TiddlyLockPlugin - the multi-user TiddlyWiki Plugin

When I wrote (i.e. hacked) TiddlyLock, I didn't realise just how simple plugins for TiddlyWiki were to write. All the examples I had seen looked really complicated and had lots of /*** ***/ !!! and //{{{ characters in them and I couldn't tell what was required and what wasn't. See my previous post for an example of how simple plugin are, and how quickly they can become difficult to read!

Anyway, the first version of TiddlyLock was a JavaScript hack - I modified the core code directly.

<smackhand>ouch

I'm a reformed citizen now and have re-coded TiddlyLock into TiddlyLockPlugin, the self-contained, easy-to-install, set-and-forget plugin that allows multiple people to access and edit the same TiddlyWiki file on a shared drive, but prevents users from overwriting each other's changes.

Simply use the ImportTiddlers tiddler in your TiddlyWiki (look for it on the Shadowed tiddlers tab) and point it to http://www.minormania.com/tiddlylock/tiddlylock.html. Select TiddlyLockPlugin and import it.

Reload your TiddlyWiki and set the Username and Password options in the OptionsPanel or in the GettingStarted tiddler.

Now, every time you click Edit the TiddlyWiki will be locked by you. Any other user who tries to edit the same TiddlyWiki will be told that you are locking it. They will have to wait until you are finished and refresh their browser before they can edit it.

It's not foolproof, and 'passwords' are visible and unencrypted, so don't expect enterprise-level security.

To Do:

• Obfuscate passwords
• Encrypt lock file

TiddlyWiki - How to Write a Plugin

There are lots of plugins available for TiddlyWiki, but documentation on how to actally write a plugin is scarce. I understand the concept - plugins are just tiddlers that contain JavaScript and are tagged with "systemConfig" - but I couln't find any explanation of the syntax of a plugin and simple instructions on how to get it to work.

So, here it is. And it's really simple.

• Create a New Tiddler by clicking on the "new tiddler" link in your TiddlyWiki
• Choose a name for your plugin (tiddler) - standards say you should end the name with the word "Plugin". e.g. TiddlyLockPlugin
• The body of the tiddler at it's simplest is just straight JavaScript

e.g.
alert('Hello, World');

• You can add standard TiddlyWiki content as well to provide some comments, usage info and other supporting documentation. This text must be 'commented out' using the standard JavaScript commenting characters // or /* ... */ remember, the content of the tiddler is interpreted as JavaScript
  
• You should also surround your JavaScript code with {{{ and }}} to allow it to be displayed by TiddlyWiki without being interpreted by the browser.
  

e.g.
/***
this is the Hello, World plugin
|Hello, World|a simple sample plugin|
!!! here comes the code ...
***/
{{{
alert('Hello,World');
}}}

• Include "systemConfig" as one of the tags for the tiddler.
• Save your tiddler and reload the TiddlyWiki. The 'Hello, World' alert box should appear.

And that's it!

TiddlyLock:- the multi-user TiddlyWiki

I use TiddlyWiki as a scrapbook, for storing notes, code samples, hints and tips that I can easily copy & paste into other projects.

I recently wanted to use it as a team development tool but soon found out that it is really only a single user tool.

So I modified it and created TiddlyLock.

This modified version of TiddlyWiki is based on TiddlyWiki 2.1.3 and it creates a lock file (based on the TiddlyWiki file name) whenever someone edits the TiddlyWiki, and unlocks it once all changes have been saved. Other users who try to edit the TiddlyWiki at the same time will get a message saying who has the file locked. Other users will have to wait until the TiddlyWiki is unlocked and reload it before they can edit it.
Users are identified by Username and Password.

Because this modification was done simply to enable a team of developers to use the same TiddlyWiki without running the risk of editing it at the same time and potentially overwriting each other's work, there is currently no password encryption and passwords are visible in clear text. We're a trusting bunch ;)

If you'd like to try it out, save this link to your computer (if you open the link in your browser it will be restricted to read-only mode - you have to save it locally in order to be able to edit it)

If you're looking in the code for my changes, my object names (variables, functions, etc) are prefixed with "TL", so just do a case-sensitive search and you'll have 'em all.

Hope this is useful to you.