to manipulate topics from outside TWiki, and is also very safe; there are no complex binary indexes to maintain, and moving a topic from one TWiki to another is as simple as copying a couple of text files.
To keep eveything together in one place, TWiki uses a simple method for embedding additional data (program-generated or from TWikiForms) in topics. It does this using META: tags.
META: data includes program-generated info like FileAttachment and topic movement data, and user-defined TWikiForms info.
Meta Data Syntax
Format is the same as in TWikiVariables, except all fields have a key.
%META:<type>{key1="value1" key2="value2" ...}%
Order of fields within the meta variables is not defined, except that if there is a field with key name, this appears first for easier searching (note the order of the variables themselves is defined).
Each meta variable is on one line.
Values in meta-data are URL encoded so that characters such as \n can be stored.
Example of Format
%META:TOPICINFO{version="1.6" date="976762663" author="LastEditorWikiName" format="1.0"}%
text of the topic
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="Codev.NewName"
by="TopicMoverWikiName" date="976762680"}%
%META:TOPICPARENT{name="NavigationByTopicContext"}%
%META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="Sample.txt" version="1.3" ... }%
%META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="Smile.gif" version="1.1" ... }%
%META:FORM{name="WebFormTemplate"}%
%META:FIELD{name="OperatingSystem" value="OsWin"}%
%META:FIELD{name="TopicClassification" value="PublicFAQ"}%
Meta Data Specifications
The current version of Meta Data is 1.0, with support for the following variables.
Format of this topic, will be used for automatic format conversion
META:TOPICMOVED
This is optional, exists if topic has ever been moved. If a topic is moved more than once, only the most recent META:TOPICMOVED meta variable exists in the topic, older ones are to be found in the rcs history.
%META:TOPICMOVED{from="Codev.OldName" to="Codev.NewName" by="talintj" date="976762680"}%
The topic from which this was created, typically when clicking on a red-link, or by filling out a form. Normally just TopicName, but it can be a full Web.TopicName format if the parent is in a different Web.
There is no absolute need for Meta Data variables to be listed in a specific order within a topic, but it makes sense to do so a couple of good reasons:
form fields remain in the order they are defined
the diff function output appears in a logical order
The recommended sequence is:
META:TOPICINFO
META:TOPICPARENT (optional)
text of topic
META:TOPICMOVED (optional)
META:FILEATTACHMENT (0 or more entries)
META:FORM (optional)
META:FIELD (0 or more entries; FORM required)
Viewing Meta Data in Page Source
When viewing a topic the Raw Text link can be clicked to show the text of a topic (i.e., as seen when editing). This is done by adding raw=on to URL. raw=debug shows the meta data as well as the topic data, ex: debug view for this topic
Rendering Meta Data
Meta Data is rendered with the %META% variable. This is mostly used in the view, preview and edit scripts.
You can render form fields in topic text by using the FORMFIELD variable. Example: %FORMFIELD{"TopicClassification"}%
For details, see VarFORMFIELD.
Current support covers:
Show form field value. Parameter: name="field_name". Example: %META{ "formfield" name="TopicClassification" }%
%META{"attachments"}%
Show attachments, except for hidden ones. Options: all="on": Show all attachments, including hidden ones.
%META{"moved"}%
Details of any topic moves.
%META{"parent"}%
Show topic parent. Options: dontrecurse="on": By default recurses up tree, at some cost. nowebhome="on": Suppress WebHome. prefix="...": Prefix for parents, only if there are parents, default "". suffix="...": Suffix, only appears if there are parents, default "". separator="...": Separator between parents, default is " > ".
Add functionality to TWiki with extensions not based on the TWiki scripts.
Overview
An add-on runs separately from the TWiki scripts, e.g. for data import, export to static HTML, etc. Add-Ons normally do not call any TWiki code directly, though may invoke TWiki scripts. There are different types of add-ons, they may be stand alone scripts, browser plugins, office tool extensions, or even a set of TWiki topics that form a TWiki application.
Relevant links on TWiki.org:
Reusable code that may be used over several plugins and add-ons.
Overview
TWiki contribs extend the functionality of TWiki, typically used by plugins and add-ons. They may also provide alternative implementations for sections of the TWiki core e.g. user management, or when an extension just can't be implemented as a plugin because it requires very close access to TWiki internals.
Relevant links on TWiki.org:
Add functionality to TWiki with readily available plugins; create plugins based on APIs
Overview
You can add plugins to extend TWiki functionality, without altering the core code. A plug-in approach lets you:
add virtually unlimited features while keeping the main TWiki code compact and efficient;
heavily customize an installation and still do clean updates to new versions of TWiki;
rapidly develop new TWiki functions in Perl using the plugin API.
Everything to do with TWiki plugins - demos, new releases, downloads, development, general discussion - is available at TWiki.org, in the TWiki:Plugins web.
TWiki plugins are developed and contributed by interested members of the community. Plugins are provided on an 'as is' basis; they are not a part of TWiki, but are independently developed and maintained.
Relevant links on TWiki.org:
Each TWiki plugin comes with its own documentation: step-by-step installation instructions, a detailed description of any special requirements, version details, and a working example for testing. Many plugins have an install script that automates these steps for you.
Special Requirements: Some plugins need certain Perl modules to be preinstalled on the host system. Plugins may also use other resources, like graphics, other modules, applications, and templates. You should be able to find detailed instructions in the plugin's documentation.
Each plugin has a standard release topic, located in the TWiki:Plugins web at TWiki.org. There's usually a number of other related topics, such as a developers page, and an appraisal page.
On-Site Pretesting
The recommended approach to testing new plugins before making them public is to create a second local TWiki installation, and test the plugin there. You can allow selected users access to the test area. Once you are satisfied that it won't compromise your main installation, you can install it there as well.
InstalledPlugins shows which plugins are: 1) installed, 2) loading properly, and 3) what TWiki:Codev.PluginHandlers they invoke. Any failures are shown in the Errors section. The %FAILEDPLUGINS% variable can be used to debug failures. You may also want to check your webserver error log and the various TWiki log files.
Some Notes on Plugin Performance
The performance of the system depends to some extent on the number of plugins installed and on the plugin implementation. Some plugins impose no measurable performance decrease, some do. For example, a Plugin might use many Perl libraries that need to be initialized with each page view (unless you run mod_perl). You can only really tell the performance impact by installing the plugin and by measuring the performance with and without the new plugin. Use the TWiki:Plugins.PluginBenchmarkAddOn, or test manually with the Apache ab utility. Example on Unix: time wget -qO /dev/null /foswiki/bin/view/System/AbcPlugin If you need to install an "expensive" plugin, but you only need its functionality only in a subset of your data, you can disable it elsewhere by defining the %DISABLEDPLUGINS% TWiki variable.
Define DISABLEDPLUGINS to be a comma-separated list of names of plugins to disable. Define it in Main.TWikiPreferences to disable those plugins everywhere, in the WebPreferences topic to disable them in an individual web, or in a topic to disable them in that topic. For example,
* Set DISABLEDPLUGINS = SpreadSheetPlugin, EditTablePlugin
Managing Installed Plugins
Some plugins require additional settings or offer extra options that you have to select. Also, you may want to make a plugin available only in certain webs, or temporarily disable it. And may want to list all available plugins in certain topics. You can handle all of these management tasks with simple procedures:
Enabling Plugins
Plugins can be enabled and disabled with the configure script. An installed plugin needs to be enabled before it can be used.
Plugin Evaluation Order
By default, TWiki executes plugins in alphabetical order on plugin name. It is possible to change the order, for example to evaluate database variables before the spreadsheet CALCs. This can be done with {PluginsOrder} in the plugins section of configure.
Plugin-Specific Settings
Some plugins are configured with plugin preferences variables, newer plugins with configure variables.
Configure variables are accessible though the configure interface.
Plugin preferences variables are defined in the plugin topic and can be overloaded. The SHORTDESCRIPTION preferences variable is always present, it is needed for the TWiki:Plugins repository on twiki.org. Example preferences variable defined in the TablePlugin topic:
Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
Preferences variables of active plugins can be retrieved anywhere in TWiki with %<pluginname>_<var>%, such as %TABLEPLUGIN_SHORTDESCRIPTION%. They can also be redefined with the %<pluginname>_<var>% setting at a lower level in the Main.SitePreferences or at the web level. For an easier upgrade it is recommended to customize plugin preferences variables in Main.SitePreferences only.
Listing Active Plugins
Plugin status variables let you list all active plugins wherever needed.
This site is running TWiki version v2.1.6, plugin API version
2.4
PreferencesPlugin(1.16, 1.16): Allows editing of preferences using fields predefined in a form
RenderListPlugin(06 Aug 2023, 2.29): Render bullet lists in a variety of formats
SmiliesPlugin(17 Sep 2015, 2.03): Render smilies like as icons
SubscribePlugin(06 Aug 2023, 3.7): This is a companion plugin to the MailerContrib. It allows you to trivially add a "Subscribe me" link to topics to get subscribed to changes.
TablePlugin(22 Jan 2018, 1.160): Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
The Application Programming Interface (API) for TWiki plugins provides the specifications for hooking into the core TWiki code from your external Perl plugin module.
Available Core Functions
The TWikiFuncDotPm module (lib/TWiki/Func.pm) describes all the interfaces available to plugins. Plugins should only use the interfaces described in this module.
Note: If you use other core functions not described in Func.pm, you run the risk of creating security holes. Also, your plugin will likely break and require updating when you upgrade to a new version of TWiki.
Predefined Hooks
In addition to TWiki core functions, plugins can use predefined hooks, or callbacks, as described in the lib/TWiki/Plugins/EmptyPlugin.pm module.
All but the initPlugin are disabled. To enable a callback, remove DISABLE_ from the function name.
Delay initialization as late as possible. For example, if your plugin is a simple syntax processor, you might delay loading extra Perl modules until you actually see the syntax in the text.
For example, use an eval block like this: eval { require IPC::Run } return "<font color=\"red\">SamplePlugin: Can't load required modules ($@)</font>" if $@;
Keep the main plugin package as small as possible; create other packages that are loaded if and only if they are used. For example, create sub-packages of BathPlugin in lib/TWiki/Plugins/BathPlugin/.
Avoid using preferences in the plugin topic; set $NO_PREFS_IN_TOPIC if you possibly can, as that will stop TWiki from reading the plugin topic for every page. Use Config.spec instead.
To eliminate the incompatibility problems that are bound to arise from active open plugin development, a plugin versioning system is provided for automatic compatibility checking.
All plugin packages require a $VERSION variable. This should be an integer, or a subversion version id.
The initPlugin handler should check all dependencies and return 1 if the initialization is OK or 0 if something went wrong.
The plugin initialization code does not register a plugin that returns 0 (or that has no initPlugin handler).
$TWiki::Plugins::VERSION in the TWiki::Plugins module contains the TWiki plugin API version, currently 2.4.
You can also use the %PLUGINVERSION{}% variable to query the plugin API version or the version of installed plugins.
Security
Badly written plugins can open huge security holes in TWiki. This is especially true if care isn't taken to prevent execution of arbitrary commands on the server.
Don't allow sensitive configuration data to be edited by users. it is better to add sensitive configuration options to the %TWiki::cfg hash than adding it as preferences in the plugin topic.
Always use the TWiki::Sandbox to execute commands.
Always audit the plugins you install, and make sure you are happy with the level of security provided. While every effort is made to monitor plugin authors activities, at the end of the day they are uncontrolled user contributions.
Creating Plugins
With a reasonable knowledge of the Perl scripting language, you can create new plugins or modify and extend existing ones. Basic plug-in architecture uses an Application Programming Interface (API), a set of software instructions that allow external code to interact with the main program. The TWiki Plugin API provides the programming interface for TWiki.
Anatomy of a Plugin
A (very) basic TWiki plugin consists of two files:
a Perl module, e.g. MyFirstPlugin.pm
a documentation topic, e.g. MyFirstPlugin.txt
The Perl module can be a block of code that talks to with TWiki alone, or it can include other elements, like other Perl modules (including other plugins), graphics, TWiki templates, external applications (ex: a Java applet), or just about anything else it can call.
In particular, files that should be web-accessible (graphics, Java applets ...) are best placed as attachments of the MyFirstPlugin topic. Other needed Perl code is best placed in a lib/TWiki/Plugins/MyFirstPlugin/ directory.
The plugin API handles the details of connecting your Perl module with main TWiki code. When you're familiar with the Plugin API, you're ready to develop plugins.
The TWiki:Plugins.BuildContrib module provides a lot of support for plugins development, including a plugin creator, automatic publishing support, and automatic installation script writer. If you plan on writing more than one plugin, you probably need it.
Creating the Perl Module
Copy file lib/TWiki/Plugins/EmptyPlugin.pm to <name>Plugin.pm. The EmptyPlugin.pm module contains mostly empty functions, so it does nothing, but it's ready to be used. Customize it. Refer to the Plugin API specs for more information.
If your plugin uses its own modules and objects, you must include the name of the plugin in the package name. For example, write Package MyFirstPlugin::Attrs; instead of just Package Attrs;. Then call it using:
use TWiki::Plugins::MyFirstPlugin::Attrs;
$var = MyFirstPlugin::Attrs->new();
Writing the Documentation Topic
The plugin documentation topic contains usage instructions and version details. It serves the plugin files as FileAttachments for downloading. (The doc topic is also included in the distribution package.) To create a documentation topic:
enter the plugin name in the "How to Create a Plugin" section
click Create
select all in the Edit box & copy
Cancel the edit
go back to your site to the System web
In the JumpBox enter your plugin name, for example MyFirstPlugin, press enter and create the new topic
paste & save new plugin topic on your site
Customize your plugin topic.
Important: In case you plan to publish your plugin on TWiki.org, use Interwiki names for author names and links to TWiki.org topics, such as TWiki:Main/WikiGuest. This is important because links should work properly in a plugin topic installed on any TWiki, not just on TWiki.org.
OUTLINE: Doc Topic Contents
Check the plugins web on TWiki.org for the latest plugin doc topic template. Here's a quick overview of what's covered:
Syntax Rules: <Describe any special text formatting that will be rendered.>"
Example: <Include an example of the plugin in action. Possibly include a static HTML version of the example to compare if the installation was a success!>"
Plugin Settings: <Description and settings for custom plugin %VARIABLES%, and those required by TWiki.>"
Plugins Preferences <If user settings are needed, explain... Entering values works exactly like TWikiPreferences and WebPreferences: six (6) spaces and then:>"
Set <EXAMPLE = value added>
Plugin Installation Instructions: <Step-by-step set-up guide, user help, whatever it takes to install and run, goes here.>"
Plugin Info: <Version, credits, history, requirements - entered in a form, displayed as a table. Both are automatically generated when you create or edit a page in the TWiki:Plugins web.>"
Packaging for Distribution
The TWiki:Plugins.BuildContrib is a powerful build environment that is used by the TWiki project to build TWiki itself, as well as many of the plugins. You don't have to use it, but it is highly recommended!
If you don't want (or can't) use the BuildContrib, then a minimum plugin release consists of a Perl module with a WikiName that ends in Plugin, ex: MyFirstPlugin.pm, and a documentation page with the same name(MyFirstPlugin.txt).
Distribute the plugin files in a directory structure that mirrors TWiki. If your plugin uses additional files, include them all:
You can release your tested, packaged plugin to the TWiki community through the TWiki:Plugins web. All plugins submitted to TWiki.org are available for download and further development in TWiki:Plugins/PluginPackage.
Publish your plugin by following these steps:
Attach the distribution zip file to the topic, ex: MyFirstPlugin.zip
Link from the doc page to a new, blank page named after the plugin, and ending in Dev, ex: MyFirstPluginDev. This is the discussion page for future development. (User support for plugins is handled in TWiki:Support.)
Once you have done the above steps once, you can use the BuildContrib to upload updates to your plugin.
Thank you very much for sharing your plugin with the TWiki community
Recommended Storage of Plugin Specific Data
Plugins sometimes need to store data. This can be plugin internal data such as cache data, or data generated for browser consumption such as images. Plugins should store data using TWikiFuncDotPm functions that support saving and loading of topics and attachments.
Plugin Internal Data
You can create a plugin "work area" using the TWiki::Func::getWorkArea() function, which gives you a persistent directory where you can store data files. By default they will not be web accessible. The directory is guaranteed to exist, and to be writable by the webserver user. For convenience, TWiki::Func::storeFile() and TWiki::Func::readFile() are provided to persistently store and retrieve simple data in this area.
Web Accessible Data
Topic-specific data such as generated images can be stored in the topic's attachment area, which is web accessible. Use the TWiki::Func::saveAttachment() function to store the data.
Recommendation for file name:
Prefix the filename with an underscore (the leading underscore avoids a name clash with files attached to the same topic)
Identify where the attachment originated from, typically by including the plugin name in the file name
Use only alphanumeric characters, underscores, dashes and periods to avoid platform dependency issues and URL issues
Example: _GaugePlugin_img123.gif
Web specific data can be stored in the plugin's attachment area, which is web accessible. Use the TWiki::Func::saveAttachment() function to store the data.
Recommendation for file names in plugin attachment area:
Prefix the filename with an underscore
Include the name of the web in the filename
Use only alphanumeric characters, underscores, dashes and periods to avoid platform dependency issues and URL issues
Example: _Main_roundedge-ul.gif
Integrating with configure
Some TWiki extensions have setup requirements that are best integrated into configure rather than trying to use TWiki preferences variables. These extensions use Config.spec files to publish their configuration requirements.
Config.spec files are read during TWiki configuration. Once a Config.spec has defined a configuration item, it is available for edit through the standard configure interface. Config.spec files are stored in the 'plugin directory' e.g. lib/TWiki/Plugins/BathPlugin/Config.spec.
Structure of a Config.spec file
The Config.spec file for an extension starts with the extension announcing what it is:
# ---+ BathPlugin
# This plugin senses the level of water in your bath, and ensures the plug
# is not removed while the water is still warm.
This is followed by one or more configuration items. Each configuration item has a type, a description and a default. For example:
# **SELECT Plastic,Rubber,Metal**
# Select the plug type
$TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{PlugType} = 'Plastic';
# **NUMBER**
# Enter the chain length in cm
$TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{ChainLength} = 30;
# **BOOLEAN EXPERT**
# Set this option to 0 to disable the water temperature alarm
$TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{TempSensorEnabled} = 1;
The type (e.g. **SELECT** ) tells configure to how to prompt for the value. It also tells configure how to do some basic checking on the value you actually enter. All the comments between the type and the configuration item are taken as part of the description. The configuration item itself defines the default value for the configuration item. The above spec defines the configuration items $TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{PlugType}, $TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{ChainLength}, and $TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{TempSensorEnabled} for use in your plugin. For example,
if( $TWiki::cfg{BathPlugin}{TempSensorEnabled} && $curTemperature > 50 ) {
die "The bathwater is too hot for comfort";
}
The config.spec file is read by configure, which then writes LocalSite.cfg with the values chosen by the local site admin.
A range of types are available for use in Config.spec files:
BOOLEAN
A true/false value, represented as a checkbox
COMMAND length
A shell command
LANGUAGE
A language (selected from {LocalesDir}
NUMBER
A number
OCTAL
An octal number
PASSWORD length
A password (input is hidden)
PATH length
A file path
PERL
A perl structure, consisting of arrays and hashes
REGEX length
A perl regular expression
SELECT choices
Pick one of a range of choices
SELECTCLASS root
Select a perl package (class)
STRING length
A string
URL length
A url
URLPATH length
A relative URL path
All types can be followed by a comma-separated list of attributes.
EXPERT
means this an expert option
M
means the setting is mandatory (may not be empty)
H
means the option is not visible in configure
See lib/TWiki.spec for many more examples.
Config.spec files for non-plugin extensions are stored under the Contrib directory instead of the Plugins directory.
Note that from TWiki 5.0 onwards, CGI scripts (in the TWiki bin directory) provided by extensions must also have an entry in the Config.spec file. This entry looks like this (example taken from PublishContrib)
# **PERL H**
# Bin script registration - do not modify
$TWiki::cfg{SwitchBoard}{publish} = [ "TWiki::Contrib::Publish", "publish", { publishing => 1 } ];
PERL specifies a perl data structure, and H a hidden setting (it won't appear in configure). The first field of the data value specifies the class where the function that implements the script can be found. The second field specifies the name of the function, which must be the same as the name of the script. The third parameter is a hash of initial context settings for the script.
TWiki:TWiki/SpecifyingConfigurationItemsForExtensions has supplemental documentation on configure settings.
Maintaining Plugins
Discussions and Feedback on Plugins
Each published plugin has a plugin development topic on TWiki.org. Plugin development topics are named after your plugin and end in Dev, such as MyFirstPluginDev. The plugin development topic is a great resource to discuss feature enhancements and to get feedback from the TWiki community.
Maintaining Compatibility with Earlier TWiki Versions
The plugin interface (TWikiFuncDotPm functions and plugin handlers) evolve over time. TWiki introduces new API functions to address the needs of plugin authors. Plugins using unofficial TWiki internal functions may no longer work on a TWiki upgrade.
Organizations typically do not upgrade to the latest TWiki for many months. However, many administrators still would like to install the latest versions of a plugin on their older TWiki installation. This need is fulfilled if plugins are maintained in a compatible manner.
Tip: Plugins can be written to be compatible with older and newer TWiki releases. This can be done also for plugins using unofficial TWiki internal functions of an earlier release that no longer work on the latest TWiki codebase.
Here is an example; the TWiki:TWiki.TWikiPluginsSupplement#MaintainPlugins has more details.
From time-to-time, the TWiki developers will add new functions to the interface (either to TWikiFuncDotPm, or new handlers). Sometimes these improvements mean that old functions have to be deprecated to keep the code manageable. When this happens, the deprecated functions will be supported in the interface for at least one more TWiki release, and probably longer, though this cannot be guaranteed.
When a plugin defines deprecated handlers, a warning will be shown in the list generated by %FAILEDPLUGINS%. Admins who see these warnings should check TWiki.org and if necessary, contact the plugin author, for an updated version of the plugin.
Updated plugins may still need to define deprecated handlers for compatibility with old TWiki versions. In this case, the plugin package that defines old handlers can suppress the warnings in %FAILEDPLUGINS%.
This is done by defining a map from the handler name to the TWiki::Plugins version in which the handler was first deprecated. For example, if we need to define the endRenderingHandler for compatibility with TWiki::Plugins versions before 1.1, we would add this to the plugin:
package TWiki::Plugins::SinkPlugin;
use vars qw( %TWikiCompatibility );
$TWikiCompatibility{endRenderingHandler} = 1.1;
If the currently-running TWiki version is 1.1 or later, then the handler will not be called and the warning will not be issued. TWiki with versions of TWiki::Plugins before 1.1 will still call the handler as required.
Back to topOfficial list of stable TWiki functions for Plugin developers
This module defines official functions that TWiki plugins
can use to interact with the TWiki engine and content.
Refer to EmptyPlugin and lib/TWiki/Plugins/EmptyPlugin.pm for a template
plugin and documentation on how to write a plugin.
Plugins should only use functions published in this module. If you use
functions in other TWiki libraries you might create a security hole and
you will probably need to change your plugin when you upgrade TWiki.
Deprecated functions will still work in older code, though they should
not be called in new plugins and should be replaced in older plugins
as soon as possible.
The version of the TWiki::Func module is defined by the VERSION number of the
TWiki::Plugins module, currently 2.4. This can be shown
by the %PLUGINVERSION% TWiki variable, and accessed in code using
$TWiki::Plugins::VERSION. The 'Since' field in the function
documentation refers to $TWiki::Plugins::VERSION.
Notes on use of $TWiki::Plugins::VERSION (from 1.2 forwards):
If the major version (e.g. 1.) is the same then any plugin coded to use any earlier revision of the 1. API will still work. No function has been removed from the interface, nor has any API published in that version changed in such a way as to require plugins to be recoded.
If the minor version (e.g. 1.1) is incremented there may be changes in the API that may help improve the coding of some plugins - for example, new interfaces giving access to previously hidden core functions. In addition, deprecation of functions in the interface trigger a minor version increment. Note that deprecated functions are not removed, they are merely frozen, and plugin authors are recommended to stop using them.
Any additional digits in the version number relate to minor changes, such as the addition of parameters to the existing functions, or addition of utility functions that are unlikely to require significant changes to existing plugins.
TWiki::Plugins::VERSION also applies to the plugin handlers. The handlers are documented in the EmptyPlugin, and that module indicates what version of TWiki::Plugins::VERSION it relates to.
A full history of the changes to this API can be found at the end of this
topic.
Environment
getSkin( ) -> $skin
Get the skin path, set by the SKIN and COVER preferences variables or the skin and cover CGI parameters
Return: $skin Comma-separated list of skins, e.g. 'gnu,tartan'. Empty string if none.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (29 Jul 2001)
getUrlHost( ) -> $host
Get protocol, domain and optional port of script URL
Return: $host URL host, e.g. "http://example.com:80"Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
... - an arbitrary number of name=>value parameter pairs that will be url-encoded and added to the url. The special parameter name '#' is reserved for specifying an anchor. e.g. getScriptUrl('x','y','view','#'=>'XXX',a=>1,b=>2) will give .../view/x/y?a=1&b=2#XXX
Return: $url URL, e.g. "http://example.com:80/cgi-bin/view.pl/Main/WebNotify"Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getViewUrl( $web, $topic ) -> $url
Compose fully qualified view URL
$web - Web name, e.g. 'Main'. The current web is taken if empty
$topic - Topic name, e.g. 'WebNotify'
Return: $url URL, e.g. "http://example.com:80/cgi-bin/view.pl/Main/WebNotify"Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getPubUrlPath( ) -> $path
Get pub URL path
Return: $path URL path of pub directory, e.g. "/pub"Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (14 Jul 2001)
getExternalResource( $url ) -> $response
Get whatever is at the other end of a URL (using an HTTP GET request). Will
only work for encrypted protocols such as https if the LWP CPAN module is
installed.
Note that the $url may have an optional user and password, as specified by
the relevant RFC. Any proxy set in configure is honoured.
The $response is an object that is known to implement the following subset of
the methods of LWP::Response. It may in fact be an LWP::Response object,
but it may also not be if LWP is not available, so callers may only assume
the following subset of methods is available:
code()
message()
header($field)
content()
is_error()
is_redirect()
Note that if LWP is not available, this function:
can only really be trusted for HTTP/1.0 urls. If HTTP/1.1 or another protocol is required, you are strongly recommended to require LWP.
Will not parse multipart content
In the event of the server returning an error, then is_error() will return
true, code() will return a valid HTTP status code
as specified in RFC 2616 and RFC 2518, and message() will return the
message that was received from
the server. In the event of a client-side error (e.g. an unparseable URL)
then is_error() will return true and message() will return an explanatory
message. code() will return 400 (BAD REQUEST).
Note: Callers can easily check the availability of other HTTP::Response methods
as follows:
my $response = TWiki::Func::getExternalResource($url);
if (!$response->is_error() && $response->isa('HTTP::Response')) {
... other methods of HTTP::Response may be called
} else {
... only the methods listed above may be called
}
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
getCgiQuery( ) -> $query
Get CGI query object. Important: Plugins cannot assume that scripts run under CGI, Plugins must always test if the CGI query object is set
Return: $query CGI query object; or 0 if script is called as a shell script
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getSessionKeys() -> @keys
Get a list of all the names of session variables. The list is unsorted.
Session keys are stored and retrieved using setSessionValue and
getSessionValue.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
getSessionValue( $key ) -> $value
Get a session value from the client session module
$key - Session key
Return: $value Value associated with key; empty string if not set
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 200)
setSessionValue( $key, $value ) -> $boolean
Set a session value.
$key - Session key
$value - Value associated with key
Return: true if function succeeded
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (17 Aug 2001)
clearSessionValue( $key ) -> $boolean
Clear a session value that was set using setSessionValue.
$key - name of value stored in session to be cleared. Note that you cannot clear AUTHUSER.
Return: true if the session value was cleared
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
getContext() -> \%hash
Get a hash of context identifiers representing the currently active
context.
The context is a set of identifiers that are set
during specific phases of TWiki processing. For example, each of
the standard scripts in the 'bin' directory each has a context
identifier - the view script has 'view', the edit script has 'edit'
etc. So you can easily tell what 'type' of script your Plugin is
being called within. The core context identifiers are listed
in the IfStatements topic. Please be careful not to
overwrite any of these identifiers!
Context identifiers can be used to communicate between Plugins, and between
Plugins and templates. For example, in FirstPlugin.pm, you might write:
sub initPlugin {
TWiki::Func::getContext()->{'MyID'} = 1;
...
This can be used in SecondPlugin.pm like this:
sub initPlugin {
if( TWiki::Func::getContext()->{'MyID'} ) {
...
}
...
or in a template, like this:
%TMPL:DEF{"ON"}% Not off %TMPL:END%
%TMPL:DEF{"OFF"}% Not on %TMPL:END%
%TMPL:P{context="MyID" then="ON" else="OFF"}%
or in a topic:
%IF{"context MyID" then="MyID is ON" else="MyID is OFF"}%
Note: all plugins have an automatically generated context identifier
if they are installed and initialised. For example, if the FirstPlugin is
working, the context ID 'FirstPlugin' will be set.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
pushTopicContext($web, $topic)
$web - new web
$topic - new topic
Change the TWiki context so it behaves as if it was processing $web.$topic
from now on. All the preferences will be reset to those of the new topic.
Note that if the new topic is not readable by the logged in user due to
access control considerations, there will not be an exception. It is the
duty of the caller to check access permissions before changing the topic.
It is the duty of the caller to restore the original context by calling
popTopicContext.
Note that this call does not re-initialise plugins, so if you have used
global variables to remember the web and topic in initPlugin, then those
values will be unchanged.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
popTopicContext()
Returns the TWiki context to the state it was in before the
pushTopicContext was called.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
Preferences
getPreferencesValue( $key, $web ) -> $value
Get a preferences value from TWiki or from a Plugin
$key - Preferences key
$web - Name of web, optional. Current web if not specified; does not apply to settings of Plugin topics
Return: $value Preferences value; empty string if not set
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
Return: $value Preferences value; empty string if not set
Note: This function will will only work when called from the Plugin.pm file itself. it will not work if called from a sub-package (e.g. TWiki::Plugins::MyPlugin::MyModule)
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.021 (27 Mar 2004)
NOTE: As of TWiki4.1, if $NO_PREFS_IN_TOPIC is enabled in the plugin, then
preferences set in the plugin topic will be ignored.
getPreferencesFlag( $key, $web ) -> $value
Get a preferences flag from TWiki or from a Plugin
$key - Preferences key
$web - Name of web, optional. Current web if not specified; does not apply to settings of Plugin topics
Return: $value Preferences flag '1' (if set), or "0" (for preferences values "off", "no" and "0")
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
Return: false for preferences values "off", "no" and "0", or values not set at all. True otherwise.
Note: This function will will only work when called from the Plugin.pm file itself. it will not work if called from a sub-package (e.g. TWiki::Plugins::MyPlugin::MyModule)
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.021 (27 Mar 2004)
NOTE: As of TWiki4.1, if $NO_PREFS_IN_TOPIC is enabled in the plugin, then
preferences set in the plugin topic will be ignored.
setPreferencesValue($name, $val)
Set the preferences value so that future calls to getPreferencesValue will
return this value, and %$name% will expand to the preference when used in
future variable expansions.
The preference only persists for the rest of this request. Finalised
preferences cannot be redefined using this function.
Returns 1 if the preference was defined, and 0 otherwise.
getWikiToolName( ) -> $name
Get toolname as defined in TWiki.cfg
Return: $name Name of tool, e.g. 'TWiki'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
getMainWebname( ) -> $name
Get name of Main web as defined in TWiki.cfg
Return: $name Name, e.g. 'Main'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
getTwikiWebname( ) -> $name
Get name of TWiki documentation web as defined in TWiki.cfg
Return: $name Name, e.g. 'TWiki'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
User Handling and Access Control
getDefaultUserName( ) -> $loginName
Get default user name as defined in the configuration as DefaultUserLogin
Return: $loginName Default user name, e.g. 'guest'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getCanonicalUserID( $user ) -> $cUID
$user can be a login, wikiname or web.wikiname
Return the cUID of the specified user. A cUID is a unique identifier which
is assigned by TWiki for each user.
BEWARE: While the default TWikiUserMapping uses a cUID that looks like a user's
LoginName, some characters are modified to make them compatible with rcs.
Other usermappings may use other conventions - the JoomlaUserMapping
for example, has cUIDs like 'JoomlaeUserMapping_1234'.
If $user is undefined, it assumes the currently logged-in user.
Return: $cUID, an internal unique and portable escaped identifier for
registered users. This may be autogenerated for an authenticated but
unregistered user.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
getWikiName( $user ) -> $wikiName
return the WikiName of the specified user
if $user is undefined Get Wiki name of logged in user
$user can be a cUID, login, wikiname or web.wikiname
Return: $wikiName Wiki Name, e.g. 'JohnDoe'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getWikiUserName( $user ) -> $wikiName
return the userWeb.WikiName of the specified user
if $user is undefined Get Wiki name of logged in user
$user can be a cUID, login, wikiname or web.wikiname
Return: $wikiName Wiki Name, e.g. "Main.JohnDoe"Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
wikiToUserName( $id ) -> $loginName
Translate a Wiki name to a login name.
$id - Wiki name, e.g. 'Main.JohnDoe' or 'JohnDoe'. Since TWiki 4.2.1, $id may also be a login name. This will normally be transparent, but should be borne in mind if you have login names that are also legal wiki names.
Return: $loginName Login name of user, e.g. 'jdoe', or undef if not
matched.
Note that it is possible for several login names to map to the same wikiname.
This function will only return the first login name that maps to the
wikiname.
returns undef if the WikiName is not found.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
$loginName - Login name, e.g. 'jdoe'. Since TWiki 4.2.1 this may also be a wiki name. This will normally be transparent, but may be relevant if you have login names that are also valid wiki names.
$dontAddWeb - Do not add web prefix if "1"
Return: $wikiName Wiki name of user, e.g. 'Main.JohnDoe' or 'JohnDoe'
userToWikiName will always return a name. If the user does not
exist in the mapping, the $loginName parameter is returned. (backward compatibility)
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
Find the wikinames of all users who have the given email address as their
registered address. Since several users could register with the same email
address, this returns a list of wikinames rather than a single wikiname.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
wikinameToEmails( $user ) -> @emails
$user - wikiname of user to look up
Returns the registered email addresses of the named user. If $user is
undef, returns the registered email addresses for the logged-in user.
Since TWiki 4.2.1, $user may also be a login name, or the name of a group.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
isGuest( ) -> $boolean
Test if logged in user is a guest (TWikiGuest)
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
isAnAdmin( $id ) -> $boolean
Find out if the user is an admin or not. If the user is not given,
the currently logged-in user is assumed.
Get an iterator over the list of all the registered users not including
groups. The iterator will return each wiki name in turn (e.g. 'FredBloggs').
Use it as follows:
my $iterator = TWiki::Func::eachUser();
while ($it->hasNext()) {
my $user = $it->next();
# $user is a wikiname
}
WARNING on large sites, this could be a long list!
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
eachMembership($id) -> $iterator
$id - WikiName or login name of the user. If $id is undef, defaults to the currently logged-in user.
Get an iterator over the names of all groups that the user is a member of.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
eachGroup() -> $iterator
Get an iterator over all groups.
Use it as follows:
my $iterator = TWiki::Func::eachGroup();
while ($it->hasNext()) {
my $group = $it->next();
# $group is a group name e.g. TWikiAdminGroup
}
WARNING on large sites, this could be a long list!
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
isGroup( $group ) -> $boolean
Checks if $group is the name of a group known to TWiki.
eachGroupMember($group) -> $iterator
Get an iterator over all the members of the named group. Returns undef if
$group is not a valid group.
Use it as follows:
my $iterator = TWiki::Func::eachGroupMember('RadioheadGroup');
while ($it->hasNext()) {
my $user = $it->next();
# $user is a wiki name e.g. 'TomYorke', 'PhilSelway'
}
WARNING on large sites, this could be a long list!
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
$type - Access type, required, e.g. 'VIEW', 'CHANGE'.
$id - WikiName of remote user, required, e.g. "PeterThoeny". From TWiki 4.2.1, $id may also be a login name. If $id is '', 0 or undef then access is always permitted.
$text - Topic text, optional. If 'perl false' (undef, 0 or ''), topic $web.$topic is consulted. $text may optionally contain embedded %META:PREFERENCE tags. Provide this parameter if:
You are setting different access controls in the text to those defined in the stored topic,
You already have the topic text in hand, and want to help TWiki avoid having to read it again,
You are providing a $meta parameter.
$topic - Topic name, required, e.g. 'PrivateStuff'
$web - Web name, required, e.g. 'Sandbox'
$meta - Meta-data object, as returned by readTopic. Optional. If undef, but $text is defined, then access controls will be parsed from $text. If defined, then metadata embedded in $text will be ignored. This parameter is always ignored if $text is undefined. Settings in $meta override Set settings in $text.
A perl true result indicates that access is permitted.
Note the weird parameter order is due to compatibility constraints with
earlier TWiki releases.
Tip if you want, you can use this method to check your own access control types. For example, if you:
in ThatWeb.ThisTopic, then a call to checkAccessPermission('SPIN', 'IncyWincy', undef, 'ThisTopic', 'ThatWeb', undef) will return true.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
Webs, Topics and Attachments
getListOfWebs( $filter ) -> @webs
$filter - spec of web types to recover
Gets a list of webs, filtered according to the spec in the $filter,
which may include one of:
'user' (for only user webs)
'template' (for only template webs i.e. those starting with "_")
$filter may also contain the word 'public' which will further filter
out webs that have NOSEARCHALL set on them.
'allowed' filters out webs the current user can't read.
For example, the deprecated getPublicWebList function can be duplicated
as follows:
my @webs = TWiki::Func::getListOfWebs( "user,public" );
$baseWeb is the name of an existing web (a template web). If the base web is a system web, all topics in it will be copied into the new web. If it is a normal web, only topics starting with 'Web' will be copied. If no base web is specified, an empty web (with no topics) will be created. If it is specified but does not exist, an error will be thrown.
$opts is a ref to a hash that contains settings to be modified in
the web preferences topic in the new web.
use Error qw( :try );
use TWiki::AccessControlException;
try {
TWiki::Func::createWeb( "Newweb" );
} catch Error::Simple with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on Error::Simple
} catch TWiki::AccessControlException with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on TWiki::AccessControlException
} otherwise {
...
};
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
moveWeb( $oldName, $newName )
Move (rename) a web.
use Error qw( :try );
use TWiki::AccessControlException;
try {
TWiki::Func::moveWeb( "Oldweb", "Newweb" );
} catch Error::Simple with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on Error::Simple
} catch TWiki::AccessControlException with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on TWiki::AccessControlException
} otherwise {
...
};
Get an iterator over the list of all the changes in the given web between
$time and now. $time is a time in seconds since 1st Jan 1970, and is not
guaranteed to return any changes that occurred before (now -
{Store}{RememberChangesFor}). {Store}{RememberChangesFor}) is a
setting in configure. Changes are returned in most-recent-first
order.
Use it as follows:
my $iterator = TWiki::Func::eachChangeSince(
$web, time() - 7 * 24 * 60 * 60); # the last 7 days
while ($iterator->hasNext()) {
my $change = $iterator->next();
# $change is a perl hash that contains the following fields:
# topic => topic name
# user => wikiname - wikiname of user who made the change
# time => time of the change
# revision => revision number *after* the change
# more => more info about the change (e.g. 'minor')
}
getTopicList( $web ) -> @topics
Get list of all topics in a web
$web - Web name, required, e.g. 'Sandbox'
Return: @topics Topic list, e.g. ( 'WebChanges', 'WebHome', 'WebIndex', 'WebNotify' )Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
topicExists( $web, $topic ) -> $boolean
Test if topic exists
$web - Web name, optional, e.g. 'Main'.
$topic - Topic name, required, e.g. 'TokyoOffice', or "Main.TokyoOffice"
$web and $topic are parsed as described in the documentation for normalizeWebTopicName.
Specifically, the Main is used if $web is not specified and $topic has no web specifier.
To get an expected behaviour it is recommened to specify the current web for $web; don't leave it empty.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (14 Jul 2001)
Check if a lease has been taken by some other user.
$web Web name, e.g. "Main", or empty
$topic Topic name, e.g. "MyTopic", or "Main.MyTopic"
Return: ( $oopsUrl, $loginName, $unlockTime ) - The $oopsUrl for calling redirectCgiQuery(), user's $loginName, and estimated $unlockTime in minutes, or ( '', '', 0 ) if no lease exists.
$script The script to invoke when continuing with the edit
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.010 (31 Dec 2002)
setTopicEditLock( $web, $topic, $lock )
$web Web name, e.g. "Main", or empty
$topic Topic name, e.g. "MyTopic", or "Main.MyTopic"
$lock 1 to lease the topic, 0 to clear an existing lease
Takes out a "lease" on the topic. The lease doesn't prevent
anyone from editing and changing the topic, but it does redirect them
to a warning screen, so this provides some protection. The edit script
always takes out a lease.
It is impossible to fully lock a topic. Concurrent changes will be
merged.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.010 (31 Dec 2002)
Save topic text, typically obtained by readTopicText(). Topic data usually includes meta data; the file attachment meta data is replaced by the meta data from the topic file if it exists.
$web - Web name, e.g. 'Main', or empty
$topic - Topic name, e.g. 'MyTopic', or "Main.MyTopic"
$text - Topic text to save, assumed to include meta data
$ignorePermissions - Set to "1" if checkAccessPermission() is already performed and OK
$dontNotify - Set to "1" if not to notify users of the change
Return: $oopsUrl Empty string if OK; the $oopsUrl for calling redirectCgiQuery() in case of error
This method is a lot less efficient and much more dangerous than saveTopic.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.010 (31 Dec 2002)
my $text = TWiki::Func::readTopicText( $web, $topic );
# check for oops URL in case of error:
if( $text =~ /^http.*?\/oops/ ) {
TWiki::Func::redirectCgiQuery( $query, $text );
return;
}
# do topic text manipulation like:
$text =~ s/old/new/g;
# do meta data manipulation like:
$text =~ s/(META\:FIELD.*?name\=\"TopicClassification\".*?value\=\")[^\"]*/$1BugResolved/;
$oopsUrl = TWiki::Func::saveTopicText( $web, $topic, $text ); # save topic text
moveTopic( $web, $topic, $newWeb, $newTopic )
$web source web - required
$topic source topic - required
$newWeb dest web
$newTopic dest topic
Renames the topic. Throws an exception if something went wrong.
If $newWeb is undef, it defaults to $web. If $newTopic is undef, it defaults
to $topic.
The destination topic must not already exist.
Rename a topic to the $TWiki::cfg{TrashWebName} to delete it.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
use Error qw( :try );
try {
moveTopic( "Work", "TokyoOffice", "Trash", "ClosedOffice" );
} catch Error::Simple with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on Error::Simple
} catch TWiki::AccessControlException with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on TWiki::AccessControlException
} otherwise {
...
};
$rev - revsion number, or tag name (can be in the format 1.2, or just the minor number)
$attachment -attachment filename
Return: ( $date, $user, $rev, $comment ) List with: ( last update date, login name of last user, minor part of top revision number ), e.g. ( 1234561, 'phoeny', "5" )
$date
in epochSec
$user
Wiki name of the author (not login name)
$rev
actual rev number
$comment
WHAT COMMENT?
NOTE: if you are trying to get revision info for a topic, use
$meta->getRevisionInfo instead if you can - it is significantly
more efficient.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (29 Jul 2001)
getRevisionAtTime( $web, $topic, $time ) -> $rev
Get the revision number of a topic at a specific time.
$web - web for topic
$topic - topic
$time - time (in epoch secs) for the rev
Return: Single-digit revision number, or undef if it couldn't be determined
(either because the topic isn't that old, or there was a problem)
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
Read topic text and meta data, regardless of access permissions.
$web - Web name, required, e.g. 'Main'
$topic - Topic name, required, e.g. 'TokyoOffice'
$rev - revision to read (default latest)
Return: ( $meta, $text ) Meta data object and topic text
$meta is a perl 'object' of class TWiki::Meta. This class is
fully documented in the source code documentation shipped with the
release, or can be inspected in the lib/TWiki/Meta.pm file.
This method ignores topic access permissions. You should be careful to use
checkAccessPermission to ensure the current user has read access to the
topic.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
$topic - Topic name, e.g. 'MyTopic', or "Main.MyTopic"
$rev - Topic revision to read, optional. Specify the minor part of the revision, e.g. "5", not "1.5"; the top revision is returned if omitted or empty.
$ignorePermissions - Set to "1" if checkAccessPermission() is already performed and OK; an oops URL is returned if user has no permission
Return: $text Topic text with embedded meta data; an oops URL for calling redirectCgiQuery() is returned in case of an error
This method is more efficient than readTopic, but returns meta-data embedded in the text. Plugins authors must be very careful to avoid damaging meta-data. You are recommended to use readTopic instead, which is a lot safer.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.010 (31 Dec 2002)
Read an attachment from the store for a topic, and return it as a string. The
names of attachments on a topic can be recovered from the meta-data returned
by readTopic. If the attachment does not exist, or cannot be read, undef
will be returned. If the revision is not specified, the latest version will
be returned.
View permission on the topic is required for the
read to be successful. Access control violations are flagged by a
TWiki::AccessControlException. Permissions are checked for the current user.
my( $meta, $text ) = TWiki::Func::readTopic( $web, $topic );
my @attachments = $meta->find( 'FILEATTACHMENT' );
foreach my $a ( @attachments ) {
try {
my $data = TWiki::Func::readAttachment( $web, $topic, $a->{name} );
...
} catch TWiki::AccessControlException with {
};
}
Renames the topic. Throws an exception on error or access violation.
If $newWeb is undef, it defaults to $web. If $newTopic is undef, it defaults
to $topic. If $newAttachment is undef, it defaults to $attachment. If all of $newWeb, $newTopic and $newAttachment are undef, it is an error.
The destination topic must already exist, but the destination attachment must
not exist.
Rename an attachment to $TWiki::cfg{TrashWebName}.TrashAttament to delete it.
use Error qw( :try );
try {
# move attachment between topics
moveAttachment( "Countries", "Germany", "AlsaceLorraine.dat",
"Countries", "France" );
# Note destination attachment name is defaulted to the same as source
} catch TWiki::AccessControlException with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on TWiki::AccessControlException
} catch Error::Simple with {
my $e = shift;
# see documentation on Error::Simple
};
$skin - Comma-separated list of skin names, optional, e.g. 'print'
Return: $text Template text
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
loadTemplate ( $name, $skin, $web ) -> $text
$name - template file name
$skin - comma-separated list of skins to use (default: current skin)
$web - the web to look in for topics that contain templates (default: current web)
Return: expanded template text (what's left after removal of all %TMPL:DEF% statements)
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
Reads a template and extracts template definitions, adding them to the
list of loaded templates, overwriting any previous definition.
How TWiki searches for templates is described in TWikiTemplates.
If template text is found, extracts include statements and fully expands them.
expandTemplate( $def ) -> $string
Do a , only expanding the template (not expanding any variables other than %TMPL)
$def - template name
Return: the text of the expanded template
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
A template is defined using a %TMPL:DEF% statement in a template
file. See the documentation on TWiki templates for more information.
writeHeader( )
Print a basic content-type HTML header for text/html to standard out. No return value.
Note: In TWiki versions earlier than TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.3, this function used to have $query and $contentLength parameters. Both were marked "you should not pass this parameter".
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
redirectCgiQuery( $query, $url, $passthru )
Redirect to URL
$query - CGI query object. Ignored, only there for compatibility. The session CGI query object is used instead.
$url - URL to redirect to
$passthru - enable passthrough.
Return: none
Print output to STDOUT that will cause a 302 redirect to a new URL.
Nothing more should be printed to STDOUT after this method has been called.
The $passthru parameter allows you to pass the parameters that were passed
to the current query on to the target URL, as long as it is another URL on the
same TWiki installation. If $passthru is set to a true value, then TWiki
will save the current URL parameters, and then try to restore them on the
other side of the redirect. Parameters are stored on the server in a cache
file.
Note that if $passthru is set, then any parameters in $url will be lost
when the old parameters are restored. if you want to change any parameter
values, you will need to do that in the current CGI query before redirecting
e.g.
$passthru does nothing if $url does not point to a script in the current
TWiki installation.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
addToHEAD( $id, $header, $requires )
Adds $header to the HTML header (the tag).
This is useful for Plugins that want to include some javascript custom css.
$id - Unique ID to prevent the same HTML from being duplicated. Plugins should use a prefix to prevent name clashes (e.g EDITTABLEPLUGIN_JSCALENDAR)
$header - the HTML to be added to the section. The HTML must be valid in a HEAD tag - no checks are performed.
requires optional, comma-separated list of id's of other head blocks this one depends on.
All TWiki variables present in $header will be expanded before being inserted into the section.
Note that this is not the same as the HTTP header, which is modified through the Plugins modifyHeaderHandler.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
example:
$text - Text with variables to expand, e.g. 'Current user is %WIKIUSER%'
$topic - Current topic name, e.g. 'WebNotify'
$web - Web name, optional, e.g. 'Main'. The current web is taken if missing
$meta - topic meta-data to use while expanding (Since TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2)
Return: $text Expanded text, e.g. 'Current user is TWikiGuest'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
See also: expandVariablesOnTopicCreation
Render topic name and link label into an XHTML link. Normally you do not need to call this funtion, it is called internally by renderText()
$pre - Text occuring before the TWiki link syntax, optional
$web - Web name, required, e.g. 'Main'
$topic - Topic name to link to, required, e.g. 'WebNotify'
$label - Link label, required. Usually the same as $topic, e.g. 'notify'
$anchor - Anchor, optional, e.g. '#Jump'
$createLink - Set to '1' to add question linked mark after topic name if topic does not exist; set to '0' to suppress link for non-existing topics
Return: $text XHTML anchor, e.g. '<a href='/cgi-bin/view/Main/WebNotify#Jump'>notify</a>'Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
E-mail
sendEmail ( $text, $retries ) -> $error
$text - text of the mail, including MIME headers
$retries - number of times to retry the send (default 1)
Send an e-mail specified as MIME format content. To specify MIME
format mails, you create a string that contains a set of header
lines that contain field definitions and a message body such as:
To: liz@windsor.gov.uk
From: serf@hovel.net
CC: george@whitehouse.gov
Subject: Revolution
Dear Liz,
Please abolish the monarchy (with King George's permission, of course)
Thanks,
A. Peasant
Leave a blank line between the last header field and the message body.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
wikiToEmail( $wikiName ) -> $email
$wikiname - wiki name of the user
Get the e-mail address(es) of the named user. If the user has multiple
e-mail addresses (for example, the user is a group), then the list will
be comma-separated.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
Deprecated in favour of wikinameToEmails, because this function only
returns a single email address, where a user may in fact have several.
Since TWiki 4.2.1, $wikiName may also be a login name.
Creating New Topics
expandVariablesOnTopicCreation ( $text ) -> $text
Expand the limited set of variables that are always expanded during topic creation
$text - the text to process
Return: text with variables expanded
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
Expands only the variables expected in templates that must be statically
expanded in new content.
The expanded variables are:
%URLPARAM{...}% - Parameters to the current CGI query
%NOP% No-op
See also: expandVariables
Special handlers
Special handlers can be defined to make functions in plugins behave as if they were built-in to TWiki.
registerTagHandler( $var, \&fn, $syntax )
Should only be called from initPlugin.
Register a function to handle a simple variable. Handles both %VAR% and %VAR{...}%. Registered variables are treated the same as TWiki internal variables, and are expanded at the same time. This is a lot more efficient than using the commonTagsHandler.
$var - The name of the variable, i.e. the 'MYVAR' part of %MYVAR%. The variable name must match /^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*$/ or it won't work.
\&fn - Reference to the handler function.
$syntax can be 'classic' (the default) or 'context-free'. 'classic' syntax is appropriate where you want the variable to support classic TWiki syntax i.e. to accept the standard %MYVAR{ "unnamed" param1="value1" param2="value2" }% syntax, as well as an unquoted default parameter, such as %MYVAR{unquoted parameter}%. If your variable will only use named parameters, you can use 'context-free' syntax, which supports a more relaxed syntax. For example, %MYVAR{param1=value1, value 2, param3="value 3", param4='value 5"}%
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
The variable handler function must be of the form:
sub handler(\%session, \%params, $topic, $web)
where:
\%session - a reference to the TWiki session object (may be ignored)
\%params - a reference to a TWiki::Attrs object containing parameters. This can be used as a simple hash that maps parameter names to values, with _DEFAULT being the name for the default parameter.
$topic - name of the topic in the query
$web - name of the web in the query
for example, to execute an arbitrary command on the server, you might do this:
sub initPlugin{
TWiki::Func::registerTagHandler('EXEC', \&boo);
}
sub boo {
my( $session, $params, $topic, $web ) = @_;
my $cmd = $params->{_DEFAULT};
return "NO COMMAND SPECIFIED" unless $cmd;
my $result = `$cmd 2>&1`;
return $params->{silent} ? '' : $result;
}
}
would let you do this:
%EXEC{"ps -Af" silent="on"}%
Registered tags differ from tags implemented using the old TWiki approach (text substitution in commonTagsHandler) in the following ways:
registered tags are evaluated at the same time as system tags, such as %SERVERTIME. commonTagsHandler is only called later, when all system tags have already been expanded (though they are expanded again after commonTagsHandler returns).
registered tag names can only contain alphanumerics and _ (underscore)
registering a tag FRED defines both %FRED{...}%and also%FRED%.
registered tag handlers cannot return another tag as their only result (e.g. return '%SERVERTIME%';). It won't work.
registerRESTHandler( $alias, \&fn, )
Should only be called from initPlugin.
Adds a function to the dispatch table of the REST interface
$alias - The name .
\&fn - Reference to the function.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1
The handler function must be of the form:
sub handler(\%session)
where:
\%session - a reference to the TWiki session object (may be ignored)
From the REST interface, the name of the plugin must be used
as the subject of the invokation.
Example
The EmptyPlugin has the following call in the initPlugin handler:
This adds the restExample function to the REST dispatch table
for the EmptyPlugin under the 'example' alias, and allows it
to be invoked using the URL
http://server:port/bin/rest/EmptyPlugin/example
note that the URL
http://server:port/bin/rest/EmptyPlugin/restExample
(ie, with the name of the function instead of the alias) will not work.
decodeFormatTokens($str) -> $unencodedString
TWiki has an informal standard set of tokens used in format
parameters that are used to block evaluation of paramater strings.
For example, if you were to write
%MYTAG{format="%WURBLE%"}%
then %WURBLE would be expanded before %MYTAG is evaluated. To avoid
this TWiki uses escapes in the format string. For example:
%MYTAG{format="$percntWURBLE$percnt"}%
This lets you enter arbitrary strings into parameters without worrying that
TWiki will expand them before your plugin gets a chance to deal with them
properly. Once you have processed your tag, you will want to expand these
tokens to their proper value. That's what this function does.
New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
$nop or $nop()
Is a "no operation".
$quot
Double quote (")
$percnt
Percent sign (%)
$dollar
Dollar sign ($)
Note thath $quot, $percnt and $dollar all work *even if they are followed by
alphanumeric characters*. You have been warned!
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
Search for a string in the content of a web. The search is over all content, including meta-data. Meta-data matches will be returned as formatted lines within the topic content (meta-data matches are returned as lines of the format %META:\w+{.*}%)
$searchString - the search string, in egrep format
$web - The web to search in
\@topics - reference to a list of topics to search
\%option - reference to an options hash
The \%options hash may contain the following options:
type - if regex will perform a egrep-syntax RE search (default '')
casesensitive - false to ignore case (defaulkt true)
files_without_match - true to return files only (default false). If files_without_match is specified, it will return on the first match in each topic (i.e. it will return only one match per topic, and will not return matching lines).
The return value is a reference to a hash which maps each matching topic
name to a list of the lines in that topic that matched the search,
as would be returned by 'grep'.
To iterate over the returned topics use:
Gets a private directory for Plugin use. The Plugin is entirely responsible
for managing this directory; TWiki will not read from it, or write to it.
The directory is guaranteed to exist, and to be writable by the webserver
user. By default it will not be web accessible.
The directory and it's contents are permanent, so Plugins must be careful
to keep their areas tidy.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.1 (Dec 2005)
readFile( $filename ) -> $text
Read file, low level. Used for Plugin workarea.
$filename - Full path name of file
Return: $text Content of file, empty if not found
NOTE: Use this function only for the Plugin workarea, not for topics and attachments. Use the appropriate functions to manipulate topics and attachments.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (07 Dec 2002)
saveFile( $filename, $text )
Save file, low level. Used for Plugin workarea.
$filename - Full path name of file
$text - Text to save
Return: none
NOTE: Use this function only for the Plugin workarea, not for topics and attachments. Use the appropriate functions to manipulate topics and attachments.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (07 Dec 2002)
General Utilities
getRegularExpression( $name ) -> $expr
Retrieves a TWiki predefined regular expression or character class.
$name - Name of the expression to retrieve. See notes below
Return: String or precompiled regular expression matching as described below.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (9 Feb 2004)
Note: TWiki internally precompiles several regular expressions to
represent various string entities in an I18N-compatible manner. Plugins
authors are encouraged to use these in matching where appropriate. The
following are guaranteed to be present. Others may exist, but their use
is unsupported and they may be removed in future TWiki versions.
In the table below, the expression marked type 'String' are intended for
use within character classes (i.e. for use within square brackets inside
a regular expression), for example:
my $upper = TWiki::Func::getRegularExpression('upperAlpha');
my $alpha = TWiki::Func::getRegularExpression('mixedAlpha');
my $capitalized = qr/[$upper][$alpha]+/;
Those expressions marked type 'RE' are precompiled regular expressions that can be used outside square brackets. For example:
my $webRE = TWiki::Func::getRegularExpression('webNameRegex');
my $isWebName = ( $s =~ m/$webRE/ );
Note that hierarchical web names (SubWeb) are only available if hierarchical webs are enabled in configure.
The symbols %USERSWEB%, %SYSTEMWEB% and %DOCWEB% can be used in the input to represent the web names set in $cfg{UsersWebName} and $cfg{SystemWebName}. For example:
Given a file namer, sanitise it according to the rules for transforming
attachment names. Returns
the sanitised name together with the basename before sanitisation.
Sanitation includes filtering illegal characters and mapping client
file names to legal server names.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
Return: $textSince: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.3 (18 Jan 2010)
spaceOutWikiWord( $word, $sep ) -> $text
Spaces out a wiki word by inserting a string (default: one space) between each word component.
With parameter $sep any string may be used as separator between the word components; if $sep is undefined it defaults to a space.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
writeWarning( $text )
Log Warning that may require admin intervention to data/warning.txt
$text - Text to write; timestamp gets added
Return: none
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (16 Feb 2004)
writeDebug( $text )
Log debug message to data/debug.txt
$text - Text to write; timestamp gets added
Return: none
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (16 Feb 2004)
formatTime( $time, $format, $timezone ) -> $text
Format the time in seconds into the desired time string
$time - Time in epoc seconds
$format - Format type, optional. Default e.g. '31 Dec 2002 - 19:30'. Can be '$iso' (e.g. '2002-12-31T19:30Z'), '$rcs' (e.g. '2001/12/31 23:59:59', '$http' for HTTP header format (e.g. 'Thu, 23 Jul 1998 07:21:56 GMT'), or any string with tokens '$seconds, $minutes, $hours, $day, $wday, $month, $mo, $year, $ye, $tz' for seconds, minutes, hours, day of month, day of week, 3 letter month, 2 digit month, 4 digit year, 2 digit year, timezone string, respectively
$timezone - either not defined (uses the displaytime setting), 'gmtime', or 'servertime'
Return: $text Formatted time string
Note:
if you used the removed formatGmTime, add a third parameter 'gmtime'
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.020 (26 Feb 2004)
isTrue( $value, $default ) -> $boolean
Returns 1 if $value is true, and 0 otherwise. "true" means set to
something with a Perl true value, with the special cases that "off",
"false" and "no" (case insensitive) are forced to false. Leading and
trailing spaces in $value are ignored.
If the value is undef, then $default is returned. If $default is
not specified it is taken as 0.
Since: $TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.2
Extract a named or unnamed value from a variable parameter string
- Note: | Function TWiki::Func::extractParameters is more efficient for extracting several parameters
$attr - Attribute string
$name - Name, optional
Return: $value Extracted value
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
First extract text between {...} to get: 'nameless' name1="val1" name2="val2"
Then call this on the text: my $noname = TWiki::Func::extractNameValuePair( $text ); my $val1 = TWiki::Func::extractNameValuePair( $text, "name1" ); my $val2 = TWiki::Func::extractNameValuePair( $text, "name2" );
Deprecated functions
From time-to-time, the TWiki developers will add new functions to the interface (either to TWikiFuncDotPm, or new handlers). Sometimes these improvements mean that old functions have to be deprecated to keep the code manageable. When this happens, the deprecated functions will be supported in the interface for at least one more TWiki release, and probably longer, though this cannot be guaranteed.
Updated plugins may still need to define deprecated handlers for compatibility with old TWiki versions. In this case, the plugin package that defines old handlers can suppress the warnings in %FAILEDPLUGINS%.
This is done by defining a map from the handler name to the TWiki::Plugins version in which the handler was first deprecated. For example, if we need to define the endRenderingHandler for compatibility with TWiki::Plugins versions before 1.1, we would add this to the plugin:
package TWiki::Plugins::SinkPlugin;
use vars qw( %TWikiCompatibility );
$TWikiCompatibility{endRenderingHandler} = 1.1;
If the currently-running TWiki version is 1.1 or later, then the handler will not be called and the warning will not be issued. TWiki with versions of TWiki::Plugins before 1.1 will still call the handler as required.
The following functions are retained for compatibility only. You should
stop using them as soon as possible.
getScriptUrlPath( ) -> $path
Get script URL path
DEPRECATED since 1.1 - use getScriptUrl instead.
Return: $path URL path of TWiki scripts, e.g. "/cgi-bin"WARNING: you are strongly recommended not to use this function, as the
{ScriptUrlPaths} URL rewriting rules will not apply to urls generated
using it.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
$web - Web name, e.g. 'Main'. The current web is taken if empty
$topic - Topic name, e.g. 'WebNotify'
$template - Oops template name, e.g. 'oopsmistake'. The 'oops' is optional; 'mistake' will translate to 'oopsmistake'.
$param1 ... $param4 - Parameter values for %PARAM1% ... %PARAMn% variables in template, optional
Return: $url URL, e.g. "http://example.com:80/cgi-bin/oops.pl/ Main/WebNotify?template=oopslocked¶m1=joe"DEPRECATED since 1.1, the recommended approach is to throw an oops exception.
use Error qw( :try );
throw TWiki::OopsException(
'toestuckerror',
web => $web,
topic => $topic,
params => [ 'I got my toe stuck' ]);
(this example will use the oopstoestuckerror template.)
If this is not possible (e.g. in a REST handler that does not trap the exception)
then you can use getScriptUrl instead:
my $url = TWiki::Func::getScriptUrl($web, $topic, 'oops',
template => 'oopstoestuckerror',
param1 => 'I got my toe stuck');
TWiki::Func::redirectCgiQuery( undef, $url );
return 0;
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
permissionsSet( $web ) -> $boolean
Test if any access restrictions are set for this web, ignoring settings on
individual pages
$web - Web name, required, e.g. 'Sandbox'
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (27 Feb 2001)
DEPRECATED since 1.2 - use getPreferencesValue instead to determine
what permissions are set on the web, for example:
foreach my $type qw( ALLOW DENY ) {
foreach my $action qw( CHANGE VIEW ) {
my $pref = $type . 'WEB' . $action;
my $val = getPreferencesValue( $pref, $web ) || '';
if( $val =~ /\S/ ) {
print "$pref is set to $val on $web\n";
}
}
}
getPublicWebList( ) -> @webs
DEPRECATED since 1.1 - use getListOfWebs instead.
Get list of all public webs, e.g. all webs that do not have the NOSEARCHALL flag set in the WebPreferences
Return: @webs List of all public webs, e.g. ( 'Main', 'Know', 'TWiki' )Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (07 Dec 2002)
formatGmTime( $time, $format ) -> $text
DEPRECATED since 1.1 - use formatTime instead.
Format the time to GM time
$time - Time in epoc seconds
$format - Format type, optional. Default e.g. '31 Dec 2002 - 19:30', can be 'iso' (e.g. '2002-12-31T19:30Z'), 'rcs' (e.g. '2001/12/31 23:59:59', 'http' for HTTP header format (e.g. 'Thu, 23 Jul 1998 07:21:56 GMT')
Return: $text Formatted time string
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (7 Dec 2002)
getDataDir( ) -> $dir
DEPRECATED since 1.1 - use the "Webs, Topics and Attachments" functions to manipulate topics instead
Get data directory (topic file root)
Return: $dir Data directory, e.g. '/twiki/data'
This function violates store encapsulation and is therefore deprecated.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (07 Dec 2002)
getPubDir( ) -> $dir
DEPRECATED since 1.1 - use the "Webs, Topics and Attachments" functions to manipulateattachments instead
Get pub directory (file attachment root). Attachments are in $dir/Web/TopicName
Return: $dir Pub directory, e.g. '/htdocs/twiki/pub'
This function violates store encapsulation and is therefore deprecated.
Use readAttachment and saveAttachment instead.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.000 (07 Dec 2002)
DEPRECATED since 1.1 - use TWiki:Plugins.BuildContrib and define DEPENDENCIES that can be statically
evaluated at install time instead. It is a lot more efficient.
Since: TWiki::Plugins::VERSION 1.025 (01 Aug 2004)
Programs on the TWiki server performing actions such as rendering, saving and renaming topics.
The TWiki scripts are located in the twiki/bin and twiki/tools directories. This topic describes the interfaces to some of those scripts. All scripts in the twiki/bin directory can be called from the CGI (Common Gateway Interface) environment or from the command line. The scripts in the twiki/tools directory can only be called from the command line.
CGI Scripts
Details on CGI scripts located in the twiki/bin directory.
General Information
CGI environment
In the CGI environment parameters are passed to the scripts via the URL and URL parameters. Environment variables are also used to determine the user performing the action. If the environment is not set up, the default TWiki user is used (usually guest).
Command-line
You must be have the twiki/bin directory on the perl path to run the scripts from the command line. To avoid issues with file permissions, run the scripts as the web server user such as nobody or www.
Parameters are passed on the command line using '-name' - for example,
$ cd /usr/local/twiki/bin
$ save -topic MyWeb.MyTopic -user admin -action save -text "New text of the topic"
All parameters require a value, even if that is the empty string.
Common parameters
All the scripts accept a number of common parameters. The first two components of the URL after the script name are taken as the web and the topic, respectively. Standard URL parameters are:
If this is set to a URL, TWiki will immediately redirect to that URL. Otherwise it overrides the URL and is taken as the topic name (you can pass Web.TopicName)
user
Command-line only; set the name of the user performing the action. Note: this usage is inherently insecure, as it bypasses webserver login constraints. For this reason only authorised users should be allowed to execute scripts from the command line.
Specifies temporary skin path to prepend to the skin path for this script only (see TWikiSkins)
attach
Despite the name, this script doesn't actually attach a file to a topic - for that, use upload. This script is part of the transactions sequence executed when a file is uploaded from the browser. it just generates the "new attachment" page for a topic.
If 0, show only major changes. If 1, show all the changes (both minor and major)
0
The main difference between invoking this script and using WebChanges is that WebChanges is based on a %SEARCH%, while this script reads the changes file in each web, making it much faster.
Note: The result from changes script and the topic WebChanges can be different, if the changes file is deleted from a web. In particular, in new installations the changes script will return no results while the WebChanges topic will.
configure
configure is the browser script used for inspection and configuration of the TWiki configuration. None of the parameters to this script are useable for any purpose except configure. See configure.
edit
The edit script understands the following parameters, typically supplied by HTML input fields:
Optional. Use the editaction template instead of the standard edit. If action=text, then hide the form. If action=form hide the normal text area and only edit the form. You can change the Edit/Edit Raw buttons to always append the action parameter in skins like Pattern and Classic by setting the topic or preference variable EDITACTION to the value text or form. To edit the topic once the EDITACTION is defined as form simply remove the action=form from the browser URL of the edit script and reload the edit window
The name of the template topic, copied to get the initial content (new topic only)
text
Initial text for the topic
topicparent
The parent topic
formtemplate
Name of the form to instantiate in the topic. Overrides the form set in the templatetopic if defined. (will remove the form is set to 'none')
contenttype
Optional parameter that defines the application type to write into the CGI header. Defaults to text/html. May be used to invoke alternative client applications
anyname
Any parameter can passed to the new topic; if the template topic contains %URLPARAM{"anyname"}%, it will be replaced by its value
breaklock
If set, any lease conflicts will be ignored, and the edit will proceed even if someone is already editing the topic.
redirectto
If the user continues from edit to save, and if the save (or cancels the edit) process is successful, save will redirect to this topic or URL. The parameter value can be a TopicName, a Web.TopicName, or a URL. Note: Redirect to a URL only works if it is enabled in configure (Miscellaneous {AllowRedirectUrl}).
t
Provide a unique URL each time a topic is edited, typically specifying parameter t=%SERVERTIME{$epoch}% in an edit link. This is done to prevent browsers from caching an edit session, which could result in editing outdated content. The parameter name and value is arbitrary, but must be unique each time.
Form field values are passed in parameters named 'field' - for example, if I have a field Status the parameter name is Status.
The first sequence of ten or more X characters in the topic name will be converted on save to a number such that the resulting topic name is unique in the target web.
Note: Most skins support the definition of EDIT_SKIN, which is used as the value of the cover parameter in edit URLs. This allows you to override the default edit skin on a web, topic or user basis.
login
Used for logging in when TWiki login is being used (e.g TemplateLoginManager).
URL that was being accessed when an access violation occurred. the login process will redirect to this URL if it is successful
none
username
username of user logging in
none
password
password of user logging in
none
logon
Used for logging in when Web Server authentication is being used (e.g. ApacheLoginManager). The script does nothing; it is purely a placeholder for triggering the login process. The webserver will be set up to require a valid user to access this script, thus triggering the webserver login process.
If the savesettings process is successful, save will redirect to this topic or URL. The parameter value can be a TopicName, a Web.TopicName, or a URL. Note: Redirect to a URL only works if it is enabled in configure (Miscellaneous {AllowRedirectUrl}).
All other parameters may be interpreted as form fields, depending on the current form definition in the topic.
password, =passwordA and email are optional. If neither or password and passwordA is set, then the user password is left unchanged. If email is unset, their email is left unchanged.
message to be sent alongside the reset, most often used to announce to the user that they have been given an account.
''
This is used by BulkResetPassword and ResetPassword. Only administrators can provide a list of LoginNames, non-admins can only provide a single LoginName.
BulkRegistration provides the means to create multiple accounts but it does not announce those accounts to the users who own them. BulkResetPassword is used to assign the passwords, the Introduction is used to explain why they are receiving the mail.
action=deleteUserAccount
Unregisters (removes) the currently logged-in user.
This script is mainly used for rendering pages containing error messages, though it is also used for some functional actions such as manage pages (move topic etc).
oops templates are used with the oops script to generate system messages. This is done to make internationalisation or other local customisations simple.
The oops script supports the following parameters:
Optional, can be set to the name of a single definition within template. This definition will be instantiated in the template wherever %INSTANTIATE% is seen. This lets you use a single template file for many messages. For an example, see oopsmanagebad.tmpl.
paramN
Where N is an integer from 1 upwards. These values will be substituted into template for %PARAM1% etc.
preview
This script is deprecated. Its functions are covered by the save script.
rdiff
Renders the differences between version of a TWiki topic
Note: The register script can only be called via http POST method, not GET. Make sure to specify the "post" method if you call the register script via a form action.
if defined, requires a second level of confirmation
currentwebonly
if defined, searches current web only for links to this topic
nonwikiword
if defined, a non-wikiword is acceptable for the new topic name
redirectto
If the rename process is successful, rename will redirect to this topic or URL. The parameter value can be a TopicName, a Web.TopicName, or a URL. Note: Redirect to a URL only works if it is enabled in configure (Miscellaneous {AllowRedirectUrl}).
Note: The rename script can only be called via http POST method, not GET. Make sure you specify method="post" if you call the rename script via a form action.
rest
This REST (Representational State Transfer) script can be invoked via http in the same way as the other TWiki scripts (see Invocation Examples, below) to execute a function that is associated to a "subject" and a "verb" (see below). These functions are usually registered by plugins using the TWiki::Func::registerRESTHandler method. The rest script will print the result directly to the browser unless the endPoint parameter is specified, in which case it will output a redirect to the given topic.
The rest script supports the following parameters:
username
If TemplateLogin, or a similar login manager not embedded in the web server, is used, then you need to pass a username and password to the server. The username and password parameters are used for this purpose.
password
See username
topic
If defined as the full name (including web) of a topic, then when the script starts up plugins will be passed this as the "current" topic. If not defined, then Main.WebHome will be passed to plugins.
endPoint
Where to redirect the response once the request is served, in the form "Web.Topic"
The function is free to use any other query parameters for its own purposes.
Note: The rest script should always require authentication in any TWiki that has logins. Otherwise there is a risk of opening up major security holes. So make sure you add it to the list of authenticated scripts if you are using ApacheLogin.
Invocation Examples
The rest script assumes that it will be called with URL in the form:
http://my.host/bin/rest/<subject>/<verb>
where <subject> must be the WikiWord name of one of the installed TWikiPlugins, and the <verb> is the alias for the function registered using the TWiki::Func::registerRESTHandler method. The <subject> and <verb> are then used to lookup and call the registered function.
<subject> and <verb> are checked for illegal characters exactly in the same way as the web and topic names.
As an example, the EmptyPlugin has registered a function to be used with the rest script under the subject EmptyPlugin and the verb example. Click below to see the rest script in action (run as TWikiGuest).
Call the Plugin
Note that for Plugins to register REST handlers, they must be enabled in configure.
save
The save script performs a range of save-related functions, as selected by the action parameter.
save and redirect to the edit script, dontnotify is on
action_cancel
exit without save, return to view
action_preview
preview edited text
action_addform
Redirect to the "change form" page.
action_replaceform...
Redirect to the "change form" page.
action_delRev
Administrators only delete the most recent revision of the topic - all other parameters are ignored. You have to be an administrator to use this, and not all store implementations will support it.
action_repRev
Administrators only replace the text of the most recent revision of the topic with the text in the text parameter. text must included embedded meta-data tags. All other parameters are ignored. You have to be an administrator to use this, and not all store implementations will support it.
Name of a topic to use as a template for the text and form (new topic only)
text
New text of the topic
forcenewrevision
if set, forces a revision even if TWiki thinks one isn't needed
topicparent
If 'none' remove any current topic parent. If the name of a topic, set the topic parent to this.
formtemplate
if defined, use the named template for the form (will remove the form is set to 'none')
editaction
When action is checkpoint, add form or replace form..., this is used as the action parameter to the edit script that is redirected to after the save is complete.
originalrev
Revision on which the edit started.
edit
The script to use to edit the topic when action is checkpoint
edit
editparams
The parameter string to use to edit the topic
redirectto
The save process will redirect to this topic or URL if it is successful. (Typically this would be the URL that was being viewed when edit was invoked). The parameter value can be a TopicName, a Web.TopicName, or a URL. Note: Redirect to a URL only works if it is enabled in configure (Miscellaneous {AllowRedirectUrl}).
view topic being edited
Any errors will cause a redirect to an oops page.
The parameters are interpreted in according to the following rules.
The first sequence of ten or more X characters in the topic name will be converted to a number such that the resulting topic name is unique in the target web.
When the action is save, checkpoint, quietsave, or preview:
The new text is taken from the text parameter, if it is defined,
otherwise it is taken from the templatetopic, if it is defined, (new topic only)
otherwise it is taken from the previous version of the topic, if any,
The name of the new form is taken from the formtemplate, if defined
otherwise it is taken from the templatetopic, if defined, (new topic only)
otherwise it is taken from the previous version of the topic, if any,
otherwise no form is attached.
The value for each field in the form is taken from the query, if it is defined
otherwise it is taken from the templatetopic, if defined, (new topic only)
otherwise it is taken from the previous version of the topic, if any,
otherwise it defaults to the empty string.
Merging is only enabled if the topic text comes from text and originalrev is > 0 and is not the same as the revision number of the most recent revision. If merging is enabled both the topic and the meta-data are merged.
Form field values are passed in parameters named 'field' - for example, if I have a field Status the parameter name is Status.
Note: The save script can only be called via http POST method, not GET. Make sure to specify the "post" method if you call the save script via a form action. Example:
Sort the results of search by the topic names, topic creation time, last modified time, last editor, or named field of TWikiForms. The sorting is done web by web; in case you want to sort across webs, create a formatted table and sort it with TablePlugin's initsort
Sort by topic name
limit="all" limit="16"
Limit the number of results returned. This is done after sorting if order is specified
All results
date="..."
limits the results to those pages with latest edit time in the given time interval.
Shorthand for nosummary="on" nosearch="on" nototal="on" zeroresults="off" noheader="on" noempty="on"
Off
nosummary="on"
Show topic title only
Show topic summary
nosearch="on"
Suppress search string
Show search string
noheader="on"
Suppress search header Topics: Changed: By:
Show search header
nototal="on"
Do not show number of topics found
Show number
zeroresults="off"
Suppress all output if there are no hits
zeroresults="on", displays: "Number of topics: 0"
noempty="on"
Suppress results for webs that have no hits.
Show webs with no hits
header="..." format="..."
Custom format results: see FormattedSearch for usage, variables & examples
Results in table
expandvariables="on"
Expand variables before applying a FormattedSearch on a search hit. Useful to show the expanded text, e.g. to show the result of a SpreadSheetPlugin%CALC{}% instead of the formula
Raw text
multiple="on"
Multiple hits per topic. Each hit can be formatted. The last token is used in case of a regular expression ";" and search
Only one hit per topic
nofinalnewline="on"
If on, the search variable does not end in a line by itself. Any text continuing immediately after the search tag on the same line will be rendered as part of the table generated by the search, if appropriate.
if defined, will not show file in attachment table
filepath
local (client) path name of the file being uploaded. This is used to look up the data for the file in the HTTP query.
filename
deprecated, do not use
filecomment
Comment to associate with file in attachment table
createlink
if defined, will create a link to file at end of topic
changeproperties
if defined, this is a property change operation only - no file will be uploaded.
null
You can use a tool like curl to upload files from the command line using this script.
Note: The upload script can only be called via http POST method, not GET.
Shows the text of the topic in a scrollable textarea
raw=debug
As raw=on, but also shows the metadata (forms etc) associated with the topic.
raw=text
Shows only the source of the topic, as plain text (Content-type: text/plain). Only shows the body text, not the form or other meta-data.
raw=all
Shows only the source of the topic, as plain text (Content-type: text/plain), with embedded meta-data. This may be useful if you want to extract the source of a topic to a local file on disc.
section
Allows to view only a part of the topic delimited by a named section (see VarSTARTSECTION). If the given section is not present, no topic content is displayed.
contenttype
Allows you to specify a different Content-Type: (e.g. contenttype=text/plain)
rev
Revision to view (e.g. rev=45)
template
Allows you to specify a different skin template, overriding the 'view' template the view script would normally use. The default template is view. For example, you could specify /foswiki/bin/view/System/TWikiScripts?template=edit. This is mainly useful when you have specialised templates for a TWiki Application.
topic
redirects (at the beging of the cgi script running) to show the spcified Web.Topic, or, redirects to a URL, if allowed by {AllowRedirectUrl} and {PermittedRedirectHostUrls}
For historical reasons, the view script has a special interpretation of the text skin. In earlier TWiki versions the skin=text parameter was used like this:
http://.../view/MyWeb/MyTopic?skin=text&contenttype=text/plain&raw=on
which shows the topic as plain text; useful for those who want to download plain text for the topic.
Using skin=text this way is DEPRECATED, use raw=text instead.
viewfile
Used for viewing attachments. Normally, a site will publish the attachments (pub) directory using a URL. However if it contains sensitive information, you will want to protect attachments using TWikiAccessControls. In this case, you can use the viewfile script to give access to attachments while still checking access controls.
Instead of using the filename parameter, you can append the attachment name
to the end of the URL path (after the topic) e.g. https://iccl.unist.ac.kr/foswiki/bin/viewfile/Webname/TopicName/Attachment.gif
Command Line Scripts
Details on command line scripts located in the twiki/tools directory.
geturl.pl
This is a very simple script to get the content of a web site. It is marked as deprecated and might be removed (or enhanced) in a future TWiki release. Its functions are covered by the standard wget and curl commands.
Will get: http://some.domain:80/some/dir/file.html
rewriteshebang.pl
Simple script to rewrite the #!/usr/bin/perl shebang lines specific to your local Perl installation. It will rewrite the first line of all your TWiki cgi scripts so they use a different shebang line. Use it if your perl is in a non-standard location, or you want to use a different interpreter (such as 'speedy').
Utilities for searching, navigation, and monitoring site activity
TWiki Site Tools include utilities for navigating, searching and keeping up with site activity. Preferences can be configured by web or site-wide. You are currently in the System web. In particular, TWiki provides two highly configurable, automated site monitoring tools, WebNotify, to e-mail alerts when topics are edited, and WebStatistics, to generate detailed activity reports.
WebNotify - recent changes alert
Each TWiki web has an automatic e-mail alert service that sends a list of recent changes on a preset schedule, like once a day. Users can subscribe and unsubscribe using WebNotify in each web. The Perl script mailnotify is called by a background process at regular intervals. The script sends an automated e-mail to subscribed users if topics were changed in a web since the script was last run.
Each TWiki web has an automatic e-mail notification service that sends you an e-mail with links to all of the topics modified since the last alert.
Users subscribe to email notifications using their WikiName or an alternative email address, and can specify the webs/topics they wish to track. Whole groups of users can also be subscribed for notification.
The general format of a subscription is:
three spaces*subscriber [ :topics ]
Where subscriber can be a WikiName, an email address, or a group name. If subscriber contains any characters that are not legal in an email address, then it must be enclosed in 'single' or "double" quotes. Note: The guest user WikiGuest does not have an email address mapped to it, and will never receive email regardless of the configuration of that user.
topics is an optional space-separated list of topics:
... without a Web. prefix
...that exist in this web.
Users may further customize the specific content they will receive using the following controls:
Using wild-card character in topic names - You can use * in a topic name, where it is treated as a wildcard character. A * will match zero or more other characters - so, for example, Fred* will match all topic names starting with Fred, *Fred will match all topic names ending with Fred, and * will match all topic names.
Unsubscribing to specific topics - Each topic may optionally be preceded by a '+' or '-' sign. The '+' sign means "subscribe to this topic". The '-' sign means "unsubscribe" or "don't send notifications regarding this particular topic". This allows users to elect to filter out certain topics. Topic filters ('-') take precedence over topic includes ('+') i.e. if you unsubscribe from a topic it will cancel out any subscriptions to that topic.
Including child-topics in subscription - Each topic may optionally be followed by an integer in parentheses, indicating the depth of the tree of children below that topic. Changes in all these children will be detected and reported along with changes to the topic itself. Note This uses the Foswiki "Topic parent" feature.
Subscribing to entire topic ("news mode") - Each topic may optionally be immediately followed by an exclamation mark ! and/or a question mark ? with no intervening spaces, indicating that the topic (and children if there is a tree depth specifier as well) should be mailed out as complete topics instead of change summaries. ! causes the full topic to be mailed every time even if there have been no changes, and ? will mail the full topic only if there have been changes. One can limit the content of the subscribed topic to send out by inserting %STARTPUBLISH% and %STOPPUBLISH% markers within the topic.
Examples:
Subscribe Daisy to all changes to topics in this web.
* daisy.cutter@flowers.com
Subscribe Daisy to all changes to topics that start with Web.
* daisy.cutter@flowers.com : Web*
Subscribe Daisy to changes to topics starting with Petal, and their immediate children, WeedKillers and children to a depth of 3, and all topics that match start with Pretty and end with Flowers e.g. PrettyPinkFlowers.
Subscribe Daisy to the full content of NewsLetter whenever it has changed.
* daisy@flowers.com: NewsLetter?
Subscribe buttercup to NewsLetter and its immediate children, even if it hasn't changed.
* buttercup@flowers.com: NewsLetter! (1)
Subscribe GardenGroup (which includes Petunia) to all changed topics under AllNewsLetters to a depth of 3. Then unsubscribe Petunia from the ManureNewsLetter, which she would normally get as a member of GardenGroup:
Subscribe IT:admins (a non-Foswiki group defined by an alternate user mapping) to all changes to Web* topics.
* 'IT:admins' : Web*
A user may be listed many times in the WebNotify topic. Where a user has several lines in WebNotify that all match the same topic, they will only be notified about changes in that topic once (though they will still receive individual mails for news topics).
If a group is listed for notification, the group will be recursively expanded to the email addresses of all members.
Warning: Because an email address is not linked to a user name, there is no way for Foswiki to check access controls for subscribers identified by email addresses. A subscriber identified by an email address alone will only be sent change notifications if the topic they are subscribed to is readable by guest users. You can limit which email addresses can be used in WebNotify, or even block use of emails altogther, using the {MailerContrib}{EmailFilterIn} setting in configure.
Tip: List names in alphabetical order to make it easier to find the names.
Note for System Administrators: Notification is supported by an add-on to the TWiki kernel called the MailerContrib. See the MailerContrib topic for details of how to set up this service.
Note: If you prefer a news feed, point your reader to WebRss (for RSS 1.0 feeds) or WebAtom (for ATOM 1.0 feeds). Learn more at WebRssBase and WebAtomBase, respectively.
You can also use %USERSWEB% instead of Main, but this is not necessary even if you have renamed the main web by configuring {MainWebName} in configure.
WebSearch - search TWiki site
WebSearch is an extremely fast and flexible search facility, part of the core TWiki feature set. WebSearchAdvanced offers more options, including:
topic title or full-text search
regular expressions
search within web or site-wide
index-style A-Z alphabetical listing sorted topic title
To check for the most recently edited topics while on-site, use the WebChanges link, usually located in the toolbar. It lists the most recently modified topics, newest first, along with the first couple of lines of the page content.
This is simply a preset SEARCH. The number of topics listed by the limit parameter.:
You can point your news reader at WebRss and WebAtom to find out what is new in a TWiki web. WebRssBase and WebAtomBase have the details. Like WebChanges, this is based on a %SEARCH{}%.
WebIndex - list of topics
WebIndex lists all web topics in alphabetical order, with the first couple of lines of text. This is simply a preset SEARCH:
You can generate a listing manually, or on an automated schedule, of visits to individual pages, on a per web basis. Compiled as a running total on a monthly basis. Includes totals for Topic Views, Topic Saves, Attachment Uploads, Most Popular Topics with number of views, and Top Contributors showing total of saves and attachment uploads. Previous months are saved.
You can automatically generate usage statistics for all webs. To enable this:
Make sure variable {Log}{view}, {Log}{save} and *{Log}{upload} in are set in configure. This will generate log file entries (see below).
The WebStatistics topic must be present in all webs where you want to have statistics. You can use the topic in the Main web as a template.
Call the twiki/bin/statistics script from a cron job, once a day is recommended. This will update the WebStatistics topics in all webs.
Attention: The script must run as the same user as the CGI scripts are running, which is user nobody on many systems. Example crontab entry: 0 0 * * * (cd /path/to/twiki/bin; ./statistics >/dev/null 2>&1)
There is a workaround in case you can't run the script as user nobody : Run the utility twiki/tools/geturl.pl in your cron job and specify the URL of the twiki/bin/statistics script as a parameter. Example: 0 0 * * * (cd /path/to/twiki/tools; ./geturl.pl mydomain.com /urlpath/to/twiki/bin/statistics >/dev/null 2>&1)
NOTE:geturl.pl will do a TWiki CGI request as the TWikiGuest user, so if you use this workaround, the WebStatistics topics you are updating will have to be writable by TWikiGuest.
When running from the command line or a cron job, you can pass parameters to the script like this:
./statistics -logdate 200605 -webs TWiki,Sandbox
Generating statistics manually by URL
The twiki/bin/statistics script can also be executed as a CGI script, just enter the URL in your browser. Examples:
Update current month for all webs you have access to: /foswiki/bin/statistics
Update current month for Main web only: /foswiki/bin/statistics/Main
Update Nov 2024 for Main web: /foswiki/bin/statistics/Main?logdate=202411
Update Nov 2024 for the ProjectX, ProjectY and ProjectZ webs: /foswiki/bin/statistics?logdate=202411;webs=ProjectX,ProjectY,ProjectZ
Log Files
TWiki generates monthly log files which are used by the statistics script
The log file is defined by the {LogFileName} setting in configure
Login name of administrator user who is logging in or out
manage
changepasswd
Login name of user who's password is changed
rdiff
rdiff
higher and lower revision numbers: 4 3
register
regstart
WikiUserName, e-Mail address, LoginName: user attempts to register
register
register
E-mail address: user successfully registers
register
bulkregister
WikiUserName of new, e-mail address, admin ID
rename
rename
when moving topic: moved to Newweb.NewTopic
rename
renameweb
when renaming a web: moved to Newweb
rename
move
when moving attachment: Attachment filename moved to Newweb.NewTopic
resetpasswd
resetpasswd
Login name of user who's password is reset
save
save
when replacing existing revision: repRev 3 when user checks the minor changes box: dontNotify when user changes attributes to an exising attachment: filename.ext
save
cmd
special admin parameter used when saving
search
search
search string
upload
upload
filename
view
view
when viewing non-existing topic: (not exist) when viewing previous topic revision: r3
viewfile
viewfile
Attachment name and revision: File.txt, r3
E-mail
Configuring outgoing mail
Outgoing mail is required for TWikiRegistration and for recent changes alert.
TWiki will use the Net::SMTP module if it is installed on your system. Set this with the SMTPMAILHOST variable in TWikiPreferences.
The notify e-mail uses the default changes.tmpl template, or a skin if activated in the TWikiPreferences.
mailnotify also relies on two hidden files in each twiki/data/Web directory: .changes and .mailnotify. Make sure both are writable by your web server process. .changes contains a list of changes; go ahead and make this empty. .mailnotify contains a timestamp of the last time notification was done.
You can use an external mail program, such as sendmail, if the Net::SMTP module is not installed. Set the program path in {MailProgram} in configure.
Net::SMTP can be easily disabled (if there is an installation error) by setting SMTPMAILHOST in TWikiPreferences to an empty value.
You can set a separate SMTPSENDERHOST variable to define the mail sender host (some SMTP installations require this).
Setting the automatic e-mail schedule
For Unix platforms: Edit the cron table so that mailnotify is called in an interval of your choice. Please consult man crontab of how to modify the table that schedules program execution at certain intervals. Example:
The above line will run mailnotify nightly at 01:00. The -q switch suppresses all normal output. Details at MailerContrib.
For ISP installations: Many ISPs don't allow hosted accounts direct cron access, as it's often used for things that can heavily load the server. Workaround scripts are available.
On Windows: You can use a scheduled task if you have administrative privileges. TWiki:Codev/CronTabWin is a free scheduler for Windows.
Site Permissions
TWikiAccessControl describes how to restrict read and write access to topics and webs, by users and groups
SitePermissions lists the permissions settings of the webs on this TWiki site
Help with crontab
The crontab command is used to schedule commands to be executed periodically.
Browser-based rename, move, copy, and delete for individual topics
Overview
You can use browser-based controls to change a name of a topic, move it to another web or delete it to a hidden Trash web.
How to rename or move a topic
Select the [More topic actions] link (normally located in an action toolbar at the top or bottom of page) on the topic to be changed. Then, in the new screen, click [Rename or move topic...] or [Delete topic...]. You can now rename and/or move in one operation:
Move: Select the target web if other than the current web
Rename: Enter the new topic name - default is current name
You'll be warned if any of the topics to be affected are locked (being edited), or if there is a name conflict.
Prevent updates by unchecking individual items on the list of referring links - these topics will NOT to be updated with the new name (by default, only links in the same web will be updated).
Click on [Rename]: the topic will be renamed and links to the topic updated as requested.
If any of the referring pages are locked then they will be listed: you can correct these later by again pressing [Rename].
There is a Put back feature that allows you to undo a rename/move/delete action - an instruction line and an undo link will appear under the [Rename or move topic] section of the [More topic actions] page. This allows you to revert from the last modification only.
How to delete a topic
Foswiki deletes topics by moving them to the hidden Trash web.
Select the [More actions] link (normally located in an action toolbar at the top or bottom of page) on the topic to be changed. Then, in the new screen, click [Delete topic...]. That will bring up the "rename" form prepopulated with the Trash web and a suitable topic name.
Click on [Delete]: the topic will be renamed and moved to the Trash web as requested.
How to copy a topic
Select the [More actions] link (normally located in an action toolbar at the top or bottom of page) on the topic to be changed.
On the "More actions" page, scroll down to the "Copy topic" section. In the "Name of copy" text box, enter in the new topic name. To copy the topic to another web, fully qualify the topic name with the web name, separating the two with a period (for example, Web.TopicName).
Select the [Copy topic] button. You will be directed to an edit page for the newly-created topic. You can save the new copy immediately, or make some changes and then save it.
Deleted topics: How to clear the trash
Deleted topics are moved to a special Trash web - they are NOT physically erased from the server. All webs share the same Trash - in case of a name conflict with a topic already existing in the Trash web, the user is alerted and asked to choose a new name.
See your chosen store implementations' topic for additional details related to
keeping your trash clean.
Redirecting from an old topic
The default "new topic" screen tells the user when a topic being created
used to exist, but was moved. So if anyone follows a link to a moved topic,
they will be able to click through to the new name.
How rename/move works
%SEARCH%, with a special template, finds and displays all occurrences of the topic name in other topics, either web- or site-wide. These referring links are by default automatically changed to the new topic and/or web name. This includes relevant MetaData definitions.
User can omit one or more topics from the update list by unchecking them.
<pre> and <verbatim> are honoured - no changes are made to text within these areas. Foswiki will therefore not change any references within macros defined in <pre> and <verbatim> blocks
The topic is moved (if locks allow).
References are changed (locks and permissions permitting).
Any referring topics that cannot be changed due to locks are listed - user can take note and change them at another time.
How referring topics are found
First, matching topics in the current web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. All webs will be searched during rename, even if NOSEARCHALL is defined on a web, though access permissions will of course be honoured.
Changed references are kept as short as possible, for example: topic is used in preference to web.topic.
Effect of user access settings
User permissions affect the 'rename' functions in various ways. To rename a topic, you need all of VIEW, CHANGE and RENAME access to that topic. To alter referring topics, you need CHANGE access. See AccessControl for information on setting up access permissions.
Special considerations
Consider carefully whether to make browser-based rename/move/delete widely available, or to restrict it to an administrator/moderator group. Allowing all users to easily manipulate topics can be extremely useful in refactoring a busy web or site. However, there are at least two significant potential drawbacks to take into account:
When referring links are updated, the modified topics appear in WebChanges, creating the impression that editorial changes were made. This can undermine the usefulness of WebChanges.
Due to current limitations, fairly heavy use of rename/move/delete functions can lead to an accumulation of minor technical problems (such as broken links) and usability issues (e.g. user confusion). If rename... is used heavily, these negatives will obviously increase, in number and effect.
Ultimately, the size, objectives, and policies of your site, the real-world behavior of your user group, and most importantly, the initial Foswiki site management leadership, will determine the most effective implementation of this feature, and the success of the site overall.
Known issues
Rename/move is fairly complicated due to the dynamic generation of links. Ideally, it would be possible to run the required part of rendering in a way that would allow identification of the text to be changed. Unfortunately, these hooks don't exist at present. Instead, %SEARCH% is used with a special template to show the text to be changed, and the selected topics are then altered. One drawback is that search can show matches that will not be updated due to case differences. Other mismatches with actual rendered output are also possible as the approaches are so different.
The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.
[[Old Topic]] => [[NewTopic][Old Topic]]
[[old topic]] => [[NewTopic][old topic]]
[[old t opic]] => not changed
[[OldTopic]] => [[NewTopic]]
Reviewing and Reverting
The previous version of this documented recommended copy/paste from the raw view of a prior version to revert. This is not recommended as it fails to revert changes to the topic metadata.
Note howver that no method actually reverts attachments as they are stored separately from the topics.
Foswiki's revision control saves all topic changes. To view earlier versions of a topic, click on the History link in topic actions. If you would like to revert to an earlier version or reclaim part of an earlier version, just copy from the old topic revision to the current topic revision as follows:
If necessary, using the History view, find the revision number you want to restore.
Visit the [More topic actions] page, [Restore topic] section.
Enter the desired revision number and click [Restore]. This action creates a new revision from the specified version.
Caution: This action does not "rewrite history". A new revision is created, and the rollback can still be reverted. If the is some highly sensitive data that must be removed from the history, this operation will not remove the information.
In order to completely expunge data from history, there are several possible options:
Move the topic to trash, and create a new version of the topic by cut/paste from the raw view of the trashed topic.
or the site administrator can use the cmd=delRev option of the edit script to permanently remove the last revision of a topic.
or a server admin can remove the topic.txt,v rcs file from the file system after removing the offending information from the topic.
Browser-based rename, move, copy, and delete for individual webs
What are Webs?
A Foswiki site is divided into "Webs", or groups or topics - each one represents one subject, one area of collaboration. Administrators can add, rename or delete webs.
At file level, a Web is a directory located inside the data directory, with text files as topics.
A number of Webs are fixed: System for documentation, Main to store user pages and site-wide preferences, Trash for the topic recycle bin.
Other webs can be created as needed.
To use this form you must be administrator.
Before you begin: consider that less webs are better than more webs. Cross-linking topics is easier, and searches are faster, if there are only a few larger webs.
In-depth info on Webs
Subweb preferences are inherited
The preference settings of a subweb are inherited from the parent web and overridden locally. Preferences are ultimately inherited from the System.DefaultPreferences topic.
Example Preference Inheritance for Sandbox/TestWeb/SubWeb.SubWebTopic topic:
System.DefaultPreferences default settings
Main.SitePreferences site-wide settings inherits from and overrides settings in System.DefaultPreferences
Sandbox.WebPreferences inherits from and overrides settings in Main.SitePreferences
Sandbox/TestWeb.WebPreferences inherits from and overrides settings in Sandbox.WebPreferences
Sandbox/TestWeb/SubWeb.WebPreferences inherits from and overrides settings in Sandbox/TestWeb.WebPreferences
Sandbox/TestWeb/SubWeb.SubWebTopic inherits from and overrides settings in Sandbox/TestWeb/SubWeb.WebPreferences
Subweb navigation
The default Pattern skin indicates Subwebs by indenting them in the sidebar relative to their level in the hierarchy.
Renaming or Deleting a Web
Rename a web via the Tools section in each WebPreferences topic. You may delete a web by moving it into a Trash web.
Permissions
You may only rename a web if you have the following permissions
You must be allowed to rename and changes topics in the web you want to rename
You must be allowed to rename topics in the parent web of the web you want to rename
If the web is a root web (i.e. it has no parent web) then you must have permission to both create and rename root webs. These permissions are controlled by the ALLOWROOTCHANGE preference, which can be set in Main.SitePreferences.
If you move the web to another parent web you must be allowed to create and change topics in the new parent web. When you rename a web Foswiki will try and update all links that refer to the old web. You should note that links only get updated in topics that you are allowed to edit. If you use access rights in the Foswiki installation it is generally best to let an administrator rename webs to avoid too many broken links.
Renaming the webs in the distribution
It is possible, though not recommended, to change the names of the webs in the distribution. If you plan to rename the Main web, remember that Foswiki stores user topics in this web. That means that every WikiName signature - Main.SomeUserName - points to it and would need updating (unless the macro style %USERSWEB%.SomeUserName, is used throughout). This potentially large change can be performed automatically if you rename the web from the Tools section of WebPreferences, as described above.
If you want to rename the System or Main webs, remember they are referred to in the Foswiki configuration. You will need to change the {SystemWebName}, {UsersWebName} and/or {LocalSitePreferences} settings in the configuration using the configure interface.
Renaming the webs in the distribution is not recommended because it makes upgrades much more complicated.
By default, Foswiki does not require unique email addresses. Multiple users can register using the same email address. Enable the setting {Register}{UniqueEmail} to prevent use of the same email by multiple users.
By default, any email domain can be used for registration. Set the expert setting {Register}{EmailFilter} to restrict the domains usable for registration. See the configure help for more details.
See the configure help at configureSecurity and Authentication tab, Registration sub-tab, for more details.
Expiration of pending registrations and approvals
By default, expiration of pending registrations and approvals is done "on the fly" during the registration process. For best performance, you can set
{Register}{ExpireAfter} to a negative number, which will mean that Foswiki won't try to clean up expired registrations durning registration. Instead you
should use a cron job to clean up expired sessions. The standard maintenance cron script tools/tick_foswiki.pl includes this function.
Note that if you are using registration approval by 3rd party reviewers, this timer should most likely be significantly increased. 24 hours = 86400, 3 days = 259200.
Pending registration requests are stored in the {WorkingDir}/registration_approvals directory, but are no longer in plain text format. To view the pending registrations see the new PendingRegistrations report.
Customizing the User Registration pages
If you modify any of the topic related to User Registration, you should put the modified versions into the Main web. This will make it easier to
upgrade to new versions of Foswiki.
Edit Main.UserRegistration that you just created and follow the instructions on that page.
Using these two steps, you can:
Enable/disable entry of existing UserForm fields in registration.
Enable automatic group membership during registration.
Note that while it may be interesing to enable fields like OrganizationURL, Comments, etc. they are often used by registration SPAM-Bots to generate
topics with links.
The Registration process will automatically find and use the Main
version of the template if it exists.
If you want to customize the contents of the UserForm, for example, to remove
or add field:
By combining all the above concepts, it's possible to have multiple categories
of users, for example "Customers", "Vendors", "Employees", each with a
custom Template topic, a custom User form and a custom Registration form.
Multiple categories of users can be supported by:
And configuring the new registration page to use the new user template.
Customizing registration Emails.
Foswiki's Registration can send 7 emails whose output is governed by templates:
User registration confirmation. (Awaiting email verification).
templates/registerconfirm.tmpl
User registration failed notification, cleanup was successful.
templates/registerfailedremoved.tmpl
User registration failed notification, cleanup of partial registration also failed.
templates/registerfailednotremoved.tmpl
User registration denied notification.
templates/registerdenied.tmpl
Approver registration pending notification.
templates/registerapprove.tmpl
User notification of sucessful registraiton.
templates/registernotify.tmpl
Administrator notification of successful registration.
templates/registernotifyadmin.tmpl
As these are SkinTemplates, they can be customized and selected using the SKIN path setting.
Because there are default .tmpl files in the templates dir, this cannot use Template topics.
Note: As of Foswiki 2.1.3, the email From: address can be different from the WIKIWEBMASTER address, and is configurable using the bin/configure tool.
See the "Expert" {WikiAgentName} and {WikiAgentEmail} settings on the "Mail" section, "Basic Settings and Autoconfiguration" tab.
If these fields are not set, then the WIKIWEBMASTER setting will be used as the From: address.
These template files have a specific format that matches the raw format of emails sent via SMTP,
so be careful and test your changes. It is easiest to start by copying the default templates that you
wish to change.: (You don't need to copy every template).
then add myskin to the beginning of the SKIN setting in SitePreferences.
From this point on, your myskin templates will be used for the registration emails.
To make it possible for users to modify the email contents, you could use a parameterized %INCLUDE%
statement in your customized version, eg:
Note the use of %WIKINAME%, %FIRSTLASTNAME%, %EMAILADDRESS%, passed in from the INCLUDE so that the topic below is similar to the original template.
The %TEMPLATETOPIC% variable is also available. It could be used as a "section" name in the include, or directly in the email for tailoring messages for specific types of users.
and then create a topic Main.RegisterNotifyEmail:
Welcome to %WIKITOOLNAME%.
%MAKETEXT{"Your personal [_1] topic is located at [_2]. You can customize it as you like:" args="%WIKITOOLNAME%, %SCRIPTURL{"view"}%/%USERSWEB%/%WIKINAME%"}%
* %MAKETEXT{"Some people turn it into a personal portal with favorite links, what they work on, what help they'd like, etc."}%
* %MAKETEXT{"Some add schedule information and vacation notice."}%
Regards
%WIKIWEBMASTERNAME%
Your Wiki Admin
%MAKETEXT{"Note:"}%
2 %MAKETEXT{"You can change your password at via [_1]" args="%SCRIPTURL{"view"}%/%SYSTEMWEB%/ChangePassword"}%
3 %MAKETEXT{"If you haven't set a password yet or you want to reset it, go to: [_1]" args="%SCRIPTURL{"view"}%/%SYSTEMWEB%/ResetPassword"}%
%MAKETEXT{"Submitted content:"}%
%FORMDATA%
HeadlinesPlugin: New touch parameter in HEADLINES variable to alert users via e-mail notification of news updates
API: New TWiki::Func::buildWikiWord function
Bug Fixes
38 bug fixes since TWiki-4.3.2
Hall of Fame of TWiki Release 5.0
Many people have been involved in creating TWiki 5.0. Special thanks go to the most active contributors in the following areas:
Hall of Fame of TWiki Release 4.3
Many people have been involved in creating TWiki 4.3. Special thanks go to the most active contributors in the following areas:
Hall of Fame of TWiki Release 4.2
Many people have been involved in creating TWiki 4.2. Special thanks go to the most active contributors in the following areas:
If you find an omission please fix it at TWiki:TWiki.TWikiHistory. For the full list of contributors see TWikiContributor.
Note: Order of contributors under "Spec and code", "Templates and skins" and "Documentation" is based on number of SVN file changes for core and default extensions from March 2007 (svn rev:13046) to Jan 2008 (svn rev:16210). (Details at TWikibug:TWiki420SvnLog). Order of contributors under "Testing and bug fixing" is based on Bugs web statistics from 2007-03 to 2007-12. Order of contributors under "TWiki.org wiki champions" and "Customer support" is based on TWiki.org web statistics from 2007-02 to 2007-12.
See more details on the TWiki 4.2 release at TWikiReleaseNotes04x02.
TWiki Release 4.1 (Edinburgh), 2007-01-16
New Features and Enhancements of TWiki Release 4.1
Easier Installation and Upgrade
Plugins can now be installed from the configure script.
The loading of plugin preferences settings has been moved earlier in the preferences evaluation order so that plugin settings can be redefined in Main.SitePreferences, WebPreferences and in topics. To make TWiki upgrades easier, it is recommended to set the plugin settings in Main.SitePreferences, and not to customize the settings in the plugin topic. For example, to change the TEMPLATES setting of the CommentPlugin, create a new COMMENTPLUGIN_TEMPLATES setting in Main.SitePreferences.
Plugin settings can now be defined in configure instead of in the plugin topic (requires that the individual plugin has implemented this). TWiki performs slightly better by not looking for preferences settings in plugin topics.
Configure no longer shows many unnecessary errors when run first time.
The webmaster email address is now defined in configure instead of TWikiPreferences.
Default file access rights in the distribution package have been changed to be more universally defined and in line with the default access rights for new topics.
Usability Enhancements
Redesigned result page when typing incomplete topic name into the Jump box, so that it is possible to quickly navigate to a topic, also in a very large TWiki installation. For example, "I know there is a topic about Ajax somewhere in the Eng web. OK, let my type Eng.ajax into the Jump box... Here we go, the third link is the AjaxCookbook I was looking for."
Many user documentation improvements.
URL parameters maintained in Table of Contents links so you can stay in a temporary skin (e.g. print) and keep URLPARAM values when you click the TOC links
Attachment tables now sorted alphabetically.
Better printing of tables and verbatim text in PatternSkin.
Application Platform Enhancements
Auto-incremented topic name on save with AUTOINC<n> in topic name; used by TWiki applications to create topic based database records.
The edit and save scripts support a redirectto parameter to redirect to a topic or a URL; for security, redirect to URL needs to be enabled with a {AllowRedirectUrl} configure flag.
CommentPlugin supports the redirectto parameter to redirect to a URL or link to TWiki topic after submitting comment.
The topic URL parameter also respects the {AllowRedirectUrl} configure flag so redirects to URLs can be disabled which could be abused for phishing attacks.
The view script supports a section URL parameter to view just a named section within a topic. Useful for simple AJAX type applications.
TablePlugin: Highlight the sorted column with custom colors; includes also a general cosmetic update of default colors.
TablePlugin: Support for initsort on more than one table. A table with the initsort option is initsorted UNLESS it is sorted by clicking on a column header. If you click on a header of another table all other tables goes back to the default sort defined by initsort or not sorted if no initsort, and the new table is sorted based on the user clicking on a table header.
Bugfixes
More than 200 bugs fixed since 4.0.5
Hall of Fame of TWiki Release 4.1
Although many more people have been involved in creating TWiki-4.1, special thanks go to the most active contributors in the following areas:
If you find an omission please fix it at TWiki:TWiki.TWikiHistory. For the full list of contributors see TWikiContributor.
Note: Sequence of contributors under "Spec, code, testing", "Templates and skins" and "Documentation" is based on number of SVN check-ins for core and default extensions from 2006-02 to 2006-12. Sequence of contributors under "TWiki.org wiki champions" and "Customer support" is based on TWiki.org web statistics from 2006-02 to 2006-12.
See more details on the TWiki 4.1 release at TWikiReleaseNotes04x01.
TWiki Release 4.0 (Dakar), 2006-02-01
Major New Features
Much simpler install and configuration
Integrated session support
Webserver-independent login/logout
Security sandbox blocking exploits for remote command execution on the server
Many, many people worked on TWiki-4.0.0. The credits in the table below only list the people who worked on individual enhancements. If you find an omission please fix it at TWiki:TWiki.TWikiHistory. There were many other contributors; for a full list, visit TWikiContributor.
Most of the redesign, refactoring and new documentation work in Dakar release was done by Crawford Currie. Michael Sparks provided ideas and proof of concept for several improvements. Other people who gave large amounts of their time and patience to less sexy aspects of the work, such as testing, infrastructure and documentation, are AntonAylward, KennethLavrsen, LynnwoodBrown, MichaelDaum, Peter Thoeny, SteffenPoulsen, Sven Dowideit, WillNorris.
Support for /bin/view/Web.TopicName topic view URL (besides the default /bin/view/Web/TopicName URL); useful for InterwikiPlugin links like TWiki:Codev.ReadmeFirst
In WebNotify, if only the WikiName is specified, the e-mail is taken from the user's home page; if the WikiName is a group name, a notification is sent to all members of the group
The page logo is configurable with new %WIKILOGOIMG%, %TWIKILOGOURL% and %WIKILOGOALT% variables in DefaultPreferences; replacing $wikiHomeUrl in TWiki.cfg
New data storage framework that lets you use external RCS commands for revision control, or a new native Perl implementation that does not depend on the external RCS commands
New topic templates as topics instead of templates. Customize by editing the topic. Retired notedited.tmpl, notext.tmpl and notwiki.tmpl templates. More in TWikiTemplates.
The table syntax has been enhanced to (i) render | *bold* | cells as table headers, (ii) render space padded cells | center aligned | and | right aligned |, (iii) span multiple columns using | empty cells |||. More in TextFormattingRules.
Security fix Questionable files like PHP scripts (executables) and .htaccess files that are attached to a topic get a .txt suffix appended to the file name. See also TWiki:Codev/FileAttachmentFilterSecurityAlert
New Wiki rule to specify arbitrary text for external links (i.e. [[http://TWki.org][TWiki]]) and internal links (i.e [[WikiSyntax][syntax]]). More in TWikiVariables.
New Wiki rule for named anchors, e.g. links within a topic. Define a named anchor with #MyAnchor at the beginning of a line, and link to it with [[#MyAnchor]]. More in TWikiVariables.
Format changed of %GMTIME{"..."}% and %SERVERTIME{"..."}% variables. Format is now "$hour:$min" instead of "hour:min". More in TWikiVariables. Attention: Check your existing topics when you upgrade TWiki!
WebChanges, WebSearch and e-mail notification indicate also the revision number of a topic (i.e. 18 Jan 2001 16:43 r1.5), or NEW for a new topic (i.e. i.e. 18 Jan 2001 16:43 NEW).
TWiki skins Define a different page layout with a customized header and footer layout, i.e. a print skin for a printable view of a topic. More in TWikiSkins and TWiki:Codev/TWikiSkins.
Improved include handling. Infinite recursion of includes are prevented; new variables %BASEWEB%, %INCLUDINGWEB%, %BASETOPIC% and %INCLUDINGTOPIC% to have more control over include handling. More in TWikiVariables and TWiki:Codev/IncludeHandlingImprovements.
New TWikiPreferences variables %HTTP_EQUIV_ON_VIEW% , %HTTP_EQUIV_ON_EDIT% and %HTTP_EQUIV_ON_PREVIEW% that define the <meta http-equiv="..."> meta tags for the TWiki templates. This can be used for example to set a document expiration time.
More forgiving syntax for *bold*, italic, __bold italic__ and fixed , where it is not necessary anymore to have a trailing space before .,;:?! characters.
Advanced search features like search multiple webs; sort by topic name / modified time / author; limit the number of results returned. More in TWikiVariables.
Uploading a file (topic file attachment) will optionally create a link to the uploaded file at the end of the topic. The preference variable %ATTACHLINKBOX% controls the default state of the link check box in the attach file page.
Edit preferences topics to set TWiki variables. There are three level of preferences Site-level (TWikiPreferences), web-level (WebPreferences in each web) and user-level preferences (for each of the TWikiUsers). With this, discontinue use of server side include of wikiwebs.inc , wikiwebtable.inc , weblist.inc , webcopyright.inc and webcolors.inc files.
New variable %SCRIPTSUFFIX% / $scriptSuffix containing an optional file extension of the TWiki Perl script. Templates have been changed to use this variable. This allows you to rename the Perl script files to have a file extension like for example ".cgi".
New variable %SCRIPTURLPATH% / $scriptUrlPath containing the script URL without the domain name. Templates have been changed to use this variable instead of %SCRIPTURL% . This is for performance reasons.
Changed the syntax for server side include variable from %INCLUDE:"filename.ext"% to %INCLUDE{"filename.ext"}% . (Previous syntax still supported. Change was done because of inline search syntax)
Inline search. New variable %SEARCH{"str" ...}% to show a search result embedded in a topic text. TWikiVariables has more on the syntax. Inline search combined with the category table feature can be used for example to create a simple bug tracking system.
Access statistics. Each web has a WebStatistics topic that shows monthy statistics with number of topic views and changes, most popular topics, and top contributors. (It needs to be enabled, TWikiDocumentation has more.)
Fixed bug where TWiki would not initialize correctly under certain circumstances, i.e. when running it under mod_perl. Sub initialize in wiki.pm did not handle $thePathInfo correctly.
Fixed bug where an e-mail address starting with a WikiName was rendered as an internal Wiki link instead of an e-mail address, i.e. SomeWikiName@somewhere.test .
Limit the number of revisions shown at the bottom of the topic. Example Topic TWikiHistory . { ..... Diffs r1.10 >r1.9>r1.8>r1.7>... } Additional revisions can be selected by pressing the >... link.
New text formatting rule for creating tables. Text gets rendered as a table if enclosed in " " vertical bars. Example line as it is written and how it shows up
Flag $doRemovePortNumber in wikicfg.pm to optionally remove the port number from the TWiki URL. Example www.some.domain:1234/twiki gets www.some.domain/twiki .
Search path for include files in %INCLUDE:"file.inc"% variable. Search first in the current web, then in parent data directory. Useful to overload default include text in the data directory by web-specific text, like for example webcopyright.inc text.
Link a plural topic to a singular topic in case the plural topic does not exist. Example TestVersion / TestVersions , TestPolicy / TestPolicies , TestAddress / TestAddresses , TestBox / TestBoxes .
Separate wiki.pm into configuration (wikicfg.pm) and TWiki core (wiki.pm) . This is to ease the upgrade of TWiki installations, it also allows customized extensions to TWiki without affecting the TWiki core.
New text formatting rule for creating fixed font text . Words get showns in fixed font by enclosing them in "=" equal signs. Example Writing =fixed font= will show up as fixed font .
Possible to view complete revision history of a topic on one page. Access at the linked date in the Changes page, or the Diffs link at the bottom of each topic, e.g. Topic TWikiHistory . { Edit Ref-By Diffs r1.3 > r1.2 > r1.1 } Revision r1.3 1998/11/10 01:34 by PeterThoeny
Possible to add a category table to a TWiki topic. This permits storing and searching for more structured information. Editing a topic shows a HTML form with the usual text area and a table with selectors, checkboxes, radio buttons and text fields. TWikiDocumentation has more on setup. The TWiki.Know web uses this category table to set classification, platform and OS version.
Internal log of topic save actions to the file data/logYYYYMM.txt, where YYYYMM the year and month in numeric format is. Intended for auditing only, not accessible from the web.
The e-mail notification and the Changes topic have now a topic date that is linked. Clicking on the link will show the difference between the two most recent topic revisions.
View differences between topic revisions. Each topic has a list of revisions (e.g. r1.3) and differences thereof (e.g. >) at the bottom Topic TWikiHistory . { Edit Ref-By r1.3 > r1.2 > r1.1 } Revision r1.3 1998/11/10 01:34 by TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny
Added revision control using RCS. Each topic has now a list of revisions at the bottom and a revision info, e.g. Topic TWikiHistory . { Edit Ref-By r1.3 r1.2 r1.1 } Revision r1.3 1998/10/26 01:34:00 by TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny
Refered-By Find out which topics have a link to the current topic. Each topic has a Ref-By link for that. Note Only references from the current web are shown, not references from other webs.
Topic WebChanges shows Wiki username instead of Intranet username, e.g. PeterThoeny instead of thoeny in case the Wiki username exists. Implementation Automatic lookup of Wiki username in topic TWikiUsers.
Use internationalised characters within WikiWords and attachment names
This topic addresses implemented UTF-8 support for URLs only. The overall plan for UTF-8 support for TWiki is described in TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N.
Current Status
To simplify use of internationalised characters within WikiWords and attachment names, TWiki now supports UTF-8 URLs, converting on-the-fly to virtually any character set, including ISO-8859-*, KOI8-R, EUC-JP, and so on.
Support for UTF-8 URL encoding avoids having to configure the browser to turn off this encoding in URLs (the default in Internet Explorer, Opera Browser and some Mozilla Browser URLs) and enables support of browsers where only this mode is supported (e.g. Opera Browser for Symbian smartphones). A non-UTF-8 site character set (e.g. ISO-8859-*) is still used within TWiki, and in fact pages are stored and viewed entirely in the site character set - the browser dynamically converts URLs from the site character set into UTF-8, and TWiki converts them back again.
System requirements are updated as follows:
ASCII or ISO-8859-1-only sites do not require any additional CPAN modules to be installed.
Perl 5.8 sites using any character set do not require additional modules, since CPAN:Encode is installed as part of Perl.
The following 'non-ASCII-safe' character encodings are now excluded from use as the site character set, since they interfere with TWiki markup: ISO-2022-*, HZ-*, Shift-JIS, MS-Kanji, GB2312, GBK, GB18030, Johab and UHC. However, many multi-byte character sets work fine, e.g. EUC-JP, EUC-KR, EUC-TW, and EUC-CN. In addition, UTF-8 can already be used, with some limitations, for East Asian languages where EUC character encodings are not acceptable - see TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N.
It's now possible to override the site character set defined in the {SiteLocale} setting in configure - this enables you to have a slightly different spelling of the character set in the server locale (e.g. 'eucjp') and the HTTP header sent to the browser (e.g. 'euc-jp').
This feature should also support use of Mozilla Browser with TWiki:Codev.TWikiOnMainframe (as long as mainframe web server can convert or pass through UTF-8 URLs) - however, this specific combination is not tested. Other browser-server combinations should not have any problems.
Please note that use of UTF-8 as the site character set is not yet supported - see Phase 2 of TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N for plans and work to date in this area.
This feature is complete in TWiki releases newer than February 2004.
Note for skin developers: is no longer required (TWiki:Plugins.InternationalisingYourSkin).
Details of Implementation
URLs are not allowed to contain non-ASCII (8th bit set) characters:
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/appendix/notes.html#non-ascii-chars
The overall plan for UTF-8 support for TWiki is described in two phases in TWiki:/Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N - this page addresses the first phase, in which UTF-8 is supported for URLs only.
UTF-8 URL translation to virtually any character set is supported as of TWiki Release 01 Sep 2004, but full UTF-8 support (e.g. pages in UTF-8) is not supported yet - this will be phase 2.
The code automatically detects whether a URL is UTF-8 or not, taking care to avoid over-long and illegal UTF-8 encodings that could introduce TWiki:Codev.MajorSecurityProblemWithIncludeFileProcessing (tested against a comprehensive http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/ucs/examples/UTF-8-test.txt UTF-8 test file, which IE 5.5 fails quite dangerously, and Opera Browser passes). Any non-ASCII URLs that are not valid UTF-8 are then assumed to be directly URL-encoded as a single-byte or multi-byte character set (as now), e.g. EUC-JP.
The main point is that you can use TWiki with international characters in WikiWords without changing your browser setup from the default, and you can also still use TWiki using non-UTF-8 URLs. This works on any Perl version from 5.005_03 onwards and corresponds to Phase 1 of TWiki:Codev.ProposedUTF8SupportForI18N. You can have different users using different URL formats transparently on the same server.
UTF-8 URLs are automatically converted to the current {Site}{Charset}, using modules such as CPAN:Encode if needed.
TWiki generates the whole page in the site charset, e.g. ISO-8859-1 or EUC-JP, but the browser dynamically UTF-8 encodes the attachment's URL when it's used. Since Apache serves attachment downloads without TWiki being involved, TWiki's code can't do its UTF-8 decoding trick, so TWiki URL-encodes such URLs in ISO-8859-1 or whatever when generating the page, to bypass this URL encoding, ensuring that the URLs and filenames seen by Apache remain in the site charset.
TWiki:Codev.TWikiOnMainframe uses EBCDIC web servers that typically translate their output to ASCII, UTF-8 or ISO-8859-1 (and URLs in the other direction) since there are so few EBCDIC web browsers. Such web servers don't work with even ISO-8859-1 URLs if they are URL encoded, since the automated translation is bypassed for URL-encoded characters. For TWiki on Mainframe, TWiki assumes that the web server will automatically translate UTF-8 URLs into EBCDIC URLs, as long as URL encoding is turned off in TWiki pages.
Testing and Limitation
It should work with TWiki:Codev.TWikiOnMainframe. Tested with IE 5.5, Opera 7.11 and Mozilla (Firebird 0.7).
Opera Browser on the P800 smartphone is working for page viewing but leads to corrupt page names when editing pages.
For up to date information see TWiki:Codev.EncodeURLsWithUTF8Back to top
Appendix C: TWiki CSS
Listing of CSS class names emitted from TWiki core code and standard plugins.
Who should read this document?
Most HTML elements generated by TWiki core code now have Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) tags. Skin builders and others who want to change the appearance of the default TWiki installation or any of the skins can use this document to see what styles can be created for these HTML elements.
Naming conventions
All TWiki class names have the prefix twiki. So: twikiAlert, twikiToc, etc. Remember that CSS class names are case sensitive - TWiki CSS uses lowercase tw.
If you define your own CSS classes, it is preferable that you do not use the twiki prefix to prevent undesired overriding effects.
A wide range of standard styles are used in the TWiki core code and topics, and more are used in plugins. The following is an exhaustive list of all styles defined by the PatternSkin. For the most part, the names are the only documentation of the purpose of the style. For more information on how these styles are used, read the code (sorry!)
Check that the password manager recognizes the new user. Check that a new line with the username and encrypted password is added to the 
Note: Plugins included in the TWiki distribution do not add requirements, except for the CommentPlugin which requires Perl 5.6.1.
Note: If you are restricting the entire Main web to TWikiGuest, you are required to add TWikiRegistrationAgent to ALLOWWEBCHANGE in your 
Main 
as icons 
Moved to icon
New icon
Refactor icon
Question icon
Pick icon
Updated icon
Done icon
Example for font-awesome icons:
icon. 
txt
gif
logo at the bottom of your skin:
List all Webs