1 rizwank 1.1 %META:TOPICINFO{author="PeterThoeny" date="1093211341" format="1.0" version="1.3"}%
2 This is a short introduction training course for TWiki beginners (newbies).
3
4 %SLIDESHOWSTART{template="ATasteOfTWikiTemplate"}%
5
6 ---++ A Taste of TWiki
7 The basic function of TWiki is a Wiki (if that helps!)
8
9 A Wiki is like a normal web site, except that you can edit the content in your browser
10 <table width="100%"><tr><td>
11 * "Wiki" is short for "wiki wiki", the Hawaiian for "Quick"
12 * The idea originates from [[http://www.hyperdictionary.com/computing/hypercard][Macintosh Hypercard]], via [[http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?WardCunningham][Ward Cunningham]]
13 * In Ward's words, Wiki is _"the simplest online database that could possibly work"_
14 * A Wiki is basically a shared, online, persistant whiteboard
15 </td><td align="right"><img src="%ATTACHURL%/hula.gif" alt="" width="88" height="112" /></td></tr></table>
16
17 ---++ TWiki Wiki
18 TWiki implements the basic Wiki idea of a shared whiteboard
19 <table width="100%"><tr><td>
20 * Anyone can add content<br />... or change what is written<br />... or change the organisation of the content
21 * Whatever what you write is<br />... nicely presented<br />... remembered... and never forgotten
22 rizwank 1.1 </td><td align="right"><img src="%ATTACHURL%/anarchy.gif" alt="" width="112" height="112" /></td></tr></table>
23 TWiki also acts as an "application platform" to integrate a number of other functions.
24
25 TWiki is an Open-Source development on [[http://twiki.org/][TWiki.org]]
26 * led by TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny
27 * with over 100 regular contributors in many countries
28
29 ---++ Where is it used?
30 * TWiki is mainly used in commercial environments, often on corporate intranets
31 * Examples: Disney, SAP, British Telecom, Wind River, Motorola, <a href="http://udn.epicgames.com/Main/WebHome">Epic Games</a>
32 * A number of public Wiki sites also use TWiki
33 * Examples: <br /> http://www.trommetter.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi/ <br /> http://csci.mrs.umn.edu/twiki/view <br />
34
35 ---++ TWiki Features
36 TWiki builds on the original Wiki concept and adds a number of features that make it very useful in a business environment.
37 * TWiki pages are fully revision controlled, so a record of every change to every page is kept <table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tr><td bgcolor="#D0D0D0"><font color="black" size="-1">r1.6 <a>></a> r1.5 <a>></a> r1.4</font></td></tr></table>
38 * The look-and-feel is highly configurable, through use of templates
39 <table width="100%"><tr><td valign="top">
40 * A "plugins" interface eases
41 * customisation
42 * extension
43 rizwank 1.1 * application integration
44 </td><td align="right"><img src="%ATTACHURL%/lego.gif" alt=""/></td></tr></table>
45
46 ---++ Applications of basic TWiki
47 Basic TWiki can be used as:
48 * A whiteboard
49 * A document repository
50 * A collaborative authoring environment
51 * A notebook / scrapbook
52 * A chat room
53
54 ---++ Extended applications
55 TWiki-with-extensions has been used as:
56 * A Content Management System (CMS) for websites
57 * A presentation development tool
58 * A Blog
59 * A database
60 * A project management system
61 * A tracking tool
62 * (<i>truth is, we don't really know its limits!</i>)
63
64 rizwank 1.1 ---++ Structure of a TWiki page
65 TWiki pages are usually organised into three parts:
66 * A header
67 * A body
68 * A footer
69
70 * The header and the footer are generated by the system
71 * The body contains the text of the page, as entered by you
72 TWiki is very configurable, and the look can change. However the essentials will all be there on the page (somewhere!)
73
74 ---++ The Page Header
75 The header of a TWiki page is generally highlighted in colour, and will usually contain an icon that gives you an idea of where you are, such as a company logo.
76 <table width="90%" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="white">
77 <tr>
78 <td bgcolor="#D0D0D0" rowspan="2" valign="top" width="1%">
79 <img src="%ATTACHURL%/myco.gif" width="62" height="63" border="0" alt="TWiki home" />
80 </td><td>
81 <font size="+0"> My<nop>Co.My<nop>Topic </font>
82 </td><td align="right">
83 <font size="-1" color="black">Webs:<br /> <a href="non">Myco</a> | <a href="non">Main</a> | <a href="non">TWiki</a> | <a href="non">Sandbox</a></font>
84 </td>
85 rizwank 1.1 </tr>
86 <tr bgcolor="#D0D0D0">
87 <td colspan="2">
88 <font size="-1" color="black">[[WebChanges][Changes]] | [[WebIndex][Index]] | [[WebSearch][Search]] | Go <input type="text" name="topic" size="16" /></font>
89 </td>
90 </tr>
91 </table>
92 It will also usually contain a number of 'links' that you can click on. You will generally see:
93 * [[WebChanges][Changes]] - gives you a list of recent changes
94 * [[WebIndex][Index]] - gives you a full index
95 * [[WebSearch][Search]] - takes you to a search page, where you can search all the text
96 * Go <input type="text" name="topic" size="16" /> - lets you type in the name of a page you already know
97
98 ---++ The Page Header
99 <table width="90%" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="white">
100 <tr>
101 <td bgcolor="#D0D0D0" rowspan="2" valign="top" width="1%">
102 <img src="%ATTACHURL%/myco.gif" width="62" height="63" border="0" alt="TWiki home" />
103 </td><td>
104 <font size="+0"> My<nop>Co.My<nop>Topic </font>
105 </td><td align="right">
106 rizwank 1.1 <font size="-1" color="black">Webs:<br /> <a href="non">Myco</a> | <a href="non">Main</a> | <a href="non">TWiki</a> | <a href="non">Sandbox</a></font>
107 </td>
108 </tr>
109 <tr bgcolor="#D0D0D0">
110 <td colspan="2">
111 <font size="-1" color="black">[[WebChanges][Changes]] | [[WebIndex][Index]] | [[WebSearch][Search]] | Go <input type="text" name="topic" size="16" /></font>
112 </td>
113 </tr>
114 </table>
115 You may also see in the header (usually at the top right) a list of the TWiki "webs". A web is a collection of pages that are related closely together
116 * For example, we might have a web called "Enemies", where we keep all we know about our enemies, and another called "Friends"
117 * There's usually a safe play web called something like "Sandbox" or "Scratch", where you can create pages just to try things out
118 * And some admin areas, like "%MAINWEB%" and "%TWIKIWEB%"
119
120 ---++ The Page Footer
121 The footer of the page is also highlighted in colour, and is usually where you will find the links that let you change the content.
122 <table bgcolor="white" width="90%" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0">
123 <tr bgcolor="#D0D0D0">
124 <td valign="top" colspan="2">
125 <font size="-1" color="black"> <a href="none"><b>Edit</b></a>
126 | <a href="none">Attach</a>
127 rizwank 1.1 | <a href="none">Diffs</a> | r1.2 <a href="none">></a> r1.1
128 | <a href="none">More</a> </font>
129 </td>
130 </tr>
131 <tr>
132 <td valign="top">
133 <font size="-1" color="black">Revision r1.2 - 13 Feb 2004 - 09:09 GMT - <a href="none">TWikiPresenter</a> </font>
134 </td>
135 <td width="40%" valign="top">
136 <font size="-2">%WEBCOPYRIGHT% </font>
137 </td>
138 </tr>
139 </table>
140 * The <a>Edit</a> link takes you to an interactive page where you can change the page content
141 * The <a>Attach</a> link lets you attach files
142 * The other links invoke other, more complex, functions, mainly to do with revision tracking - they can safely be ignored for now
143
144 ---++ Editing Pages
145 * You've read a page, and you disagree with it violently! It says:<br /> _Everyone_ *knows* that =the world= is an <font color="blue"><u>OblateSpheroid</u></font><br />But you know for a fact it is flat! ;-)
146 * You've clicked the edit link, and an edit page has appeared. But it doesn't look much like what was on the page before - it's full of strange hieroglyphics!
147 <code>_Everyone_ <nop>*knows* that <nop>=the world= is an Oblate<nop>Spheroid</code>
148 rizwank 1.1 * Now what?
149
150 ---++ What's in a page
151 * The hieroglyphics are what's known as "TWiki Markup" or "formatting"
152 * They are a really simple way of telling the browser how you want the page to look
153 * You don't have to use them
154 * TWiki understands pages in plain text just fine.<br /><br /> <code>Actually it is perfectly and absolutely flat</code><br /><br /> appears as <br /><br /> Actually it is perfectly and absolutely flat
155
156 ---++ Formatting just makes pages prettier
157 ... and easier to read<br /><br />
158 <code>_Actually_ it is <nop>*perfectly* and <nop>__absolutely__ flat</code><br /><br /> appears as <br /><br /> _Actually_ it is *perfectly* and __absolutely__ flat
159 * A full description of all the formatting can be found in the %TWIKIWEB%.TextFormattingRules and %TWIKIWEB%.TextFormattingFAQ
160 * The best thing to do is just to type until you get stuck
161 * then follow the link on the edit page to the help.
162
163 ---++ Commonly used formatting
164 TWiki understands pages in plain text just fine, but you can %RED% __jazz__ %ENDCOLOR%%GREEN% _them_ %ENDCOLOR%%BLUE% *up* %ENDCOLOR% using some simple formatting shortcuts. Here are some of the more commonly used ones:
165 * <nop>---+ indicates a heading. Add more +'s for a deeper heading.
166 | *You type* | *You see* |
167 | %BLACK%<code>---+ This is a heading</code>%ENDCOLOR% | <h1>%BLACK%This is a heading%ENDCOLOR%</h1> |
168 | %BLACK%<code>---++ And so is this</code>%ENDCOLOR% | <h2>%BLACK%And so is this%ENDCOLOR%</h2> |
169 rizwank 1.1 * %<nop>TOC% will insert a table of contents<br />
170
171 ---++ More common formatting
172 * A blank line gives a paragraph break<br />
173 * <nop>--- on a line of its own gives a horizontal bar
174 * Text in stars <nop>*like this* looks *like this* <br />
175 * Text in underscores <nop>_like this_ looks _like this_ <br />
176 * Text in equals signs <nop>=like this= looks =like this= <br />
177 * Bulleted lists use three spaces followed by an asterisk (<tt>*</tt>) at the start of the line
178 * The depth of the bullet is given by the number of spaces, in multiples of three
179 | *You type* | *You see* |
180 | <font color="black"><code> * Bullet</code><br /><code> * Sub-bullet</code></font> | <ul><li><font color="black">Bullet</font><ul><li><font color="black">Sub-bullet</font></li></ul></li></ul> |
181 * Numbered lists use a number in place of the <tt>*</tt>. The list is numbered automatically, so you can just use a =1=
182
183 ---++ Even more.....
184 * You can create a table using vertical bars:
185 <verbatim>
186 | Cat | Feline |
187 | Bear | Ursine |
188 | Wolf | Vulpine |
189 </verbatim>
190 rizwank 1.1 * appears as
191 | <font color="black">Cat</font> | <font color="black">Feline</font> |
192 | <font color="black">Bear</font> | <font color="black">Ursine</font> |
193 | <font color="black">Wolf</font> | <font color="black">Vulpine</font> |
194 * %<nop>RED% .... %<nop>ENDCOLOR% will change the colour of the enclosed text. Lots of colours are available (%RED%%<nop>RED%%ENDCOLOR%, %GREEN%%<nop>GREEN%%ENDCOLOR%, %BLUE%%<nop>BLUE%%ENDCOLOR% etc)
195
196 ---++ Wiki<nop>Words
197 * One special hieroglyph that is *very important* is a BumpyWord
198 * a word that starts with uppercase, then some lowercase, then more uppercase (a.k.a <nop>CamelCase)
199 * This has a special meaning to TWiki; if it matches the name of another topic, TWiki will automatically create a link to that page for you.
200 * If there is no such page, then the word is highlighted and a question mark is put after the word, LikeThis
201 * If you click on the question mark, then TWiki will invite you to create that page.
202
203 * This lets you enter the names of topics you _think_ should exist, but don't yet
204 * You, or someone else, can always come along later and click on the question mark!
205
206 ---++ Referencing other pages and URLs
207 * BumpyWords automatically link to the target page
208 * You can make these links easier to read using square brackets:
209 * <code>[<nop>[BumpyWords][bumpy words]] appears as [[BumpyWords][bumpy words]]</code>
210 * An ordinary URL pasted into text will appear as a link - http://www.google.com
211 rizwank 1.1 * You can also prettify URLs using square brackets:
212 * <code>[<nop>[http://www.<nop>.google.com][google]]</code> appears as [[http://www.google.com][google]]
213 * Use %<nop>SEARCH. This is an interface to a sophisticated search engine that embeds the results of the search in your page. See %TWIKIWEB%.TWikiVariables for full details.
214
215 ---++ More formatting
216 * There's *lots* more formatting available, see %TWIKIWEB%.TextFormattingRules and %TWIKIWEB%.TextFormattingFAQ
217 * _If you are a real masochist, you can even enter raw HTML tags!_
218 * *Important* to _disable_ unwanted formatting, use =<nop>=
219 * <code><nop>_word_</code> appears as <nop>_word_
220
221 ---++ Creating new pages
222 * Alternative ways:
223 * Click on the question mark after a BumpyWord
224 * Type in the name of the topic in the "Go:" box
225 * Type in the name of the topic in the URL
226 * Any time you try to visit a page that doesn't exist, TWiki will invite you to create it.
227 * Make sure the names of topics are always BumpyWords.
228
229 ---++ Attachments
230 * Attachments are files which have been uploaded and attached to a TWiki page using the 'Attach' function in the footer.
231 <table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="1" bgcolor="white">
232 rizwank 1.1 <tr>
233 <th align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#0c2577"><a href="none"><font color="#FFFF99">Attachment</font> <img src="http://TWiki.org/p/pub/TWiki/TablePlugin/diamond.gif" border="0" alt="sort" /></a></th>
234 <th align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#0c2577"><a href="none"><font color="#FFFF99"> Action</font></a> </th>
235 <th align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#0c2577"><a href="none"><font color="#FFFF99"> Size</font></a> </th>
236 <th align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#0c2577"><a href="none"><font color="#FFFF99"> Date</font></a> </th>
237 <th align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#0c2577"><a href="none"><font color="#FFFF99"> Who</font></a> </th>
238 <th align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#0c2577"><a href="none"><font color="#FFFF99"> Comment</font></a> </th>
239 </tr>
240 <tr>
241 <td valign="top" bgcolor="#F8F8F8">
242 <img src="http://TWiki.org/p/pub/icn/zip.gif" width="16" height="16" align="top" alt="" border="0" />
243 <font color="black"><a href="none">myco.gif</a></font>
244 </td>
245 <td align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#F8F8F8">
246 <font color="black"><a href="none">manage</a></font>
247 </td>
248 <td align="right" valign="top" bgcolor="#F8F8F8"><font color="black"> 9.6 K </font></td>
249 <td valign="top" bgcolor="#F8F8F8"> <font color="black"> 13 Feb 2004 - 18:41 </font></td>
250 <td valign="top" bgcolor="#F8F8F8"> <font color="black"> <a href="none">MushroomMagicMan</a> </font></td>
251 <td valign="top" bgcolor="#F8F8F8"> <font color="black">Attached image file </font></td></tr>
252 </table>
253 rizwank 1.1 * Attachments are simply files, in whatever format you want.
254 * TWiki recognises some file formats, notably image files (.gif)
255 * Write =%<nop>ATTACHURL%/myco.gif= to see this: %ATTACHURLPATH%/myco.gif
256
257 ---++ Wiki Culture
258 Enough about mechanics; how is a wiki actually _used_ ? Well, that's really up to you, but there are a number of tricks that the wiki community has developed for collaborative writing that work pretty well:
259 * What can I edit?
260 * Anything. But it's good etiquette to sign your contributions
261 * If someone doesn't want you to edit a page, it's up to them to say so, clearly, on the page
262 * But what if somebody doesn't like my edits?
263 * In TWiki, they can always recover the old revision and re-instantiate it if they really want to
264 * Otherwise they should regard your changes as an opportunity for discussion
265 * Pages in wiki are (usually) in one of three "modes"
266 * Document<nop>Mode
267 * Thread<nop>Mode
268 * Structured<nop>Mode
269 TWiki doesn't automatically distinguish between these modes; they are purely semantic.
270
271 ---++ Document<nop>Mode
272 * A page in Document<nop>Mode usually comprises a contribution which is written in the third person and left unsigned.
273 * The piece of text is community property
274 rizwank 1.1 * It may have multiple and changing authors as it is updated to reflect the community consensus.
275
276 ---++ Thread<nop>Mode
277 * Thread mode is a form of discussion where the community holds a conversation
278 * The discussion usually starts out with a statement, at the top of the page, that is subsequently discussed
279 * The page may be periodically "refactored" (edited) to remove some of the comments
280 * As long as the comment is accurately reflected in what replaces it, nobody usually minds.
281 * Remember to always maintain a complete list of contributors, though!
282 You may see a comment box on a page in Thread<nop>Mode that makes it easy to quickly add your inputs. Typing in a comment and adding it to a page this way is known as "blogging" ;-)
283 * Thread<nop>Mode is rather like an e-mail thread
284 * Except that new comments are usually added to the end
285 * Thread<nop>Mode pages often get refactored into Document<nop>Mode
286
287 ---++ Structured<nop>Mode
288 * A page in Structured<nop>Mode follows some predefined structure for example
289 * An agenda
290 * A set of meeting minutes
291 * A requirement description.
292 * Pages in Structured<nop>Mode will usually have rules governing how they are edited.
293
294 ---++ Other Wiki tricks - Categories
295 rizwank 1.1 * A Wiki trick for grouping pages together
296 * Example: to group together a set of pages all relating to the weather:
297 1 Create a page called 'Category<nop>Weather'
298 1 Put a SEARCH that contain the word 'Category<nop>Weather' into it
299 * <code>%<nop>SEARCH{"Category<nop>Weather" nosearch="on" nosummary="on"}%</code>
300 1 Put the BumpyWord 'Category<nop>Weather' on all the pages relating to the weather<br />(usually at the bottom, below a horizontal bar)
301
302 ---++ Contributed features
303 Basic TWiki is rich with features, but is enriched even further by the addition of optional plug-in modules that may (or may not!) be installed in your TWiki. These are classified as either __skins__ (modules that change the look-and-feel) and __plugins__ (modules that enhance functionality).
304
305 Here's a brief description of some of the more common plugins, together with the tags you might expect to see in topics if they are used. You can find out more by visiting the plugin pages.
306 * Action<nop>TrackerPlugin: Support *action tags* in topics, with *automatic notification* of action statii <code>%ACTION...</code>
307 * Calendar<nop>Plugin: Show a *monthly calendar* with highlighted events <code>%CALENDAR...%</code>
308 * Comment<nop>Plugin: Support *rapid entry of short comments* (also known as <b>blogging</b>) <code>%COMMENT...</code>
309 * Chart<nop>Plugin: Create PNG or GIF *charts to visualize data in TWiki tables* <code>%CHART...</code>
310 * Edit<nop>TablePlugin: Edit TWiki tables using *edit fields and drop down boxes* <code>%EDITTABLE...</code>
311 * Interwiki<nop>Plugin: Define *shortcuts* for links to *common external sites*
312
313 ---++ More plugins
314 * Render<nop>ListPlugin: Render *bullet lists in a variety of formats* <code>%RENDERLIST...</code>
315 * Slide<nop>ShowPlugin: *Create web based presentations* based on topics with headings <code>%SLIDESHOWSTART...</code>
316 rizwank 1.1 * Spread<nop>SheetPlugin: Add *spreadsheet calculations* like "$SUM( $ABOVE() )" to tables located in TWiki topics <code>%CALC...</code>
317 * Table<nop>Plugin: Control *presentation and sorting of tables* <code>%TABLE...</code>
318 * TWiki<nop>DrawPlugin: Add *quick sketches* to pages <code>%DRAWING...</code>
319 The following plugins are installed on this TWiki: %ACTIVATEDPLUGINS%
320
321 There are many other plugins, see http://www.twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Plugins
322
323 ---++ Credits and Acknowledgements
324 * This training was developed by TWiki:Main.CrawfordCurrie on behalf of [[http://www.oxamer.com/][Oxamer]], one of the companies in the [[http://www.ogt.co.uk/][Oxford Gene Technology]] group.
325 * Valuable contributions were also received from the TWiki Open Source community; special mentions go to:
326 * TWiki:Main.WalterMundt
327 * TWiki:Main.SvenDowideit
328 * The latest version of this presentation is available at TWiki:%WEB%.%TOPIC%, where you can also provide feedback
329 %SLIDESHOWEND%
330
331 __Related topics:__ WelcomeGuest, TWikiTutorial, ATasteOfTWikiTemplate
332
333 -- TWiki:Main.CrawfordCurrie - 17 Feb 2004
334
335 %META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="hula.gif" attr="h" comment="" date="1079599072" path="C:\Data\Temp\hula.gif" size="8780" user="PeterThoeny" version="1.1"}%
336 %META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="anarchy.gif" attr="h" comment="" date="1079598796" path="C:\Data\Temp\anarchy.gif" size="10363" user="PeterThoeny" version="1.1"}%
337 rizwank 1.1 %META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="lego.gif" attr="h" comment="" date="1079599120" path="C:\Data\Temp\lego.gif" size="4084" user="PeterThoeny" version="1.1"}%
338 %META:FILEATTACHMENT{name="myco.gif" attr="h" comment="" date="1079599121" path="C:\Data\Temp\myco.gif" size="1833" user="PeterThoeny" version="1.1"}%
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