51 replies to this topic

[DoubleYou]

The STEP Wiki

Guide Thread  

 

This thread is for discussion and improvement of The STEP Wiki Guide on the wiki.

[CJ2311]

The links in the op are broken. D:

[DoubleYou]

The links in the op are broken. D:

/fixed (forum parses out spaces in links)

[DoubleYou]

I think I want to start making this Guide to the STEP Wiki actually have content on it, as I'm tired of forgetting how to do things!

[Kelmych]

I find this Semantic Media Page on formatting very helpful since I rarely remember all the character combinations. Perhaps the STEP wiki guide should include pointers to a few pages about the simpler parts of SMW that almost everyone uses.

[DoubleYou]

That is a useful page.

[TechAngel85]

Yeah, I've used that page Kelmych linked a lot. The only think I really avoid right now is tables because they're a pain in the rear. HTML code would have been so much easier for me than wiki code for tables.

[DoubleYou]

LOL! It is probably true that I'm more familiar with html/css than wiki, but I'm getting the hang of it and liking it.

[z929669]

I updated the guide somewhat.

• Removed reference custom CSS --custom CSS should NOT be used anywhere outside of User: pages ... we have a look and style to the site for consistency.
• Removed language about "anything goes" edits --we actually do have some "best practices" that editors should abide
• Added info about HeaderTabs use (we need to modify all guides as indicated ... the MO Guide is a good example that would benefit greatly)
• Added info about Guide-related editing styles

[TechAngel85]

 

I updated the guide somewhat.

• Removed reference custom CSS --custom CSS should NOT be used anywhere outside of User: pages ... we have a look and style to the site for consistency.
• Removed language about "anything goes" edits --we actually do have some "best practices" that editors should abide
• Added info about HeaderTabs use (we need to modify all guides as indicated ... the MO Guide is a good example that would benefit greatly)
• Added info about Guide-related editing styles

 

I happen to disagree with the highlighted part. The default CSS use of whitespace is terrible imo. If it's a big guide with a lot of information, it can become difficult to read due to how the default elements are formatted. Then there are cases in which it is far easier to create a custom CSS file in order to achieve a specific result in formatting, especially if that formatting will be used over and over again on the page. A good example of this is the custom CSS I have for the ENBSeries INI Guide found here: https://wiki.step-pr...5/enbseries.css

 

I have done the following for that Guide's CSS:

• Increased white space for headers to make the sections separate better for ease of reading
• Customized the <pre> elements so they don't stretch all the way across the page.
  • Allowing these elements to stretch all the way across the page creates an undesired separation of the content and thus makes it harder to read and follow; they disrupt the flow
• Customized the <code> elements so they are more emphasized; slightly larger font size (I use these whenever a parameter is mentioned in plain text)
• Created a custom solution for displaying the compare shots properly on the page using <div> tags

These things are often needed in guides and there is no way to predict what will be needed in order to cover every situation with the default CSS. Thus, custom CSS will always be needed at some point or another when it is impractical to use inline style sheets. This applies to any element which will be used multiple times on a page which requires custom formatting; else, a quick inline statement can be used.

 

I do agree; however, that users shouldn't be changing colors of elements or drastically changing how they function outside of their user pages. In my case, though, I simple add a bit of white space and tame the preformatted elements to make it easier to read and create better flow.

[z929669]

I agree that there is formatting in the skin CSS that is not ideal, but it would be much better to change the default skin CSS than to do a bunch of custom stuff. I actually get around the heading padding issue (not enough padding at top margin of headings and too much padding at the bottom of certain elements like pre, fe)

 

I'll check out what you have and see about updating the skin or the Mediawiki default CSS. The point is to avoid creating custom looks for anything outside of the User namespace.

 

EDIT: I fixed the global margins for h2-h6, so you will want to eliminate those from your custom CSS (yours were a bit too large and are waaay too big now). The pre elements should stay as they are though. They should go all the way across, as that is standard on most wikis and allows, fe, CSS pages like the one you linked to display correctly. I can create a separate pre element for your stuff I think. Would need to define that (say, pre2), but I forget how to do that in CSS and will need to look it up.

[TechAngel85]

S4N said the there is no need to include the Revision time stamp on the wiki pages that you've added to the guide format. The same information is already available in the grey box at that bottom of the pages where the quick search is located.
 

__NOTITLE__
{{Construction|size=90|<place any notices here.>}}
<br />
{{TOC right}}
''<brief guide description goes here> -- by <author name(s) goes here>''
:Updated: {{ #time: G:i:s j F Y "(UTC)" | {{REVISIONTIMESTAMP}} }}
[<forum thread URL goes here> '''GUIDE FORUM THREAD''']
----
<br />

[z929669]

Yes, I am taking care of that as well ... agree it is not needed.

 

Where is that quote from? I assume I wrote it but forget where ...

[hishutup]

Yes, I am taking care of that as well ... agree it is not needed.

 

Where is that quote from? I assume I wrote it but forget where ...

https://wiki.step-pr...TEP_Wiki#Guides

 

Man, I need to get back into writing and finish what I started.

 

Maybe make mention of creating pages outside the root of the user namespace.

I have found that it is the best location for keeping track of all the pages that I have created and/or worked on.

I see that it is common to use headertabs and it is a good location to keep system specs and whatnot.

 

added links to the W3 school page for CSS and html because its commonly used

added cheat sheet link

the descriptions are going to need to be revised... 

 

Maybe a section on what is similar...

like <br> and <br />

---- and <hr>

 

 

I dont know what it is called but certain characters like an arrow I found that it is best to write out the html code because if you use the arrow then it can get lost when using an editor like np++

→ and &#8594;

[z929669]

OK, good location to have placed that (duh).

 

User namespace is good for all sandbox stuff, but pages for all should be created within the '(main)' namespace, which is the default namespace if none is specified:

http://wiki.step-project.com/New_Page

System specs are stored by user and should be entered via the STEP Portal link on the Main Page. My sig links to my specs on the wiki.