Using a TiddlyWiki is a tale of two cities:
- Each TiddlyWiki document is a single HTML file that contains 100% of its own source code and data and is compatible with all modern browsers (and operating systems). Therefore, opening and reading a TiddlyWiki couldn’t be simpler.
- On the other hand, editing TiddlyWiki is a bit messy if done without a plugin.
- With a plugin, editing and saving a TiddlyWiki happens “in-place”, the same as with a Microsoft Word document (or the like). If I edit
mytiddlywiki.html
from my Downloads
folder, I can save back to mytiddlywiki.html
in my Downloads
folder. - Without a plugin, editing and saving a TiddlyWiki spits out a _clone of the modified wiki. If I edit
mytiddlywiki.html
from my Downloads
folder, I can save mytiddlywiki copy.html
, but I won’t be able to save back to mytiddlywiki.html
.
For that reason, serious users of TiddlyWiki should adopt an app or plugin which allows saving TiddlyWikis in-place.
For Desktop
For desktop, I got started with TiddlyDesktop, which is a special web browser that can open and save TiddlyWikis. This is one of the simplest ways to get started, and works fine, but requires downloading the TiddlyDesktop app.
![The TiddlyDesktop app is a simple way to get started.](/img/2021/01/01/TiddlyDesktopSample.png)
The TiddlyDesktop app is a simple way to get started.
After playing around with that for a few days, I decided to take the plunge with Timimi instead. For Timimi, I downloaded a Firefox plugin, and a desktop plugin, and the two work together to save wikis from Firefox to the hard drive.
For Mobile
Things are similar on mobile, but I have to pay the “Apple tax” since I have an iPhone.
The main solution recommended for iPhone/iPad is to pay $5 to download the Quine 2 app, and use that together with a Dropbox account to be able to open and save TiddlyWikis from both desktop and mobile.
First, I enabled a password on my TiddlyWiki following the official instructions.
This way, the contents of my TiddlyWiki will be safe even if they’re stored on the
cloud.
Then, I set up the sync from my desktop. I installed
Dropbox’s Desktop sync feature
to synchronize the TiddlyWiki to Dropbox’s cloud.
Then, I moved my TiddlyWiki file from my Downloads
folder into my Dropbox
folder on my desktop computer, and voila! TiddlyWiki in the cloud.
Finally, I downloaded the Quine 2 and Dropbox apps onto my iPhone. As you can
see in the screenshots below, this allows opening and saving TiddlyWikis
from mobile. (I don’t plan to do a lot of editing from my phone, but it would
be handy to be able to view things from there.)
![Quine 2 allows creating and opening TiddlyWiki documents in Dropbox.](/img/2021/01/01/Quine2AppBrowseDropboxWikis.jpeg)
Quine 2 allows creating and opening TiddlyWiki documents in Dropbox.
![The save button can save TiddlyWiki documents back to Dropbox, too.](/img/2021/01/01/Quine2AppOpenedEmptyTiddlyWiki.jpeg)
The save button can save TiddlyWiki documents back to Dropbox, too.