This post is to provide guidance on how to start a basic wiki. I would like to see this moved to a “Tips and Tricks”, but at the moment I can’t find any such area, so I have put this in the How To/FAQ area, although my view is it does not belong here. … OK …
en.opensuse.org (openSUSE) uses a wiki system to provide a Support DataBase (SDB) provide solutions of common problems to users. The idea is if you have problems with openSUSE/SUSE Linux, the SDB should be the first place to look for help. If you can’t find a solution for a problem in the SDB, there are many articles in other parts of the wiki that can provide answer, and also other ways to ask for help.
SDB:SDB - openSUSE
Of course, a key question is HOW DOES ONE START A WIKI ?
There is a detailed wiki here describing How To create a wiki
SDB:Howto - openSUSE
and a detailed wiki here, describing about the difference between SDB, HOWTO and FAQ articles.
SDB-Howto-FAQ - openSUSE
Lets take a look at the basic “Howto” URL
SDB:Howto - openSUSE
To Start a wiki page
To start a page, I prefer to have already prepared the page with a text editor. Its not formatted, but no worries, … you can format it ONCE you have created the initial wiki page.
Lets say your page is to be called: “yourname-wiki-creation-basics”.
Then type in the URL
http://en.opensuse.org/yourname-wiki-creation-basics
and that page will automatically be created, with nothing in it!
Except, it can not be edited until you log in. So go to the upper right corner of that page, and select “log in” (assuming you have an account, if not, select “Create an account”). Once you have logged in (and/or created an account), go back to your
http://en.opensuse.org/yourname-wiki-creation-basics
Click on the “Edit” button, then copy and paste in your text contents. You can now save the page, show a preview, and show changes.
Now to add format to the page, you need to know that the wiki syntax is located here:
Wikipedia:How to edit a page - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lets say you have created a page with this text:
Symptom
Users need to create a "How To" with guidance located in a wiki
Cause
There is some problem they need to fix
Solution
Note that the preferred structure (if a wiki is to be moved to the SDB database, although it does not have to be) is Sympom, Cause, Solution, Links.
Create a wiki page
some more text
Step-1
some text
Step-2
create a command to edit by indenting 10 spaces.
Step-3
some text
Links
The following links may be helpful
* http://en.opensuse.org/SDB
* http://en.opensuse.org/SDB-Howto-FAQ
* http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Howto
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page
So that page is copied in, and you can save changes, show preview and show changes. But now you also have to format it. Change the format to something like this (click on the Edit button again).
<!-- Yourname-wiki-creation-basics
SDB:title: Yourname-wiki-creation-basics
SDB:author: Your username
SDB:date: 2008-05-22
Version: 0.1
-->
= Symptom =
----
Users need to create a "How To" with guidance located in a wiki
= Cause =
----
There is some problem they need to fix
= Solution =
----
Note that the preferred structure (if a wiki is to be moved to the SDB database, although it does not have to be) is Sympom, Cause, Solution, Links.
== Create a wiki page ==
some more text
=== Step-1 ===
some text
=== Step-2 ===
create a command to edit by indenting 10 spaces.
=== Step-3 ===
some text
= Links =
----
The following links may be helpful
* [SDB:SDB]]
* [SDB-Howto-FAQ]]
* [SDB:Howto]]
* http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Howto
* [wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page]]
OK, and preview and save that.
Note, its very IMPORTANT to save what you have done, and DO NOT FORGET the URL you have created.
When I create a wiki, I like to post on the forum(s) asking for editorial suggestions and input, and also post on the IRC chat channel #suse asking for review. If the wiki is considered a good idea, it will often take on a life of its own, as many people contribute and start editing the wiki.
Then IMHO your job as the creator is to liaise with the community person who co-ordinates all wiki’s, and also to try and ensure that the community standards are kept while the wiki evolves.