Help:Contents
From BurningBook
Contents |
Contents
- Overview of a wiki: Form and Function
- How to Create an Account
- How to Create a Page
- How to Edit a Page
- Formating on the Wiki
- Searching on the wiki
Overview of a Wiki: Form and Function
A wiki allows information to be available to the public in a non-hierarchical manner. It allows all users to post useful information, and anyone can edit that information. It does not have a single person as a moderator as all users are responsible for the content of the wiki. The wiki format saves each version of the page, so even after a page is edited you can still view the original. When you bring up a page on the wiki, the tabs directly above it all relate specifically to that page. Clicking on "edit" allows you to edit the page, clicking on "history" allows you to see all previous versions of the page, and "watch" allows you to recieve updates by email of changes to the page.
How to Create an Account
It is recommended that all users create an account. By creating an account, you will be granted permission to make changes to pages on the wiki. Having an account also allows you to be informed when someone edits a page that you have created. For help on regularly viewing edits to a particular page see the section on "watching a page." To create an account, go to the button at the top right hand corner of the page reading "log in/create an account." You will be asked to set up a user name and password, as well as an email address. All updates on watched pages will be sent to this address, and if you forget your password, you may choose to have it sent here. You can edit or post anonymously by logging in with 'Anonymous / burningbook'. The 'Anonymous' account is intended to allow people to post or edit information without being personally identified, while still providing a means to keep spam off of the wiki. Please do not abuse the Anonymous account!
How To Create a Page
When creating pages on the wiki, please remember that your writing will be available for editing to anyone that wishes to do so. Be prepared for the fact that anything innapropriate for the wiki will probably be removed. To create a page, go to the search box and look for something related to what you are interested in posting. This will allow you to see what similar pages have already been created. If a page related to what you are searching for does not already exist, you will get page saying "there is no page titled [your search query]. You can create this page." Click on the link, and you will get a blank page with a toolbar at the top, and the text "you've followed a link to a page that does not exist yet. To create this page, start typing in the box below." (If not already logged in, you will be asked to do so.) Type whatever you would like in the blank space below. For more detailed instructions on formatting your page, see the section on "formating on the wiki". When you are finished, scroll down to the bottom and click on "show preview." This allows you to see what your page will look like when it is posted. Please do this before clicking on the "save page" button at the bottom of the screen. Remember that each version of your page will be saved separately, even if you go back and edit directly after saving.
How to Edit a Page
When you bring up an article on the wiki, all of the tabs above it directly relate to that article. When you click on the tab saying "edit", it will bring up an unformatted version of the article. Use the toolbar at the top for headlines, italics, or a link to a related page that you have created. For more information, see "formatting on the wiki." If you need help while editing a page, click on "editing help" at the bottom of the page. When you are finished editing, click "show preview" before you click "save page", so you can see what the fully formatted text looks like. If you are satisfied with the preview, scroll down to the bottom and click "save page."
Formatting on the Wiki
The toolbar at the top of the page gives you the tools necessary to format the page how you wish. Place your cursor over a button to see its function. In order to apply that function to a word or phrase, first type the word or phrase, highlight it, and then click the desired button on the toolbar.
To make a bullet list, put a * at the front of a line. Two stars (**) will indent further So this:
* Item One
* Item Two
** Item Two, Point One
** Item Two, Point Two
* Item Three
Becomes this:
- Item One
- Item Two
- Item Two, Point One
- Item Two, Point Two
- Item Three
You can also create numbered lists:
# Item One
# Item Two
## Item Two, Point One
## Item Two, Point Two
# Item Three
Becomes this:
- Item One
- Item Two
- Item Two, Point One
- Item Two, Point Two
- Item Three
Uploading Files
If you wish to upload a file for others to view, click on the "upload file" link in the "toolbox" on the left hand side of this page. In the source file field, click "browse" and locate the file on your computer you wish to upload (currently you can only upload documents with the following extensions: .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf, .doc). The "destination filename" will determine what title will be given to the document on the wiki. By default, the destination filename will be the same as what the file was named on your computer. If you wish to change how the name will appear on the wiki (for example, changing the filename to a more descriptive title) you can do so in the "destination filename" field. In the "summary" field you should write a short summary of what the document you uploaded is. When all the fields are completed to your liking click "upload file". If your file is greater than 150KB in size, you will get a warning message. Large files can take a long time for users to download, but if you can't reduce the file size, click "save file" on the upload warning page. Whenever you upload a file, two pages are created: a description page and a page for the actual document. After uploading the file you will be brought to the description page. This page will contain the information you previously entered in the "summary" field of the "upload file" page. Like all other wiki pages, you can edit or change this summary by clicking "edit" at the top of the page. If the document you uploaded was a Microsoft Word document called "Test.doc", you can link to the summary page from any other wiki page using the [[Image:Test.doc]] or [[:Image:Test.doc|Link Text]] notation, where "Link Text" is the text that users will actually see. If instead, you want to link directly to the document itself, skipping the summary page, you should use the [[Media:Test.doc]] or [[Media:Test.doc|Link Text]] notation. Note that the " | " symbol is located next to the " + " key on most standard keyboards.
