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Simon Baird edited this page Nov 23, 2022 · 65 revisions

What is Tiddlyhost?

It's a web site, at tiddlyhost.com, where you can easily create public or private TiddlyWikis with a working save button, and also it's a name for the application that runs on that web site, and its source code.

Why?

There are many ways to set up TiddlyWiki so you can conveniently save, but in general the methods are complicated, and require installing additional software, which is sometimes buggy, unsupported, and not well documented. This leads to a bad user experience which can turn people away from TiddlyWiki. Also, because there are so many options it's hard for new potential TiddlyWiki users to know where to start. Tiddlyhost aims to be a solution for these problems by providing a simple, reliable, easy to understand way to get started with TiddlyWiki.

What about experienced hackers though?

Even if you do have the know-how and patience to get one of the many other TiddlyWiki save methods working, you might still find some value in a simple, reliable hosting service that lets you access and save your TiddlyWikis across multiple devices via the internet, and also lets you share your creations via the Tiddlyhost Hub.

What is TiddlyWiki?

TiddlyWiki is the highly popular, personal, extensible and customizable wiki written in JavaScript. See tiddlywiki.com for more details.

What is Feather Wiki?

Feather Wiki is a new TiddlyWiki-style wiki launched in May 2022. From the about page:

...like TiddlyWiki but with the smallest file size possible and a style more reminiscent of certain other popular wikis.

Feather Wiki is around one 40th the size of TiddlyWiki - 56 KB vs 2300 KB - and has an impressive feature list including Markdown and WYSIWYG editing. I think it has enormous potential, which is why I'm super happy about being able to support it on Tiddlyhost.

Will I be 'locked in'?

No. A Tiddlyhost TiddlyWiki is a standard TiddlyWiki. You will always be able to download it and do whatever you want with it.

Can I upload my own existing TiddlyWiki file?

Yes.

However, if the TiddlyWiki version is older than 5.2.0 there are some extra steps to make it work. (See the next FAQ for details.)

Can I use TiddlyWiki 5.1.23 or older?

You can. See Using a 5.1.23 or earlier version of TiddlyWiki for details.

How can I upgrade my site to a newer version of TiddlyWiki?

See Upgrading your site to the latest version of TiddlyWiki.

Where can I report problems?

Create an issue in Github or send an email.

I signed up but I didn't receive a signup confirmation email

It's possible the signup confirmation email is being classified as spam and either rejected by your email server, or filtered into the spam folder by your email client. FYI the signup confirmation email will be send with a from address of tiddlyhost@gmail.com.

If you have spam filtering problems you really can't avoid, email me and I'll see what I can do to get you your confirmation code.

Why can't I permanently set the autosave option?

See the explanation here.

Can I share my prefered TiddlyWiki setup as a template for other users?

See Sharing your customized TiddlyWiki "edition" as a template on Tiddlyhost.

How should the "TiddlySpot Saver" be configured for Tiddlyhost and for Tiddlyspot

See TiddlySpot Saver configuration.

(Note that for Tiddlyhost sites, you shouldn't need to worry about it since Tiddlyhost will set it for you automatically.)

What is the "put" saver and how does it differ from the "upload" saver?

See About the two different save methods.

Can I contribute code or feature suggestions?

Sure.

Is Tiddlyhost free?

For now, yes.

Will it always be free?

Hosting Tiddlyhost costs money. Maintaining and supporting Tiddlyhost takes time and effort. For that reason I'd like to make Tiddlyhost a "freemium" service, with a free option, but also with some paid options. How that works is yet to be determined.

Can I create my own version of Tiddlyhost?

Yes.

Can you help me with that?

I'll do my best to answer questions, but you're going to need to have some experience with building and deploying web applications. My intention is to write some docs on how to do it, but it won't be soon. See also #23.

If you just want to run Tiddlyhost on your laptop or local workstation, then following the steps in the README.md should get you there.

Will Does Tiddlyhost support TiddlyWiki Classic?

Maybe. Mostly. Yes, though very old TiddlyWikis with the older "storeArea" format won't work. See also #83.

Will Tiddlyspot come back like it was before with 'save to web' support?

No. Maybe. Yes, it's back. See details here.

What does it mean to "claim" a Tiddlyspot site

Tiddlyhost users can "claim" a Tiddlyspot site if they know the password. Once you claim a site you will have the ability to:

  • See it in your site list
  • Set it to public or private
  • Change the password
  • List it in the Tiddlyspot Hub
  • Add tags and a description
  • (In future) Delete it

What about the jsMath plugin for Tiddlyspot sites running TiddlyWiki Classic?

It works now also.

Can I write a script to regularly backup my site?

You can. See here for an example.

Is there a way to access my tiddler data directly?

See Accessing Tiddlyhost data as JSON.

This is cool, can I buy you a coffee/help out with hosting bills/show my support?

You can donate via Paypal, Github Sponsors or Buy Me a Coffee. See the details here.

In future you may be able to donate via other methods, or pay for a Tiddlyhost subscription.

Are there any other ways to help or show support?

  • Delete old sites if you're not using them since it helps reduce storage requirements.
  • Don't embed large media files in your site since it creates very large TiddlyWiki files that cause problems for Tiddlyhost.
  • Report bugs or suggest ideas. (See above for how to do it.)
  • Review the issue list and contribute to discussions there.
  • Follow the Tiddlyspot Blog.
  • Follow Tiddlyhost on Twitter.
  • Join the TiddlyWiki 5 Discourse or the TiddlyWiki Google Group/Mailing List and participate in Tiddlyhost related discussions there.
  • Tell your friends about Tiddlyhost.
  • Email me some feedback.