This is a short introduction training course for TWiki beginners (newbies).

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Slide 1: A Taste of TWiki

The basic function of TWiki is a Wiki (if that helps!)

A Wiki is like a normal web site, except that you can edit the content in your browser

  • "Wiki" is short for "wiki wiki", the Hawaiian for "Quick"
  • The idea originates from Macintosh Hypercard, via Ward Cunningham
  • In Ward's words, Wiki is "the simplest online database that could possibly work"
  • A Wiki is basically a shared, online, persistant whiteboard

Slide 2: TWiki Wiki

TWiki implements the basic Wiki idea of a shared whiteboard
  • Anyone can add content
    ... or change what is written
    ... or change the organisation of the content
  • Whatever what you write is
    ... nicely presented
    ... remembered... and never forgotten
TWiki also acts as an "application platform" to integrate a number of other functions.

TWiki is an Open-Source development on TWiki.org

Slide 3: Where is it used?

Slide 4: TWiki Features

TWiki builds on the original Wiki concept and adds a number of features that make it very useful in a business environment.
  • A "plugins" interface eases
    • customisation
    • extension
    • application integration

Slide 5: Applications of basic TWiki

Basic TWiki can be used as:

Slide 6: Extended applications

TWiki-with-extensions has been used as:

Slide 7: Structure of a TWiki page

TWiki pages are usually organised into three parts:

TWiki is very configurable, and the look can change. However the essentials will all be there on the page (somewhere!)

Slide 8: The Page Header

The header of a TWiki page is generally highlighted in colour, and will usually contain an icon that gives you an idea of where you are, such as a company logo.
TWiki home MyCo.MyTopic Webs:
Myco | Main | TWiki | Sandbox
Changes | Index | Search | Go
It will also usually contain a number of 'links' that you can click on. You will generally see:

Slide 9: The Page Header

TWiki home MyCo.MyTopic Webs:
Myco | Main | TWiki | Sandbox
Changes | Index | Search | Go
You may also see in the header (usually at the top right) a list of the TWiki "webs". A web is a collection of pages that are related closely together

Slide 10: The Page Footer

The footer of the page is also highlighted in colour, and is usually where you will find the links that let you change the content.
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Slide 11: Editing Pages

_Everyone_ *knows* that =the world= is an OblateSpheroid

Slide 12: What's in a page

Slide 13: Formatting just makes pages prettier

... and easier to read

_Actually_ it is *perfectly* and __absolutely__ flat

appears as

Actually it is perfectly and absolutely flat

Slide 14: Commonly used formatting

TWiki understands pages in plain text just fine, but you can jazz them up using some simple formatting shortcuts. Here are some of the more commonly used ones:

Slide 15: More common formatting

You type You see
   * Bullet
      * Sub-bullet
  • Bullet
    • Sub-bullet

Slide 16: Even more.....

     | Cat | Feline |
     | Bear | Ursine |
     | Wolf | Vulpine |

Slide 17: WikiWords

Slide 18: Referencing other pages and URLs

Slide 19: More formatting

Slide 20: Creating new pages

Slide 21: Attachments

Attachment sort Action Size Date Who Comment
myco.gif manage 9.6 K 13 Feb 2004 - 18:41 MushroomMagicMan Attached image file

Slide 22: Wiki Culture

Enough about mechanics; how is a wiki actually used ? Well, that's really up to you, but there are a number of tricks that the wiki community has developed for collaborative writing that work pretty well: TWiki doesn't automatically distinguish between these modes; they are purely semantic.

Slide 23: DocumentMode

Slide 24: ThreadMode

You may see a comment box on a page in ThreadMode that makes it easy to quickly add your inputs. Typing in a comment and adding it to a page this way is known as "blogging" wink

Slide 25: StructuredMode

Slide 26: Other Wiki tricks - Categories

Slide 27: Contributed features

Basic TWiki is rich with features, but is enriched even further by the addition of optional plug-in modules that may (or may not!) be installed in your TWiki. These are classified as either skins (modules that change the look-and-feel) and plugins (modules that enhance functionality).

Here's a brief description of some of the more common plugins, together with the tags you might expect to see in topics if they are used. You can find out more by visiting the plugin pages.

Slide 28: More plugins

The following plugins are installed on this TWiki: DefaultPlugin, SpreadSheetPlugin, CommentPlugin, EditTablePlugin, InterwikiPlugin, RenderListPlugin, SlideShowPlugin, SmiliesPlugin, TablePlugin

There are many other plugins, see http://www.twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Plugins

Slide 29: Credits and Acknowledgements

Related topics: WelcomeGuest, TWikiTutorial, ATasteOfTWikiTemplate

-- TWiki:Main.CrawfordCurrie - 17 Feb 2004