Addon to support convenient per-topic notification

(refactored from ConsolidateNotification)

In many firms not everyone is interested in all the topics in the web and so are reluctant to subscribe to WebNotify. Those that do risk being bombarded with irrelevant updates causing disengagement from the content on the wiki.

In our installation, we have implemented an addon which adds a link at the bottom of each topic that allows the user to add this topic to the mail notify topic automagically.

I am attaching what we have in use currently. Unfortunately, these patches are against Beijing.

• Modify core code to support per-topic notification
  • TWiki.pm.pertopicnotify: patch to lib/TWiki.pm
  • mailnotify.pertopicnotify: patch to bin/mailnotify
• Addon code to support subscription from topic
  • autoregnotify: script to register this topic under the user's notification, need to deal with a number of exception cases, redirect to original topic when done (bin/autoregnotify)
  • oopsautoregnotify.tmpl: oops template in case some problem occurs (bin/oopsautoregnotify.tmpl)
  • view.autoregnotify.tmpl: bin/view.autoregnotify.tmpl gives a skin with a link causing the autoregnotify script to be invoked; alternatively patch the existing view template, as, for example, in view.motorola.tmpl.autoregnotify.

Note that the core modification where taking from code contributed by JosephWasson in PerTopicWebNotifyReports. This has been in use for a number of years. I realize more sophisticated systems have emerged since then. If we enhance the current notification system, the enhanced functionality of the newer systems should be considered.

One comment on the suggestion by Peter to provide the link to the autoregnotify (or similar) via a plugin, I do not know how to modify templates via plugins, unless we put a hook in the existing template (as it is done with the change form button). The approach we use is that of an AddOnPackage. See the attached for an example, and also YetAnotherNotifySystem.

-- ThomasWeigert - 10 Oct 2004

Thanks Thomas. I had a look at your code, and the main differences I can see from MailerContrib is the syntax of the WebNotify and the support for the "don't notify me" option. The code is otherwise not usable with Cairo. Are you really still running Athens? Wow.

I see the value of the "don't subscribe me option". Perhaps someone will be prepared to fund me to implement it (gotta eat).

I don't know how to modify templates without hooks via plugins either. Adding buttons to the view and edit templates is something I've wanted to do several times.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 11 Oct 2004

... and the link at the bottom of the page which makes subscription to this topic very convenient.

-- ThomasWeigert - 11 Oct 2004

Should we move this into the Plugins web?

-- MartinCleaver - 10 Jan 2005