Dakar's WebTopicCreator

In DakarRelease there is a new WebLeftBar entry: create topic. This offers the user the opportunity to create a new topic without first having to edit an existing topic and click through the link.

This is useful as it reduces the training burden although it does increase the chance of making orphened topics.

Currently we ship one WebTopicCreator. Its as simple as possible in that it asks for the name of the topic and adjusts it if it does not comply to the (albeit pathologically retentive) WikiWord standards.

Brainstorming other options:

1. Ask for both the content of the topic as well as the topic name
2. Have it automatically present the option of other creator templates (e.g. they comply with a naming standard like WebTopicCreatorXYZ).

Some WebTopicCreator applications:

1. WebTopicCreatorFromURL - this would ask for a remote URL, download the document from that URL and put both the URL and the attachment/embedded document on the new page
2. WebTopicCreatorBlog - this would invoke an application blog entry
3. WebTopicCreatorLibraryEntry - etc.
4. WebTopicCreatorAttachFile - this would attach a file as a new wiki topic
5. WebTopicCreatorFromPowerPoint - The topic would take its name from the first title slide in the presentation.
6. WebCreatorFromPowerPoint - as above but instead of creating a single topic, this would create a hierarchical web from a powerpoint document, creating a topic for every slide. The web would permit round-trip from PPT to TML web.

-- MartinCleaver - 05, 18 Nov 2005

Setting the topic parent is important for these reasons:

• Educational: Make users aware that there is a parent child relationship)
• Reduces the number of orphaned topics
• Better navigation/browsing experience

I created Bugs:Item855 (and Peter implemented it - MC)

-- PeterThoeny - 07 Nov 2005

Hi, I'm using TWiki Release 4.0.1 and Debian Linux as Server OS, and Apache. I tried creating a new topic using WebTopicCreator but it gave me an Error 500 instead. The CGI debug script gave me this output at the end...

Output of script follows: ================================================= ****************************** OopsException(accessdenied/no_such_topic web=>CodeO2 topic=>WebTopicEditTemplate params=>[templatetopic]) ****************************** Status: 302 Moved Set-Cookie: TWIKISID=df649453eab959c2a7120438ed610fa7; path=/ Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 13:12:35 GMT Location: http://cgi.cse.unsw.edu.au/~suwandyt/cgi-bin/twiki/bin/oops/CodeO2/WebTopicEditTemplate?template=oopsaccessdenied;def=no_such_topic;param1=templatetopic

any ideas how to fix this please?

-- SuwandyTjin - 12 Mar 2006

Please ask support questions in the Support web, thanks.

-- PeterThoeny - 13 Mar 2006

If a user has arrived on the webtopiccreator from somewhere it appears that they often have an expectation:

A link from the page they just came from to the new page to be added.

Conceptually this is "adding the new page" to the one they just came from.

Given that having more links is generally better than fewer I can't see the harm.

(Likewise I am of the opinion that as soon as someone creates a link to another page that other page should be scanned for a back link and if none is present that other page be silently edited to include one).

-- MartinCleaver - 06 Apr 2006

The parent will be set as variable. No problem to add that as a link, but should not be displayed when the code is displayed in "This topic does not exist" page.

-- ArthurClemens - 06 Apr 2006

SvenDowideit: I have a SEARCH, that lists all the topics relevant that were created by the in topic create link
SvenDowideit:  / form
MartinCleaver: why bother with a search?
MartinCleaver: a search cannot be contextualised into prose
MartinCleaver: and prose provides the logic that makes the backlink make sense
Drusilla: Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have to do all sorts of searches manually to find relevant links?
MartinCleaver: so you agree with me? Linking to something should hard code a backlink.

-- MartinCleaver - 06 Apr 2006