From MyWiki

Help for this site

Contents 1 Help for this site 1.1 Information about the software powering this site 1.2 Why MediaWiki? 1.3 What about copyrights, legal stuff? 1.4 Conventions used on this site 1.4.1 Other conventions 1.4.2 Notes about work in progress on pages 1.5 Can I edit the pages? 1.6 How to find recent changes? 1.7 Are there any RSS feeds? 1.8 Do I have to register? 1.9 I don't like the layout, how can I have a standard Wiki look 1.10 What about the talk pages, they don't look like ordinary Wiki Talk: 1.11 How to upload images? 1.12 Use of JavaScript and cookies

Information about the software powering this site

This site is using the MediaWiki software. You can find documentation for it on the linked site. It's probably the most widely used Wiki software and very popular, because it powers Wikipedia and a lot of other large Wiki projects.

If you need help editing pages, you should start here for a description of the MediaWiki markup language which must be used to format articles.

The site layout is based on a theme created by Paul Gu

Why MediaWiki?

Because it works. Really, there isn't any special reason and I've most likely chosen it, because it is very powerful, feature-rich and popular which means you can get help quickly when something goes wrong. Also, many users are familiar with its editing syntax and features. With its many extensions, it can be used for more than just a simple Wiki. For example, I have added functionality to implement a simple blog.

What about copyrights, legal stuff?

Like any other content created by an individual, it is of course copyrighted stuff. However, the content you can find on this site is licensed under the GNU FDL (Free Documentation License) which basically means, you can use, copy, modify and redistribute the content as long as you comply with the Terms of the license.

The privacy policy for this site can be viewed here.

Conventions used on this site

To make reading a bit easier, all pages should use a unified layout. Additionally, templates are available to highlight important parts of text in several different ways.

• Important notes. This markup is used to indicate important instructions or things which should be read and followed with extra care.

This is how an important note looks like

• A hint. This markup indicates a useful hint. Often used to show how things can be done faster and/or easier.

This is how a hint looks like

• A check item. This markup is used to indicate checklist-type entries. Make sure to follow the steps in order to achieve the desired results.

do this then do that... This is how a checklist type entry looks like

These markup types are implemented by templates Template:Note, Template:Hint and Template:Ok. Each template takes exactly three arguments, beginning with the text which should appear in the box. The second argument specifies the left indentation while the third argument will determine the indentation of the right margin. Values must be given in CSS syntax. Example: 1.0em or 20px.

Other conventions

• File->Open. Indicates a menu entry to choose.
• Message Sessions->General[tab]->Show contact avatars. Where to find a specific option. Note that, unless otherwise noted, all options can be found within the main Miranda option dialog. The first entry usually describes the node under which the option page is located. A [tab] suffix indicates that this is a tab page.
• Ctrl-L. This formatting indicates a keyboard shortcut to use.

Notes about work in progress on pages

If you see the above note on top of a page, it means that this article is not yet finished. The article should be seen as a draft and will possibly undergo heavy changes in the future.

Can I edit the pages?

Yes, actually, you can. Anonymous editing is, however, not allowed on this site, to fight spammers. This may change when I finally find an effective automated spam protection method. Some articles are protected though, but only those for which editing by users doesn't make much sense. This applies to changelogs and other "technical" articles. If you have comments or proposed changes to a page you cannot edit, use its discussion page.

When editing a page, please follow the conventions by using the various markup templates. You can find a list of available formatting templates here.

You can use images, but keep them small and use thumbnails when possible to save bandwidth and improve loading times for a user with a slower network connection. Uploading images is permitted w/o any limits, but please do not abuse it, or I'll have to change that feature. If you need help using images within articles, you should read this page.

How to find recent changes?

Click the link Recent Changes on top of the page. It will show you a list of recently added or modified pages.

Are there any RSS feeds?

Yes, there are. Check this page to see which feeds are available.

Do I have to register?

Only when you want to edit edit articles.

I don't like the layout, how can I have a standard Wiki look

If you have registered an account, you can change your preferences. Click the My preferences link in the top right corner and then you can customize a few things. You can also select a different skin for the site. The default MediaWiki skin is available among others.

What about the talk pages, they don't look like ordinary Wiki Talk:

Right. They are driven by an extension called LiquidThreads which may eventually become the new standard for MediaWiki Talk:Pages. This extension offers real threaded discussion pages where one can actually write posts and replies instead of just editing the page. The posts are rendered in a threaded layout, which makes it easy to see to which post someone replied. It's quite easy to use and more convent for people who are used to typical discussion forums or groups.

If you want to "quote" stuff from other posts, you may just copy and paste the quote and surround it with <pre> </pre> tags.

How to upload images?

Simply navigate to the Special:Upload page or use the Tools->Upload image link on the side bar. To use images in an article, refer to the user documentation.

For thumbnails, this site is using the LightBox extension for MediaWiki. Clicking on a thumbnailed image will open the image in an overlayed window. To open the image normally, click on the small icon in the bottom right corner of the thumbnail image.

When uploading images please make sure to use appropriate size limits. Don't post screenshots of your entire desktop if you only want to show the message window, for example.

Use of JavaScript and cookies

Some features, especially AJAX- and the LighBox extension are using JavaScript. This is optional, though, the site is fully operational with JavaScript disabled. Cookies are only needed when you have created an account and are logged in. The cookie will store your session ID then, but nothing else.

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