# 20-Minute TWiki Tutorial This step-by-step, hands-on tutorial gets you up to speed with all the [[TWikiSite]] basics, in _mere minutes_...
## 1. Get set... Open two browser windows, so that you can follow these steps in one window, while trying things out in the other. ## 2. Take a quick tour... A [[TWikiSite]] is divided into webs; each one usually represents one area of collaboration. You can navigate the webs from the upper right corner of each web page. - Each web has hyperlinked topics, displayed as pages in your browser. - The home page in each web is the [[WebHome]] topic. - To browse a TWiki web, just click on any highlighted link. These links are called [[WikiWords]] and comprise two or more words with initial capitals, run together. - Follow the [[WikiWord]] link and learn what it is. - If you know the name of a topic, you can jump directly to it by typing its name into the **Go** field on the top of the page. Type `WebSearch` to jump to the search page. **_Hint:_** Do not confuse the **Go** field with search. - You can search each TWiki web. Enter a search string in the [[WebHome]] topic or the [[WebSearch]] topic accessible from the `Search` link on each topic. TWiki searches for an exact match; optionally, you can also use [[RegularExpressions]]. ## 3. Open a private account... To edit topics, you need to have a TWiki account. - Go to the [[TWikiRegistration]] page to create your TWiki account. Fill in a couple of lines and you're set! ## 4. Check out TWiki users, groups. - Go to the %USERSWEB%.TWikiUsers topic; it has a list of all users of TWiki. Your [[WikiName]] will be in this list after you register. - Go to the %USERSWEB%.TWikiGroups topic in the %USERSWEB% web; it has a list of groups which can be used to define fine grained [[TWikiAccessControl]] in TWiki. ## 5. Test the page controls... The color-coded control strips at the top and/or bottom of the page has a collection of action links. Different skins show different links, but most will have some or all of:: -**Edit**
- add to or edit the topic (discussed later)
- **Raw View**
- show the source text without editing the topic
- **Attach**
- attach files to a topic (discussed later)
- **Backlinks**
- find out what other topics link to this topic (reverse link)
- **Printable**
- goes to a stripped down version of the page, good for printing
- **History**
- topics are under revision control - `History` shows you the complete change history of the topic, for example, who changed what and when
- **r3 > r2 > r1**
- view a previous version of the topic or the difference between two versions
- **More**
- additional controls, such as rename/move, version control and setting the topic's parent.
## 6. Change a page, and create a new one...
Go to the [[Sandbox|Sandbox/WebHome]]. This is the sandbox web, where you can make changes and try it all out at will.
- Click the **Edit**
link. You are now in edit mode and you can see the source of the page. (Go to a different topic like Sandbox.adminSandbox if you see a "Topic is being edited by an other user" warning.)
- Look at the text in edit mode and compare it with the rendered page (move back and forth in your browser.)
- **_%T% Tip:_** When you only want to see the source code of a topic click the **Raw View**
link.
- Notice how [[WikiWords]] are linked automatically; there is no link if you look at the text in edit mode.
- Now, create a new topic - your own test page:
1. In edit mode, enter a new text with a [[WikiWord]], for example: **[Attach]**
link at the bottom.
2. Click **[Browse]**
to find a file on your PC that you'd like to attach; enter an optional comment; leave everything else unchecked.
3. Click **[Upload file]**
, then scroll to the end of the page to see the new attachment listing.
- Do this again - this time, upload a GIF, JPG or PNG image file.
- Check the **[Link:]**
box to _Create a link to the attached file at the end of the topic_. The image will show up at the bottom of the topic.
- To move the image, edit the topic and place the last line (containing `%ATTACHURL%`) anywhere on the page.
- If you have a GIF, JPG or PNG image of yourself, your cat, your sprawling family estate...why not upload it now to personalize your account page Main.admin?
## 8. Get e-mail alerts whenever pages are changed...
[[WebNotify]] is a subscription service that automatically notifies you by e-mail when topics change in a TWiki web. This is a convenience service - for many people, checking e-mail is easier than checking the Web.
- If you're using TWiki to collaborate on a project, it's important to know when anyone on your team posts an update. If you're following a specific discussion, it's convenient to know when there's new input.
- Alerts are e-mailed as links to individual topics that've been changed in a set period: each day, every hour, whatever is configured for your system.
- It's strongly recommended that you try out the service by subscribing to each TWiki web that's relevant to you. You can subscribe and unsubscribe instantly, on a per web basis using [[WebNotify]].
That's it! You're now equipped with all the TWiki essentials. You are ready to roll.
**_NOTE:_** When first using TWiki, it will probably seem strange to be able to change other people's postings - we're used to _separating_ individual messages, with e-mail, message boards, non-Wiki collaboration platforms. **_Don't worry about it._** You can't accidentally delete important stuff - you can always check previous versions, and copy-and-paste from them if you want to undo any changes. After a short while, TWiki-style free-form communication becomes second-nature. You'll expect it everywhere!
**_Related Topics:_** [[UserDocumentationCategory]]