Question

I am trying to make a mailto link with a display test which contains several separate words:

eg

  [[mailto:stforum@cyberway.com.sg][Straits Times Forum]]

but whatever I am trying, the link shows up as a non-existent TwikiWord (with the question mark)

here on Twiki.org it's even stranger, the same code as above shows up as a link minus the first word in the display text:

Straits Times Forum

What am I doing wrong?

• TWiki version: 01 Dec 2001
• Perl version: 5.6
• Web server & version: apache 1.3
• Server OS: Linux
• Web browser & version:
• Client OS:

-- MathiasKoerber - 30 Dec 2002

Answer

You are trying to do something that isn't in the Dec 2001 release of TWiki - you'll need to write an A HREF link on that version. On TWikiAlphaRelease (including TWiki.org), the following will work: [[mailto:stforum@cyberway.com.sg Straits Times Forum]], resulting in Straits Times Forum. The [[xxx][xxx]] format isn't supported since it requires more typing - see EmailThisPageLink for the details.

-- RichardDonkin - 30 Dec 2002

The [[xxx][xxx]] format needs to be supported as well since it is the documented format.

-- PeterThoeny - 30 Dec 2002

This is now fixed, is in Codev.TWikiAlphaRelease, Codev.TWikiBetaRelease and at TWiki.org.

-- PeterThoeny - 30 Dec 2002

Good idea, it's more discoverable like that. However, unless someone has updated the docs recently, I think that only the [[mailto:foo@example.com xxx]] format is documented - I did this as part of documenting EmailThisPageLink.

-- RichardDonkin - 31 Dec 2002

You are correct, it is documented with the space rule. Hmm, to be consistent it might be better to document it with the ][ rule. Opinions?

-- PeterThoeny - 31 Dec 2002

Of course!

Although I can't recall having used a mailto link, I think the ][ should be documented as it seems to be most consistent with other TWiki links (as you state above).

-- RandyKramer - 03 Jan 2003

I have a preference for the space rule (EasierExternalLinking), partly because I added this to TWiki :), but also because it is easier to type. So I'd prefer it to be documented with the space rule and the ][ rule - the latter mainly for people who are familiar with the ][ syntax since it was around first.

I have written quite a few mailto: and http: links with the space rule, and find it easier to just hit the space bar after the link part rather than try to find ][ on whichever keyboard I am using. In fact, it would be useful to support internal links with space as the separator as well - e.g. [[WikiWord link to page on Wiki words]] instead of [[WikiWord][link to page on Wiki words]] - this would not be hard to do, and would still allow spaced-out internal links as long as the first word of such links is not a WikiWord.

-- RichardDonkin - 07 Jan 2003