Help:Contents
From WikiClimate
Welcome to the main WikiClimate help page.
Contents |
How do I add information to WikiClimate?
It's very easy, especially if you are used to other sites that use wiki software, such as Wikipedia. WikiClimate is written using the same basic tools (MediaWiki) and so the same commands will normally work, although not all the add-ins can be found on WikiClimate at the moment. If you are not already registered, we recommend that you Create a User Name and log in before making any edits; this will stop your IP address being shown in the page history next to any changes you have made. Any by signing up, you won't be putting yourself at risk from spam, as we take your privacy very seriously.
Once you have logged in (or chosen not to do so just yet), you can edit existing pages or create new ones. We recommend that if you are unfamiliar with the wiki software, you should try out by making a few small edits first. Once you are feeling confident, then you can add new pages.
How do I edit pages on WikiClimate?
Firstly you should click on the edit tab at the top of the page or section heading that you wish to edit. If there's no tab, it may be one of the very few pages that are reserved for the administrator to edit. Clicking on this box will lead to an Edit window being displayed, showing a lot of unformatted text. Find the text that you wish to change, and simply type in the new or updated information. Small edits really are that easy! But before long, you'll be wanting to improve the page's appearance through formatting and add links to other pages within WikiClimate, or to external websites where readers can find more detailed information about the subject.
Basic Page Formatting
WikiClimate uses the same formatting commands as other leading wikis, so this section will only include the most important ones.
Paragraphs
A single line break (carriage return) at the end of a paragraph when editing a page will be ignored, so to start a new paragraph you need to include a completely blank line in the edit mode:
There are six main gases causing climate change. Carbon Dioxide is the largest single contributor. SF6 is the most potent gas.
which displays as:
There are six main gases causing climate change. Carbon Dioxide is the largest single contributor.
SF6 is the most potent gas.
Bold and Italic Text
Text is often easier to read with judicious use of bold and italics and these are marked up using repeated single inverted commas:
Two commas are used for ''italics'' and three for '''bold text'''.
which displays as:
Two commas are used for italics and three for bold text.
Bullet Point and Numbered Lists
Lists are usually improved by the use of simple bullets points:
* An asterisk at the start of a line creates a bullet ** A second asterisk produces an inset list ** This helps display lists more easily * But don't overdo it...
which displays as:
- An asterisk at the start of a line creates a bullet
- A second asterisk produces an inset list
- This helps display lists more easily
- But don't overdo it...
There may be occasions where a sequentially numbered list would be more useful, and the hash symbol is used instead:
The three greenhouse gases with the greatest contribution to global climate change are: # Carbon Dioxide # Methane # Nitrous Oxide
which displays as:
The three greenhouse gases with the greatest contribution to global climate change are:
- Carbon Dioxide
- Methane
- Nitrous Oxide
HTML Markup in WikiClimate
Finally, some HTML markup will work in WikiClimate too. A particularly useful one is the subscript code, that is customarily used when using chemical formulae, such as that for Carbon Dioxide:
CO<sub>2</sub> is the chemical formula for Carbon Dioxide.
which displays as:
CO2 is the chemical formula for Carbon Dioxide.
Linking to other pages and websites
Linking to other pages on WikiClimate is very easy: you just enclose the name of the page in two square brackets:
This will link to the page on [[energy]].
which displays as:
This will link to the page on energy.
If you wish to display a slightly different linking word or phrase to that of the name page, then you can place what you wish to be displayed after a vertical bar line:
This will link to the page on [[renewable energy|renewables and other clean sources]].
which will display as:
This will link to the page on renewables and other clean sources.
As general style point, WikiClimate would not normally use a phrase like "This will link to the page on energy", but would try and work the word 'energy' into a sentence that encourages users to follow the link if they are uncertain about its meaning, or wish to find out more about the topic. Thus we might say something like "The largest single contributory factor to global climate change is the wasteful use of energy from fossil fuels" allowing three links from a single sentence.
If a page does not exist with the desired name, it's not a problem, as the link will still work, and anyone clicking on it will be taken to a page identifying that it has yet to be written, and asking if they want to create a page with name. (In fact, this is one of the easiest ways of creating a new page!) Please check carefully to see if the desired page does already exist, under a similar but different name. WikiClimate pages are case-sensitive, so that Renewable Energy would be a different page to renewable energy. And watch out for spelling errors!
Links to external websites work in a similar manner, but using single square brackets:
The [http://www.nef.org.uk/ National Energy Foundation] is a leading UK charity in the sustainable energy sector.
which would appear as:
The National Energy Foundation is a leading UK charity in the sustainable energy sector.
Note that it's necessary to use the http:// and final / to enable the wiki to identify which bit of the link is the URL, and which bit is to be displayed on screen. The little double arrow symbol is inserted automatically by the wiki to show that it is an external link that will take you away from WikiClimate.
Please try and keep external links to those that are genuinely relevant and give more information or resources than the page which you are editing.
Section Headings
It's very helpful on larger pages to have a table of contents and individually editable section headings. These can be done by using repeated equals signs:
==Section Heading== gives a main numbered heading with edit function ===Sub-section=== gives one level of heading lower, with no line underneath the heading.
More Markup Information
This is just an extremely basic introduction, and we recommend looking at the help pages associated with other sites using MediaWiki such as Wikipedia's How to edit a page section for a more extensive list of editing rules.
How to Publish the Page
Before publishing a page, test it by using the Show Preview button below the edit box. If the page looks wrong, or won't load properly, then please don't save it, as it could destroy a perfectly usable earlier version. (It is actually possible to roll back p[ages to an earlier version, but it's best to get them right first time.)
Please also fill in the one line Summary box, briefly saying what changes you have made (and perhaps, why, if they may be contentious). If it's only a very minor edit - for example correcting a spelling error or updating an external link URL - then check the This is a minor edit box as well.
When everything's just as you want it, click on the Save Changes button to publish the page so that all WikiClimate readers can see it.
Creating New Pages on WikiClimate
The easiest page to create a new page is by first inserting a link on an existing page, and then following that link to a the screen that allows you to edit that (new) page. As noted above, check carefully to see if the desired page does already exist, under a similar but different name. WikiClimate pages are case-sensitive, so that "Climate Change" would be a different page to "climate change" or "Global Climate Change".
And Finally
Remember that your page may well be edited by someone else - don't get too upset if they have changed your finely crafted words for their own version. Remember though that the more people contribute to WikiClimate, the better it will become, so don't be too upset if you see some of your original thoughts disappearing.
But finally, we hope that you will find WikiClimate a useful and stimulating resource, and that you will become one of the ever growing number of contributors sharing your knowledge about Climate Change with the wider web community. Link title
