Which Python Wiki engine?

[Kenneth McDonald]

I'm looking for a Wiki engine to set up for my company, so that we
can incrementally add user documentation for a fairly complex
program, plus allow users to add their own comments for the benefit
of others. I'd strongly prefer a Python-based Wiki, since that allows
me the chance to add plugins with minimal effort (being a python
enthusiast and programmer).

However, I'd also like something that can provide a little more
structure than MoinMoin seems able to provide (correct me if I'm
wrong.) Though there would be cross-references amongst various
sections, the idea is that the structure of the wiki would be very
much that of an outline, with topics divided into sub topics and then
into sub sub topics, etc. A person at our company would be the
"editor"; responsible for setting up the original structure, putting
in the documentation we currently have, and periodically editing
contributions from users.

Here are some of the features I'd greatly like to have that I haven't
seen provided by the (relatively few) wiki engines I've looked at.
Mind you, I don't claim to have looked at even these few
exhaustively. (No time!) MoinMoin is the one I've looked at the most.

1) Automatically generated table of contents, based on the outline
structure. This would be regenerated periodically (probably nightly)
2) Ability for users to add new subsections, but not to change that
part of the document structure which has been locked by the editor.
3) Clear visual distinction between material added by the users, and
material added or approved by the editor.
4) Legal-style numbering of sections, subsections, etc.
5) Ability to have single pages containing both locked text (which
users cannot edit or delete) and unlocked text. Such a page would
consist of one or more locked blocks of text, interspersed with
comments put in by users. Users could put comments anywhere except
side a locked text block.

Ideally, this would also be something that doesn't depend on a
backend database or other things besides the web server and python
packages. This is not likely to be a wiki where huge amounts of
interactivity must be supported; there will probably be a moderate
amount of reading, and a small amount of writing.

If you know of any Python wiki engines which can satisfy (even
partially) this list, please let me know. I'd strongly prefer to have
a Python engine. On the other hand, if you know of another type of
wiki that matches well with these requirements, I won't complain if
you mention it :-)

Thanks,
Ken McDonald

[garabik-news-2005-05]

Kenneth McDonald <ke****************@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Here are some of the features I'd greatly like to have that I haven't
seen provided by the (relatively few) wiki engines I've looked at.
Mind you, I don't claim to have looked at even these few
exhaustively. (No time!) MoinMoin is the one I've looked at the most.

I do not like to write about vapourware, but anyway.... I am writing a
new simple wiki/forum in python (using Karrigell framework), the main
reason being that it needs some specialties not present in any other
wiki. Anyway, I am going to put some notes about what my wiki _will_ have.
1) Automatically generated table of contents, based on the outline
structure. This would be regenerated periodically (probably nightly)
easily done

2) Ability for users to add new subsections, but not to change that
part of the document structure which has been locked by the editor.
I have not considered this, but it could be doable
3) Clear visual distinction between material added by the users, and
material added or approved by the editor.
easily done
4) Legal-style numbering of sections, subsections, etc.
by section you mean section in text, or section as "a group of wiki
pages" ?
The first one is easily done, due to pluggable formatters.
5) Ability to have single pages containing both locked text (which
users cannot edit or delete) and unlocked text. Such a page would
consist of one or more locked blocks of text, interspersed with
comments put in by users. Users could put comments anywhere except
side a locked text block.
possible, with some limitations (internaly, the sections are
represented as separate pages, each with separate set of access rights,
they are just rendered as one document)

Ideally, this would also be something that doesn't depend on a
backend database or other things besides the web server and python
packages. This is not likely to be a wiki where huge amounts of

more or less - storage is directly on filesystem, only if you need a
full-text search you need a database (e.g. sqlite).

You need Karrigell, though.
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[Daniel Dittmar]

Kenneth McDonald wrote:

I'm looking for a Wiki engine to set up for my company, so that we can
incrementally add user documentation for a fairly complex program, plus
allow users to add their own comments for the benefit of others. I'd
strongly prefer a Python-based Wiki, since that allows me the chance to
add plugins with minimal effort (being a python enthusiast and
programmer).

ZWiki has support for showing an outline of the pages. But other than
that, I found it less useful than MoinMoin. Also, ZWiki is a Zope
product, and to me, Zope programming is not really Python programming.

Daniel