+[[!tag reviewed]]
+[[!template id=gitbranch branch=jon/pagespec_alias author="[[Jon]]"]]
[[!tag patch wishlist]]I quite often find myself repeating a boiler-plate
[[ikiwiki/pagespec]] chunk, e.g.
I wrote the following plugin to achieve this:
- commit f3a9dd113338fe5d2b717de1dc69679ff74e2f8d
- Author: Jon Dowland <jmtd@debian.org>
- Date: Tue May 3 17:40:16 2011 +0100
-
- new plugin: alias.pm - pagespec aliases
-
- diff --git a/IkiWiki/Plugin/alias.pm b/IkiWiki/Plugin/alias.pm
- new file mode 100644
- index 0000000..b8d4574
- --- /dev/null
- +++ b/IkiWiki/Plugin/alias.pm
- @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
- +package IkiWiki::Plugin::alias;
- +
- +use warnings;
- +use strict;
- +use IkiWiki '3.00';
- +
- +sub import {
- + hook(type => "getsetup", id=> "alias", call => \&getsetup);
- + hook(type => "checkconfig", id=> "alias", call => \&checkconfig);
- +}
- +
- +sub getsetup () {
- + return
- + plugin => {
- + description => "allows the definition of pagespec aliases",
- + safe => 1,
- + rebuild => 1,
- + section => "misc",
- + },
- + pagespec_aliases => {
- + type => "string",
- + example => {"image" => "*jpg or *jpeg or *png or *gif or *ico" },
- + description => "a set of mappings from alias name to pagespec",
- + safe => 1,
- + rebuild => 0,
- + },
- +}
- +
- +sub checkconfig () {
- + no strict 'refs';
- + no warnings 'redefine';
- +
- + if ($config{pagespec_aliases}) {
- + foreach my $key (keys %{$config{pagespec_aliases}}) {
- + my $value = ${$config{pagespec_aliases}}{$key};
- + # XXX: validate key?
- + my $subname = "IkiWiki::PageSpec::match_$key";
- + *{ $subname } = sub {
- + my $path = shift;
- + return IkiWiki::pagespec_match($path, $value);
- + }
- + }
- + }
- +}
- +
- +1;
+ <snip old patch; see git branch outlined above>
I need to reflect on this a bit more before I send a pull request. In
particular I imagine the strict/warnings stuff will make you puke. Also, I'm
> I think it would make sense to have "pagespec" in the name somehow.
-> > Good idea, how about `pagespecalias`? — [[Jon]]
+>> Good idea, how about `pagespecalias`? — [[Jon]]
->
> No, the strict/warnings does not make me puke. Have you read my perl
> code? :-P
>
>> Useful indeed! --[[Joey]]
+
+>>> I've tweaked my patch in light of your above feedback: The plugin has been
+>>> renamed, and I now validate keys. I've also added documentation and tests
+>>> to the branch. I haven't read rubykat's code properly yet, and don't have
+>>> access at the time of writing (I'm on a beach in Greece ☺), but I expect it
+>>> would be possible to extend what I've got here to support defining the
+>>> aliases in a PageSpec, once the dependency stuff has been reasoned out
+>>> properly.
+>>>
+>>> I'd like to solve the issue of this not being web-configurable by
+>>> implementing support for more nested datatypes in [[plugins/websetup]]. —
+>>> [[Jon]]
+
+>>>> Well, it's a difficult problem. websetup builds a form using
+>>>> CGI::FormBuilder, which makes it easy to build the simple UI we have
+>>>> now, but sorta precludes anything more complicated. And anything with
+>>>> a nested datatype probably needs a customized UI for users to be able
+>>>> to deal with it. I don't think websetupability need be a deal-breaker
+>>>> for this patch. I personally like special pages like Kathryn is doing
+>>>> more than complex setup files. --[[Joey]]
+
+>>>>> I've ran out of time to keep working on this, so I'm just going to
+>>>>> submit it as a 'contrib' plugin and leave things at that for now.
+>>>>> — [[Jon]]
+
---------------------------
Based on the above, I have written an experimental plugin called "subset".
>>> As for the name "subset"... well, it's even less like an alias now, and "alias" is already a reserved name. What other names would you suggest?
>>>--[[KathrynAndersen]]
+
+>>>> Regarding my comments: I wasn't clear what you are/were intending to
+>>>> achieve with your modifications. I've aimed for a self-contained plugin
+>>>> which could be merged with ikiwiki proper. I think I initially took your
+>>>> developments as being an evolution of that with the same goal, which is
+>>>> why I commented on the (change of) name. However, I guess your work is
+>>>> more of a fork than a continuation, in which case you can call it
+>>>> whatever you like ☺ I like some of the enhancements you've made, but
+>>>> having the aliases/subsets/"things" work in any pagespec (inside map, or
+>>>> inline) is a deal-breaker for me. — [[Jon]]
+
+>>>>> I'm a bit confused by your statement "having the aliases/subsets/"things" work in any pagespec (inside map, or inline) is a deal-breaker for me".
+>>>>> Do you mean that you want them to work in any pagespec, or that you *don't* want them to work in any pagespec? -- [[KathrynAndersen]]
+
+>>>>>> I mean I would want them to work in any pagespec. — [[Jon]]
+
+----
+
+Hi, it's been 7 years since I last looked at this, and I'm surprised to find
+that I'd got it up to a merge-request state; I've dusted it off and done some
+clean up and testing, but it's working (albeit not via websetup). I've revamped
+the docs and rebased the branch. Can someone please consider merging ([[joey]]
+or [[smcv]]?) or otherwise feed back on this? Thanks! — [[Jon]] (2018-09-25)
+
+> To hide it from `websetup`, the `example` needs to be a hash reference
+> like `example => { images => "*.png or *.jpg or *.gif" }`, I think?
+> (Please try it on a websetup-enabled wiki, possibly by copying
+> `t/manual/git_revert` to `t/manual/websetup` and adapting it as required.)
+>
+> For a less magical variant, you could consider using `alias(images)`
+> instead of `images()` for the pagespec syntax that is enabled by the
+> example above. I'm not sure which way is better.
+>
+> If `safe_key` fails, you probably want to log a warning, or even fail
+> `checkconfig` with a fatal `error`?
+>
+> If `checkconfig` detects that the given pagespec function already
+> exists, for example `title` after loading the meta plugin, you probably
+> want to log a warning or fail? It seems you can detect this with
+> `defined ref *$subname{CODE}`.
+>
+> If you define a loop of mutually recursive aliases (or even an alias
+> that refers to itself), I think you'll get infinite recursion.
+> You can probably bypass that with a construct like:
+>
+> my $entered;
+> *{ $subname } = sub {
+> return IkiWiki::ErrorReason->new("Alias $key is defined recursively") if $entered;
+> $entered = 1;
+> my $result = IkiWiki::pagespec_match($path, $value);
+> $entered = 0;
+> return $result;
+> }
+>
+> (but don't take my word for it, a regression test would tell you whether
+> this works.)
+>
+> --[[smcv]]
+
+----
+
+Thank you for the review (nearly a year ago, I've just noticed!). I've
+added checks for the issues you outline above, and test coverage for all
+those issues.
+I've also decided to rename the plugin (back) to just "alias":
+I mooted that right back when I started this but I was worried about
+potential ambiguity. That was ten years ago and I think the concern has
+prove unfounded. I've left the config key as `pagespec_aliases` though,
+as that's one area I think its clearer.
+
+With regards `aliasname()` versus `alias(aliasname)`:
+I've given this some thought. Pros and cons of that approach: it would be
+a little uglier; you would not inadvertently clash with a PageSpec defined
+elsewhere. However, I wonder if someone might actually *want* to define a
+PageSpec this way that was the same as that defined by something else: Perhaps,
+you have disabled a plugin that defined a PageSpec name and you want to substitute
+what it would have expanded to with something else, for example.
+
+I will (after writing this) rebase my branch. Please take another look!
+(just in case the rebase and/or the "-" in the branchnames causes problems
+with IkiWiki's auto-mirror-pull, the branch is here:
+<https://github.com/jmtd/ikiwiki/tree/pagespec-alias>)
+
+*— [[Jon]], 2021-01-10*
+
+> Scratch that, more work needed ☹ *— [[Jon]], 2021-01-11*
+
+>> This is really ready now. *— [[Jon]], 2021-01-13*