[WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BTW wiki

A place to talk to other users about the mod.
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

[WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BTW wiki

Post by thekyz »

Hello ladies & gentlemen, since the wiki is a little tiny bit outdated these days and we're having troubles keeping it up to date, I'm calling to your sense of procrastination to contribute & improve it.

So, if you don't already know it, the Better than Wolves wiki is located here : http://www.sargunster.com/btw/index.php?title=Main_Page

Now it's not really complicated to follow how it is constructed but there are some things you may need to know.

Each page is constructed upon 3 different criteria. Either its:
- An item (for instance, the Anvil)
- A collection of items (for instance, the Plate Armor)
- A concept (for instance the Ages page)

The item template
Spoiler
Show
Here is a basic template that we are trying to follow:

Code: Select all

{{Item}}
Intro text.
== Crafting ==
== Applications == 
== Keep in Mind ==
== Demonstration Video ==
  • The item box is a part of wiki code which generates the top right box you can see on most wiki pages. It uses a mediawiki template to do so.

    Code: Select all

    {{Item
    | image=ItemAnvil.png
    | type=Crafting
    | stackable=?
    | firstver=2.93
    }}
    
    The above is the item box for the Anvil. For each item, you have to specify 4 parameters:
    • image: What image should be displayed in the box. It is preffixed by 'Item' & is obtained by taking the 32 pixel by pixel image in the game & resizing it using a nearest neighbor algorithm to a 100x100 image.
    • type: The category the item belongs to.
    • stackable: Self explanatory.
    • firstver: The first version of BTW the item appeared in. You can take a look here and search in the list.
  • The intro text is a little piece of text giving a brief description of what the item does, or what it's used for. It is often directly copied from FC's MCF thread.
  • The crafting part includes the recipe. It is formated using a template, for now, just know that we use 2 templates for item, the Crafting Table, & the Anvil. If an item is built on the anvil, it will use the following template:

    Code: Select all

    {| class="wikitable"
    |-
    !Name
    ! Ingredients
    ! Input » Output
    |-
    !Buddy Block
    |align="center"|[http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Moss_Stone Moss Stone] + 
    [[Soul Urn]] +
    <br>[http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Redstone_(Dust) Redstone (Dust)] +
    <br>[http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Stone Stone]
    |{{Grid/Anvil
    |A1= Stone        |B1= Stone            |C1= Redstone Eye     |D1= Stone        
    |A2= Redstone Eye |B2= Redstone (Torch) |C2= Redstone (Torch) |D2= Stone
    |A3= Stone        |B3= Redstone (Torch) |C3= Redstone (Torch) |D3= Redstone Eye
    |A4= Stone        |B4= Redstone Eye     |C4= Stone            |D4= Stone
    |Output= Buddy Block |OA = 1}}
    |}
    
    This is the template used to generate the buddy block recipe which you can see here.
    Notice the 4 lines & 4 columns in the template, indicating the name of the item. This name must follow the name of the grid image for this item (which you should find here but again the wiki is not always up to date yadayada SO, always try to first specify the name of the item correctly, the image may be there, you can see a list of all the images on the wiki here).
    The OA at the end adds a little number on the output image if the recipe crafts more than one item.

    Now if it's a recipe which uses the Crafting Table, you'll have to use the other template (it's not really that different). For instance:

    Code: Select all

    {| class="wikitable"
    |-
    !Name
    ! Ingredients
    ! Input » Output
    |-
    !Anvil
    | align="center"| [[Soulforged Steel]]
    | {{Grid/Crafting Table
    | A1= Soulforged Steel |B1= Soulforged Steel |C1= Soulforged Steel
    | A2=  |B2= Soulforged Steel |C2=
    | A3= Soulforged Steel |B3= Soulforged Steel |C3= Soulforged Steel
    | Output= Anvil |OA = 1}}
    |}
    This is the code to generate the image for the anvil (which you can see there). Now it's not that different. You can see there's only 3 lines & 3 columns (obviously). The little difference is on the 9th line, there you can see that

    Code: Select all

    Grid/Crafting Table
    is specified whereas the previous was

    Code: Select all

    Grid/Anvil
    . This tells the wiki which grid it should use to generate its page.
  • The Applications part tells what the item is used for, usually in details.
  • The Keep in Mind bit is a bullet list of important information on the item.
  • Finally the Demonstration video gives links to youtube videos on the matter at hand.
Don't hesitate to add details to the item, tricks to make the better use of it, etc ...
Mediawiki knowledge
Spoiler
Show
You can find basic information directly embedded in the wiki by following the link labelled Editing Help on each edit page (right under the edit box). You can also look at the wikipedia & mediawiki help pages for more advanced topics.

Basically, what you have to know:
  • To make a link to an item: [[Item Name]]
  • To link to an item using a different name: [[Item Name|Different Name]]
  • To put an item into a category: [[Category:Name of category]]
  • To insert a link to a category page: [[:Category:Name of category]]
  • To create topics, put items between equal signs (a table of content will automatically be created if you reach a certain level):

    Code: Select all

    = 1 =
    == 1.1 ==
    === 1.1.1 ==
    == 1.2 ==
    = 2 =
    == 2.1 ==
    etc ..
  • To create an unordered list, put a star in front of the items of the list:

    Code: Select all

    *1
    *2
    *3
    *4
    
Where do I start ?
Spoiler
Show
Well the Special pages are always a good place to look at. The oldest pages (found here) is a good start, it's most certain they are not up to date anymore.

After that you have the short pages category which can also attract your attention, & of course the wanted pages. Take care as this last one can be a bitch since we don't want to add vMc items & the links for those are auto-generated by our crafting templates.
I guess there are a lot of things that i'm forgetting here but i'll try & answer all your questions and add them to the OP as we go on. So don't hesitate to help improving the wiki or this guide, and don't hesitate to ask questions (and post suggestions for this post of course).
Last edited by thekyz on Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:21 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
morvelaira
Posts: 2406
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:56 am
Location: Seattle

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by morvelaira »

Thank you for this :) I shall read this in depth when I get on a screen larger than my phone. Is there already a pag eput together for identifying articles that need help/creation?
She-who-bears the right of Prima Squee-ti
I make BTW videos! http://www.youtube.com/user/morvelaira
The kitten is traumatized by stupid. Please stop abusing the kitten.
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

Well the Special pages are always a good place to look at. The oldest pages (found here) is a good start, it's most certain they are not up to date anymore.

After that you have the short pages category which can also attract your attention, & of course the wanted pages. Take care as this last one can be a bitch since we don't want to add vMc items & the links for those are auto-generated by our crafting templates.

Edit: I added this piece of text as a new category on the OP.
User avatar
Katalliaan
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by Katalliaan »

This case sensitivity stuff's getting a bit annoying, especially when there isn't a standard for it. Should the BTB items have "(Better Then Buildcraft)" or "(Better then Buildcraft)" at the end?
Open in case of fire
Spoiler
Show
Not now stupid - in case of fire
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

Right now I think it's Better then Buildcraft at the end of each items.
User avatar
Katalliaan
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by Katalliaan »

Just asking, since there are some pages that have a capital "T" instead of lowercase. Those'll have to be fixed eventually, I'd say.
Open in case of fire
Spoiler
Show
Not now stupid - in case of fire
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

Well only the main page actually :
  • Better Then Buildcraft
  • Change log (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Wood Engine (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Transport Pipe (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Transport Intake Pipe (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Directional Transport Pipe (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Wrench (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Low Friction Transport Pipe (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Waterproof Pipes (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Steel Gear (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Steam Engine (Better then Buildcraft)
  • Combustion Engine (Better then Buildcraft)
So i moved it for consistency.
Mason11987
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:03 am

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by Mason11987 »

Thanks for doing this.

*Tiny petty issue*, in your OP, you say "Wikimedia" knowledge. Wikimedia is the wikipedia organization. Mediawiki is the technology driving the BTW wiki (and most other wikis), you probably want to say "Mediawiki knowledge*.
User avatar
Camerinthus
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:06 pm
Location: New York (Not the city)

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by Camerinthus »

I don't know if this would make it easier to get people to view/edit the wiki, but integrating PHPBB with Mediawiki is a possible option. There's a link here:

http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension ... ntegration




Slight derail, I guess directed at sargunster or something since he seems to be in charge of the forum more than FC.
IGN: Camerinthus
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

Mason11987 wrote:Thanks for doing this.

*Tiny petty issue*, in your OP, you say "Wikimedia" knowledge. Wikimedia is the wikipedia organization. Mediawiki is the technology driving the BTW wiki (and most other wikis), you probably want to say "Mediawiki knowledge*.
Whoops, corrected ^^
johnt
Posts: 406
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:13 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by johnt »

Say I wanted to start a section collecting tutorials for automatic kilns, etc... how would I create an 'automated systems' page? I tried to add a link to the front page, and it saved, but it doesn't seem to update.
User avatar
Katalliaan
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by Katalliaan »

Only certain users can edit the front page, I think. You could start by going to the URL for the page you were looking for. For example, you would go to http://sargunster.com/btw/index.php?tit ... ed_Systems and click on "Create" (where the "edit" button would be on an existing page) if you wanted to make a page called 'Automated Systems'.
Open in case of fire
Spoiler
Show
Not now stupid - in case of fire
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

Katalliaan wrote:Only certain users can edit the front page, I think. You could start by going to the URL for the page you were looking for. For example, you would go to http://sargunster.com/btw/index.php?tit ... ed_Systems and click on "Create" (where the "edit" button would be on an existing page) if you wanted to make a page called 'Automated Systems'.
It's "limited" to auto-registered users (users who already edited 5 articles & were users for more than ... a certain amount of time I can't remember.
User avatar
FaceFoiled
Posts: 928
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:21 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by FaceFoiled »

Hmm, started to update the BTB parts of the wiki. Added the tank, updated the pump's tank links, and I think I did 5 edits in total, after that I can't save any edits anymore. :P
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

You need to have an account at least a month old I think to make more than 5 edits per day; it's there to prevent spambots.
User avatar
FaceFoiled
Posts: 928
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:21 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by FaceFoiled »

Ah alright, that's annoying. :P Oh well :D
User avatar
SterlingRed
Posts: 1466
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:02 am

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by SterlingRed »

I plan on starting to contribute to the wiki soon. I'd like to add some redirect pages for common mispellings or abbreviations of btw items to make navigation easier.

I have another question though, should we consider creating a wikia as a backup? Currently this wiki is dependent on one persons server, no offense to sargunster, but having at least a copy on a more established website should worst case scenarios happen (hard drive failure, sargunster has life changes, server downtime for maintence/other reasons) wouldn't be a bad idea.

A wikia does exist for btw, but it's a paragraph long and has a link to the btw mc forum. I don't see there being an issue with us taking over the page, as there's not really any existing content for someone to claim 'ownership' of.

Edit: Typos. Damn Phone.
Mason11987
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:03 am

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by Mason11987 »

SterlingRed wrote:I plan on starting to contribute to the wiki soon. I'd like to add some redirect pages for common mispellings or abbreviations of btw items to make navigation easier.

I have another question though, should we consider creating a wikia as a backup? Currently this wiki is dependent on one persons server, no offense to sargunster, but having at least a copy on a more established website should worst case scenarios happen (hard drive failure, sargunster has life changes, server downtime for maintence/other reasons) wouldn't be a bad idea.

A wikia does exist for btw, but it's a paragraph long and has a link to the btw mc forum. I don't see there being an issue with us taking over the page, as there's not really any existing content for someone to claim 'ownership' of.

Edit: Typos. Damn Phone.
I'm not that worried about having a backup. One concern with having another wiki is that it duplicates efforts and will undoubtedly lead to some confusion when a user finds the backup and assumes it's the right thing but it isn't updated.

I think having a wiki dump download would be more then sufficient if that's something sargunster what's to set up. Also, wikia's ads are terrible (I have adblock but not everyone uses that).
Last edited by Mason11987 on Tue Mar 27, 2012 3:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
SterlingRed
Posts: 1466
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:02 am

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by SterlingRed »

I use adblock as well so I forgot about ads on wikia. Yes duplicate wiki would create an issue with outdated info. A dump of what we have to a backup is a better idea.
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by thekyz »

Yep dupes are bad.
User avatar
sargunv
Site Admin
Posts: 557
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 11:46 am
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by sargunv »

The hosting service already keeps three different backups (daily, weekly, and monthly) and I have a local backup updated every few weeks.
User avatar
SterlingRed
Posts: 1466
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:02 am

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BtW WIKI

Post by SterlingRed »

sargunster wrote:The hosting service already keeps three different backups (daily, weekly, and monthly) and I have a local backup updated every few weeks.
I didn't realize that. Thanks for the info!
User avatar
shifty
Posts: 140
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:39 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BTW wiki

Post by shifty »

Sorry for the necro but this seemed the appropriate place to ask. What is everyone's opinion on adding an MCpatcher installation page to the wiki?
User avatar
thekyz
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:52 am
Location: Rennes, France

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BTW wiki

Post by thekyz »

You'd want it to be next to the installation guide ?
http://sargunster.com/btw/index.php?title=Installation
User avatar
shifty
Posts: 140
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:39 pm

Re: [WIKI] A comprehensive guide to editing the BTW wiki

Post by shifty »

I was thinking of having a link at the top of the installation guide to another page. Which would you prefer?
Post Reply