Managing Webs

Managing Webs

Adding webs is a web based operation; renaming and deleting webs are manual operations done directly on the server

Overview

A TWikiSite is divided into webs; each one represents one subject, one area of collaboration. Administrators can add/rename/delete webs.

Choose Web Template

There are two methods used to create a new web. First you can use a specially designed TemplateWeb. This is an invisible web that begins with an underscore "_" character. All topics in the _default template web will be copied into your new web.

The second method is to use an existing web as a template web. This may be useful if you already have a web that you like to use as a starting point. Only topics that have names beginning with Web... (like "WebHome", "WebNotify", etc.) are copied.

In either case you will want to be sure to verify that your new web has all the custom modifications that you desire.

Adding a New Web

Create a new web by filling out this form. Note: It is not recommended to create a new web for each little project. You can organize content within a web using TWikiForms and FormattedSearch. Cross-linking topics and search is easier if there are only a few larger webs.

Name of new web:		Enter a short name of up to 10 characters. The name must start with an upper case letters, followed by optional upper or lower case letters or numbers
Based on web:		Select a TemplateWeb
Web color:		Enter a StandardColors code for the web
Description:	Enter a short description of the web. Write `Web.TopicName` instead of just `TopicName` if you include links. This will list the web in the SiteMap (leave field empty if you prefer not to update the directory.)
Use to...	Continue the sentence describing the intended use. This is also for the SiteMap
Exclude web from "search all":	No Yes	Specify if you want to exclude the web from a "search all webs" search. Note that the SiteMap will not list the web if you select Yes.

Notes:

Attachments will NOT get copied over along with their topics
The manage script while creating the new web will update the following variables in the WebPreferences: WEBBGCOLOR, SITEMAPLIST, SITEMAPWHAT, SITEMAPUSETO and NOSEARCHALL. These variables are used to dynamically generate the SiteMap
This script does not edit the TWiki.TWikiPreferences file to update the WIKIWEBLIST. This must be done by hand
As of TWiki Release 01 Sep 2004, a web name can be a WikiWord. Prior to that it could be only UPPER or UPPERlower. A side effect of this is that if you do use a wiki name, %WEB% must be written as <nop>%WEB% or else it will try to link to a non-existing topic of that name

Renaming or Deleting a Web

Renaming or deleting a web requires direct access to the installation files on the host server. There are currently no browser-based equivalents of the Rename/move/delete topic tools for working with webs.

Prepare your site: Search each web for links to the target web, searching topic text for Oldwebname., including the dot so you'll find references like Oldwebname.SomeTopic
- Make changes as required, to Newwebname.SomeTopic or better yet, to %MAINWEB%.SomeTopic
Edit the TWikiPreferences topic: Rename or delete the web from the WIKIWEBLIST variable
Login to the TWiki server, via Telnet or FTP
Go to twiki/data and rename or remove the web directory
Go to twiki/templates and rename or remove the web directory if present
- Note: See TWiki:Codev.RenameWebs for some complications
Go to twiki/pub and rename or remove the web directory if present

Renaming the MAINWEB

If you plan to rename the Main web, remember that TWiki stores user and group topics in %MAINWEB%, default named Main. That means, every WikiName signature - Main.SomeUserName - points to it and would need updating (unless the variable, %MAINWEB%.SomeUserName, is used throughout).

-- TWiki:Main.MikeMannix - 14 Sep 2001
-- TWiki:Trash.PeterThoeny - 07 Apr 2002
-- TWiki:Main.GrantBow - 16 Jan 2003