Blog Up: a twiki based weblog setup

Note: The Blog Up application is part of the Blog Plugin.

%STOPALIASAREA% %STARTALIASAREA%

Introduction

Blog Up is a TWiki Application? addon package that turns TWiki into a weblog tool. In combination with the Nat Skin it offers the look & feel of well known blogging tools like MovableType or WordPress but embedded into a full-fledged wiki.

The main features are:

• single- or multi-author blogging
• one-click easy publishing and correction of postings and comments
• extensible tagging system
• tagged news aggregation
• semi-automatic computation of "related" postings
• threaded comment system
• full content syndication
• flexible archiving and retrieval
• tag statistics
• completely form-based TWiki Application? using the TWiki Workbench? approach

Screenshots

Getting started

To create a blog use the Blog Factory. Note, however, that only members of the AdminGroup are allowed to create a new blog. After entering the mandatory information you will get a new web that is a copy of the _BlogPlugin template web.

User Manual

TODO The Blog Up TWiki Application? is made up of tree levels that are of use depending on the role of the visitor.

1. application level: that's the view a normal visitor gets on the site
2. blog author level: grant access to tools needed to post a blog entry or add new Subject Categories?
3. administrative level: grant access to Topic Functions? that render the site

Roles are assigned using WikiGroups, i.e. the Blog Author Group and the Blog Admin Group. Each blog is contained in one web; one blog can be a multi-author or single-author blog. A multi-author blog will display authorship per posting, not so a single-author blog.

Exploring the blog

TODO

Publishing a new blog entry

TODO

Adding a new Subject Category?

TODO

Aggregating news

TODO

Commenting

TODO

Implementation

The Blog Up is implemented using the TWiki Workbench? approach consisting (at least) of a set of Topic Types?, Topic Functions?, TWiki Forms and Topic Templates? that are used to implement the application.

Topic Types?

Each topic is typed using TWiki Forms, that is TWiki Forms define Topic Types?. A Topic Type? form has a token and a free-form Topic Description? that describes the purpose of an instance of that type.

In general a Topic Type? is made up of three parts:

1. the Topic Type? topic named XXX
2. the TWiki Form? topic named XXXForm
3. the Topic Template? topic named XXXTemplate

The XXX Topic Type? topic lists an overview of all topics of the given type and a form to create a new one.

%DBCALL{"BlogUp" section="RenderTopicList" NAME="TopicType"}%

Topic Functions?

Topic Functions? are the basic building blocks that are used to render the application. Topic Functions? are divided into sections that are extracted using parametrized INCLUDEs. (Note, that the Blog Plugin does not use INCLUDE or SEARCH but DBCALL and DBQUERY provided by the DBCache Plugin.) Thereby Topic Functions? are "called" as functions in a library are called to be executed. Every Topic Function? is named RenderXXX where XXX describes the output generated by it. A Topic Function? is also documenting itself and its parameters.

%DBCALL{"BlogUp" section="RenderTopicList" NAME="TopicFunction"}%

TWiki Forms

TODO

%DBCALL{"BlogUp" section="RenderTopicList" NAME="TWikiForm"}%

Topic Templates?

TODO

%DBCALL{"BlogUp" section="RenderTopicList" NAME="TopicTemplate"}%

Customization

TODO

See also: Blog Plugin, BlogUp template web?

Application Info

Author:	TWiki:Main/MichaelDaum
Copyright ©:	2006, Michael Daum
License:	GPL (GNU General Public License)
Version:	v0.47
Dependencies:	Blog Plugin
Change History:	(see also the change history of the Blog Plugin)
24 Jan 2006:	Initial version
Demo:	http://jojowiki.dyndns.org/view/Blog/WebHome
Home:	TWiki:Plugins/BlogUp
Feedback:	TWiki:Plugins/BlogPlugin
Appraisal:	TWiki:Plugins/BlogPluginAppraisal

-- TWiki:Main/MichaelDaum - 08 Feb 2006