ManagingTWiki

05 Aug 2008: Feel free to dive right in, but you may find this quick foreword very helpful in using these materials. Ahat (the lab) has been maintaining a collaborative set of notes since its inception, in 2001. Initially these were jointly owned and authored webpages, to which we added wiki pages on a kwiki server. Kwiki did not work out, however, we were hooked on wikiservers. As we continued to add collaboration tools to our toolkit (such as Subversion), we explored a number of alternative wikiservers, including several exploratory shakedown deployments, finally settling on twiki. We deployed our initial production version twiki server in May 2008. As such, the information in ManagingTWiki represents the oldest set of topics since our migration to TWiki. Moving to TWiki resulted in an explosion of collaborative activity in the lab, which is wonderful - the truest affirmation we could have had of our decision, as well as pretty great endorsement of TWiki

We've brought on some new interns, Nate and Charles, and are now getting our feet back under ourselves. Phew! Currently, we're reviewing all the materials on the Ahatwiki. We're also upgrading to 4.2.1, so I'm working on bringing these topics up to date, but be aware that both the style and content of some of the ManagingTWiki stuff may lag behind our current information design best practices.

• TwikiInstallation
• UsingAhatwiki - How to create different types of TWiki pages, etc.
• Ahatwiki project home.

TWiki Configuration Files

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TWiki has a variety of configuration files, more than just those that the TWiki folks themselves consider to be configuration files. We list and discuss those files here. As we go along, we'll try to keep our notes up to date. The main benefit of this discussion, though, is to make you aware of where the possible pitfalls are. When upgrading and/or writing TWiki extensions or working on the TWiki core, make sure that you always research the TWiki developer documentation thoroughly for any new information regarding these configuration files before proceeding.

Do the rest of us a favor, too, ok? Take a few moments and do a core dump here with your notes and info. Even the raw stuff is great if you don't have time to be coherent, It'll help the next developer immensely. Just mark what level of editing you've had a chance to do when you add your info to the pile...

twiki configuration files (as of 05 Aug 2008)

• twiki/lib/LocalSite.cfg -- the main one, where you enable plugins, etc.
• twiki/bin/LocalLib.cfg -- auxiliary
• twiki/bin/logos/favicon.ico - replace with your favicon on installation to ensure yours is used with some generated pages

apache twiki configuration files (as of 05 Aug 2008)

• /etc/httpd/conf.d/twiki.full-server - contains configuration directives that are common to both virtual hosts: http (non-encrypted) and https (ssl/encrypted). It is included by twiki.conf twice, once within each <VirtualHost> section. Configures mod_rewrite and the twiki 'bin' directory. At present, when you install a plugin, if it adds a script to the bin directory, you will need to add a line manually to this directory. We can change this later by using a <Perl> section. Note that this file includes hardcoded references to both People and TWiki as we are using Shorter URLs.
• /etc/httpd/conf.d/twiki.conf -- main twiki apache configuration file, Has one reference to People hardcoded into it as we are using Shorter URLs. Includes twiki.full-server (twice) and mod_perl_startup.pl.
• twiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl -- used for mod perl preloading, called from twiki.conf. (use ModPerl::RegistryPrefork)

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About TWiki Skins

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twiki skins

• overview: TWikiSkins
• browse installed skins: TWikiSkinBrowser
• download skins: TWiki:Plugins.SkinPackage
• development project for AhatSkin, the skin used on this wiki

installing skins

• activating skins: TWikiSkins

modifying / customizing skins

• variables in skins: TWikiSkins
• customizing skins: TWikiSkins
• NatSkin reference: NatSkinPlugin
• PatternSkin customizing reference: PatternSkinCustomization
  • customizing the logo
    • in one web only: follow the instructions on PatternSkin Logo customization under "using a new filename." Edit the WebPreferences topic for the web in question.
    • site wide (all webs):
      • follow instructions on: PatternSkin Logo customization after "Redefine your custom variables"
      • also add:

        Set WIKILOGOIMG = %PUBURLPATH%/%BASEWEB%/%WEBPREFSTOPIC%/%WEBLOGONAME%

      • note that, by default, the skin assumes logo is 40px high

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TWiki Admin Task Cheat-Sheet

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A cheat-sheet for annoying TWiki admin tasks

• Changing a user's password under template authentication. If you run htpasswd directly on the password file, you will erase the user's email address. Run

  htpasswd -n <username>

  , enter the password, and cut 'n paste the output into the password file, replacing the old password.
• Making TWikiGuest (or JohnSmith) a TWiki Admin: To add the first administrator, follow the instructions in the box, below. A similar box appears on TWikiAdminGroup, but disappears after you follow these instructions, adding the first administrator.

  How to add the first administrator If you haven't previously set up an administrator, follow these steps: Authenticate as the internal TWiki administrator: internal admin login (use the username suggested and the password set in configure). Edit TWikiAdminGroup Insert the wikinames of admin users in the TWiki Administrator Group by listing them in the GROUP setting (example * Set GROUP = JohnSmith, JamesBond) Save TWikiAdminGroup Logout from the Internal TWikiAdminUser Verify that new members show up properly in the group listing at TWikiGroups Make sure always to keep this topic write protected by keeping the already defined ALLOWTOPICCHANGE setting The ALLOWTOPICHANGE and ALLOWTOPICRENAME settings in TWikiPreferences and TWikiPreferences have already been set to this group (TWikiAdminGroup), restricting edit of site-wide preferences to the TWiki Administrator Group

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[see also ServerAdminGuidelines]

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