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1 %META:TOPICINFO{author="TWikiContributor" date="1111929255" format="1.0" version="17"}% |
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2 %STARTINCLUDE% |
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3 ---+ 20-Minute TWiki Tutorial |
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4 |
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5 This step-by-step, hands-on tutorial gets you up to speed with all the TWikiSite basics, in _mere minutes_... |
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6 |
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7 %TOC% |
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8 |
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9 ---++ 1. Get set... |
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10 Open two browser windows, so that you can follow these steps in one window, while trying things out in the other. |
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11 |
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12 ---++ 2. Take a quick tour... |
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13 A TWikiSite is divided into webs; each one usually represents one area of collaboration. You can navigate the webs from the upper right corner of each web page. |
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14 * Each web has hyperlinked topics, displayed as pages in your browser. |
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15 * The home page in each web is the %HOMETOPIC% topic. |
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16 * To browse a TWiki web, just click on any highlighted link. These links are called WikiWords and comprise two or more words with initial capitals, run together. |
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17 * Follow the WikiWord link and learn what it is. |
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18 * If you know the name of a topic, you can jump directly to it by typing its name into the *Go* field on the top of the page. Type =WebSearch= to jump to the search page. __Hint:__ Do not confuse the *Go* field with search. |
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19 * You can search each TWiki web. Enter a search string in the %HOMETOPIC% topic or the WebSearch topic accessible from the =Search= link on each topic. TWiki searches for an exact match; optionally, you can also use RegularExpressions. |
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20 |
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21 ---++ 3. Open a private account... |
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22 To edit topics, you need to have a TWiki account. |
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23 * Go to the TWikiRegistration page to create your TWiki account. Fill in a couple of lines and you're set! |
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24 |
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25 ---++ 4. Check out TWiki users, groups. |
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26 * Go to the %USERSWEB%.%WIKIUSERSTOPIC% topic; it has a list of all users of TWiki. Your WikiName will be in this list after you register. |
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27 * Go to the %USERSWEB%.TWikiGroups topic in the %USERSWEB% web; it has a list of groups which can be used to define fine grained TWikiAccessControl in TWiki. |
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28 |
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29 ---++ 5. Test the page controls... |
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30 The color-coded control strips at the top and/or bottom of the page has a collection of action links. Different skins show different links, but most will have some or all of:: |
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31 * ==Edit== - add to or edit the topic (discussed later) |
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32 * ==Raw View== - show the source text without editing the topic |
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33 * ==Attach== - attach files to a topic (discussed later) |
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34 * ==Backlinks== - find out what other topics link to this topic (reverse link) |
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35 * ==Printable== - goes to a stripped down version of the page, good for printing |
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36 * ==History== - topics are under revision control - =History= shows you the complete change history of the topic, for example, who changed what and when |
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37 * ==r3 > r2 > r1== - view a previous version of the topic or the difference between two versions |
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38 * ==More== - additional controls, such as rename/move, version control and setting the topic's parent. |
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39 |
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40 ---++ 6. Change a page, and create a new one... |
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41 Go to the [[Sandbox.%HOMETOPIC%][Sandbox]]. This is the sandbox web, where you can make changes and try it all out at will. |
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42 * Click the ==Edit== link. You are now in edit mode and you can see the source of the page. (Go to a different topic like Sandbox.%WIKINAME%Sandbox if you see a "Topic is being edited by an other user" warning.) |
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43 * Look at the text in edit mode and compare it with the rendered page (move back and forth in your browser.) |
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44 * __%T% Tip:__ When you only want to see the source code of a topic click the ==Raw View== link. |
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45 * Notice how WikiWords are linked automatically; there is no link if you look at the text in edit mode. |
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46 * Now, create a new topic - your own test page: |
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47 1. In edit mode, enter a new text with a WikiWord, for example: <br /> |
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48 =This is <nop>%WIKINAME%Sandbox topic.= |
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49 1. Preview and save the topic. The name appears, highlighted, with a linked question mark at the end. This means that the topic doesn't exist yet. |
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50 1. Click on the question mark. Now you're in edit mode of the new topic. |
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51 1. Type some text, basically, like you write an e-mail. |
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52 1. A signature with your name is already entered by default. __NOTE:__ The =%USERSWEB%.= in front of your name means that you have a link from the current web to your personal topic located in the %USERSWEB% web. |
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53 1. Preview and save the topic... |
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54 * Learn about text formatting. You can enter text in !TWikiShorthand, a very simple markup language. Follow the TWikiShorthand link to see how, then: |
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55 1. Go back to your sandbox topic end edit it. |
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56 2. Enter some text in TWikiShorthand: *bold* text, _italic_ text, __bold italic__ text, a bullet list, tables, paragraphs, etc. __Hint:__ If you need help, click on the TextFormattingRules link located below the text box in edit mode. |
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57 3. Preview and save the topic. |
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58 |
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59 ---++ 7. Use your browser to upload files as page attachments... |
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60 You can attach _any_ type of file to a topic - documents, images, programs, whatever - where they can be opened, viewed, or downloaded. |
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61 * Attaching files is just like including a file with an e-mail. |
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62 1. Go back to your sandbox topic and click on the ==[Attach]== link at the bottom. |
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63 1. Click ==[Browse]== to find a file on your PC that you'd like to attach; enter an optional comment; leave everything else unchecked. |
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64 1. Click ==[Upload file]==, then scroll to the end of the page to see the new attachment listing. |
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65 * Do this again - this time, upload a GIF, JPG or PNG image file. |
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66 * Check the ==[Link:]== box to _Create a link to the attached file at the end of the topic_. The image will show up at the bottom of the topic. |
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67 * To move the image, edit the topic and place the last line (containing =%<nop>ATTACHURL%=) anywhere on the page. |
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68 * If you have a GIF, JPG or PNG image of yourself, your cat, your sprawling family estate...why not upload it now to personalize your account page %WIKIUSERNAME%? |
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69 |
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70 ---++ 8. Get e-mail alerts whenever pages are changed... |
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71 %NOTIFYTOPIC% is a subscription service that automatically notifies you by e-mail when topics change in a TWiki web. This is a convenience service - for many people, checking e-mail is easier than checking the Web. |
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72 * If you're using TWiki to collaborate on a project, it's important to know when anyone on your team posts an update. If you're following a specific discussion, it's convenient to know when there's new input. |
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73 * Alerts are e-mailed as links to individual topics that've been changed in a set period: each day, every hour, whatever is configured for your system. |
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74 * It's strongly recommended that you try out the service by subscribing to each TWiki web that's relevant to you. You can subscribe and unsubscribe instantly, on a per web basis using %NOTIFYTOPIC%. |
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75 |
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76 That's it! You're now equipped with all the TWiki essentials. You are ready to roll. |
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77 |
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78 __NOTE:__ When first using TWiki, it will probably seem strange to be able to change other people's postings - we're used to _separating_ individual messages, with e-mail, message boards, non-Wiki collaboration platforms. __Don't worry about it.__ You can't accidentally delete important stuff - you can always check previous versions, and copy-and-paste from them if you want to undo any changes. After a short while, TWiki-style free-form communication becomes second-nature. You'll expect it everywhere! |
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80 __Related Topics:__ UserDocumentationCategory |
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