FAQ & Guidelines

From UnusualSolutionsWiki

Page Structure[edit | edit source]

Pages are generally structured by section headers, and a table of contents that lets the user quickly find the section they're looking for. When you create new pages or edit existing ones, try keeping the general layout the same, namely:

  • Product / Guide Introduction
  • Main Problem Table for the product
  • Links to other resources / guides on the wiki.

New Page[edit | edit source]

To write a new article; enter the article title in the box below (or on the Main page) to create a page with a preselected boilerplate.
Make sure to include the full title. If you don't finish it, insert {{Stub}} at the top of the page to signify it's a work in progress.




Move[edit | edit source]

If a page has an incorrect title, you can move it:

  1. Mouseover the Page tool tab in the top right and click Move.
  2. Give the page a New title and click Move page.
  3. For normal pages, don't change the default namespace (Main).
  4. Note that if you move a category page, pages belonging to it will need to be recategorized manually.

Minor changes[edit | edit source]

Once on a page, click Edit or Edit Source (recommended) in the top right of it to begin editing.

Everyone starts small! If you want to add some information, fix typos or add a few links, go ahead.

Table of Contents[edit | edit source]

Table of Contents (TOC) is inserted automatically on articles with more than three section headers.

You can move the TOC somewhere else by inserting __TOC__ on the page in the source editor.

To align the TOC to the right, insert the Template {{TOC Right}} instead at the top of the page, right underneath the first header.

To disable the TOC on the page, insert __NOTOC__

Section level headers[edit | edit source]

From the Edit Source tab:[edit | edit source]

Section headers are added by using equal signs. Each indentation to a new level gets an extra equals sign surrounding the name (i.e. Level 2 gets 2 equals signs on each side, Level 3 gets 3, etc.).
Level 1 headers are reserved for the title and should not be used (i.e. =Example=).

==Level 2 header==

===Level 3 header===

Text

From the Edit tab:[edit | edit source]

First, highlight the word you want to become a section. Then click on the paragraph dropdown menu. There you can see the hierarchy of section levels and select the one you want. It's also possible to make use of the shortcuts listed after highlighting. Section order (from highest to lowest): Page Title -> Heading -> Subheading (1 -> 4) -> paragraph

Major Changes[edit | edit source]

All edits are publically viewable and reversible through the View History tab, so don't be afraid you to make mistakes. For larger edits it's advised that you state what's changed so others can stay informed.

If you're changing other's work substantially, giving the author a heads up preemptively would also be wise to avoid conflict.

Categories[edit | edit source]

Source Editor[edit | edit source]

The source editor is recommended in general, but especially for adding categories. Simply add [[Category:_____]] at the bottom for your product page.

If you're using the page creation box, you will see [[Category:Name]] preloaded in the editor. Replace "Name" with your own category.

Visual Editor[edit | edit source]

To categorize a page using the visual editor, go to Edit, then the triple stacked bars (i.e. page options) and click on Categories. Under add a category to this page, start typing in the category you would like to see this page under. If the category already exists, select that one. If not, you can create a new category (which will have its own, unique URL for this). If you want it in a subcategory, type in the category that is a subcategory.

When you're finished, click on the name of the category. To add another category, type another one in and repeat. There's no limit to the number of categories a page can be under. To delete a category created, click on the category name. There will be a trash can icon to click on. Click save changes once done. To see the page under the category, go to the category URL and it will be seen under Pages in category "_____". This will be separated from the subcategories (as pages aren't categories, only categories are).

Hierarchy[edit | edit source]

The standard category format is [[Category:Brand_Product Type]].

Only add one or two categories per page, and make sure a relevant category doesn't already exist before you create new ones.

All product type categories should be a subcategory of Category:Product Repair Guides.

If a brand does not have a wide product stack, further categorization is not necessary.

If your article applies to more than one or few products, it belongs in Category:General Repair Guides.

Notes:[edit | edit source]

  • Once you save a category, changing it becomes cumbersome, so make sure you get it right. New subcategories can be added however.
  • Often a category will have a separate gateway article with links to specific products. Check the URL to make sure you're on the right page.
    • If a link to your page doesn't show up, try clearing the cache:
      Firefox / Safari: Ctrl-R (⌘-R on a Mac)
      Google Chrome: Ctrl-Shift-R (⌘-Shift-R on a Mac)

MediaWiki[edit | edit source]

Template:TOC Right This wiki uses MediaWiki Formatting, which is also used on Wikipedia. (Also known as Wikitext - there's a link to general help about MediaWiki / Formatting in the sidebar.).

Page Formatting[edit | edit source]

Links[edit | edit source]

External Links (other websites)[edit | edit source]

From the Edit Source tab:[edit | edit source]
[https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-get-right-to-repair-passed Right to Repair fundraiser]
Result:[edit | edit source]

Right to Repair fundraiser

From the Edit tab:[edit | edit source]

After highlighting the text to use, use the hyperlink symbol or CTRL + K to add a link.

Citations[edit | edit source]

Donate to the GoFundMe<ref>https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-get-right-to-repair-passed Right to Repair fundraiser</ref>

If you want control over where the references list appears on the page use:

{{Reflist}}

Result:[edit | edit source]

Donate to the GoFundMe[1]

Internal Links (Repair Wiki)[edit | edit source]

[[Main Page]]

[[Standards|Standards page]]
Result:[edit | edit source]

Main Page

Standards page

If the link is red, either the link is wrong, or the page doesn't exist yet.

However if you want a page to redirect to another page, you can use the following:

#REDIRECT [[Target Page]]

Italic & Bold Font[edit | edit source]

Don't be scared to use bolded text frequently in your articles, such as highlighting crucial steps of the repair process or safety warnings. It helps the reader find what they're looking for faster.

Source Editor:[edit | edit source]

* ''italic text''
* '''bold text'''
** '''''bold italic text'''''
Result:[edit | edit source]
  • italic text
  • bold text
    • bold italic text

Line breaks[edit | edit source]

Arrows in the editor indicate a single line break. Characters following line breaks will be inserted on the next line.

You can add them in the source editor by typing <br>

Put line breaks on a new line, so people know they're there.

Use {{clear}} for line breaking all elements, including images.

Transclusion[edit | edit source]

You can include a page inside another page with {{:Page name}}.

Make sure to use <onlyinclude>text</onlyinclude> to not duplicate too much content (search engines don't like it).

Note:[edit | edit source]

Make sure the page or Template you're transcluding has its categories inside noinclude tags: <noinclude>[[Category:IPhone]]</noinclude>

if you want to link to a category instead, colon symbol in front of it: [[:Category:Product Repair Guides]]

Code text:[edit | edit source]

A highlighted blue box around text that's inside it.

Source editor: type in <code>highlight word</code>

Result:[edit | edit source]

highlight word

Visual editor: copy/paste from text that already has it.

Warning:[edit | edit source]

Watch out for writing before and after the box, because they might get mixed into the box itself, when it shouldn't. |-| Suggestions & Discussion=

Suggestions[edit | edit source]

If you have suggestions for how to improve the wiki, you can leave them on Talk:Unusual Solutions Wiki

Talk Pages / Discussion[edit | edit source]

Every page has a Talk Page associated with it.

Click on Discussion in the top left to leave a comment on it, then add ~~~~ to insert a user signature, like so: Patrolin (talk) 15:21, 24 April 2021 (PDT)

Responses[edit | edit source]

When responding to someone in the talk pages, do it on a new line and prefix your message with : to give it indentation.

Embedding a Video[edit | edit source]

To embed a youtube video:

<embedvideo service="youtube">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbmXeaDT9UE</embedvideo>

Copy and paste the part of the youtube URL after v=

For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbmXeaDT9UE