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TwistyPlugin

A "twisty" is an interface toggle control to show and hide content.

TwistyPlugin gives you several options to control the appearance of a twisty:

  • use link text or buttons
  • position an icon left or right
  • remember the state at the next visit of the page
  • start the Twisty open or closed
  • start the Twisty open or closed for the first visit
  • use a span or div for the content
  • set a class for the content span or div

Twisty has a fallback mechanism in case JavaScript is not available: all content is displayed and the control buttons are hidden.

On this page:

Usage examples

Triad

A Twisty consists of 3 elements:
  1. Show button
  2. Hide button
  3. Collapsing content ('Toggle')

The typical TwistyPlugin triad will look like this (pseudo code): 

%TWISTYSHOW{}% %TWISTYHIDE{}%
(there may be other things between buttons and content)
%TWISTYTOGGLE{}% my content %ENDTWISTYTOGGLE%

Shorthand

The Twisty triad is conveniently packed into shorthand %TWISTY{some parameters}% Collapsing content %ENDTWISTY%: 

%TWISTY{}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Will generate:

More...Close my twisty content

You may have noticed that no parameters are passed to %TWISTY{}% but the show and hide links do have text! The default values are fetched from plugin settings TWISTYSHOWLINK and TWISTYHIDELINK, see Plugin Settings below.

Twisty with icons

We will use mode="div" to put the collapsing content below the button (the default mode is "span"). 

%TWISTY{
mode="div"
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
showimgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleopen-small}%"
hideimgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleclose-small}%"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

It will look like this:

Show...Hide
my twisty content

To put icons at the right side, write 

%TWISTY{
mode="div"
showlink="Show "
hidelink="Hide "
showimgright="%ICONURLPATH{toggleopen-small}%"
hideimgright="%ICONURLPATH{toggleclose-small}%"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Show Hide 
my twisty content

Make it remember

To store the last state in a FOSWIKIPREF cookie, add the parameter remember="on".
To test this, reload the page after toggling. 

%TWISTY{
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
remember="on"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Show...Hide my twisty content

If a Twisty state has been stored in a FOSWIKIPREF cookie before, it can be cleared by using remember="off": 

%TWISTY{
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
remember="off"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Show...Hide my twisty content

NOTE: Twisty ids are generated automatically. If you need control over exactly which Twisty should be remembered, add the parameter id: 

%TWISTY{
id="currentCustomerList"
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
remember="on"
}%
my customer list
%ENDTWISTY%

Note that id sets a sitewide cookie. To create a unique id, add topic or web macros: 

id="%WEB%_%TOPIC%_currentCustomerList"

Make it obey

To let the Twisty start with its content folded open, add parameter start="show". 

%TWISTY{
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
start="show"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Show...Hide my twisty content

Likewise use start="hide" to start with hidden content. 

%TWISTY{
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
start="hide"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Show...Hide my twisty content

Make it obey only the first time

To let the Twisty start with its content folded open the first time the visitor sees the Twisty, add the parameter firststart="show". If remember="on" is used, subsequential visits to the page will display the Twisty according the cookie setting. 

%TWISTY{
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
firststart="show"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Show...Hide my twisty content

Other use: hide interface parts in case of no JavaScript

You can use Twisty to show interface elements that should only be visible with JavaScript enabled. For instance the textbox control buttons in the edit screen need JavaScript to work. If a visitor does not have JavaScript on it would not make sense to show these buttons.

Put the "JavaScript content" in an almost bare bones Twisty. Write showlink="" hidelink="" to not display any default link texts. 

%TWISTY{
link=""
noscript="hide"
start="show"
}%
<input type="submit" class="foswikiButton" value="You surely have !JavaScript" />
%ENDTWISTY%

Do not forget to set start="show" to show the Twisty content at all.

When JavaScript is off, the button should be invisible.

This code will show the button when JavaScript is off: 

%TWISTY{
link=""
start="show"
}%
<input type="submit" class="foswikiButton" value="You might have !JavaScript" />
%ENDTWISTY%

Styling the Twisty

Use parameter class to style the content div or class: 

%TWISTY{
mode="div"
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
class="foswikiHelp"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Generates:

Show...Hide
my twisty content

Styling the Twisty link or button

Use parameter linkclass to style the twisty links: 

%TWISTY{
mode="div"
showlink="Show..."
hidelink="Hide"
linkclass="foswikiButton"
}%
my twisty content
%ENDTWISTY%

Generates:

Show...Hide
my twisty content

Twisty headers

To be able to use header tags like <h2<, use the properties prefix and suffix. Because we have identical show and hide links we can use the shorthand property link. 

%TWISTY{
prefix="<h4>"
mode="div"
link="Twisty Header"
showimgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleopen}%"
hideimgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleclose}%"
suffix="</h4>"
}%
%GREEN% my twisty content %ENDCOLOR%
%ENDTWISTY%

Will create:

Twisty HeaderTwisty Header

my twisty content

If you don't use images, there is an easier way to create a twisty header: 

%TWISTY{
mode="div"
showlink="<h4>&#9658; Details</h4>"
hidelink="<h4>&#9660; Details</h4>"
}%
%GREEN% my twisty content %ENDCOLOR%
%ENDTWISTY%

Will create:

► Details

▼ Details

my twisty content

All on, all off

You can toggle all Twisties on or off at once by putting a link or button on the page with class twistyExpandAll or twistyCollapseAll. 

<button class="twistyExpandAll foswikiButton">Expand all</button> &nbsp; <button class="twistyCollapseAll foswikiButton">Collapse all</button>

Creates these controls:

 

When you want to use links, write: 

#VarTOGGLE

<a href="#TOGGLE" class="twistyExpandAll">Expand all</a> &nbsp; 
<a href="#TOGGLE" class="twistyCollapseAll">Collapse all</a>

Expand all   Collapse all

Special syntax: format tokens

If you use other macros inside TWISTY parameters chances are it will mess up the macro, or the rendered html. Use format tokens to 'delay' rendering of these variables until the Twisty parameters are parsed.

The format tokens are the same as with FormattedSearch:

Escape: Expands To:
$n or $n() New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
$nop or $nop() Is a "no operation".
$quot Double quote (")
$percnt Percent sign (%)
$dollar Dollar sign ($)

For example, to show an icon inside the link, do not write: 

link="%Y%"

but use format tokens: 

link="$percntY$percnt"

... to get:

DONEDONE
my twisty content

Or a more complex example using SpreadSheetPlugin; do not write: 

link="Count: (%CALC{"$GET(infoCount)"}%)"

but use format tokens: 

link="Count: ($percntCALC{$quot$dollarGET(infoCount)$quot}$percnt)"

Syntax

TWISTY

This renders the button as well as the toggled content section contained within this and the closing ENDTWISTY tag.
Usage: %TWISTY{ ... }% Toggable contents %ENDTWISTY%

Parameter Value Description Remark
id Unique identifier Used to link TWISTYBUTTON and TWISTYTOGGLE optional
link Link label Link label for both show and hide links optional
hidelink Link label Hide link label optional
showlink Link label Show link label optional
mode "div" or "span" Specify if the Twisty Toggle section will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be div as well to create valid HTML markup. optional, defaults to <span>
showimgleft Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the show link at the left side of the link.
You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic. 		optional, defaults to no image
hideimgleft Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the hide link at the left side of the link.
You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic. 		optional, defaults to no image
showimgright Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the show link at the right side of the link.
You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic. 		optional, defaults to no image
hideimgright Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed with the hide link at the right side of the link.
You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic. 		optional, defaults to no image
remember "on", "off" If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared.
Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked. 		optional, no default
start "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember). optional, default no initial state
firststart "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember). optional, default no initial state
noscript "hide" Make content hidden in case use does not have JavaScript on optional, default content is shown in case JavaScript if off
class CSS class name Class for Twisty div or span optional, default none
linkclass CSS class name Class for link optional, default none
prefix Text Text to display before the show/hide links optional, default none
suffix Text Text to display after the show/hide links optional, default none
img Image url Deprecated, use showimgleft, hideimgleft, showimgright or hideimgright. optional, defaults to no image
imgleft Image url Deprecated, use showimgleft, hideimgleft, showimgright or hideimgright. optional, defaults to no image
imgright Image url Deprecated, use showimgleft, hideimgleft, showimgright or hideimgright. optional, defaults to no image
hideimg Image url Deprecated, use showimgleft, hideimgleft, showimgright or hideimgright. optional, defaults to no image
showimg Image url Deprecated, use showimgleft, hideimgleft, showimgright or hideimgright. optional, defaults to no image

ENDTWISTY

Twisty closure, complements the opening TWISTY tag.
  • Syntax: %ENDTWISTY%

See ENDTWISTYTOGGLE.

Twisty components syntax

Ocassionally you might need to create a custom set of individual Twisty components:

TWISTYBUTTON

Shorthand version for TWISTYSHOW & TWISTYHIDE This is useful if both the show and the hide button take the same arguments.
  • Supported parameters: all parameters supported by TWISTY, except for noscript and class (only used for 'toggle' content)
  • Parameter differences:
    • mode: button mode defaults to span
  • Syntax: %TWISTYBUTTON{id="myid" ... }%
  • Supported parameters:
    Parameter Value Description Remark
    mode "div" or "span" Specify if the Twisty button will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be div as well to create valid HTML markup. optional, defaults to <span>
  • Example: %TWISTYBUTTON{id="myid" link="more"}%%TWISTYTOGGLE{id="myid"}%content%ENDTWISTYTOGGLE%
  • Related: TWISTYSHOW and TWISTYHIDE

TWISTYSHOW

Show/open link
  • Syntax: %TWISTYSHOW{id="myid" ... }%
  • Supported parameters:
    Parameter Value Description Remark
    id Unique identifier Used to link TWISTYSHOW, TWISTYHIDE and TWISTYTOGGLE required
    link Link label Show link label optional
    mode "div" or "span" Specify if the Twisty Show link will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be div as well to create valid HTML markup. optional, defaults to <span>
    img Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the right side of the link.
    You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.     		optional, defaults to no image
    imgleft Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the left side of the link.
    You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.     		optional, defaults to no image
    imgright Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the right side of the link.
    You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.     		optional, defaults to no image
    remember "on", "off" If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared.
    Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.     		optional, no default
    start "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember). optional, default no initial state
    firststart "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember). optional, default no initial state
  • Example: %TWISTYSHOW{id="demo" link=" Click to Unfold " imgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleopen}%"}%
  • Related: TWISTYHIDE and TWISTYTOGGLE

TWISTYHIDE

Hide/close link
  • Syntax: %TWISTYHIDE{id="myid" ... }%
  • Supported parameters:
    Parameter Value Description Remark
    id Unique identifier Used to link TWISTYSHOW, TWISTYHIDE and TWISTYTOGGLE required
    link Link label Hide link label optional
    mode "div" or "span" Specify if the Twisty Hide link will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be div as well to create valid HTML markup. optional, defaults to <span>
    img Image url Specify the url of an image that will be displayed at the right side of the link.
    You may use ICONURLPATH to display one of the DocumentGraphics icons. Alternatively use an image attached to the topic.     		optional, defaults to no image
    remember "on", "off" If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared.
    Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.     		optional, no default
    start "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember). optional, default no initial state
    firststart "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember). optional, default no initial state
  • Example: %TWISTYHIDE{id="demo" link=" Click to Fold " imgleft="%ICONURLPATH{toggleclose}%"}%
  • Related: TWISTYSHOW and TWISTYTOGGLE

TWISTYTOGGLE

Twisty Toggle contents section
  • Syntax: %TWISTYTOGGLE{id="myid"}%
  • Supported parameters:
    Parameter Value Description Remark
    id Unique identifier Used to link TWISTYSHOW, TWISTYHIDE and TWISTYTOGGLE. required
    mode "div" or "span" Specify if the Twisty Toggle section will use a <div> or a <span> tag. Note that if the contents contains block elements such as div, mode should be div as well to create valid HTML markup. optional, defaults to <span>
    class CSS class name Class for content div or span optional, default none
    linkclass CSS class name Class for link optional, default none
    remember "on", "off" If "on", the Twisty state is remembered the next time the page is shown. If "off", the stored setting will be cleared.
    Note: when used, think carefully about a unique name (id) for the Twisty, otherwise the cookie that is set might affect other Twisties with the same name. Also note that only interaction is stored, not the state of the Twisty when left unclicked.     		optional, no default
    start "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty; this will override any setting stored in a cookie (see remember). optional, default no initial state
    firststart "hide" or "show" Initial state of the Twisty the first time the visitor gets to see the Twisty; this will NOT override cookie settings (see remember). optional, default no initial state
    noscript "hide" Make content hidden in case use does not have JavaScript on optional, default content is shown with no JavaScript
  • Example: %TWISTYTOGGLE{id="demo" mode="div" remember="on"}%My content%ENDTWISTYTOGGLE%
  • Related: TWISTYHIDE, TWISTYHIDE an ENDTWISTYTOGGLE

ENDTWISTYTOGGLE

The Twisty closure
  • Syntax: %ENDTWISTYTOGGLE%
    • Will end the most inner unclosed Twisty Toggle section, using the proper tag
  • Example: %ENDTWISTYTOGGLE%
  • Related: TWISTYTOGGLE

Working with other Javascript libraries

If you want to use a different Javascript library than the default Foswiki Javascripts, add to the skin path:

Plugin Settings

You can override some default settings in the plugin by setting the following preferences.

Preference Meaning Default
TWISTYSHOWLINK For example: More... More...
TWISTYHIDELINK For example: Close Close
TWISTYMODE Either div or span span
TWISTYREMEMBER Either on or off. If set to on all Twisty states will be stored in a FOSWIKIPREF cookie; if set to off the FOSWIKIPREF cookie will be cleared not specified

Plugin Installation Instructions

You do not need to install anything in the browser to use this extension. The following instructions are for the administrator who installs the extension on the server.

Open configure, and open the "Extensions" section. Use "Find More Extensions" to get a list of available extensions. Select "Install".

If you have any problems, or if the extension isn't available in configure, then you can still install manually from the command-line. See http://foswiki.org/Support/ManuallyInstallingExtensions for more help.

Plugin Info

Authors: Foswiki:Main.RafaelAlvarez, Foswiki:Main.MichaelDaum, Foswiki:Main.ArthurClemens
Copyright Copyright (C) Rafael Alvarez; Michael Daum, Arthur Clemens
License: GPL
Version: 4751 (2009-09-02)
Release: 1.5.3
Change History:  
02 Sep 2009 1.5.3 Add sequential number to the TWISTY id to allow more than one instance with that id on the page.
26 Aug 2009 1.5.2 Fix dependencies - jqueryPlugin and DojoToolkit? were ported to foswiki a while ago.
03 Dec 2008 1.5.1 Added parameter linkclass. Foswiki version.
27 Nov 2008 1.5 Foswiki release; added option to use other Javascript libraries.
08 Oct 2008 1.4.11, 1.4.12 It is now possible to have a twisty on the same line without a linebreak.
03 Aug 2008 1.4.10 TWiki 4.2.1 release version.
13 Dec 2007 1.4.9 fix to the loading order of javascript files in head.
24 Nov 2007 1.4.6 - 1.4.8 Arthur Clemens - Added format tokens.
07 Oct 2007 1.4.5 Arthur Clemens - Fix html tag with show/hide controls.
25 Sep 2007 1.4.4 Arthur Clemens - Fix rendering of headers when prefix is used.
11 Jul 2007 1.4.3 Arthur Clemens - Fix invalid html when prefix and suffix is used.
23 Jun 2007 1.4.2 Arthur Clemens - Fixed bugs with parameters firststart and noscript (since version 1.4).
20 Jun 2007 1.4 Arthur Clemens - Updated to work without ugly inserted javascript 'init' calls. This will change nothing to the functionality, but it will produce cleaner HTML, while at the same time the twisty is still set immediately (not at page onload) and graceful fallback in case of no javascript is maintained.
19 Jun 2006 1.3 Arthur Clemens - Updated with TWiki 4 JavaScript files.
25 Oct 2006 1.2 New variables to set default values: TWISTYSHOWLINK, TWISTYHIDELINK, TWISTYMODE, TWISTYREMEMBER; property id is no longer required as this is automatically set (still recommended in some cases with remember="on"); property value remember="off" will clear a previously stored cookie; new properties prefix and suffix; JavaScript to collapse or expand all Twisties on the page.
27 Sep 2006 1.101 Fixes JavaScript handling when AllowInlineScript in configure is not set
11 Jun 2006 1.100 Added parameters start, firststart, noscript and class; complete JavaScript rewrite for speed
12 Sep 2005 1.000 First Version
Dependencies: None
Home: http://foswiki.org/Extensions/TwistyPlugin
Support: http://foswiki.org/Support/TwistyPlugin

 
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