Eccles:Editing guide

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Since OpenWetWare is a wiki, anyone with an account can edit any page they want. And since the MediaWiki software keeps track of all the previous versions of a page, it is easy to roll back unwanted page edits.

However, to keep things organized, there are a few guidelines for editing OpenWetWare.

Use the "Eccles:" prefix for new pages

If you create a new page, start off the page name with "Eccles:". For instance, "Eccles:Why vi is better than emacs" is a better page name than "Why vi is better than emacs".

There are several reasons for this.

1. It helps others in in the lab to identify pages by the lab.
2. It will tell people outside of the lab to be respectful of that page.
3. In MediaWiki software, every page must have a unique name, so by adding the prefix "Eccles:", we avoid inadvertently using common page names that might be in high demand.

Use the "Talk" page not the "Article" page

To keep the various pages short and easy to read, please add comments to the "Talk", or "Discussion", section for that page instead of the page itself. At the top of every wiki page, you'll see a tab saying "discussion". It is a page automatically created for the purpose of discussing the contents of the associated article. By adding your comments there, the main article page should remain easy for others to read and use. The exception to this is if you find an error or typo in the main article page, then by all means correct it.

Sign your work

Sign your name to non-minor edits to the wiki. It makes it easier for others in the group to know who is saying what. If you are logged in as yourself, you can automatically sign with your name and a timestamp just by typing ~~~~. Try it in the Sandbox to see what happens.

Editing your userpage

To get started on OpenWetWare, try editing your userpage. After login, click the link to your name at the top-right of each page to go to your user page to begin editing. Write a sentence or two about yourself so that other OpenWetWare users can see who is making which edits.

Other

Follow the general etiquette guidelines for OpenWetWare.

Acknowledgment

This information was adapted from the editing guidlines of the Kafatos and Christophides Lab.