Help:Contents
The MobileRead wiki is really easy to use.
Contents |
[edit] Finding Content
The easiest way to use this wiki is just to click on what you want. All of the blue text can be clicked and will bring up an article about the subject you just clicked. The red text is a placeholder for a page that is not yet written. see Editing Content
The main page is often your starting point. The left hand portion is divided into Panels as described below:
[edit]
This panel on the left is designed to orient you to specific starting points.
[edit] Main Page
This is usually the place to start. Typical items of interest are listed there.
[edit] Community portal
This is a different way to find topics of interest. It is targeted hardware and categories of topics.
[edit] Recent changes
Provides a list of all recent changes to any page in the wiki. Allows anyone to find out the latest additions to the wiki.
[edit] Searching
With the latest wiki changes searching is at the top right corner of the screen. Entering a page and tapping the search icon will try and find the page you entered. If it is not present you will be offered a chance to create it. Note that pages are case sensitive except for the first character. The page may exist in a different case or with different spacing. The entry will also be shown as if you searched for it so look in the search results to be sure the page does not exist. The prompt will offer completions to text as you enter it. This is an aid to finding the correct page.
Clicking contains after entering text will search all of the pages for the data. It is not case sensitive. A space between words in a search argument have an implied 'or' between the words. To force a space use quotes around the phrase.
To specify types of pages to search tap the search button before entering any text. A new page will allow a more customized search. (This data is also at the bottom of all searches if you need to customize or refine the search after the original search.)
Note that the display may not show all of the hits on a page. To search a page, bring up the page and then use CTRL-F to bring up a page search form. Fill in the word you want to search for. This is especially important for pages that have lists of sites.
A second way to search for text on a page is to simply start typing while viewing a page. The page will be searched dynamically as you type, highlighting the found letter sequence or word. To reach the next instance of the word use the F3 key on a PC.
[edit] Networks
The networks panel will allow you to leave the wiki to goto other places on the site.
[edit] Toolbox
The toolbox panel offers a different way to traverse the wiki by providing other pages that are related in some way to the page you are viewing.
If you see the words RSS or ATOM you can click on the link to set up a RSS or ATOM feed for the site on that topic. If you have an RSS reader attached to your web browser this may be enough to see the page. If not then you may need to capture the link and paste it into your RSS reader. After establishing a subscription you can easily revisit these pages to see what has changed. Note that the page displayed will be a wiki page and may look strange in your viewer if it does not support wiki syntax but you can also tap the link to view the page directly.
[edit] Categories
Categories are available for some topics. If you see a category then you can click on it (even if it is red) to bring up all the topics in that category. Click a topic to go to the page. In some cases a Category may also be listed in some other category. These sub-categories will be listed separately but can be clicked like any other topic.
All of the categories have been set up in the Wiki Portal to provide an alternate way to view topics of interest. Tap the category title to view all of them. Clicking the word category on any page that includes it will also bring up a list of all the category items.
[edit] Images
All of the images are clickable. This will bring up and image page that may include a larger version of the image and may include information about the image itself. In some cases the image is even bigger than the image page will display. You can continue to click to bring up an even larger image if you wish.
[edit] Tables
Some tables are sortable. If you see a symbol that looks like two arrow heads facing each other in a box you can click on it to sort the table by that entry.
[edit] Links
There are often links to other sites in this wiki. Some of the pages are old and have been kept for historic purposes. If a link is broken because the site is no longer available, try using https://web.archive.org/web/ to find an older copy. Just paste the original site reference into the search box.
[edit] Multi-Lingual
This wiki support multi-lingual content, however there are not many multi-lingual pages yet. If you prefer a language other than English you should set up your entry in my preferences. If there is a page for your language it will be shown automatically, otherwise an English page will be shown. Pages with multiple languages will have a tag at the top to select the language you wish.
You can help us get more multi-lingual pages. Please see the page Wiki Translation for information on how to get started.
[edit] Editing Content
Basic wiki markup is so easy that you have no excuse not to use it. It's pretty similar to what you use in text-only email.
There is an edit button at the top of the page that can be used to edit it. Many pages also have an edit button on the right hand side of a section. Clicking this will permit editing that section. There is a Tool bar at the top of the edit window to help with some of the commands. Use the Cheat sheet for a quick overview of formatting markup. If you need help after starting the edit there is an "editing help" button at the bottom of the screen that will open in a different tab or window.
MobileRead suggests that you create a login when you want to add content. This will make it easier to keep track of the changes and contact you if there is a question.
[edit] Making a new page
Any one of the following methods can be used to create a new page:
- Browse to a non-existent page, e.g. http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/My_New_Page . The wiki will let you create a new page As If By Magic (TM).
- Edit an existing page to add a link [[My New Page]]. Save the edited page and click on the new link.
- Search for a Page by entering the page and tapping go. You will be offered a chance to create the page.
Some characters should not be used within titles. These include +, &, and /. / is reserved for multi-language features. The others simply may not work. They are used internally to support some features of the wiki.
Before you start a new page make sure that there is not one on that topic already. Search for similar pages and related spelling. Page names are case and space sensitive.
It can be helpful to use a Template to define the structure of the page. It is also a good idea to add a #Category or perhaps several at the bottom of the page. Some Templates already have a Category.
[edit] Paragraph formatting
- Single newlines are ignored.
- Blank lines start a new paragraph.
- Lines that start with one or more spaces are displayed
like this
[edit] Basic links
- Use brackets to link to other wiki pages [[Some Random Page]]
- External URLs are linked automatically: http://www.google.com
- Use | to provide a different link name and display name [[Link name|Display name]]
[edit] Redirect
It is a good idea to redirect alternate spellings and abbreviations that people are likely to use. Build a page with the alternate name to point to the original name containing the data. It should contain one line on it like this:
- #REDIRECT [[Original name]]
It is possible to redirect to a section inside original file using a # for a separator. For example: Original name#section name.
It is also permissible to include a line showing a category entry. This will cause the new/alternate name to show up in the category view. See #Category.
[edit] Lists
- Lines beginning with one or more * characters are unnumbered lists
- Use # characters for numbered lists.
- Go deeper with more #'s or *'s
[edit] Sections
- Text like ==A Section== is a section heading. They automatically appear in the Table of Contents box.
- Use more = characters for subsections.
The contents box appears if there are more than 3 sections on a page. Placing __TOC__ in the text will force the contents box. It will appear at the location specified.
[edit] Category
Collecting pages into categories makes it easier to find related items.
- [[category:Help]] sample entry.
Multiple lines may be used as well as multiple entries on a line. Place the lines at the bottom of the file. Existing categories include Category list. Use existing ones if you can but you can make new ones.
The category entry will show the list of files in the category even though there is no text on the category page, however it is a good idea to provide some explanatory text on the category page. The will also make the category page appear as a blue link.
[edit] Tables
The simple standard table uses the rules below.
- A table starts with the words {| class="wikitable" followed with a line containing |-
- Each row entry in the table begins on a new line with a | and can be separated from other entries on the line with || or the other entries can be placed on a new line preceded with a | (this behavior emulates the <td> tags in html)
- Each row of the table, except the last one, is ended using a |- on a line by itself. (behaves like the <tr> tags in html.
- The table ends with |} on a line by itself
Much more advanced tables are supported. See Help:Table Editing
[edit] Lousy Memory?
- If this is too hard to remember, just use the pretty buttons at the top of the editing box.
- The "Editing help" link at the bottom of the editing page tells of more options.
[edit] Discussion Pages
The top tabs include a discussion tab that can be used to start a discussion. Discussion pages are used to talk about the page. The + can add to a discussion without having to edit it. Always start or end your entry with ~~~~ which will substitute your user name (or click on the signature box above the edit window).
[edit] Making Books
You can make your own eBook or hardcopy book from a collection of pages on our wiki. Making Books shows detailed step by step help on the process.
- You can also make a PDF of individual pages.
[edit] Tracking contributions
If you are logged in you can easily check on the contributions you have made to the wiki. At the top of the page that are two entries, one called Contributions and one called Preferences. There is also a third one, called Watchlist, that can allow you to keep track of any page and be alerted if there are any changes.
[edit] Contributions
User contributions is a special page (It can also be found under special pages, Special:Contributions but the one at the top plugs in your user name automatically. It records every change you make and when you make it. You can also use it to view the page by clicking on the page name. Clicking on the date will bring up the page where your contribution was made in the history of the page. (For administrators it will also show actions that were made.)
[edit] Preferences
The preferences page you are likely familiar with since this is where you can change your password and perform other useful functions like you preference for the number of pages to be shown in a list of pages. However, almost hidden away is a line showing a total how many page contributions you made. (It is the 5th line in the first section of Basic Information. This can also be found under Special:Preferences but unlike Contributions you can only look at your own preferences so you must be logged in.
