Fossil

Things to work on:

1. Automated self-test

2. Add a diff option similar to --tk that shows the graphical diff in a web-browser instead of a Tk window.

3. Improvements to the "grep" command:

   • Search filenames given on the command-line or all managed files if no filesnames are supplied
   • Search the check-in named on the command-line or the current check-out if no check-in is named
   • --from VERSION and --to VERSION options to search a range of check-ins
   • --timeline, --tickets, or --wiki PATTERN to search things other than check-ins
   • --before DATE and --after DATE to limit the timespan of a search.
   • Always output filename and line number
   • Only show matches not found in adjacent check-ins, unless --all is used.
   • --earliest shows only the first match and --latest shows only the most recent match when grepping a range of check-ins.
   • -l just lists matching files
   • --diff-only only search the difference between check-ins

4. Change the PHANTOM table into a view on BLOB using a partial index where BLOB.SIZE<0.

5. Prohibit database writes if any query parameters have been decoded but the request is not from the same origin. This effort would benefit from an SQLite enhancement that allows "PRAGMA query_only" to be applied to individual database files, so that the repository can be made read-only while still allowing TEMP writes, as TEMP writes are used to compose intermediate results even on pages that are technically read-only.

6. Implement a "fossil backup" command using VACUUM INTO.

   • Destination can be a file or a directory Check-in aadbe015dfa56542
   • Destination can be an SCP target
   • "fossil all backup E:/" when a thumb-drive is mounted on E: Check-in aadbe015dfa56542

7. Multiple remote repositories. Running "fossil push" pushes to them all, as does autosync. Partially implemented as of 2020-08-12: Multiple remotes remembered but can only sync to one at a time.

8. Sync relay → On a server, when another repository pushes to the server (or edits a wiki page on the server) the server automatically schedules a push to peer repos. Should be able to do this with hooks, but more testing is needed. Also, need a way to configure relay hooks in the Admin web interface. Consider also providing the ability to do an automatic GitHub relay via the same mechanism.

9. Backoffice daemon → Instead of backoffice running in response to a web request, have a separate process that monitors multiple repositories and runs backoffice after "mtime" changes on the repository file, or periodically (every hour? every day?) in the absence of "mtime" changes. Implemented in 2.12

10. Update preview using XMLHttpRequest instead of reloading the entire page. Implemented in /wikiedit and /fileedit as of 2.12 and /forum/... is pending.

11. Allow help text to be in markup, either Fossil-Wiki or Markdown. Implemented in 2.12

12. Search on help-text and/or on unversioned files

    • The "helptext" virtual table added by check-in b2dacfcd735d4b1c is a step toward providing search on built-in help text, but has not yet been integrated into the search subsystem.
    • There are so many configuration pages in the web interface now that it can be difficult to find the right page to change a setting. One possible solution: Enhance the help text on all of the various setup web pages, and then add a search box at the top of the main /setup page. For maximum effectiveness, it might be necessary to add a new "Keywords" section to help pages that is not normally displayed but which is used for search.
    • It would also be good to add a search box at the top of the /help webpage, perhaps

13. Documentation on sync-via-sneaker-net.

14. Macros or other mechanisms for embedding a last-update timestamp in the middle of text for wiki pages and/or embedded documentation.

15. Add a command-line variant of the /secaudit0 page and make that command accessible using "fossil all".

16. Improved transaction control:

    • Better detection of potential SQLITE_BUSY errors when promoting from a read to a write txn. This will require SQLite enhancements.
    • On /xfer, only start a write transaction if the login has write permissions, thus allowing parallel clones.

17. On the wiki page list, omit wiki pages that are associated with check-ins and branches by default, but provide a button to show associated wiki pages if desired.

18. Add the ability to associate a forum thread with a check-in or branch.

    • Perhaps the linkage is based on the forum thread title, as is done for wiki pages. But a fast lookup mechanism will need to be devised, as forum thread titles are not currently stored in the TAG table as are wiki page names.
    • Perhaps also provide forum-like threading to tickets. Maybe merge the functionality of forum-post artifacts and ticket-change artifacts to allow both features within the same artifact.
    • Consider mechanisms to identifying check-ins or branches that include forum discussion when those check-ins/branches are displayed on the timeline, or on other pages.

19. Provide SSL capabilities for the "fossil server" and "fossil http" commands.

    • Because the website is not served from individual files on disk, standard tools for obtaining a LetsEncrypt cert won't work. Some sort of mechanism to do this will need to be built into Fossil. Or, a minimum, a mechanism should be in place to redirect requests to ".well-known" to files on disk.

20. Provide a setting that determines whether HTML content files are displayed as HTML or as plain text when browsing repository files. See the forum thread: https://www.fossil-scm.org/forum/forumpost/cc9d20228d

21. Client/Server mode or Shallow Clones. Allow a remote repository to be opened without having to clone all history.

22. Consider adding support for interwiki link syntax. Implemented by f4dc114a780fea41

23. When entering a check-in comment using $EDITOR, there is no way to preview the comment. This is particular frustrating when there are hyperlinks or Wiki escape codes (like "<" or "["). Errors result. For example on check-in 5244a5484a103065 the comment was originally entered using a Markdown-style hyperlink. Only after the commit completed was the error seen, and the check-in comment was fixed with a tag.

24. More ability to customize the /sitemap page. This page forms the basis for the hamburger menu on the skins that support the hamburger menu, so having the ability to customize the page would provide the ability to customize the hamburger menu. The current system allows enter four links for thinks like "Download" and "Documentation". More flexibility is wanted. For example:

    • I'd like a link to this "To Do List" wiki page on the Fossil hamburger menu.

25. More "diff" links associated with Wiki.

    • With each wiki edit entry of the timeline.
    • On the submenu for Wiki display
    • On the wiki history display, provide more than current single-change diff. (Maybe the /whistory needs to be shown as a timeline graph rather than a simple list, so we can click on two nodes to get a diff.)
    • Diff links on editted Forum posts.

26. Add the ability to provide change comments on Wiki-Page edits. The existing artifact format already supports this, but the code does not provide the user with an option to enter a change comment with a wiki edit, and any change comment that is entered is silently ignored, rather than being displayed in the timeline or on the /whistory page.