Springer, My own approach to this kind of issue would be to build a JSON using the multiple tiddler format you can see inside the $:/import temp tiddler, or plugins, this is a very simple json format and does not use complex json syntax. Each of these with be changed into a tiddler on import. Treat the different items either as fields; qID: source: page: pageMod: excerpt: tagline: session:
Or make each tiddler a dictionary tiddler which you can overlay with a view template. In which you would place all these "fields" in the text. I am sure there is some devil in the details but I am confident they can be addressed. Regards Tony On Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 9:35:29 AM UTC+11, springer wrote: > > OK, all. I have mentioned that in the classroom my students see lots of > TiddlyWiki; I freely navigate links, on the big screen, to pull up relevant > bits during discussion. > > But I'm also a kind of database nerd. In my office I work out of > FileMaker. FileMaker is the "back end" of what I do in TW (and elsewhere), > for lots of reasons. > > In TW Classic, I used calculation functions in the database to "extrude" > marked-up content to paste in TiddlyWiki. > > - Example 1: my database has hundreds of quiz question-answer sets > accumulated over the years, and in TWC I used a calculation to "dress them > up" with Eric's NestedSliders syntax. Paste the complex result in a > tiddler > and.. Instant fun quiz GUI! <http://ethics.tiddlyspot.com/#Autonomy...> > > - Example 2: my database has thousands of quoted excerpts from books > and articles. I used a database calculation to build a nice slider around > each quote (page number and teaser, plus details-style slider to show full > quote). After using the find function in the database to bring up a > particular subset of quotes, I could grab a tiddler-worth of > neatly-formatted excerpts > <http://ethics.tiddlyspot.com/#%5B%5BKing%20passages%5D%5D> ready to > paste and go. > > Now, I face a decision: Do I (A) just rework the TW5 calc field in my > database (updating so as to dress each quote/quiz element in TW5-specific > reveal/details/slider macro syntax, options still under evaluation), or (B) > do I figure out how to go all-in on data structure, and use TW5 data > features to grab the bits I need from a massive "in-house" JSON tiddler > (not thousands of quotes, but hundreds), and use templates to display > aspects of the database as desired? The second *sounds* great... > > HOWEVER (!), I have no experience with manipulating JSON data yet, and > grasp only the syntactic basics of how fields and values are paired (plus > the fact that FileMaker does have some JSON-handling functions, so export > should be possible). With JSON, there would be a learning curve, but I > don't know how steep. (I tried mocking up some JSON-looking stuff and > pasting it into TiddlyWiki and giving it JSON data "type" and my wiki just > blinked back at me and said, OK, there's a buncha funny looking text...) > > If I understand correctly, it seems the advantage of the JSON approach > (once I figure out how to import the data) is that I'd have great > flexibility to re-filter things on the fly within TW, and *also* great > flexibilty in GUI. So, if I suddenly discover some new display macro > approach (in the reveal/details/accordion/slider world) or I realize I want > to change which fields to display and how, I modify my template once, and > all the tiddlers that rely on it are instantly updated. On my old system, > when I became inspired to tweak how these things display, I would have to > shuttle back and forth to my FileMaker database, and perform copy-paste > operations for each tiddler with the new syntax. > > So, for those fluent in JSON (and yet not unsympathetic to JSON newbies), > would you advise me toward (A), or toward (B)? Or, am I not grasping the > choice well yet? > > By the way, I'm guessing that the path of importing JSON data, if I don't > ever convert it into regular tiddlers, seems to place more importance on > the possibility of freelinking, since my database of quoted passages uses > many terms that are in my glossary, and I've love for them to link, but all > the data will stay "under the hood" within the JSON tiddler, right? > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TiddlyWiki" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tiddlywiki/6f7d6f4b-eb70-4716-99c8-c944b60cec44%40googlegroups.com.
