Overview

How to Rename/Move/Delete a Topic

Consider carefully whether to make browser-based Rename/Move/Delete widely available, or to restrict it to an administrator/moderator group. Allowing all users to easily manipulate topics can be extremely useful in refactoring a busy web or site. However, there are at least two significant potential drawbacks to take into account:

• When referring links are updated, the modified topics appear in WebChanges, creating the impression that editorial changes were made. This can undermine the usefulness of WebChanges.

Ultimately, the size, objectives, and policies of your TWiki site, the real-world behavior of your user group, and most importantly, the initial TWiki site management leadership, will determine the most effective implementation of this feature, and the success of the site overall.

Managing Topics

While view a special topic, you can use browser-based controls to change its name, move it to another TWiki web, or delete it to a hidden Trash web.

1. Click on [More] (bottom right of page) on the topic to be changed, then, in the new screen, on [Rename/move]. You can now rename and/or move/delete in one operation:
2. Move/Delete: Select the target web if other than the current web - choose Trash to delete a topic.
3. Rename: Enter the new topic name - default is current name
   

• This can only be done from on the server, not through the browser.

Redirecting from an Old Topic

• When referring links are updated, the modified topics appear in WebChanges, creating the impression that editorial changes were made. This can undermine the usefulness of WebChanges.
• Due to current limitations, fairly heavy use of rename/move/delete functions can lead to an accumulation of minor technical problems (ex: broken links) and usability issues (ex: user confusion). If Rename is used heavily, these types of negatives will obviously increase.

Known Issues

The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.

Managing Topics

Overview

How to Rename/Move/Delete a Topic

Redirecting from an Old Topic

1. %SEARCH%, with a special template, finds and displays all occurrences of the topic name in other topics, site-wide. These referring links are by default automatically changed to the new topic and/or web name. This includes relevant TWikiMetaData definitions.

• • <pre> and <verbatim> are honoured - no changes are made to text within these areas.

1. The topic is moved (if locks allow).
2. References are changed (locks and permissions permitting).

The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.

Effect of Access Settings

How Rename/move Works

Overview

1. Enter the new topic name - default is current name
   

Referring Topics

Referring topics are found using the the %SEARCH% variable, see the template searchrenameview.tmpl. First, matching topics in the current Web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all Webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. Because %SEARCH% is used, Webs marked in WebPreferences as NOSEARCHALL will not show up in the search for refernces to the topic being changed.

Deleted topics are moved to the Trash web - NOT physically erased from the server. All webs share Trash - in case of a name conflict with a topic already Trash, the user is alerted and asked to choose a new name.

Redirecting from an Old Topic

Permissions affect the rename function in various ways. To rename a topic, you need both change and rename permissions. To alter refer4ing topics, you need change permission. See TWikiAccessControl for information on setting up access permissions.

How Rename/move Works

Known Limitations

Managing Topics

Overview

1. Select target web if other than the current web - chose Trash to delete a topic
2. Enter the new topic name - default is current name
   

Referring Topics

Changed references are kept are as short as possible, i.e. topic is used in preference to web.topic.

1. Select target web if other than the current web - chose Trash to delete a topic

1. Select from the list of links to the topic that will be changed those to OMIT from changes (by default, all referring links will be updated)
2. Click on Rename/Move to rename/remove topic will be renamed and links to the topic updated as requested.

Impact of Topic Access Settings

How Rename/move Works

• • User chooses which topics will be altered

• Topic is moved (if locks allow)
• References are changed (locks and permissions permitting)
• Any referring topics that can't be changed due to locks are listed - user can change them at another time.

Managing Topics

Browser-based rename, move, and delete for individual topics

Select Rename/move when viewing a topic to change its name, move it to another TWiki web, or delete it:

• • If any of the referring pages are locked then they will be listed
  • You can correct these later by again pressing Rename/Move

Referring topics are found using the the %SEARCH% variable, see the template searchrenameview.tmpl. First, matching topics in the current Web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all Webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. Because %SEARCH% is used, Webs marked in WebPreferences as NOSEARCHALL will not show up in the search for refernces to the topic being changed.

Changed references are kept are as short as possible, i.e. topic is used in preference to web.topic.

Deleted topics are moved to the Trash web - NOT physically erased from the server. All webs share Trash - in case of a name conflict with a topic already Trash, the user is alerted and asked to choose a new name.

NOTE: The Trash web should be be cleared periodically, by archiving the contents if required (recommended), then deleting the files from the Trash directory.

You can use TWikiMetaData to place a command in WebTopicViewTemplate and WebTopicNonWikiTemplate that will show if a topic has moved by searching for the tag %META:TOPICMOVED{...}%. Customize something like this:

Permissions affect the rename function in various ways. To rename a topic, you need both change and rename permissions. To alter refer4ing topics, you need change permission. See TWikiDocumentation#TWiki_Access_Control for information on setting up access permissions.

• %SEARCH% is used with a special template to show text in topics that requires updating to point to the new topic and/or web name. This includes relevent MetaData
  • User chooses which topics will be altered

• References are changed (locks and permissions permitting)
• Any referring topics that can't be changed due to locks are listed - user can change them at another time.

Rename/move in is fairly complicated due to the dynamic generation of links. Ideally, it would be possible to run the required part of rendering in a way that would allow identification of the text to be changed. Unfortunately, these hooks don't exist in TWiki at present. Instead, %SEARCH% is used with a special template to show the text to be changed, and the selected topics are then altered. One drawback is that search can show matches that will not be updated because of case differences. Other mismatches to actual rendered output are also possible as the approaches are so different.

Managing Topics

• • If any of the referring pages are locked then they will be listed
  • You can correct these later by again pressing Rename/Move

Referring topics are found using the the %SEARCH% variable, see the template searchrenameview.tmpl. First, matching topics in the current Web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all Webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. Because %SEARCH% is used, Webs marked in WebPreferences as NOSEARCHALL will not show up in the search for refernces to the topic being changed.

Changed references are kept are as short as possible, i.e. topic is used in preference to web.topic.

Redirecting from an Old Topic

• • User chooses which topics will be altered

• Topic is moved (if locks allow)

Known Limitations

The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.

1. Select target Web if other than existing Web
2. Fill in new name - defaults to current name

• • If any of the referring pages are locked then they will be listed
  • You can correct these later by again pressing Rename/Move

Referring topics are found using the the %SEARCH% variable, see the template searchrenameview.tmpl. First, matching topics in the current Web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all Webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. Because %SEARCH% is used, Webs marked in WebPreferences as NOSEARCHALL will not show up in the search for refernces to the topic being changed.

Changed references are kept are as short as possible, i.e. topic is used in preference to web.topic.

Topics can be deleted by moving them to the Trash Web. Note that topics from all Webs go into this, so there could be name clashes, the user is warned of this and asked to choose a new name. When TWiki support sub-webs, these could be created on demand in the Trash Web, which would avoid this name clash problem.

It is up to the administrator of a TWiki installation to clean the Trash Web periodically e.g. by archiving to tape of CDROM entries older than 6 months.

Something like the following can be put in WebTopicViewTemplate and WebTopicNonWikiTemplate to show if a topic has moved. It does this by searching for the tag %META:TOPICMOVED{...}%.

Permissions affect rename in various ways. To rename a topic you need both change and rename permissions. To alter refering topics, you need change permission. See TWikiDocumentation#TWiki_Access_Control for information on setting up permissions.

• %SEARCH% is used with a special template to show text in topics that requires alteration to point to the new topic name. This includes relavent meta data
  • User chooses which topics will be altered

• References are changed (locks and permissions allowing)
• Any refering topics that can't be changed due to locks are listed - user can try getting these references changed at any time.

Rename in TWiki is fairly complicated due to the dynamic generation of links. Ideally it would be possible to run the required part of rendering in a way that would allow identification of the text to be changed. Unfortunately, these hooks don't exist in TWiki at present. Instead, %SEARCH% is used with a special template to show the text to be changed. And the selected topics and then altered. Search can show matches that will not be updated e.g. because of case differences. Other mis-matches to actual rendered output are also possible as the approaches are so different.

The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.

[[Old Topic]]  => [[NewTopic][Old Topic]]
[[old topic]]  => [[NewTopic][old topic]]
[[old t opic]] => not changed
[[OldTopic]]   => [[NewTopic]]

Select rename/move when viewing a topic to change its name, delete it or move it

Rename/move/delete a topic

1. Select target Web if other than existing Web
2. Fill in new name - defaults to current name

Rename/move/delete a topic

1. Select target Web if other than existing Web
2. Fill in new name - defaults to current name

Referring topics

Changed references are kept are as short as possible, i.e. topic is used in preference to web.topic.

Deleting a topic

It is up to the administrator of a TWiki installation to clean the Trash Web periodically e.g. by archiving to tape of CDROM entries older than 6 months.

Permissions

Approach

Limitations

The following shows some limitations of square bracket processing.

Select rename/move when viewing a topic to change its name, do DeleteTopic? or MoveTopic.

• • If any of the referring pages are locked then they will be listed
  • You can correct these later by again pressing Rename/Move

Referring topics are found using the the %SEARCH% variable, see the template searchrenameview.tmpl. First, matching topics in the current Web are listed - matches are to topic. Next, all Webs (including the current one) are listed that match web.topic. Because %SEARCH% is used, Webs marked in WebPreferences as NOSEARCHALL will not show up in the search for refernces to the topic being changed.

Changed references are kept are as short as possible, i.e. topic is used in preference to web.topic.

Topics can be deleted by moving them to the Trash Web (this should be added to the default distribution). Note that topics from all Webs go into this, so there could be name clashes, the user is warned of this and asked to choose a new name. When TWiki support sub-webs, these could be created on demand in the Trash Web, which would avoid this name clash problem.

It is up to the administrator of a TWiki installation to clean the Trash Web periodically e.g. by archiving to tape of CDROM entries older than 6 months.

Something like the following can be put in WebTopicViewTemplate and WebTopicNonWikiTemplate to show if a topic has moved. It does this by searching for the tag %META:TOPICMOVED{...}%.

Permissions affect rename in various ways. To rename a topic you need both change and rename permissions. To alter refering topics, you need change permission. See TWikiAccessControl for information on setting up permissions.