If it's problematic to find a way of including a generic Table of Contents in the empty.html tiddlywiki, perhaps in the meantime, having simple *step by step, detailed beginner's help* will be useful.
Inspired by Mark S.'s quick work of improving TW's tiddler: Adding a table of contents to the sidebar <https://tiddlywiki.com/#Adding%20a%20table%20of%20contents%20to%20the%20sidebar> , and submitting it (PR3518 <https://github.com/Jermolene/TiddlyWiki5/pull/3518>) on github, my attempt to help on this issue has been posted in the TiddlyWikiDocs Google Group under the title Beginners help for Table of Contents <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/tiddlywikidocs/008FhZq2KEc>. Feedback on that effort would make it easier to complete this successfully. On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 5:54:11 AM UTC+7, Mark S. wrote: > > Not sure how much of an improvement it is, but incorporated some of your > notes in PR3518 <https://github.com/Jermolene/TiddlyWiki5/pull/3518> > > -- Mark > > On Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 10:21:29 PM UTC-8, S. S. wrote: >> >> *Below is a short excerpt of my notes from when I first started using >> TiddlyWiki.* >> >> *----- begin -----* >> >> When I was brand new to TiddlyWiki, one of the first things I did was to >> add some tiddlers with a few notes from my extensive personal notes text >> file. Just Tiddler Titles, and a sentence or two of text in each tiddler. >> Once I had done a few of those and saved the file, I wanted to know how to >> find them easily again. The "Recent" tab did not seem the right way. I >> wanted a "Contents" tab like on the TW5 home page >> <https://tiddlywiki.com/>, and I wondered why there wasn't one. After >> all, the TiddlyWiki homepage had a Contents tab - why was mine missing >> this? And why was it missing that <more-actions> icon? "Strange", I thought. >> >> >> I typed "Contents" into the search bar of my TW - but nothing. >> Then , I typed "Contents" into the search bar on the TiddlyWiki home >> page, and opened the tiddler named "*Contents*" >> This was not useful. In fact it caused a lot of confusion as it was full >> of strange Latin writing, and led onwards to "*Table-of-Contents Macros >> (Examples)*". >> >> Next from the search box I clicked on "*Adding a table of contents to >> the sidebar*". I read this but found it confusing. What was the >> "sidebar"? What did "Give it the tag $:/tags/SideBar" mean? What was a >> "tag?" How did one "give the tag?" (Some days later, when I had figured >> these out, even when I made the " TableOfContents" tiddler, nothing showed >> up.) >> >> On the last line of the "*Adding a table of contents to the sidebar*" >> tiddler, it says: >> "Add entries to the table of contents by creating tiddlers tagged >> TableOfContents. An easy way is to choose < new-here icon> new here from >> the tiddler toolbar. To create sub-entries, tag them with the name of the >> parent entry." >> >> There was no <new-here icon> on the tiddler toolbar. Without clear >> instructions, it was not "intuitive" to find this by clicking the >> <more-actions icon> on the upper right of the tiddler. >> >> Nor was it clear what "creating sub entries" meant. How did one "create >> sub entries?" More confusing was "tag them with the name of the parent >> entry." What was a "tag?" How did one tag? What was a "parent entry?" >> >> On the top line of the tiddler - *Adding a table of contents to the >> sidebar* - is the following line: >> A customisable *table of contents* can be added to the sidebar with the >> following steps: >> >> Clicking the link: *table of contents* : takes on the the tiddler: >> *Table-of-Contents >> Macros* >> What is a Macro? How does one use these? : *toc toc-expandable >> toc-selective-expandable toc-tabbed-internal-nav and >> toc-tabbed-external-nav* >> More confusion. >> >> A little too advanced flow for the beginner. As a first step, I just want >> a table of contents that shows the few new tiddlers I have just made. That >> would make me so happy. Later, I can figure out how to do more, but right >> now, at the beginning, when I am just starting, I want it simple and easy, >> and to be able to see some result immediately. >> >> *----- end -----* >> >> Making the layout of the empty TW similar to the what is on >> tiddlywiki.com could be beneficial. It avoids the initial confusion of >> "why are these missing?" >> That would mean having a "Contents" tab, and also displaying the >> "More-actions" icon. >> >> The challenge might be - WHAT tiddler(s) are included in the empty.html >> that will be tagged with "TableOfContents" so that they show up in the >> newly included "*TableOfContents*" tiddler? What will they refer to? A >> few basic help tiddlers? An empty Journal entry? >> >> I imagine the LESS clutter in the empty.html the better, so what is the >> right balance? >> >> >> -- 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 post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/tiddlywiki. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tiddlywiki/aafec482-9154-45b2-852d-c0aea7ea985f%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
