SwarmWiki:Help

This page is mainly for administrators of the Swarm wiki.

1 Q: I have a question about the Swarm software (or modeling, or etc. etc.)
2 Q: How does one get added to the WikiDeveloper/WikiSysop and how does that work?
3 Q: How do I add a new user?
4 Q: Can we remove the subtitle: "From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia."?
5 Q: Can we lock pages? If so, how? Can a normal user do it?
6 Q: How do I "block" a particular IP address and when should I do it?
7 Q: How do you edit the menus of links that appear on some pages?
8 Q: How do you edit the "boilerplate" messages that show up on special pages and throughout the wiki? For example, the text on the login page

Q: I have a question about the Swarm software (or modeling, or etc. etc.)

A: This page provides help for maintaining the SwarmWiki itself, and is primarily for use by wiki administrators. Please look elsewhere on the wiki for information on anything else---for example:

For getting a wiki login account and editing help: SwarmWiki:FAQ
For help with Swarm software, start at: Swarm:_documentation_main_page

Q: How does one get added to the WikiDeveloper/WikiSysop and how does that work?

by Alex

A: Ask a developer (e.g. Josh, Mike or Jesse) to add you as a sysop.

A: Actually, several of us are sysops who can make others into sysops. See the Toolbox Special page for sysops--SFRailsback 17:46, 27 Jan 2006 (EST)

Q: How do I add a new user?

A: When we receive a request for a login, first make a reasonable effort to make sure it is from someone reasonably likely to make a useful contribution. Then:

Log in, yourself.
Go back to the login page- click on "Special pages" on the left toolbar to get a link back to the login page.
Enter the user name, password, real name, and email for the new account (overwriting the values for your own login, if they appear there). Unless the requestor really wants a different login name, make up one from their real name so it is easy to tell who it is ("JohnSmith", etc.). Just make up a password for the new user.
Click on "Create new account". The wiki should return a welcome page.
Email the new user and give them their login name and password, and encourage them to click on "Preferences" (at the very top of the screen) after logging in, to change their password etc.

(Let me know if this does not work--in the past I always clicked on "create new account" before entering the new user information, but I think that is wrong.)

Q: Can we remove the subtitle: "From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia."?

by gepr 15:22 24 Jul 2003 (EDT)

A:This was a question that I was asking earlier in the month. After looking at the wikipedia.sf.net and the CVS code repository (see above), it looks like it's possible to customize these things, but not at the user level. There is a file "Languages.php" that stores many system-wide strings. If Mike could have a look into what's required to change that file, we could send him the changes we should make.

There are several other sites that run the "de-branded" wikipedia software, mentioned at http://wikipedia.sf.net. In particular see the consumerism site, mentioned above. Unfortunately, I could not find a simple "HOW TO run wikipedia for your own wiki"-type document. --Alex 07:49 25 Jul 2003 (EDT)

Updated 11:03, 15 Jan 2005 (EST): yes, site has been thoroughly debranded now. --Alex 11:03, 15 Jan 2005 (EST)

Q: Can we lock pages? If so, how? Can a normal user do it?

by gepr 12:03 1 Mar 2004 (EST)

A: Yes, you can (and Rick and I can), because you're a sysop, see: Special:Listusers (all sysops are listed with sysop next to the name). When you login, each page has a "Protect this page" link. If you use the wiki anonymously, you won't see this and you won't be able to edit the page. --Alex 03:11 2 Mar 2004 (EST)

Q: How do I "block" a particular IP address and when should I do it?

by rlr

A: To block an IP address, you must be logged in, and Mike or Josh (who set up the wiki) must make you a sysop (which have blocking privileges). The full list of users is at Special:Listusers and sysops privilege is noted after the username, if it is granted. If are logged in and a sysop, in the Special:Recentchanges, after each change by an anonymous IP address, you will see a "block" link, click on that link and fill out the information, and note the reason as "spam". If a spammer, leave the expiry as "infinite".

Currently I, Mike, Jesse and Glen have sysop privileges. In general, a good policy is to block an anonymous IP address immediately somebody posts a random set of spam links with no content. --Alex 07:51, 8 Sep 2004 (EDT)

Q: How do you edit the menus of links that appear on some pages?

A: The menus are "templates". When you edit a page, at the bottom of the edit page there is a list of templates used in the page- the menu should show up there. Click on the template name there, and you get taken to a page showing just the menu. Then you have to click the "edit" button for that page. You will see and can edit all the links on the menu. by --SFRailsback 18:57, 28 Jan 2006 (EST)

Q: How do you edit the "boilerplate" messages that show up on special pages and throughout the wiki? For example, the text on the login page

A: (Thanks Alex) These are all MediaWiki "messages". First, go to the special page for them: Special:Allmessages. (You can find this by going to "Special pages" and clicking on "All system messages".)

Then find and click on the message you want to edit, in the left column of the table of messages. This takes you to the special page with the message. The login page message is, for example, "loginprompt".

Then click on "Edit" to edit the message. Warning: Sometimes formatting that looks fine in the preview and on this message page does not work when the message is displayed in the wiki!! For example, I found that '''quote marks for emphasis''' showed up as quote marks instead of as formatting. Perhaps these pages require html formatting instead of wiki format codes?--SFRailsback 23:18, 31 Jan 2006 (EST)