Getting started: first steps in using the wiki
From TheStudentWiki
Are you a new user of a Wiki? In this series of tutorials we will explain how you get started as a contributor to this wiki or any other wiki that is based upon the Media Wiki software. Just pick the tutorials that will help you most from the list on this page. We plan to develop some podcasts to cover these topics. Details of this development will be available during the Summer term 2007.
Contents |
Getting started tutorials
Tutorials available on this site:
| Tutorial number | Name | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The page | Creating a page; editing a page; linking one page to another |
| 2 | Basic formatting | Bold; editing a page; italics; external links |
tutorial one: the page
creating a new page
The quickest way to start a new page, from the Main Page is go to the search box on the left hand side and type in the title of your new article. In Tutorial 1, in the first image I have typed Priestley Hall into the search box and press Go to create a page with this name.
The Search Results page will be displayed. The second image in Tutorial 1 is an example of this. If a page already exists, or there is one which is similar, it will be shown on this page. If your proposed topic is new to the Wiki, click on the link Create this page.
The Editing page will be displayed. The third image in Tutorial 1 is an example of this page. You can now start to input the content of your new page. Now there are two ways that you can go about this. One way is to type your article into Word without formatting and then copy and paste it into this page. My preferred approach is to type the article directly into the Editing page screen itself. Just type the words you want to include at first. We'll come back later to look at how we improve the formatting on the page and how we include images and so on.
On your first attempt at creating a a page, I suggest you stop after a couple of sentences and save what you have done. Scroll down the outer blue scroll bar and you will see the saving options at the bottom of the screen.
Try Show preview first. Click on this button and you will see what your page will look like when it is saved. Scroll down again to the bootom and now try Save page. Your new page will be displayed. To continue editing, click on the edit button at the top of the screen. Your previous work will be displayed. Scroll down the blue bar on the right hand side until you reach the point at which you wish to continue. You can then carry on typing your article. When you are ready, go to the bottom of the screen and save the page again. This time, before you save your work, click on the box above the Save page button. This will record this change in the wiki log as a minor edit. Your last contribution was automatically logged as a new page.
We'll stop there for this tutorial. If you want to now find out how to format your article, go to tutorail two. If you want to find out how to find out about changes to your page, go to tutorial XX instead.
editing an existing page
Find the page that you wish to edit. The quickest way, as explained before, is to type the name in the search box. Go back the page you have set up. Edit the couple of lines of text you have already entered. Add new text, amend existing words and delete others, just like you might in your usual word processor.
linking one page to another
One powerful facility provided by a wiki is the ability to link pages together, allowing the reader to effortlessly move from page to page as their interest leads them. The wiki has an organic structure. As it grows in size, the pages link as a newtork, rather than exhibitting a heirarchical structure.
Whilst still in edit mode, type Return to Main Page. Highlight Main Page and then press button Ab. This will put double parentheses around the selected phrase. Now scroll down the outer blue scroll bar and Save Page. All of your formatting will be saved and the Main Page entry should be highlighted in blue, signifying a link that you can click on to navigate through the wiki. If it appears in red, the highlighted page doesn't exist in the wiki. It may be that you have mistyped the page title - remember that the wiki is case sensitive. If you typed lower case M or lower case P, go back and correct them.
We'll try out some of the other buttons at the top of the screen in the next tutorial.
tutorial two: basic formatting
Go back the page you have set up and click on the edit tab. In this tutorial, we'll try out some of the buttons at the top of the screen.
bold
Highlight a couple of words and then press button B. Scroll down the outer blue scroll bar and Show preview. You will see that the selected words are now in bold.
italics
Highlight a couple of words and then press button I. Scroll down the outer blue scroll bar and Show preview. You will see that the selected words are now in italics.
external link
Enter www.leedsmet.ac.uk, highlight this and then press fourth button with the globe icon. Scroll down the outer blue scroll bar and Show preview. You will see that the Leeds Met URL has been replaced by a number. This will be colured blue if you have correctly entered the website address.
tutorial three: advanced formatting
adding tables
tutorial four: uploading files
uploading files
photos
videos
documents
return to Main Page
