Note: This Plugin has been renamed to HideInEditModePlugin, see new discussions at HideInEditModePluginDev

Feedback on HiddenTextPlugin

Well, the edit functionaliy did not work on my box, but I extended the Plugin to hide text in view mode. In addition to prevent users to view the hidden text in raw mode, you also have to patch the StoreDotPm. Both diff are attached at the end of this page.

-- OliverKrueger - 05 Feb 2004

You might want to check whether you are not accidentally in the TWiki::$superAdminGroup in which case you always have access. By default, TWikiAdminGroup is in this group, so if you are part of TWikiAdminGroup, the plugin will not hide the text from you.

-- ThomasWeigert - 05 Feb 2004

OliverKrueger, I don't quite understand your extension. This seems to conflict with the purpose of the HiddenTextPlugin. That plugin wanted to show the text in view, but disallow edit.

A very useful feature, by the way, we have templates in many webs that remove the %TEXT% field to not allow editing of the text, but only entry of form data. This plugin allows to be much more selective.

-- ThomasWeigert - 05 Feb 2004

Suggested enhancement: Optional preference which puts the hidden block either on top or on bottom of text (maybe parameter to %STARTHIDDEN% (e.g., by putting it as the first line into the temporary storage). We could even remember which line we started this text at and insert it there.

-- ThomasWeigert - 05 Feb 2004

As to the TWiki::$superAdminGroup thing you are right. Normally I do not work with my admin-account for my daily work. When I read "HiddenTextPlugin" for the first time, I expected a plugin to hide text in view mode. Thats the reason why I worked on that hidden view part.

-- OliverKrueger - 05 Feb 2004

If there is ever an opportunity to rename this plugin, may I suggest it be considered. I don't know the best name (I'll start a brainstorming list below) but I find "hidden text" misleading — IIUC, this is really "write protected" text. Some potential names:

• Write Protection Plugin
• Write Protected Text Plugin
• Within Page Write Protected Text Plugin
• Selective Write Protected Text Plugin
• Selective Write Protection Plugin
• ???

Oops, wait, maybe I'm confused, maybe it (the plugin) has been extended to perform both functions (optionally?). If so, maybe the rename is not appropriate, but maybe it would be a good idea to create a page named per one of the above, pointing to this plugin and explaining that it can serve both purposes?. One of the points being, that is someone is looking for a write protection feature it might be easier to find with a page named as above.

-- RandyKramer - 05 Feb 2004

There is another use of hidden text which applies to "obscure the view but allow edit," such as when topics contain "Spoiler" text. Spoiler text is text which gives away information that certain readers may not want to read (for example, movie endings, etc, which are part of the same topic). Hidden text of this type would either:

• allow the user to click a link or mouseover to expose the embedded text (uses a popup or something fast)
• change the font text to the same color as the background, for example, white-on-white text/background combination. Readers then highlight the text in the browser which then makes it readable.
  • The plugin would apply hidden-type style to the paragraph, in order to change the font face. Easy with CSS. Note this method leaves a large whitespace in the topic where the hidden text is.

-- JonathanCline - 08 Feb 2004

Does anyone else experience this problem: Whenever text is hidden, an extra blank space is added to the Edit page. If all text (including this blank space) are selected and edited, the hidden text gets irrevocably deleted.

-- SamAbrams - 11 Feb 2004

I would like to use this for the following use case(s):

• We have templates which has text. The template writer wants some information to be available only during edit (such as instructions), and not during save. This can be done by inserting HTML comments, but this seems to be a clean solution. (But I would use different macro name - not HIDDENTEXT.
• Within the same topic, there are three audience:
  • Everyone: See info about the page and may be some information, but most other information is hidden. Perhaps only summary of information. (Especially when a person is not logged in.)
  • Activity Group: Detailed information - such as EDITTABLE and other work.
  • Managers: They would like to exchange some information among themselves - and in relation to this activity. But not visible to any other group.

Important point is that, all groups are literally on "same page" i.e. access controls are required for sections of pages. HIDDENTEXT then becomes only a special case.

And also suggesting a simple markup such as:

#access userA, userB, ActivityGroup

---++ Info to group ...

blah, blah ...

#endaccess

while this breaks usual convention (and require new code to be written), we can still manage this: Simply translate it to the standard ACL format while writing the topic; and translate it back to this format while reading it back again. (This syntax is similar to the one used in Moin Moin wiki.)

-- VinodKulkarni - 24 Mar 2004

.zip checked into CVSplugins:HiddenTextPlugin. i didn't do anything with what's attached here. OliverKrueger, would you please look into this?

-- WillNorris - 24 Nov 2004

I have the problem, SamAbrams stated, too. It is even more severe here - as the hidden text vanishes at any edit operation.

-- DetlefMarxsen - 20 Jun 2005