Re: Anyone using Wiki for collaboration?

[Chris <cud -at- telecable -dot- es>]

I think I built something that would qualify as a WIKI (perhaps 
embryonic) in '96.  It was used to distribute project docs.  To add to 
it you just had to put your docs in the file tree.  It also used 
something as simple as the "ls" command to fake searches...  Based on 
the orderly structure of the file tree, you could search for a topic 
within one project, within all projects, within one dept for one or all 
projects, all depts for one or all projects, etc.  It was all Perl-based 
CGI, very simple, and required no attention to function well.  It had 
auto-updated lists of keywords for each "level" in the tree (Project, 
Dept., Feature, etc.).  You made selections in each list, and viola, a 
list of hits.  The only problem was a potential proliferation of 
keywords, which could make it unwieldy.  I controlled the top levels of 
the tree, but anybody could create a lower level, the name of which was 
a keyword.

One problem was accessing the actual files to revise them.  As you know, 
HTTP returns a copy of the file, not the real thing.  So you would have 
to jump through hoops to get changes into the source file.  For us the 
problem was easily overcome - we were all on FrameMaker, so I 
(optionally) generated a MIF hypertext doc of all the "search" hits. 
These hits were links to the actual files, so clicking them opened the 
real source, you could edit, then save.  

Definitely, this is the way to distribute project docs...  Access for 
all, minimum effort for the authors.

--
Chris Despopoulos, maker of CudSpan Freeware...
Plugins to Enhance FrameMaker & FrameMaker+SGML
http://www.telecable.es/personales/cud/
cud -at- telecable -dot- es



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by April 30. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com

Are you using Doc-to-Help or ForeHelp? Switch to RoboHelp for Word for $249
or to RoboHelp Office for only $499. Get the PC Magazine five-star rated
Help authoring tool for less! Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.