Wanted Topics

Definition: Topics that do not exist, but other topics link to it. This is visually indicated with a linked question mark behind a WikiWord.

It would be nice if TWiki had a report showing all wanted topics in a web. There are probably two reports, one listing wanted topics referred to in current web, and one referred to in all webs. This feature would help the TWikiAdvocacy in WikiMatrix.

This could be packaged as a Plugin. For example, as a WantedTopicsPlugin expanding a %WANTEDTOPICS{format="!$topic" separator=", "}%.

Related: FindReferencedButNotDefinedWikiWords, ListingAllUndefinedButUsedWikiWords, HowToFindOrphanedTopics

-- Contributors: PeterThoeny, MartinCleaver

Discussion

Bumping this topic since this is a useful feature. We have the opposite now: The TopicReferencePlugin finds orphaned topics. This Plugin could be enhanced to find wanted topics.

-- PeterThoeny - 16 Aug 2006

Hi, I am a spoiled unix guy. I will try this approach: "foreach topic do: render it and look for the special html-coded question marks." It does not break the TWikiSyntax, it is slow, but it can be run after midnight. I know, the point is how to render it. At least (and probably the last way to do it), a perlish web client could call the topics and gather the html output.

-- JohannKappacher - 30 Jul 2008

Well, I am less interested in looking for undefined auto-links, but I really need a WantedTopics feature for explicite links that cannot be resolved. (And yes, I want to see a green mark in WikiMatrix.)

-- JohannKappacher - 30 Jul 2008

TopicReferencePlugin "List all topics and their refcounts" is already implemented! Oh my goodness, do you want me to say that topics with refcount=0 are the desired but undocumented WantedPages or WantedTopics?

-- JohannKappacher - 30 Jul 2008

If I read correctly, topics with refcount=0 would be orphaned topics--not wanted topics.

-- DavidWolfe - 30 Jul 2008

We simply have a Wiki-Topic in our intranet were we collect the ideas for new topics manually. Does anything speak against this?

The automatic lists simply help you to clean up. They will not produce lists of content, that is really expected by your users.

-- MartinSeibert - 02 Aug 2008

This really is an important and useful feature from an admin or wiki advocate's POV. Users can create and edit topics, creating WikiWord links wherever they think it's appropriate. Some of those topics, however, may not exist. There should be some mechanism for finding out what topics are linked to that don't yet exist so that, at very least, a stub or placeholder topic can be created.

-- DavidWolfe - 02 Aug 2008

Sorry for my pre-mature postings! Of course, refcount=0 pages are orphaned. I will try the following:

Foreach topic in current web do: wget Topic-URL, grep all HREFs showing the special question mark, create a simple/fast list of WantedTopics.

This way, I will not break any syntax rules, first seeking a quick&dirty approach, learn more about TWiki Internals (Variables, Plugins) afterwards.

-- JohannKappacher - 02 Aug 2008

See proposal at Plugins/WantedPagesPluginDev. I also listed it in the GettingInvolved page.

-- PeterThoeny - 2011-04-04