Fortune Plugin

This plugin uses the Unix/Linux fortune command to insert a random fortune into a topic. On windows environments, or if fortune is not installed, it uses the CPAN Fortune implementation.

Usage

The following macros are implemented:

• %FORTUNE{"database" LENGTH="S"}% Insert a random fortune into the topic from the named "database".
  • LENGTH parameter (optional) can be set to S or SHORT to select short fortunes, and L or LONG for long fortunes. This option only works if the unix fortune-mod program is used.
• %FORTUNE_LIST{"database"}% List the contents of the named database
• %FORTUNE_DB_LIST{}% List the available database files in the fortune directory.
• Set TINYMCEPLUGIN_DISABLE = 1

Examples

Example: %FORTUNE{"foswiki" LENGTH="S"}%

If installed, a random fortune from the foswiki database will appear here:

Today there are a variety of wikis, one of them being the wiki you are presently looking at.

Example: %FORTUNE_LIST{"foswiki"}%

If installed, the list of fortunes in the foswiki database

• Today there are a variety of wikis, one of them being the wiki you are presently looking at.
• Foswiki can be extended with hundreds of plugins
• In the WYSIWYG Editor, click the pick-axe symbol to switch to the raw editor
• Subscribing to WebNotify will enable Foswiki to send you details of changes made on topics.
• The breadcrumb displayed with a particular Foswiki topic is constructed with a topic's Parent.
  Use the "More Topic Actions" link if you want to change the topic parent.
• You can disable automatic linking of WikiWords by surrounding the text with <noautolink> and </noautolink>
• The breadcrumb of a topic shows you page hierarchy. It is constructed using a topic's parent setting, following the parents up to the web level.
• To encourage collaboration, instead of restricting edit, allow anyone to edit topics, and use WebNotify and revision controls to deal with undesired changes.
• If you need a list of topics, considering using the %SEARCH macro to automatically populate the list.
• To disable the WYSIWYG editor on a topic, add the setting TINYMCEPLUGIN_DISABLE = 1 to the topic.
• You can customize Foswiki by overriding settings in your UserName? topic. For example, if you want to disable the WYSIWYG editor for all of your edits, set TINYMCEPLUGIN_DISABLE = 1 in your user topic.

Example: %FORTUNE_DB_LIST{}%

If installed, the list of fortune databases is shown. Note that two different format results are possible. The Unix fortune-mod program reports the percentage of fortunes supplied by each file. The Perl Fortune module shows a simple fortune count.

100.00% /usr/share/fortune
     3.09% art
     0.07% ascii-art
     6.88% computers
     7.64% cookie
     7.96% definitions
     1.40% drugs
     1.36% education
     1.09% ethnic
     1.33% food
     2.89% fortunes
     0.36% goedel
     1.32% humorists
     1.01% kids
     1.35% law
     0.70% linuxcookie
     1.75% literature
     1.01% love
     0.20% magic
     0.50% medicine
     3.90% men-women
     4.35% miscellaneous
     0.36% news
     8.34% people
     0.34% pets
     3.35% platitudes
     4.70% politics
     0.89% riddles
     4.19% science
     4.83% songs-poems
     0.99% sports
     1.52% startrek
     0.08% translate-me
     2.82% wisdom
     4.23% work
     2.64% linux
     1.83% perl
     3.72% knghtbrd
     0.48% paradoxum
     3.68% zippy
     0.11% debian
     0.69% aviation
     0.07% foswiki

 

Plugin Preferences

There are no perferences that can be set for this plugin. All configuration parameters are set in LocalSite.cfg using the bin/configure interface.

Installation

• Install FortunePlugin using the bin/configure interface
• If fortune_mod is installed on a *nix system
  • Set the {Plugins}{FortunePlugin}{FortuneDBPath} to point to the directory containing the fortune files. Typically this is in /usr/share/fortune/. Trailing slash must be included.
  • Set the {Plugins}{FortunePlugin}{FortuneProgram} to point to the fortune program. Typically /usr/bin/fortune.
• On a windows system, or if fortune is not installed:
  • Install the Fortune module using CPAN
  • leave {Plugins}{FortunePlugin}{FortuneProgram} unset.
  • leave {Plugins}{FortunePlugin}{FortuneDBPath} unset. The plugin will use fortune files attached to this topic. Or if other fortune files are available, point to the directory containing the fortune files. Typically this is in /usr/share/fortune/. Trailing slash must be included.

Creating new fortune files

Fortune files must be created by using the strfile command that is installed on Linux with the fortune-mod package. On Windows environments this can be installed using cygwin. This is beyond the scope of this document.

Create the fortune text file

Using your favorite editor, build a simple text file consisting of each quote, followed by a single line containing a percent-sign ( % ) For example, file foswiki contains:

Today there are a variety of wikis, one of them being the wiki you are presently looking at. 
%
Foswiki can be extended with hundreds of plugins 
% 

Build the fortune database

"Compile" the file into a .dat file using strfile

> ~ $ strfile foswiki 
"foswiki.dat" created 
There were 2 strings 
Longest string: 93 bytes 
Shortest string: 49 bytes 

The original foswiki file and the related foswiki.dat file must be placed in the fortune database directory.

Plugin Info

Author:	Foswiki:Main.GeorgeClark
Copyright:	© 2008, Foswiki Contributors
License:	GPL (GNU General Public License)
Version:	1893 (23 Jan 2009)
Home:	http://foswiki.org/Extensions/FortunePluginDev
Feedback:	http://foswiki.org/Extensions/FortunePluginDev