TWiki.pm has this code in getRenderedVersion:

# 'Web.ABBREV' link:
s/([\*\s][\-\*\s]*)([A-Z]+[a-z0-9]*)\.([A-Z]{3,})/&internalLink($1,$2,$3,$3,"",0)/geo;
# 'ABBREV' link:
s/([\*\s][\-\*\s]*)([A-Z]{3,})/&internalLink($1,$theWeb,$2,$2,"",0)/geo;

This seems to be a deprecated "feature". In normal webs I have never seen " XXX" turn into a link. However, when I wrote my own template, I found that " XXX" was mysteriously turning into a link, as were things like HREF in embedded HTML like < A HREF="..." > and so on.

I commented out these lines and my problem went away. I'm not sure why it wasn't always happening, though.

If this is obsolete, it should go away. No mention at all in the docs.

-- GregLindahl - 29 Nov 2001

This is actually a feature, not a bug. It needs to be documented.

-- PeterThoeny - 30 Nov 2001

Hm. The reason my template was triggering this "feature" is that I had broken the $doLink flag with my modifications.

-- GregLindahl - 30 Nov 2001

Would these be better called acronym links? I can't think of any word that is capitalised to be abbreviated.

-- MartinCleaver - 18 Jan 2002

Acronyms are pronouncable all caps, abbreviations is a more general term IHHO.

-- JohnTalintyre - 19 Jan 2002

The rendering rule only applies to fully capitalised words. Most fully capitalised words are acronyms. Hence I think to call them 'abbreviation links' is too general a term as words such as "e.g.", "Pete" and "can't" are all abbrevations but are not applied to by the rendering rule.

-- MartinCleaver - 20 Jan 2002