MediaWiki FAQs
From MontCo MediaWiki
This is a list of tips and tricks in setting up and using MontCo MediaWiki Communities
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How do I use the Wiki?
Wikis blur the line between readers and contributers - and that is EXACTLY the point. Everyone who reads something should always be looking at:
- Is the right?
- Can I make it better?
In other words, there are no innocent bystanders any more.
So how do you do this?
Simple - see the Edit Tab at the top of this page? USE IT. Yes, formatting can get a little tricky and there is no WYSIWYG editor, but believe me, it's not that hard. If you are uncomfortable with editing the article directly, there is also the Discussion Tab where you can post comments or suggestions on the article for the original author and/or other contributers to consider.
How do I Register Users?
Another key aspect of the Internet is that everyone is allowed to register themselves. The Wiki server will automatically send a request for authorization to a sysop ( a geek word for geek) who will approve or disapprove access. If you have a list of users you would like to register all at once (including sending them an email that they've been registered), contact the sysop and we can do that via a spreadsheet.
OK, I'll Edit, but What are All the Funky Characters?
For those of us who predate the wheel, remember when editors had in-line formatting characters (eg., WordPerfect)? Well we're back to that (at least for the next 6 months are so).
However, here are the key things you need to know are in the next couple of subsection. If you want full details, you could read the manual, but you don't have to until you want to get fancy.
Edit Buttons
Once you are in the editor, these buttons put the formatting characters into your text. As you pass over them, they will give you hints on what they do. The general rule is use only the formatting you need. Pretty is not as important as content rich.
Adding New Articles and Content
The easiest way to create a new article and/or content is to go to the page where you will have a pointer to the new content, create a link in there using the format: [[Article name here]]. And save that page. Then all you have to do is click on the new link and it will ask you if you want to create the page. Simple huh?
This also gives you a simple test mechanism for putting something on a wiki. Most articles should be referenced from other places. If you haven't thought out the hierarchy of how the information is going to be accessed (where it is linked from), this might be a good time to do so.
Headings
Headers are indicated by multiple '=' signs. Heading level 1 is 2 (==), level 2 is 3 (===), etc. By default, any time you reach 4 headings on a page, the software will automatically introduce a contents box with the appropriate links.
How Do I Protect My Content Area?
Contrary to normal Wiki usage, at MontCo, we use a LOT of private communities who allow access ONLY to specific areas. If you have a need to protect content, the way we do it at MontCo is through namespace protection. Contact Tom Pepe or Jack Pond to get a brief tutorial and request a private area. However, in general there are three factors to be addressed:
- Community Privacy - This is where the entire community is isolated so that only 'approved' users can access the community. This is the default setup for MontCo Wiki sites. It is a tad cumbersome, because while individuals can currently self-register, a user with 'userrights' authority must go and add them to the 'approved' group. There is also a way to import entire lists of users.
- Intra-Community Privacy via namespaces - All content can be (and has been) restricted through extensions added on MontCo sites called namespaces. Namespaces and a specific group or group must be created by a system administrator. Once a namespace has been created, only users entitled to access to the associated group(s) will see or be allowed access to that content. IMPORTANT: content by default goes into the wiki community. If you want new (or edited) content to go into a namespace, you must explicity do so by creating the content using a valid namespace prefix (e.g., [ns]:Any Page where 'ns' is the name of the PREVIOUSLY created namespace. If you put content into a namespace that has not been explicitly created by a system administrator, it will default to a subset of the main namespace. If you later explicitly create a namespace, you will have to manually move each and every piece of content into that namespace.
- File Access - File access is restricted at MontCo by two different vehicles:
- Security By Obscurity - When files are loaded onto the Wiki, their URL is actually an MD5 hashed algorith - fairly close to random. Thus unless you specifically know the URL, you cannot access it. Recent additions to the infrastructure also restrict access using the server and namespace capabilities. However, this is not completely secure, but is probably good enough for our purposes (see security issues).
- External Access - If you have a file that must truly be protected, and is so sensitive in nature, talk to the administrators to see if it is appropriate to even post in a wiki environment.
The MediaWiki Editor Doesn't Get Me There - Can I Use Word?
You can use MS Word and copy and paste it into the editor using macros developed expressly for this purpose. For details, see Word2MediaWiki Macros. This has some additional advantages of spell checking, etc.
How do I create a table/form
MontCo installations include Semantic MediaWiki and Semantic Forms.
To create a form (taken largely from Getting Started,
- Create the properties for the form using: Special:CreateProperty
- Create the template for the form using: Special:CreateTemplate
Can I upload an Excel File Directly Into a Wiki
Yes - see Importing Data
