You can use a special template to externalise TiddlyWiki's core code into a separate file. This configuration allows the browser to cache the core for improved efficiency.
TiddlyWiki in the single file configuration ordinarily packs everything into a single file: your data, and the JavaScript, CSS and HTML comprising TiddlyWiki itself. This lack of dependencies is usually very convenient: it means that it is impossible for the parts of a TiddlyWiki to become separated, and enormously improves the chances of it still functioning in the future.
However, there is some inefficiency in this arrangement because the core code is repeatedly loaded and saved every time the content of the wiki is saved. This inefficiency is partially ameliorated when working in the client server configuration because once the wiki is loaded by the browser the synchronisation process only transmits individual tiddlers back and forth to the server.
The remaining inefficiency when working in the client server configuration is that the single page wiki that is initially loaded will contain a copy of the entire core code of TiddlyWiki, making it impossible for the browser to cache it.
The mechanism is activated by setting the root-tiddler parameter to $:/core/save/all-external-js. This template externalises TiddlyWiki's core JavaScript into a separate file. For example, the following command will start your server with caching enabled. It will transfer the wiki with two GET requests, and the core can be cached by the browser.
tiddlywiki YOUR_WIKI_FOLDER --listen 'root-tiddler=$:/core/save/all-external-js' use-browser-cache=yesThe provided edition server-external-js contains all the configuration necessary to use the external JavaScript template. Here is an example:
tiddlywiki ./myNewWiki --init server-external-js
tiddlywiki ./myNewWiki --build listenThe above commands perform the following:
To customize your --build listen command, see tiddlywiki.info Files and ListenCommand.
You can use the "external-js" template with your single file wiki, but this requires that you have TiddlyWiki's core JavaScript saved alongside your HTML file. You may prefer this configuration, for example, if you have several wikis on a WebDav server. (See: Saving via WebDAV)
If you start your TiddlyWiki server in the "external-js" configuration, snapshots you save from the wiki will also have the external-js configuration.
You can click on the "cloud" button and choose Save snapshot for offline use. The html wiki you saved will have a reduced file size compared to a regular snapshot because the TiddlyWiki core code has been externalized. However, to be able to use this wiki, you must also have a copy of TiddlyWiki's core JavaScript in the same directory; see below for instructions for obtaining it
The "server-external-js" edition lets you save the snapshot from the command line:
tiddlywiki YOUR_WIKI_FOLDER --build indexThe files index.html and tiddlywikicore-5.x.x.js will be saved in your wiki folder's output directory.
To download a copy of the TiddlyWiki core JavaScript file from any existing TiddlyWiki, visit the system tiddler $:/core/ui/ExportTiddlyWikiCore and click the download button. (You can search for ExportTiddlyWikiCore in the Shadows tab of $:/AdvancedSearch).
You can also run the following command to obtain the core JavaScript. The file tiddlywikicore-5.x.x.js will be saved in theoutput directory of your wiki folder:
tiddlywiki YOUR_WIKI_FOLDER \
--render '$:/core/templates/tiddlywiki5.js' \
'[[tiddlywikicore-]addsuffix<version>addsuffix[.js]]' \
'text/plain'The "server-external-js" edition has a shortcut for the BuildCommand to do the same thing:
tiddlywiki YOUR_WIKI_FOLDER --build tiddlywikicoreBefore you proceed, backup your wiki first! Follow the steps below to upgrade a single-file wiki with the external JavaScript template:
$:/config/SaveWikiButton/Template by deleting any custom copy. Save your wiki and you are done. $:/config/SaveWikiButton/Template still contains $:/core/save/offline-external-js. Modify if necessary.