Difference: TWikiVariables (36 vs. 37)

Revision 372001-09-01 - MikeMannix

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TWiki Variables

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< TWikiVariables are text strings enclosed in percentage signs: %VARIABLE% that represent stored data. When a topic is rendered for viewing, defined variables replaced by their actual values. TWiki has two types of variable, predefined, and Preference-based, where you can change settings. Through Preference variables, you can even define custom variables. Clearly, they are a power TWiki feature.

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> TWikiVariables are text strings enclosed in percentage signs: %VARIABLE% that represent stored data. When a topic is rendered for viewing, defined variables are replaced by their actual values. TWiki has two types of variable, predefined and Preference-based, where usually you determine the content. Through Preference variables, you can also define custom variables, creating new variable name and value. TWiki variables are as simple to use as they are powerful, and vice versa!

Predefined Variables

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> With a couple of notable exceptions, predefined variables return set values that are defined one-time on installation and left alone. Most are directory names and file paths, customized for your server, and only have to be updated once in the main configuration file if your server set-up changes.

TWiki expands the following variables enclosed in % percent signs:

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%WIKIHOMEURL% The base script URL of TWiki, is the link of the Home icon in the upper left corner, is /twiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

%SCRIPTURL% The script URL of TWiki, is http://twiki.oats.inaf.it/twiki/bin

%SCRIPTURLPATH% The path of the script URL of TWiki, is /twiki/bin

%SCRIPTSUFFIX% The script suffix, ex: .pl, .cgi is

%PUBURL% The public URL of TWiki, is http://twiki.oats.inaf.it/twiki/pub

%PUBURLPATH% The path of the public URL of TWiki, is /twiki/pub

%ATTACHURL% The attachment URL of the current topic, is http://twiki.oats.inaf.it/twiki/pub/TWiki/TWikiVariables
Example: If you attach a file you can refer to it as %ATTACHURL%/image.gif

%ATTACHURLPATH% The path of the attachment URL of the current topic, is /twiki/pub/TWiki/TWikiVariables

%URLPARAM{"name"}% Returns the value of a URL parameter. Ex: %URLPARAM{"skin"}% returns print for a .../view/TWiki/TWikiVariables?skin=print URL. Is

%WIKITOOLNAME% Name of wiki tool, is TWiki

%WIKIVERSION% Wiki tool version is TWiki-6.1.0, Mon, 16 Jul 2018, build 30610

%USERNAME% Your login username is guest

%WIKINAME% Your Wiki username. Same as %USERNAME% if not defined in the TWikiUsers topic. Is TWikiGuest

%WIKIUSERNAME% Your %WIKINAME% including the Main web name. Usefull for signatures. Is Main.TWikiGuest

%MAINWEB% The Main web containing TWikiUsers, OfficeLocations and TWikiGroups. Is Main

%TWIKIWEB% The web containing all documentation and configuration of TWiki is TWiki

%WEB% The current web is TWiki

%BASEWEB% The web name where the includes started, e.g. the web of the first topic of nested includes. Same as %WEB% in case there is no include.

%INCLUDINGWEB% The web name of the topic that includes the current topic. Same as %WEB% in case there is no include.

%HOMETOPIC% The home topic in each web. Is WebHome

%NOTIFYTOPIC% The notify topic in each web. Is WebNotify

%WIKIUSERSTOPIC% The index topic of all registered users. Is TWikiUsers

%WEBPREFSTOPIC% The web preferences topic. Is WebPreferences

%STATISTICSTOPIC% The web statistics topic. Is WebStatistics

%TOPIC% The current topic name, is TWikiVariables

%BASETOPIC% The name of the topic where the includes started, e.g. the first topic of nested includes. Same as %TOPIC% in case there is no include.

%INCLUDINGTOPIC% The name of the topic that includes the current topic. Same as %TOPIC% in case there is no include.

%SPACEDTOPIC% The current topic name with added spaces, for regular expression search of Ref-By, is TWiki%20*Variables

%TOPICLIST{"format"}%

Topic index of a web. The "format" defines the format of one topic item. It may include variables: The $name variable gets expanded to the topic name; the $web variable gets expanded to the name of the web. Parameters are format, separator and web:

Parameter:	Description:	Default:
`"format"`	Format of one line, may include `$name` and `$web` variables	`"$name"`
`format="format"`	(Alternative to above)	`"$name"`
`separator=", "`	line separator	`"\n"` (new line)
`web="Name"`	Name of web	Current web

Examples:
%TOPICLIST{" * $web.$name"}% creates a bullet list of all topics.
%TOPICLIST{separator=", "}% creates a comma separated list of all topics.
%TOPICLIST{" <option>$name</option>"}% creates an option list (for drop down menus).

%WEBLIST{"format"}%

Web index, e.g. list of all webs. Hidden webs are excluded, e.g. webs with a NOSEARCHALL=on preference variable. The "format" defines the format of one web item. The $name variable gets expanded to the name of the web, $qname gets expanded to double quoted name, $marker to marker where web matches selection. Parameters are format, separator and web:

Parameter:	Description:	Default:
`"format"`	Format of one line, may include `$name` variable	`"$name"`
`format="format"`	(Alternative to above)	`"$name"`
`separator=", "`	line separator	`"\n"` (new line)
`webs="public"`	comma sep list of Web, public expands to all non-hidden	`"public"`
`marker="selected"`	Text for `$marker` where item matches `selection`, otherwise equals `""`	`"selected"`
`selection`	Current value e.g. current for current Web, =section="%WEB%"

Examples:
%WEBLIST{" * [[$name.WebHome]]"}% creates a bullet list of all webs.
%WEBLIST{"" webs="Trash,public" selection="TWiki" separator=" "}% Dropdown of all public Webs + Trash Web, current Web highlighted.

%GMTIME% GM time, is 2025-07-16 - 21:11

%GMTIME{"format"}%

Formatted GM time based on time variables.

Variable:	Unit:	Example
$seconds	seconds	59
$minutes	minutes	59
$hours	hours	23
$day	day of month	31
$month	month in ISO format	Dec
$mo	2 digit month	12
$year	4 digit year	1999
$ye	2 digit year	99

Variables can be shortened to 3 characters. Example:
%GMTIME{"$day $month, $year - $hour:$min:$sec"}% is
16 Jul, 2025 - 21:11:39

%SERVERTIME% Server time, is 2025-07-16 - 23:11

%SERVERTIME{"format"}% Formatted server time.
Example: %SERVERTIME{"$hou:$min"}% is 23:11

%HTTP_HOST% HTTP_HOST environment variable, is twiki.oats.inaf.it

%REMOTE_ADDR% REMOTE_ADDR environment variable, is 216.73.216.48

%REMOTE_PORT% REMOTE_PORT environment variable, is

%REMOTE_USER% REMOTE_USER environment variable, is

%INCLUDE{"page" ...}%

Server side include to IncludeTopicsAndWebPages. Parameters are page name, and an optional pattern="(reg-exp)". The page name is:

`"SomeTopic"`	The name of a topic located in the current web, i.e. `%INCLUDE{"WebNotify"}%`
`"Web.Topic"`	A topic in another web, i.e. `%INCLUDE{"TWiki.TWikiWebsTable"}%`
`"http://..."`	A full qualified URL, i.e. `%INCLUDE{"http://twiki.org/"}%`

%STARTINCLUDE% If present in included topic, start to include text from this location up to the end, or up to the location of the %STOPINCLUDE% variable. A normal view of the topic shows everyting exept the %STARTINCLUDE% variable itself.

%STOPINCLUDE% If present in included topic, stop to include text at this location and ignore the remaining text. A normal view of the topic shows everyting exept the %STOPINCLUDE% variable itself.

%TOC% Table of Contents of current topic.

%TOC{"SomeTopic" ...}%

Table of Contents. Shows a TOC that is generated automatically based on headings of a topic. Headings in WikiSyntax ("---++ text") and HTML ("<h2>text<h2>") are taken into account. (But not "<H2>text</H2>", which can be used to exclude a heading from the TOC.) Parameters are topic name, web and depth:

Parameter:	Description:	Default:
`"TopicName"`	topic name	Current topic
`web="Name"`	Name of web	Current web
`depth="2"`	Limit depth of headings shown in TOC	6

Examples: %TOC{depth="2"}%, %TOC{"TWikiDocumentation" web="TWiki"}%

%SEARCH{"text" ...}%

Inline search, shows a search result embedded in a topic. Parameters are the search term, web, scope, order and many more: [1]

Parameter:	Description:	Default:
`"text"`	Search term. (Is a regular expression or literal, depending on the `regex` parameter)	required
`search="text"`	(Alternative to above)	N/A
`web="Name"` `web="Main Know"` `web="all"`	Wiki web to search: A web, a list of webs separated by whitespace, or `all` webs. [2]	Current web
`scope="topic"` `scope="text"`	Search topic name (title) or in the text (body) of the topic	Topic text (body)
`order="topic"` `order="modified"` `order="editby"`	Sort the results of search by the topic names, last modified time, or last editor	Sort by topic name
`limit="all"` `limit="16"`	Limit the number of results returned	All results
`regex="on"`	RegularExpression search	Literal search
`reverse="on"`	Reverse the direction of the search	Ascending search
`casesensitive="on"`	Case sensitive search	Ignore case
`nosummary="on"`	Show topic title only	Show topic summary
`bookview="on"`	BookView search, e.g. show complete topic text	Show topic summary
`nosearch="on"`	Suppress search string	Show search string
`noheader="on"`	Suppress search header Topics: Changed: By:	Show search header
`nototal="on"`	Do not show number of topics found	Show number

Example: %SEARCH{"wiki" web="Main" scope="topic"}%

%VAR{"NAME" web="Web"}% Get a preference value from a web other then the current one. Example: To get %WEBBGCOLOR% of the Main web write %VAR{"WEBBGCOLOR" web="Main"}%, is #FFEFA6

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[1] Note: The search form uses identical names for input fields.

[2] Note: A web can be excluded from a web="all" search if you define a NOSEARCHALL=on variable in its WebPreferences.

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Preferences Variables

Additional variables are defined in the preferences ( site-level ( SL ) in TWikiPreferences, web-level ( WL ) in WebPreferences of each web, and user level ( UL ) preferences in individual user topics):

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Variable:	Level:	What:

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Variable:	Level:	What:

`%WIKIWEBMASTER%`	SL	Webmaster email address (sender of email notifications) , is andrea.bignamini@inaf.it
`%WIKIWEBLIST%`	SL	List of TWiki webs (in upper right corner of topics)
`%WEBTOPICLIST%`	WL	Common links of web (second line of topics)
`%WEBCOPYRIGHT%`	SL , WL	Copyright notice (bottom right corner of topics)
`%WEBBGCOLOR%`	WL	Background color of web
`%NOSEARCHALL%`	WL	Exclude web from a `web="all"` search (set variable to `on` for hidden webs)
`%NEWTOPICBGCOLOR%`	SL , UL	Background color of non existing topic. ( UL needs authentication for topic views )
`%NEWTOPICFONTCOLOR%`	SL , UL	Font color of non existing topic. ( UL needs authentication for topic views )
`%EDITBOXWIDTH%`	SL , UL	Horizontal size of edit box, is `70`
`%EDITBOXHEIGHT%`	SL , UL	Vertical size of edit box, is `20`
`%RELEASEEDITLOCKCHECKBOX%`	SL , UL	Default state of the "Release edit lock" (UnlockTopic) check box in preview. Checkbox is initially checked if `Set RELEASEEDITLOCKCHECKBOX = checked="checked"`, or unchecked if empty. If checked, make sure to click on Edit to do more changes; do not go back in your browser to the edit page, or you risk that someone else will edit the topic at the same time! Value is: `%RELEASEEDITLOCKCHECKBOX%`
`%DONTNOTIFYCHECKBOX%`	SL , UL	Default state of the "Minor Changes, Don't Notify" (DontNotify) check box in preview. Check box is initially checked if `Set DONTNOTIFYCHECKBOX = checked="checked"`, or unchecked if empty. Value is:
`%ATTACHLINKBOX%`	SL , UL	Default state of the link check box in the attach file page. Check box is initially checked if value is set to `CHECKED` , unchecked if empty. If checked, a link is created to the attached file at the end of the topic. Value is:
`%HTTP_EQUIV_ON_VIEW%`	SL	http-equiv meta tags for view, rdiff, attach, search* scripts.
`%HTTP_EQUIV_ON_EDIT%`	SL , UL	http-equiv meta tags for edit script.
`%HTTP_EQUIV_ON_PREVIEW%`	SL , UL	http-equiv meta tags for preview script.
`%DENYWEBCHANGE%`	WL	List of users and groups who are not allowed to change topics in the TWiki web. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%ALLOWWEBCHANGE%`	WL	List of users and groups who are allowed to change topics in the TWiki web. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%DENYTOPICCHANGE%`	*(any topic)*	List of users and groups who are not allowed to change the current topic. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%ALLOWTOPICCHANGE%`	*(any topic)*	List of users and groups who are allowed to change the current topic. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%DENYWEBRENAME%`	WL	List of users and groups who are not allowed to rename topics in the TWiki web. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%ALLOWWEBRENAME%`	WL	List of users and groups who are allowed to rename topics in the TWiki web. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%DENYTOPICRENAME%`	*(any topic)*	List of users and groups who are not allowed to rename the current topic. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%ALLOWTOPICRENAME%`	*(any topic)*	List of users and groups who are allowed to rename the current topic. (More in TWikiAccessControl)
`%FINALPREFERENCES%`	SL , WL	List of preferences that are not allowed to be overridden by next level preferences

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Setting Variable Preferences

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Setting Preferences

The syntax for Preferences variables is the same anywhere in TWiki. In Edit mode, from the start of a new line:
[6 spaces] * [space] Set [space] VARIABLENAME [space] = [value]
Example:
- Set VARIABLENAME = value

Creating Custom Variables

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You can add your own preference variables for an entire site, a single web, or a single topic, using the standard syntax. Whatever you include in your variable will be expanded on display, and treated exactly as if it had been written out. So you can place formatted text, page links, image paths.
Example: To place a logo anywhere in a web by typing %MYLOGO%, define the variable in the web's WebPreferences topic, like this (in this case, you also have to upload logo.gif to the same directory):
- Set MYLOGO = %PUBURLPATH%/%MAINWEB%/LogoTopic/logo.gif

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You can add your own preference variables for an entire site, a single web, or a single topic, using the standard syntax. Whatever you include in your variable will be expanded on display, and treated exactly as if it had been written out. So you can place formatted text, page links, image paths.

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HOW-TO: Create a custom logo variable
To place a logo anywhere in a web by typing %MYLOGO%, simply define the variable on the web's WebPreferences page. In this case, you also have to upload logo.gif to the same directory.:

Set MYLOGO = %PUBURLPATH%/%MAINWEB%/LogoTopic/logo.gif

-- MikeMannix - 30 Aug 2001

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