zim-wiki team mailing list archive

[Dan Lessner <dan.lessner@xxxxxxxxxx>]

This spoiler functionality might be emulated by a more general thing I have on 
my mind for some time, though I'm not yet able specify it fully. I will do my 
best here (excuse the length) and appreciate your thoughts and comments.

The basic idea derives from a use case "writing a book". I write it with 
respect to the tree-structure of chapters, sections etc. For the sake of 
clarity and editing efficiency, I don't really use different heading levels, i 
rather insert sub-sections as sub-pages. The wiki index then looks more or 
less like a book index.
Now for the feature: it would be often useful to have a possibility to see not 
one single page only in the right pane, but more of them following each other. 

This on left: 

Chapter 1
	Sect 1.1
	Sect 1.2

Would, with the feature on, lead to something like this on right:

==== Chapter 1====
--- Actual content of the page named Chapter 1, serves e.g. as an 
introduction.
### visual delimiter, as <hr> or so ###
	=== Sect 1.1 ===
	--- Actual content of the page named Sect 1.1 ---
### delimiter ###
	=== Sect 1.2 ===
	--- Actual content of the page named Sect 1.2 ---

This view would be useful for reading, printing, but often also for editing. 
The depth would not necessarily be the maximal, it should better be 
configurable. Thus we could set the level of detail we want to see. Very 
useful for textbooks with the scale of summaries - more comments - basic full 
text - fun facts - historical remarks.

It could work great with tag filtering.


Now to the spoilers: as suggested, they could be put in subpages. To reveal 
the spoilers, user simply adds +1 on the level-of-detail slider. (Though this 
affects all the spoilers at once, what perhaps is not exactly the original 
request).

Another way how to see this thing, and from where inspiration is coming, is 
source code folding. There individual (not based on depth in tree) collapsing 
is allowed too (=> could work for the spoilers). We could also collapse parts 
of pages based on headings. This leads to another thing I would like: linking 
also to parts of pages, to be able to be more precise. This might be done by 
rethinking the notion af a page and somehow dissolving the border between 
"pages structure" and "structure of one page". Therefore I'm not sure if it 
wouldn't change Zim into something different :-)
It is also a question of what is to be implemented in the data structures and 
what is sufficient to do at presentation level (=> not changing Zim for those 
who don't need the functionality). 

I'm ready to explain whatever I might have blurred. Though, it may be blurred 
just because this whole idea is not thought through sufficiently yet.

Can anyone else see some potential in this?
I hope so! :-)

Thanks for your patience and comments,
Dan Lessner



Dne Čt 14. července 2011 19:33:49 cpgreer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx napsal(a):
> An example of a spolier button can be found here:
> http://chizumatic.mee.nu/?page=7  at the bottom of the page.  Press the
> button and it expands.  I have only seen these buttons on reveiws and
> such.  I think a subpage would work just as well.......
> 
> There are a lot of other things I would rather see implemented  :)    Like
> table support, ability to sort lists and an iPhone app, lol!
> 
> Thanks,
> - Chuck
> 
> Jaap Karssenberg <jaap.karssenberg@xxxxxxxxx>
> Sent by: zim-wiki-bounces+cpgreer=rockwellcollins.com@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 07/14/2011 09:00 AM
> 
> To
> Justokre <justokre@xxxxxxxxx>
> cc
> Zim <zim-wiki@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject
> Re: [Zim-wiki] Thanks for the responses
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 3:57 PM, Justokre <justokre@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hmm, well I suppose it would just be nice for those who don't want a ton
> of pages and subpages. Instead having a fewer pages, but with much more
> "hidden" information on them. Its not entirely necessary, just a nicety.
> 
> To me having large pages is a good argument to  implement a table of
> content (Btw. there is a feature request for this in the system already)
> so you can jump to the relevant part of the page. But once you have that,
> would you still want to hide parts ?
> 
> -- Jaap
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