Previously on CodeJacked, we told you how to set up and host your own wiki in one step using a tool called PMWiki (link below). Here’s another approach that you may find to be even easier.

When I first heard about TiddyWiki, it was one of those “Aha!” moments. The idea is so simple it’s scary. The entire wiki is a single, self-contained, self-modifying HTML file that encompasses both the wiki content and the wiki program logic (JavaScript). It’s a brilliant idea. It means that TiddlyWikis are:

• Portable — They work with any browser on any operating system. (When TiddlyWikis are carried around on a USB drive it’s called “wiki on a stick.”)
• Dead-Simple to Back Up — Just copy the HTML file. (Plus there’s built-in features for saving backup copies with the date and time in the name.)
• Manual Tweaks Are Easy — The control freak in me loves the fact that the HTML file is plain ASCII, so any decent text editor can be used to manually manipulate it (e.g. TextPad, see links below).
• Merging and Splitting is Easy — To split a wiki into two, simply make a copy of the HTML file and then delete the unwanted content, either via the wiki UI, or manually in a text editor (or via an ASCII compare tool like WinMerge, see link below). Merging content is just as easy.
• CSS-able — The appearance of a TiddlyWiki can be controlled, just like any other web page, via cascading style sheet directives. For anyone who is not fluent in CSS, fear not. There are plenty of “recipes” that other users have made available. Not only does this include ways to style the wiki as it appears on screen, but also ways to affect how the wiki pages are printed.

Introducing the “Tiddler” — I’m not going to go too deep into how TidlyWiki works, nor how to use it, but I did want to mention one aspect. The basic building block of a TiddlyWiki is called a “Tiddler”. Think of a tiddler as a “post” or an “entry” or a “page.” Tiddlers are named with, and referenced by, WikiWords. JavaScript code makes them automatically appear on demand (creating them first, if necessary). Tiddlers are not only used for content, but they are also used for customizing the wiki. Some tiddlers hold configuration settings, others can be templates for new tiddlers (e.g. a new journal entry or a new recipe), and yet other tiddlers actually hold JavaScript program code (”macros” or “plug ins”).

From Personal to Hosted Wikis — TiddlyWiki started out mainly as a personal wiki.

TiddlyWiki is a favorite tool of the GTD crowd — followers of Getting Things Done by David Allen [Amazon Link]. They use them as a way to organize projects and tasks, and keep track of the myriad of life’s information. I’m one of those followers.

As more and more people began to play with TiddlyWiki, it became popular as a Web publishing tool. Indeed, some websites consists entirely of one TiddlyWiki HTML page. (TiddlyWiki’s automatically become read-only when accessed via HTTP.)

Enter TiddlySpot. TiddlySpot offers free web hosting for TiddlyWikis. It literally takes only 10 seconds to set one up. Just make up a name and a password, select a “flavor,” and click “create wiki.”

Wallah! A new instance of TiddyWiki will be created for you and assigned a URL. Simply follow the link and you will be on your way.

The one hitch to using TiddlySpot is that you need to know what flavor of TiddlyWiki you want to start with. (The one I selected here, Presentation, is styled to look like a PowerPoint presentation.) I suggest you create a Standard flavored wiki first, and play with it a bit until you get the hang of things. Then, check out the TiddlySpot gallery to see what other people have concocted, and let that influence your taste buds.

By default, a new TiddyWiki contains getting started information, with instructions on how to customize it. The version of TiddyWiki that TiddlySpot uses differs only slightly from the original. For example, TiddlyWikis on TiddlySpot can be private (the user must know the password to view & edit) or public (the user must know the password to edit).

TiddlyWiki (via TiddlySpot)

Platform: Any browser with JavaScript enabled.
Author: Jeremy Ruston (TiddlyWiki), Clint Checketts, Simon Baird, & Daniel Baird (TiddlySpot)
Price: Free
Link: tiddlyspot.com

Related articles:

• Setup and host your own wiki in one step
• WinMerge Compare Tool
• Software Review: TextPad 5
• More TextPad Tips

Read more: Design, Productivity