CZ:Technical Help
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| MediaWiki--the software that runs this wiki--has an undeserved reputation for difficulty of use. You can just dive in and start typing the way way you'd type an e-mail. Come to this page, however, for a jumping-off place to technical instructions. |
| Most important here is our guide to the wiki code: how to edit an article.
Don't want to learn the code? Then email us an article in word processor format! |
Editing helps
- How to edit an article
- The wiki code! How do you use
[[this]], ''this'', [http://citizendium.org this], or ==This==? Learn here, in our local manual for MediaWiki, not to be confused with our style guide, Article Mechanics. Also useful: MediaWiki help and Wikipedia help
- Searching
- How to use the search box (in the upper left).
- Templates
- We use many "templates," a short piece of wiki code which, when saved, adds in long pieces of text (or code). It's a space- and labor-saver.
- Other editing utilities
- Here are a few more pages that may be of help in writing articles:
- Box Help - for inset text boxes
- Citation templates - many templates are available for citing books, etc.
- Symbols - but these are also found beneath the edit box
- How to display foreign characters - what to do if your browser won't show you e.g. Asian fonts correctly.
- Enhancing your editing with javascript extensions
- Math - formatting math
Subpage and checklist technical help
A unique feature of the Citizendium is that we use subpages for reference information of different types. As a result, we have to connect all the subpages together and with the main page. Also, we have an article "checklist," or metadata template, which tracks things like the article's quality and its workgroups.
- Using the Subpages template
- The main technical guide to subpages and the metadata page.
- Start article with subpages
- A tool that makes starting a "subpagified" article as painless as possible.
- The Article Checklist
- Must-read for anyone filling out the checklist (now found on "metadata" pages). The checklist includes data about the article workgroups, status, etc.
Help for programmers
- Downloads
- The contents of CZ available for programmers who want to make their own copy. We would appreciate it if multiple backups of our content existed around the world, if disaster should strike our Internet host (not too likely, that).
- Bug reporting and feature requests
- Did you spot a software bug? Have a feature request? Report it here.
- Citizendium-Tools
- The CZ technical mailing list.
- Technical Team Workgroup
- A wiki home page for our volunteer technical crew. (Not well developed at present.)
- Extensions
- We use these add-ons to MediaWiki, the software that runs the wiki.
- Templates
- A conical list of templates employed at CZ (still developing.) See CZ:Templates/Guidelines for creation of new templates!
| Citizendium Technical Help | ||
|---|---|---|
| How to edit an article | Searching | Start article with subpages The Article Checklist | Subpage template |
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