[IDEA] Add warning when importing a plugin tiddler through drag-and-drop to a node.js wiki

[superuser-does]

Problem

When importing a plugin through drag-and-drop into a wiki running under Node.js, there is no warning about the limitations of this approach.

This goes against official recommendation on installing a plugin in Node.js.

However, knowing this relies on the user having read the documentation. Many Node users are former/concurrent users of single-file wiki who would not think to look this up.

It would be preferable if this information was surfaced in the context it's most relevant: when a user is trying to import a plugin in the old-fashioned way.

Solution

Add a warning when a JSON being imported through drag-and-drop is identified as a plugin tiddler, about the limitations of this approach.

Alternatives I've considered

The only alternative I see is to continue the current state of affairs, which means users could err in the same way.

Additional context

I am a longtime user of single-file wikis and new to node, which I did a simple conversion for from the command line.

I use GSD5, but it performs poorly. So I tend to enable it briefly and then disable it again.

I could not understand why the version counter kept changing from v0.9.0 to v0.9.1 when I disabled until I read this documentation.

[pmario]

You are right. There is a problem. Over the time plugin handling got much more complex as we actually want it to be. Especially with a client server configuration. For compatibility reasons, we can not change the behaviour as it is, but we can improve the docs.

Initially the Node CS configuration was only used by developers, to develop new stuff and then build the single file version to publish it.

I think, with the invention of "cheap", "little" computers like the Raspberry Pi and co, the focus group for the Node client / server configuration changed. IMO "self hosting" and "Own your data", gets a bit more attention now. ...

I could not understand why the version counter kept changing from v0.9.0 to v0.9.1 when I disabled until I read this documentation.

I am not 100% sure, how this happened, but I can imagine, that it drove you crazy ;)

I think adding an import message is "actionable". It would still be nice to know, how exactly your setup did look like, so we are able to reproduce the problem and can better understand it.

[superuser-does]

I think, with the invention of "cheap", "little" computers like the Raspberry Pi and co, the focus group for the Node client / server configuration changed. IMO "self hosting" and "Own your data", gets a bit more attention now. ...

I am in this boat! Still want to come up with a way to regularly build single-file versions for offline access, but that's a later thing I'll look at.

I could not understand why the version counter kept changing from v0.9.0 to v0.9.1 when I disabled until I read this documentation.

I am not 100% sure, how this happened, but I can imagine, that it drove you crazy ;)

I think adding an import message is "actionable". It would still be nice to know, how exactly your setup did look like, so we are able to reproduce the problem and can better understand it.

Yes, and yes. 😄

1. I had v0.9.0 installed on single-file. Note that I had some overridden shadow tiddlers for GSD5, in case that matters.
2. I converted the wiki to Node.js, which put it under plugins/
3. I dragged-and-dropped GSD5 v0.9.1 in from https://gsd5.tiddlyhost.com/
4. This created a packaged json file under tiddlers/.
5. I then disabled, at some point, which reset the version number to v0.9.0 (I suppose it was reading from plugins/ at this point
6. I then re-enabled, and it was still reading v0.9.0 (this I do not understand)

I cannot replicate as I have now updated to v0.9.1 properly, so the import is blocked.

[pmario]

Ah. OK I see. should be replicable.