Edited again on 2000-10-12 - moved some suggestions from below email, added some suggestions frankly based on AskSam features (like tagging, groups, fields, import and export of tagged records, storage as individual files to support search by another engine (also covered elsewhere)):
These are just some very rough reminders of suggestions I want to flesh out, maybe later today (11/26/00). All or some of these features might already be implemented in some wikis.
- WordStyleDiffs?
- Editing support for mirroring (but understand TransClusion first - it might solve the problem). (Generally this is something where readers would view the mirrored site but edit the original site. (There could be an option.) There could also be an option to "force" an "immediate" (well, quick) update to all the mirror sites.
- Tools to facilitate WikiName changes (diff might help, if I can edit the "raw" files as a group, also a "Global" seach and replace (with confirm))
- In the original wiki and close clones, provide a way to force a line break without adding a blank line in the output (the rendered page).
- Allow tagging of pages (ala AskSam)
- Allow tagging of groups of pages that fit certain criteria (like all pages of a category or topic, all pages in the result of a search, all pages in the result of a field search (see below) (all ala AskSam)
- Allow import and export of tagged pages (ala AskSam)
- Allow definition and manipulation of fields and field content (ala AskSam) Among other things, AskSam allows creation of a field with a syntax like <fieldname>[ <fieldcontents>]. (Fields can be of arbitrary length (multiple lines) - if there is no closing "]" the field was assumed to end at the end of the first line after the "[".) Searches can be limited to specified fields (or groups of fields). Etc., etc., etc. (Older versions of AskSam (and maybe developer versions??) provided a "scripting language" to update field contents. That might still exist, but I had trouble finding it last time I went looking for it. - It would be useful, for example, to update "headers", "footers", etc.) Of course, some of these features might be simulated by using auxiliary standalone programs to manipulate the contents of wiki pages, similar to the auxilliary search engine I've mentioned elsewhere (and below).
- Store content in a format that allows other programs to provide some of the capability that the WikiEngine does not, like boolean, phrase, and within x search capability; search and replace, including global; multiple page updates using diff and patch tools; import, export, and translation; field definition and manipulation. The two formats that look most promising to me are:
- Each WikiPage in it's own text file
- WikiPages in a database which provides or supports the capabilities described above. (And, allows multiple client access to these capabilities via a web browser or something similar.)
Aside: If we try to provide fields, should we use the
AskSam syntax (<fieldname>[ <fieldcontents>]) or revise it somewhat, possibly adding the capability (in wikis that support (limited) HTML markup, to make all or some fields hidden? The angle brackets in the syntax description above are just to "delimit" the fieldname and fieldcontents, and are "metacharacters". To hide fields, we might surround the field in "real" angle brackets.
- See whether there is an AskSam for the web that provides all the features I'm looking for including providing the wiki like features (any browser being a client with editing capabilities) (there is an AskSam for the web, but it's focused in a little different direction - it is more (or at least) a tool to grab Web content and organize it for someone's personal use) (Gone to look for the latest version of AskSam and a description of it's features.)
- Email notification:
- Receiver (requestor of notification) options:
- Notify me of any change
- Notify me of major changes
- Notify me of minor changes(??)
- Prompt the editor to choose whether to notify me (default to yes for major changes, no for minor changes)
- Send a copy of the page along with notification for major / minor edits (option)
- Send a copy of the diff along with notification for major / minor edits (option)
- Editor choices:
- Respond to the prompts listed under receiver choices
- Give him an option to notify the originator of this page or the last editor, even if they did not request notification (if those people have provided an email address and have "opted in" to receive such notifications if the editor feels they should be notified)
- Even if notification is requested by someone, give the editor the option to declare this an "interim" edit and not notify the "receivers" (requestors of notification) - in this case, we might consider a timeout or similar - if the editor has not completed an edit and allowed notification within 6 hours (??) of his last edit, send notices anyway.
I know, I get carried away sometimes. With respect to the last option, an alternate is that "requestors of notification" be reminded that an editor might make several interim revisions - don't "jump" on the first notice, wait a few hours and then check it out.
-- RandyKramer
What is AskSam? I would like to have a better way of sorting through the chaff. How about searching for every page that matches certain criteria, but having the pages sorted by date last changed?
No problem in AskSam.
And, if it is a problem, let me know what you are trying to do - AskSam is very capable, but had something of a learning curve when I first started using it 15 years ago.
Here is a link to a WikiPage on AskSam on the CLUG wiki. (Just to get you to the CLUG wiki.) It contains a link to the AskSam home page: http://www.clug.org/cgi/wiki.cgi?AskSam (oops, don't know where that other link came from, clearly the wrong thing - this link may only be good for a short time as the CLUG is changing ISPs)
PS: AskSam is for Dos / Windows. ZyIndex? is another useful product - more useful for indexing existing documents rather than creating and then finding "ad hoc" notes. Unfortunately, both products (AFAIK) are for Dos / Windows - looking for a Linux based replacement led me to wikis.
-- RandyKramer
CategoryWikiEngineReview
Wiki Engine Review Suggestions