Edit Syntax Plugin (Alpha version - unsafe for public websites)
This Plugin allows users to edit Foswiki content with their favorite wiki syntax. Users can set their preferred syntax as a user preferences setting in their user homepage. Edit syntax converters convert the Topic markup language (TML) into another syntax when a user edits a topic, and converts it back after edit. The content is always saved in the Foswiki format, that is, users can edit the same content using different edit syntax.
Syntax Rules, and How to Activate another Edit Syntax
The edit syntax rules depend on the edit syntax converter activated by a user.
Currently available converters:
Syntax |
To Activate |
Syntax Summary and Help |
Converter topic |
Foswiki |
* Set EDITSYNTAX = |
Summary, Help |
N/A |
Syntax converters are activated with an EDITSYNTAX preferences setting in the user homepage. Copy these bullets to the Personal Preferences section:
* Activate preferred edit syntax (see available edit syntax converters at System.EditSyntaxPlugin) :
* Set EDITSYNTAX = Mediawiki
To disable the converter (e.g. to use Foswiki syntax), set the EDITSYNTAX to an empty value.
How to Create a New Edit Syntax Converter
Steps to create a new edit syntax converter, using the FooWiki syntax as an example:
- Decide on the base name,
Foowiki
. Base name must not be a WikiWord, e.g. not FooWiki
.
- Create a
FoowikiEditSyntaxRegex
topic in the System web, taking MediawikiEditSyntaxRegex as a template.
- List regular expressions to convert the syntax from the Foswiki to the Foowiki format, and vice versa.
- The converter format is indicated below.
- All topics ending in
*EditSyntaxRegex
are listed automatically in the converter topic.
- Create a
FoowikiWikiSyntaxSummary
syntax summary topic in the System web, taking MediawikiWikiSyntaxSummary as a template.
- This is the short help text shown in the edit screen.
- Replace
/MediawikiTextFormattingRules
in the "more formatting help" link with /FoowikiTextFormattingRules
.
- Create a
FoowikiTextFormattingRules
syntax help topic in the System web, taking MediawikiTextFormattingRules and/or Foowiki's edit syntax help text as a template.
- This is the extensive help text shown when the users clicks on the "more formatting help" link.
The converter topic contains bullets of format:
* TYPE: /from/to/
or
* TYPE: /from/to/ # comment
-
TYPE
is T2X
for "TML (Foswiki topic markup language) to External" syntax conversion, or X2T
for "External to TML" syntax conversion.
-
/from/to/
are regular expressions to convert from one format to the other.
-
# comments
to annotate the expressions are optional. The hash sign requires a space to be recognized as a space.
- Empty lines are ignored.
- The sequence of regular expressions is relevant.
Example lines:
-
T2X: /(^|[\n\r])---\+([^\n\r]*)/$1=$2 =/
-
X2T: /(^|[\n\r])=(.*?) ?=(?=[\n\r]|$)/$1---\+$2/ # H1
Plugin Settings
Plugin settings are stored as preferences variables. To reference a plugin setting write
%<plugin>_<setting>%
, i.e.
%EDITSYNTAXPLUGIN_SHORTDESCRIPTION%
- One line description, is shown in the TextFormattingRules topic:
- Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Edit Foswiki content using your preferred wiki syntax
- Debug plugin: (See output in
data/debug.txt
)
Plugin Installation Instructions
Note: You do not need to install anything on the browser to use this plugin. The following instructions are for the administrator who installs the plugin on the Foswiki server.
- Download the ZIP file from the Plugin web (see below)
- Unzip
EditSyntaxPlugin.zip
in your Foswiki installation directory. Content: File: | Description: |
data/System/EditSyntaxPlugin.txt | Plugin topic |
data/System/MediawikiEditSyntaxRegex.txt | Mediawiki edit syntax converter topic |
data/System/MediawikiWikiSyntaxSummary.txt | Mediawiki edit syntax summary topic |
data/System/MediawikiTextFormattingRules.txt | Mediawiki edit syntax help topic |
data/System/MediawikiEditSyntaxTest.txt | Mediawiki edit syntax test topic |
lib/Foswiki/Plugins/EditSyntaxPlugin.pm | Plugin Perl module |
- Configure the Plugin:
- Run the configure script to enable the Plugin
- Change the Plugin settings as needed
- Test if the installation was successful:
- Enable the Mediawiki syntax with this setting in your home page:
-
Set EDITSYNTAX = Mediawiki
- Edit a test topic that contains headings, bullets, bold text and italic text
- You should see the content in Mediawiki syntax
- Save the test topic
- View raw should show you the content in Foswiki syntax
- Show proper edit syntax summary in edit screen:
- Create an
EDITSYNTAX
setting in your Main.SitePreferences
and set it to an empty value
- Edit
foswiki/templates/edit.pattern.tmpl
and change "%SYSTEMWEB%.WikiSyntaxSummary"
to "%SYSTEMWEB%.%EDITSYNTAX%WikiSyntaxSummary"
- Change other
foswiki/templates/edit.*.tmpl
template files as needed
- Secure the
*EditSyntaxRegex
converter topics so that only AdminGroup members can edit the topics.
Limitations
- Security risk: The current implementation does no sanity check on the regular expressions of the Edit Syntax Converter topics. It is potentially possible to execute arbitrary Perl code by editing one of the converter topics. Secure the
*EditSyntaxRegex
converter topics so that only AdminGroup members can edit the topics. It is not recommended to use this Plugin version on a public website.
- The MediawikiEditSyntaxRegex does not yet convert tables.
Plugin Info
Related Topics: Plugins,
DeveloperDocumentationCategory,
AdminDocumentationCategory,
DefaultPreferences,
SitePreferences
--
TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny - 09 Jul 2006,
--
Foswiki:Main.WillNorris - 17 Apr 2009