Wiki Editor's Guide

This guide is intended to offer some help to new editors of {{SITENAME}}. This together with  the [[Style Guide]] that contains a list of suggested "do's and don'ts" should help avoiding some of the common pitfalls of new Wiki editors.

A thorough guide to MediaWiki is {{Reference|Daniel J. Barrett|MediaWiki: Wikipedia and Beyond|O'Reilly|9780596519797}}

==Terminology==
; MediaWiki
: The engine that powers {{SITENAME}}. WidiaWiki uses a simple "mark-up" language and generates ''html'' the language of the web.
; Page 
: Any individual web page of [[World_Cruising_and_Sailing_Wiki|{{SITENAME}}]]. 
; Parents 
: The pages higher up in the {{SITENAME}} hierarchy. For instance [[World_Cruising_and_Sailing_Wiki|HOMEPAGE]] and [[World Cruising Guides|Wiki Contents]] are the parents of this page ([[Wiki Editors Guide]]). This hierarchy is usually shown at the '''Navigation Bar''' at the bottom of the page. 
; Navigation Bar 
: The bar at the bottom of the page labeled: '''Cruising Wiki Navigation'''.
; Redirects
: Links in hidden pages that automatically send you to another page. These are very usefully for handling [[#Synonyms|Synonyms]].
{{TOCleft}}

==Editing Existing Pages==
It is much easier to learn wiki editing by first making small changes to existing pages. To start on this, please read first the main [[Help:Contents#Editing_the_Wiki|Help]] page. Then look at the code, clicking on the '''Edit''' button of some page or on this page for that mater. Many people prefer the more complicated  ''WYSIWYG'' (what you see is what you get) "'''Rich Editor'''" than the simpler standard editor.

===Headers===
[[Image:WhatLinks.png‎|right]]
Note that a page is demarcated into section by headers, marked by equal signs(<nowiki>==</nowiki>). These are maybe the most important elements of a page. They automatically generate a Table of Contents and provide ''anchors'' for links.

<font color=red>'''Important''':</font> Before you remove any header please check that no other pages of {{SITENAME}} link there. To do so right-click on '''WhatLinksHere''' under the toolbox on the left sidebar of the page that you are editing. If you remove a header that had been used as link you may be creating what is called an ''Orphan Page'' i.e. a page that is not linked into. You can always check for [[Special:LonelyPages|Orphan Pages]]

==Links==
Links are clickable text or pictures that cause you to jump at another part of a page or to different page or website all together. The links of [[World_Cruising_and_Sailing_Wiki|{{SITENAME}}]] can be:
# '''Interpage links''' -  these jump within an individual page. For example to jump to the [[#Terminology|Terminology]] section on this page add <nowiki>[[#Terminology|Terminology]]</nowiki>.
# '''Internal links''' -  these jump to other pages or their sections ''within'' {{SITENAME}}. For example to jump to the [[Italy]] page add <nowiki>[[Italy]]</nowiki> and to jump to the [[Italy#Customs|Customs]] section of the Italy page  <nowiki>[[Italy#Customs|Customs]]</nowiki>.
# '''External links''' - these jump to other website outside of {{SITENAME}}. For example to jump to the page of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy Italy] on the Wikipedia add <nowiki>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy Italy]</nowiki>, to jump to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy#Geography Geography] section of Italy on the Wikipedia add <nowiki>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy#Geography Geography]</nowiki>.

'''Notes:'''
: You can only link to sections that have [[#Headers|Headers]]. So when you edit a page do provide headers in anticipation of future links.
: a simple link like <nowiki>[[Italy]]</nowiki> will display as [[Italy]] but what is called a ''piped link'' like <nowiki>[[Italy#Customs|Customs]]</nowiki> will display as [[Italy#Customs|Customs]].

===Images===
You can add Images like photographs and maps to any page. Instructions on how to do so are given in [[Help:Contents#Posting Images|Help]].

In general, try to put most images on the right side of the page. For more then one image at a time use [[Pagetemplates#IMAGE_GALLERY|Galleries]] which are placed at the center of the page.

Try to avoid the use of the automatic Maps with their very sensitive scroll bars. It is best if you download the map, annotate by means of picture editing program such as [http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html Photoshop Elements] it and then uploaded to the wiki as an image.

'''Notes:'''
: Make sure that Galleries do not overflow a page. You can control the number of pictures per row by the ''perrow=x'' option.
: Replace the "Gallery" in the ''caption="Gallery"'' option with an appropriate title, otherwise delete the option.

===Categories===
All of the templates and most of the existing {{SITENAME}} pages have have one or more [[Special:Categories|Categories]]. These are created automatically and are very useful to casual readers and provide a wealth of information about Islands, Ports, Marinas, Anchorages, etc. Please make sure that any page you edit or create has the appropriate categories.
 
For example a Greek island should have at the bottom of its page the entry <nowiki>[[Category: Islands - Greece]]</nowiki>.

===Synonyms===
Many places due to language and local traditions go under several names. British Admiralty charts, owing to their longevity, are notorious for using place names that are no longer in use, yet a cruiser may only know the name on the BA chart but has heard of a place worth visiting under a name not on the chart. In order to facilitate the ''search function'' (See the picture or look at the Sidebar on the left) and to make corresponding entries in the Category pages one must create a special '''Redirect''' page, one for each synonym.

Here is an example. Assuming that you have a hypothetical Greek island page named "Greek Island". But this fictitious island is also known a "Grecian Island" and Hellenic Island. To handle these other 3 names here is what you can do. For each of these names:
# Create a new page with one of the synonyms say "Grecian Island". For instruction on how to create this new page [[#Creating a new Page|''see below'']],
# after you are transported to the new page, press the '''create''' button,
# write the <nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Greek Island]]</nowiki>,
# on second line write the applicable Categories, in this case <nowiki>[[Category: Islands - Greece]]</nowiki>,
# press the '''Show preview''' button at the botom of the editor and make sure that it shows a redirect ([[Image:Redirectltr.png]]) symbol pointing to original page i.e. Greek Island
# save the redirect page
# as a test click on the Category, in this example <nowiki>[[Category: Islands - Greece]]</nowiki> to make sure that the redirect, "Grecian Island", page is included,
# finally click on the "Grecian Island". This should redirect you back to the "Greek Island".

'''Note:'''
: In the case of anchorages and ports ''listed with their own headers'' in a page you can use the same technique and create a redirect pointing to a specific header. For example assume that our hypothetical "Greek Island" has under its anchorages a header <nowiki>====Fantastic Anchorage===</nowiki>. You can create a new "Fantastic Anchorage" page and then redirect to the "Greek Island" by adding <nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Greek Island#Fantastic Anchorage]]</nowiki>.

==Creating a new Page==
A new page must have a unique name within {{SITENAME}}. New pages can be created with two different ways. Assuming that you want to call your new page "NewPage":
# In an existing page add an '''Internal links''' such as <nowiki>[[NewPage]]</nowiki>. After saving the edited page this new link will display <font color=red>NewPage</font>. Click on it and you are transported to the new page to be created by you.
# Alternatively on your browser (Firefox, Safari, etc.) enter a new URL such as <nowiki>http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/NewPage</nowiki> and go to it. This will transport you to the new page under creation.

Now: 
# press the '''create''' button and on ''another'' browser window or tab go to [[Pagetemplates]],
# chose the appropriate template and go to it,
# edit the template, select all of its text and copy it (<font color=red>make sure that you do not alter it or save any alterations</font>),
# go to the window or tab that of the new page,
# paste the text that you had copied from the template,
# edit it following the instructions on the template and using your own judgement on what is appropriate,
# finally save the new page; it is only after this step that the new page is actually created.

'''Notes:'''
: Make sure that you have added your user name in the "Contributors" banner.
: Make sure that the Navigation Bar is correct.
: If you have visited the place make an entry under '''Personal Notes'''

[[Category:Website]]