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IfThenActionPluginDev Discussion: Page for developer collaboration, enhancement requests, patches and improved versions on IfThenActionPlugin contributed by the TWikiCommunity.
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Feedback on IfThenActionPlugin

Initial version is now uploaded. Enjoy!

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-02

I added a number of additional features:

  • New "upload" if-action
  • New "setformfield" then-action to update a form field of a target topic
  • New "touch" then-action to edit & save a target topic
  • Expand tokens $children, $children(n), $children(n CID-*), $parents, $parents(n), $parent, $parents(n) in target
  • Possible to specify a comma-space list of topics as the target
  • Improved developer docs

Let me know if you have some additional needs.

Let us know how you use this plugin to automate your workflow!

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-07

Idea for enhancement:

  • In the source column, allow conditions, such as "if form field X changed", or "if URL parameter Y is Z", etc.
  • Expand TWiki variables such as CALCULATE in source column and target column to dynamically define content?
  • New "view" if-action for topic view. Useful? This can be very noisy, and could impact performance.
  • New "change" if-action to take action if a form field of a source topic changed. This is difficult to implement.
  • New "register" if-action to take action on user registration.
  • New "email" then-action to send an e-mail based on a template.
  • New "update" then-action to update topic text with a search/replace regular expression rule, such as Target: Web.SomeTopic/$replace("from", "to")
  • New "rename" then-action to rename a target topic.
  • New "copy" then-action to copy (duplicate) a target topic.
  • New "delete" then-action to delete a target topic.
  • New "redirect" then-action to redirect to a target topic or URL.

What else?

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-07

Here are specific use cases at two client TWiki sites:

1. TWiki applications requirements management:

The requirements are arranged in a tree hierarchy. Each requirement has a "Status" field.

Need: If a status field at a higher level is updated, all status fields of dependent requirements need to be updated recursively.

Solution: If-then-action rule to update children topic's Status field:

If Source Then Target Comment
save WCKE.WRqm* setformfield $children(32 WRqm*)/$formfield(Status) = $formfield(Status) This updates all children's Status form field to the current topic's Status form field value

2. TWiki applications for parts management:

The parts database has 20K parts. A form with an autoselect parts field is too slow if done with a dynamic query on all parts. To get the required performance, a PartsData topic is created to cache the parts data. The topic has a dynamic query that generates the JSON object needed for autocomplete, and stores it in a persistent SET variable with remember="1" using SetGetPlugin. A named section in PartsData can be used to GET the persistent variable.

Need: Update the JSON object so that it remains in sync whenever a part topic is updated.

Solution: On save of a part topic, do a topic view on PartsData to refresh the JSON object. The topic view is done asynchronously (e.g. non-blocking) so that the topic save is not slowed down. If-then-action rule:

If Source Then Target Comment
save Parts.PID-* viewdaemon Parts.PartsData This does a non-blocking view on the parts data topic to update the JSON object in the persistent SET variable

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-07

I enhanced the plugin:

  • Support conditions for Source topics (by expanding TWiki Variables). Useful to dynamically decide if action should be taken or not. Such as:
    • "if 'Review Date' form field is older than 12 month, set 'Needs Review' form field",
    • "if URL parameter Y is Z, do action...", etc.
  • Prevent recursive if-then-actions, e.g. a save action does not trigger another save action.

The "Target" does not yet expand TWiki Variables.

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-08

The "Target" does now expand TWiki Variables as well.

In addition, the target = expression in a setformfield then-action, the expression can be any value, and does not need to be of form $formfield(...).

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-09

I enhanced the plugin again:

  • The Source field in the If-Then-Action Rules Table can be a Web.TopicName, or a list of topics.
  • New "register" if-action on successful user registration.
  • New "email" then-action to send an e-mail based on a template.

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-15

I enhanced the plugin again:

  • New "view" if-action on topic view.
  • Check access permission in "setformfield" and "touch" then-actions.
  • Ability to disable if-actions and then-actions in configure.

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-16

I enhanced the plugin again:

  • Add ifthenaction log entries in TWiki logs.
  • Small code change; doc fixes.

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-04-21

I enhanced the plugin again:

  • New "action" if-action, triggered by %IFTHEN{action}% variable.
  • Updated diagram.

-- Peter Thoeny - 2015-05-03

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Topic revision: r12 - 2015-05-03 - PeterThoeny
 
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