Difference: TWikiPlugins (12 vs. 13)

Revision 132001-09-14 - PeterThoeny

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On this page:

TWiki Plugins

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  • 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.
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<		Everything to do with TWiki Plugins - demos, new releases, downloads, development, general discussion - is available at TWiki.org, in the TWiki.org Plugins web.
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>		Everything to do with TWiki Plugins - demos, new releases, downloads, development, general discussion - is available at TWiki.org, in the TWiki:Plugins web.
 

Preinstalled Plugins

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  • DefaultPlugin handles some legacy TWiki variables that may be present in long-established sites. This option can be controlled from TWikiPreferences. (Perl programmers can also add rules for simple custom processing.)
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  • EmptyPlug is a fully functional module, minus active code; it does nothing and serves as a template for new Plugin development.
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  • EmptyPlugin is a fully functional module, minus active code; it does nothing and serves as a template for new Plugin development.
 
  • InterwikiPlugin is preinstalled but can be disabled or removed. Use it for quick linking to to remote sites: TWiki:Plugins expands to TWiki:Plugins on TWiki.org. You can add your own shortcuts and URLs to the existing directory of Wiki-related and other probably useful sites.
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DEMO: Active Plugin Variables
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<		%ACTIVATEDPLUGINS%
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>		%ACTIVATEDPLUGINS%
 On this TWiki site, the active Plugins are: SpreadSheetPlugin, BackupRestorePlugin, ColorPickerPlugin, DatePickerPlugin, HeadlinesPlugin, JQueryPlugin, SetGetPlugin, TWikiSheetPlugin, TablePlugin, TagMePlugin, TwistyPlugin, WatchlistPlugin.
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<		%PLUGINDESCRIPTIONS%
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>		%PLUGINDESCRIPTIONS%
 You can use any of these active TWiki Plugins:
  • SpreadSheetPlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30478 (2018-07-16) $): Add spreadsheet calculation like "$SUM( $ABOVE() )" to TWiki tables or anywhere in topic text
  • BackupRestorePlugin (2018-07-10, $Rev: 30551 (2018-07-16) $): Administrator utility to backup, restore and upgrade a TWiki site
  • ColorPickerPlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30442 (2018-07-16) $): Color picker, packaged for use in TWiki forms and TWiki applications
  • DatePickerPlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30446 (2018-07-16) $): Pop-up calendar with date picker, for use in TWiki forms, HTML forms and TWiki plugins
  • HeadlinesPlugin (2018-07-13, $Rev: 30560 (2018-07-16) $): Show headline news in TWiki pages based on RSS and ATOM news feeds from external sites
  • JQueryPlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30456 (2018-07-16) $): jQuery JavaScript library for TWiki
  • SetGetPlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30472 (2018-07-16) $): Set and get variables and JSON objects in topics, optionally persistently across topic views
  • TWikiSheetPlugin (2018-07-15, $Rev: 30604 (2018-07-16) $): Add TWiki Sheet spreadsheet functionality to TWiki tables
  • TablePlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30480 (2018-07-16) $): Control attributes of tables and sorting of table columns
  • TagMePlugin (2018-07-05, $Rev: 30482 (2018-07-16) $): Tag wiki content collectively or authoritatively to find content by keywords
  • TwistyPlugin (2018-07-06, $Rev: 30497 (2018-07-16) $): Twisty section JavaScript library to open/close content dynamically
  • WatchlistPlugin (2018-07-10, $Rev: 30536 (2018-07-16) $): Watch topics of interest and get notified of changes by e-mail
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The TWiki Plugin API

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<		The Application Programming Interface (API) for TWikiPlugins provides the specifications for hooking into the core TWiki code from your external Perl Plugin module. The Plugin API is new to the Production version of TWiki with the TWikiReleaseSpring2001.
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>		The Application Programming Interface (API) for TWikiPlugins provides the specifications for hooking into the core TWiki code from your external Perl Plugin module. The Plugin API is new to the Production version of TWiki with the 01-Sep-2001 release.
 

Available Core Functions

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The DefaultPlugin Alternative

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  • DefaultPlugin can handle some outdated TWiki variables, found, for example, in sites recently updated from an old version. Settings are in TWikiPreferences. You can also add your own simple custom processing rules here, though in all but very simple cases, writing a new Plugin is preferable.
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>
  • DefaultPlugin can handle some outdated TWiki variables, found, for example, in sites recently updated from an old version. Settings are in DefaultPlugin topic. You can also add your own simple custom processing rules here, though in all but very simple cases, writing a new Plugin is preferable.
 

Anatomy of a Plugin

A basic TWiki Plugin consists of two elements:

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  • a Perl module, ex: YourPlugin.pm
  • a documentation topic, ex: YourPlugin.txt
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  • a Perl module, ex: MyFirstPlugin.pm
  • a documentation topic, ex: MyFirstPlugin.txt
  The Perl module can be a block of code that connects 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.
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<		In particular, files that should be web-accessible (graphics, Java applets ...) are best placed as attachments of the YourPlugin topic. Other needed Perl code is best placed in a lib/TWiki/Plugins/YourPlugin/ directory.
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>		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.

Creating the Perl Module

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<		Copy file (EmptyPlugin.pm to <name>Plugin.pm EmptyPlugin.pm contains no executable code, so it does nothing, but it's ready to be used. Customize it. Refer to the Plugin API specs for more information.
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>		Copy file lib/TWiki/Plugins/EmptyPlugin.pm to <name>Plugin.pm. EmptyPlugin.pm contains no executable code, so it does nothing, but it's ready to be used. Customize it. Refer to the Plugin API specs for more information.
 

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:

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  1. Copy the Plugin topic template from http://TWiki.org/cgi-bin/view/TWiki/EmptyPlugin. To copy the text, go to the page and:
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  1. Copy the Plugin topic template from EmptyPlugin. To copy the text, go to the page and:
 
    • click Edit
    • select all in the Edit box & copy
    • Cancel the edit
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OUTLINE: Doc Topic Contents
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<		Check EmptyPlugin on TWiki.org for the latest Plugin doc topic template. Here's a quick overview of what's covered:
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>		Check EmptyPlugin 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.
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<		YourPlugin Settings: Description and settings for your custom Plugin %VARIABLES%, and those required by TWiki.
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>		MyFirstPlugin Settings: Description and settings for custom Plugin %VARIABLES%, and those required by TWiki.
  Plugins Preferences work exactly like TWikiPreferences and WebPreferences: six (6) spaces and then:
    • Set EXAMPLE = got it!
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Packaging for Distribution

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<		A minimum Plugin release consists of a Perl module with a WikiName that ends in Plugin, ex: YourPlugin.pm, and a documentation page with the same name(YourPlugin.txt).
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>		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).
 
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  1. Distribute your Plugin files in a directory structure that mirrors TWiki. If your Plugin uses additional files, include them ALL:
    • lib/TWiki/Plugins/YourPlugin.pm
    • data/TWiki/YourPlugin.txt
    • pub/TWiki/YourPlugin/uparrow.gif [a required graphic]
  2. Create a zip archive with the Plugin name (YourPlugin.zip) and add the entire directory structure from Step 1. Your archive should look like this:
    • lib/TWiki/Plugins/YourPlugin.pm
    • data/TWiki/YourPlugin.txt
    • pub/TWiki/YourPlugin/uparrow.gif
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>
  1. Distribute the Plugin files in a directory structure that mirrors TWiki. If your Plugin uses additional files, include them ALL:
    • lib/TWiki/Plugins/MyFirstPlugin.pm
    • data/TWiki/MyFirstPlugin.txt
    • pub/TWiki/MyFirstPlugin/uparrow.gif [a required graphic]
  2. Create a zip archive with the Plugin name (MyFirstPlugin.zip) and add the entire directory structure from Step 1. The archive should look like this:
    • lib/TWiki/Plugins/MyFirstPlugin.pm
    • data/TWiki/MyFirstPlugin.txt
    • pub/TWiki/MyFirstPlugin/uparrow.gif
 

Publishing for Public Use

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 You can release your tested, packaged Plugin to the TWiki community through the TWiki:Plugins web, where all Plugins submitted to TWiki.org are available for download and further development discussion. Publish your Plugin in three steps:

  1. Post the Plugin documentation topic in the TWiki:Plugins web:
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    • create a new topic using the Plugin name, ex: YourPlugin.txt;
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    • create a new topic using the Plugin name, ex: MyFirstPlugin.txt;
 
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  1. Attach the distribution zip file to the topic, ex: YourPlugin.zip.
  2. Link from the doc page to a new, blank page named after the Plugin, and ending in Dev, ex: YourPluginDev. This is the discussion page for future development. (User support for Plugins is handled in TWiki:Support.)
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  1. Attach the distribution zip file to the topic, ex: MyFirstPlugin.zip.
  2. 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.)
 
Changed:
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<		-- AndreaSterbini - 29 May 2001
-- MikeMannix - 01 Sep 2001
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>		-- AndreaSterbini - 29 May 2001
-- MikeMannix - 01 Sep 2001
-- PeterThoeny - 14 Sep 2001
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