Find Elsewhere Plugin

This plugin will automatically link to another web(s) if a topic isn't found in the current web.

This is useful for a TWiki site that wants to implement a glossar/dictionary web where common terms are defined and stored. Without this plugin:

• Each web would need to create their own topic for a common term
• Link to or INCLUDE the topic from where it is defined
• Authors need to remember to put the Web name in front of the topic name, such as TWiki.WikiWord

Without this kind of plugin, it's likely that common terms used within an organization will be defined in multiple webs or the common terms will be unlinked wiki words (as if they didn't exist).

Syntax Rules

No new rules are introduced. However, new automatic Wiki Word linking will occur.

If a topic is not found in the current web, this plugin will look through the webs listed in the LOOKELSEWHEREWEBS variable. If the topic is found (as it looks through the webs in their listed order), it will create one or more links, depending on the number of topics found.

New functionality, single hit

New functionality, multiple hits

If a word is found in two or more LOOKELSEWHERE webs, a special syntax is used:

• Standard WikiWord: TWikiPreferences^(TWiki,Main)
• [[Spaced wiki word]]: TWiki preferences^(TWiki,Main)

Create this table in Sandbox.FindElsewherePluginTest^? to try it out:

| *Test case* | *Input* | *Output<br/>(if installed)* | *Expected* |
| Found elsewhere | <nop>TWikiPreferences | TWikiPreferences | <nop/>TWikiPreferences<sup>([[%TWIKIWEB%.TWikiPreferences][%TWIKIWEB%]],[[%MAINWEB%.TWikiPreferences][%MAINWEB%]])</sup> |
| Found elsewhere, spaced wiki word | [<nop/>[TWiki preferences]] | [[TWiki preferences]] | <em>TWiki preferences</em><sup>([[%TWIKIWEB%.TWikiPreferences][%TWIKIWEB%]],[[%MAINWEB%.TWikiPreferences][%MAINWEB%]])</sup> |

Internationalization

FindElsewherePlugin handles international characters (I18N) in links, topics and webs.

Don't break other types of links

FindElsewherePlugin Hints

• You can en- or disable this plugin for webs, topics or users, using the standard TWiki preferences hierarchy
• You can avoid single words being looked up by using !DontLookup or <nop/>DontLookup syntax
• "Groups of webs" can use each other as lookup webs, by setting the LOOKELSEWHEREWEBS variable accordingly in their WebPreferences.

FindElsewherePlugin Settings

• One line description, is shown in the Text Formatting Rules topic:
  • Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Create links by looking first in the current web, then in a predefined list of other webs

• Disable look elsewhere - sitewide (here), per web (in WebPreferences) or pr. topic
  • Set DISABLELOOKELSEWHERE = 0

• List other webs in which to look for topics that don't exist in the current web
  • Set LOOKELSEWHEREWEBS = TWiki, Main

• If the Wiki Word is plural but doesn't exist, also look for the singular word. Note this setting is for looking in other webs only (plural to singular is still automatically done in the current web).
  • Set DISABLEPLURALTOSINGULAR = 0

• Debug plugin: (See output in data/debug.txt)
  • Set DEBUG = 0

Plugin Installation Instructions

• Download the ZIP file from the Plugin web (see below)
• Unzip FindElsewherePlugin.zip in your twiki installation directory. Content:

• Test if the plugin is correctly installed, by viewing Find Elsewhere Plugin # New Functionality Test

Plugin Info

Related Topics: T Wiki Preferences, T Wiki Plugins, Default Plugin

-- TWiki:Main.MikeBarton - 1 Feb 2002