phpwiki-talk

[Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[Steve W. <sw...@wc...>]

I've been reading parts of "Multimedia and Hypertext: the Internet and
Beyond," by Jakob Neilson
(<URL:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0125184085/qid=981432634/sr=1-6/ref=sc_b_6/107-7065042-5444529>.
There's an interesting chapter on hypertext authoring (like writing Wiki
pages) and how little research has been done on what makes authoring
hypertext easier. (We just use a TEXTAREA like anyone else).

We've talked before about storing links in a separate table, which would
make it easy to do a few things:

list undefined links
rename links
delete links

Neilson calls undefined links "dangling references" (to "dangle" means to
hang from something, like an apple dangling from a tree branch).
Apparently in the hypertext systems the book surveyed, and projects he was
involved with, listing dangling refs was very useful to hypertext authors.

The challenge here is we have to preprocess Wiki pages to parse out the
links, update the table of links, and store the page. When the page is
rendered, all links are matched from the page to the table. These things
are fairly easy, and we have most of the code. It's a matter of
reorganization.

When a page is deleted we can then delete all references to it as well.

Any thoughts?

~swain

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Re: [Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[Arno H. <aho...@xm...>]

> We've talked before about storing links in a separate table, which woul=
d
> make it easy to do a few things:
>
> list undefined links

That's easy (and already possible) -- I've already included it in gowiki,=
=20
see http://senseis.xmp.net/?UndefinedPages

> rename links

I assume you mean rename pages? Yes, that would be made easier.

Also, I suggest that we split the wiki table into two: one table as it is=
=20
now, but instead of pagename with a pageid. Another table which does=20
pagename->pageid. That way we could have aliases of pagenames, e.g. (yet=20
another simplistic example) "WikiName" and "WikiNames" could both point t=
o=20
the same pageid.

I have to look at Jeff's db schema again - there was some useful stuff on=
=20
how he used a common structure for wiki and archive.


> delete links
> When a page is deleted we can then delete all references to it as well.

Why would I like to do this? Even if I delete pages I'd rather have a=20
dangling link like "Which explains why StevenWainsteadEatsWorms?" then=20
something like "Which explains why !PageRemoved!"


> [...] These things are fairly easy, and we have most of the code.

Right.

/Arno

Re: [Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[Steve W. <sw...@wc...>]

On Tue, 6 Feb 2001, Arno Hollosi wrote:

> > rename links
> 
> I assume you mean rename pages? Yes, that would be made easier.

Well, in the current implementation we could rename a page (update wiki
set pagename='foo' where pagename='bar') but all the links to 'bar'
remain, now undefined. Storing the links in a table and not in the pages,
so to speak, would solve this problem.

> Also, I suggest that we split the wiki table into two: one table as it is 
> now, but instead of pagename with a pageid. Another table which does 
> pagename->pageid. That way we could have aliases of pagenames, e.g. (yet 
> another simplistic example) "WikiName" and "WikiNames" could both point to 
> the same pageid.

OK. I've been meaning to mention we can again make whatever radical schema
changes we want... we should start with renaming the tables so they don't
cause conflicts (wiki_hotlinks, wiki_archive etc).

> > delete links
> > When a page is deleted we can then delete all references to it as well.
> 
> Why would I like to do this? Even if I delete pages I'd rather have a 
> dangling link like "Which explains why StevenWainsteadEatsWorms?" then 
> something like "Which explains why !PageRemoved!"

Then the page might be redefined... let's say I'm tired about all the
emails I get from all over the world asking me about my interesting diet.
Just deleting the page leaves "dangling references" all over, so the
problem never goes away. But the issue of what do we put in place of the
link is a problem.

~swain

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Re: [Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[<ph...@de...>]

On Tue, 6 Feb 2001 10:29:35 -0500 (EST), you wrote:
=> OK. I've been meaning to mention we can again make whatever radical schema
=> changes we want... we should start with renaming the tables so they don't
=> cause conflicts (wiki_hotlinks, wiki_archive etc).

	Great idea!

	[Just starting up with phpWiki and I *love* it - thanks
to everyone involved in it's birth and development.]

	How about a patch/instructions for those of us with 1.2
who would like to modify the current version for this kind of
table name separation?  Assign a $wiki_prefix variable in config
and append it to all table use?  Sure would be appreciated here.

	Thanks again to everyone. Wow!

	- Don

Re: [Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[<ph...@de...>]

On Tue, 06 Feb 2001 09:15:02 -0800, you wrote:
=> 	How about a patch/instructions for those of us with 1.2
=> who would like to modify the current version for this kind of
=> table name separation? 

	I'm sorry, I really was reading the code, but I'm just
blind or stupid.  Obviously the answer is already right there in
the table name variable assignments in config.php (right above
where I filled in my MySQL stuff).

	I thought I had looked everywhere (after I did the prelim
stuff in config). I feel like such a dunce.

	Nonetheless, *thanks* for phpWiki to all involved, from
the guy now sitting facing the corner, with the pointed hat on
and being *very* quiet for awhile.

	<sigh>

	- Don

Re: [Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[Steve W. <sw...@wc...>]

Oh, no shame. You were forsighted enough to ask! :-)

~swain

On Tue, 6 Feb 2001 ph...@de... wrote:

> On Tue, 06 Feb 2001 09:15:02 -0800, you wrote:
> => 	How about a patch/instructions for those of us with 1.2
> => who would like to modify the current version for this kind of
> => table name separation? 
> 
> 	I'm sorry, I really was reading the code, but I'm just
> blind or stupid.  Obviously the answer is already right there in
> the table name variable assignments in config.php (right above
> where I filled in my MySQL stuff).
> 
> 	I thought I had looked everywhere (after I did the prelim
> stuff in config). I feel like such a dunce.
> 
> 	Nonetheless, *thanks* for phpWiki to all involved, from
> the guy now sitting facing the corner, with the pointed hat on
> and being *very* quiet for awhile.
> 
> 	<sigh>
> 
> 	- Don
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Phpwiki-talk mailing list
> Php...@li...
> http://lists.sourceforge..net/lists/listinfo/phpwiki-talk
> 

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Re: [Phpwiki-talk] "dangling references"

[Arno H. <aho...@xm...>]

> =09I'm sorry, I really was reading the code, but I'm just
> blind or stupid.

Nothing to be ashamed of :o)

I once filed a bug report for kde kmail.

It read: you can't have spaces at end of reply-prefixes.
Actually, just two lines above the box where you could customize that=20
reply-prefix there was a line saying: %_=3Dspace

Now that's bad!

/Arno