Latest revision as of 08:37, 14 October 2010

Paragon Wiki:An Editor's Guide

Editing Notes: Create and use new Template:TOClimitright (and Template:TOClimitleft) page(s).
               Add  {{PlayerGuide}} and {{wip}}  templates once page is complete and moved to [[Paragon Wiki:An Editor's Guide|Namepage]].

Overview

This guide is intended to bring some clarity to the world of Wiki editing, for those with little prior knowledge on the subject. From the ground up, it will explain rudimentary concepts and eventually expand upon them to hopefully lead to a more comprehensive understanding of what makes Paragon Wiki tick. Armed with this knowledge, the users of this (and any other) wiki will be able to vastly improve its contents, usefulness, and usability.

Navigating Paragon Wiki

The first step on the road to a better understanding of how editing a Wiki works is to be familiar with both its function and contents. A great way to begin is to look at special pages such as the list of recent changes, with which you can see what pages have been edited most recently, and view the difference between their previous and most recent edits. Another way to accomplish this is to view the "history" tab of any given page, which will let you compare any two edits in the page's past. A second great way to learn about the underlying mechanics of the Wiki is to simply look at many random pages, and view their wikitext by hitting that page's "edit" or "view source" tab at the top of the screen. Many of the special pages can be accessed (either directly or indirectly) via the Wiki's sidebar. Below is an explanation of the basic layout of Paragon Wiki, which will help you navigate the site.

Note: This guide explains the function of this Wiki using its default skin, "MonoBook".

Page Tabs

The tabs on any given page may have different names, depending on the type of page it is and the type of user visiting the page. However, the location of the tabs will never change, and no matter the name of the tab they will always have the same basic functions:

The tabs on the Main Page

• Page: Displays the contents of the current page, as seen by any visitor to the site.

└►Also seen as: User Page, Special Page, File

• Discussion: Displays the current page's talk page, where users may leave notes for each other.

• Edit: Allows the user to edit the current page, if they are logged in and have the rights to do so.

└►Also seen as: View Source (when user is not logged in, or does not have editing rights)

• History: Displays a list of previous edits to current page, and allows the user to compare them.

• Move: Allows a user with editing rights to automatically move all content from one page to another, leaving behind a redirect to the new page. This tab is only seen when logged in.

• Watch: Adds the current page to the user's watchlist. The user may edit their preferences to receive updates when the page is changed. This tab only seen when logged in.

└►Also seen as: Watching.../Unwatching... (when the tab is pressed), Unwatch (when current page is on user's watchlist. this reverses the process)

The Sidebar

The sidebar is a helpful tool that contains quick links to various useful pages, both within and outside the Wiki. It can be seen to the left of any page in the Wiki. One of the most important tools contained within the sidebar is the Search function, which allows you to search the Wiki for specific keywords or information. Other important features include:

• Paragon Wiki Logo: Clicking on this icon leads to the Main Page

• Navigation: This is a series of links to help navigate the Wiki more easily. It also houses a link to the Ouroboros Portal, a Wiki for player-created content.

• Toolbox: This is a short list of pages that may be useful when editing the Wiki.

• Official NCSoft Links: This box contains a number of direct links to specific pages on the City of Heroes and PlayNC websites.

• Titan Network: This houses links to the various other Titan Network websites.

• Utilities This is a list of useful sites that contain information or downloadable applications that have various uses within the City of Heroes/Villains game.

Userlinks

User Links for the current user.

User links are located in the upper right hand corner of every page on the wiki, and lead to the following pages:

• Username: Links to the current user's Userpage. The user's username will appear here instead of "Username".

• My Talk: Links to the current user's Talk Page, where they can be contacted by other users.

• My Preferences: Links to the current user's preferences, where they may choose from numerous options on how to view and interact with the wiki.

• My Watchlist: Links to the current user's watchlist, where pages that the user has flagged will appear if they have been changed since the user last viewed them. All page names on a user's watchlist will appear bold in any list of pages.

• My Contributions: Links to a list of the current user's previous edits.

• Log Out: Logs the current user out.

Editing Your Userpage

For many people, the best place to start editing the wiki is their userpage. To reach your personal userpage, simply find the [[Paragon Wiki:An Editor's Guide#Userlinks|userlink]] with your username at the top of any page on this wiki, and click it. Alternatively you can run a search for "User:Username", substituting "Username" for your personal user name. Note that when you run this search, you should not leave a space between the colon and your username.

Editing note: Fix Username's page to become a generic demo/template for new users.