Feedback Plugin

NOTE:	This is an ObsoletePluginPackage. Most of the functionality is covered by the CommentPlugin

development

Please use FeedbackPluginDev for development related discussion

Feedback TWiki Plugin

This is a Plugin for creating and collecting comments to a page without changing the page itself. This makes sense if you want others to contribute, but still preserve clear ownership of the topic in question. I use it for my weblog, which is in fact only editable by myself.

The plugin provides a joint view of the topic and the collected comments.

user interface

The owner of the page enables the plugin. The plugin splits the text in paragraph like units and adds a button after each paragraph.

After clicking on the button a comment entry form appears and allows the reader to enter some text. Alternatively the user can double click on any paragraph if javascript is enabled.

theorie of operation

This table has to have three columns on a single line:

The Plugin will search for Searchtext and then add Comment and Author . Searchtext can be Perl Regular expressions or simple strings.

The %FEEDBACK% construct is replaced by a form which enables you to see the page which shall be commented with or without links and directly add the comments in text fields without manually changing the table. The layout is currently a proof of concept one and not designed for usablity.

I think it is somehow related to CommentPlugin and similar work. It was created for my private fun and now released to get feedback and get outstanding issues solved.

Syntax Rules

(none)

FeedbackPlugin Settings

Plugin settings are stored as preferences variables. To reference a plugin setting write %_%, i.e. %EMPTYPLUGIN_SHORTDESCRIPTION%

• One line description, is shown in the TextFormattingRules topic:
  • Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = This is a Plugin for creating and collecting comments to a page without changing the page.

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

Plugin Installation Instructions

• copy the Files at the correct locations!
  • V1.16 Stored this text inside the TWiki Web. V1.19 now uses the Plugins Web.

Plugin Info

Related Topics: TWikiPreferences, TWikiPlugins, DefaultPlugin

Example

A TAG %FEEDBACK% will automatically add the Comment Data to a Page named FeedbackPluginFeedback? or if you would like an other name: %FEEDBACK{CommentPage="SeparatePage"}%

Online Demo

The 1.29ff version is normally installed at mattzz , so you can play with a demo here:

http://mattzz.dyndns.org/twiki/bin/view/Test/TestTopic1

Known Issues

• the %FEEDBACK% is partly expanded even within verbatim tags.
• the way the table rows are added to the page holding the comment data seems to be unclean. Currently it is file IO, without locking or TWiki routines involved.
• the javascript part is not working with some versions of IE.

Roadmap

A sorted list of features, which will be implemented if things go well.

1. Make it look good.
2. allow the web page to be commented to be an external one.
3. data handling
   1. show orphaned comments
   2. allow form based editing/deleting of old comments

-- TWiki:Main/FrankHartmann - 20 Aug 2002