Introduction
This User Guide will help you learn how to contribute to the wiki. It is by no means exhaustive, but rather provides a general introduction to setting up a PBwiki user account and editing & organising the wiki. Much of the material herein is drawn from the PBwiki 2.0 Manual, to which you should refer for further details or more advanced topics.
The User Guide is also available as a downloadable document; you may wish to print it out and refer to it as you work on editing content or creating a new page.
As you become familiar with using a wiki - or if you are already a more advanced user - feel free to contribute to the User Guide. It is a work in progress, and should adjust to meet the needs of contributors as knowledge and familiarity with the wiki grows!
Getting started
pbwikimanual.pbwiki.com/Getting+Started
The PBwiki 2.0 Manual provides a nice snapshot of what you see when you log into a wiki, with the sections labeled and explained: http://pbwikimanual.pbwiki.com/Getting+Started#Afirstlookatyourwiki.
The FrontPage is like the home page of a regular website. You can easily return to it from any page of the wiki by doing any one of the following: click the big "equalinrights" at the Top-Left of the screen, click the small "FrontPage" at the Top-Right, or - at the bottom of the page - click on "Return to the FrontPage".
Notice the 2 tabs available on each page: View and Edit. When you're in "View" mode, you can browse the wiki just as you would a website. You can also add a "comment" in the comments area at the bottom of the page.
When you switch to "Edit" mode, you can edit the page like a document. Add text or other kinds of content (photos, videos, links, plugins, etc - don't worry, we'll get into that later) to the body of the page.
The SideBar is a special page of the wiki that functions like the menu of a regular website. It provides an overview of the full content of the wiki. With a simple click on the title of a section, you can view that page. Glance to the Right and you'll see the SideBar of this wiki.
Also on the Right of the page are sections for "Page Tools" and "Wiki Tools". Use these various tools to do things such as: create a new page, upload a file, or add a "tag" (key word) to a page.
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Your PBwiki Account
http://pbwikimanual.pbwiki.com/Your+PBwiki+Account
You may have realised that to actively contribute to the wiki you must first login. The wiki equalinrights.pbwiki.com is public; however, to edit it you must 1) have/create a PBwiki account and 2) be approved as a User of the wiki. (For those people who have used older, 1.0 version PBwikis, unfortunately, the single "invite key" functionality is not available for 2.0 wikis.) This may seem like a hassle, but the reason for requiring each contributer/User to login before editing the wiki is to protect your work.
Here's what PBwiki has say about creating an account: "A PBwiki Account is your personal portal to wikis. It allows you to organize and manage your wikis, whether you have one wiki or one hundred. Because this is a new system, not all current PBwiki users have a PBwiki Account. Go ahead and sign up by going to my.pbwiki.com." You should receive a confirmation email after creating an account. If you don't spot it, be sure to check your junk mail folder. You can add a photo, additional email addresses and other information to your Account information to develop your PBwiki profile. Or you can keep it simple - it's your choice!
If you already have an PBwiki Account, but are not yet a registered User for equalinrights.pbwiki.com, requesting access is simple. Just above the SideBar on any page of the wiki, you'll find a small "flag" icon and the text: To join this wiki, request access. Click there and enter your email address (and a message if you wish). The same small flag and message will pop up if you click the Edit tab without first logging in. The administrators of this wiki - at present, staff of equalinrights - receive the request and approve it.
For more information about Account features, see the PBwiki 2.0 Manual section Your PBwiki Account.
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Editing the wiki
http://pbwikimanual.pbwiki.com/Editing
The basics
In PBwiki's words: "To edit a page on your wiki, simply click the "Edit" tab at the top left of your screen. Make your edits and then click "Save" to make those changes." When you click the "Edit" tab, you'll enter the "Point-and-Click" Editor which functions as if you were doing basic word processing. Explore the "Point-and-Click" editing toolbar by slowly moving your cursor over the icons - the command for each icon will appear. Most familiar keyboard shortcuts work too, for example, Ctrl+C to Copy and Ctrl+V to Paste (see more wiki shortcuts).
If you're a more advanced user, you can click on the "Source" button at the Right-Hand side of the wiki editing toolbar to work in HTML. Just click "Source" again to return to the "Point-and-Click" Editor.
PBwiki 2.0 is compatible with any of the following Internet browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Google's Chrome browser. If you have trouble with your wiki (for example, a command button repeatedly fails to function), try upgrading your browser.
PBwiki does not yet offer spell check in the Editor, so you may prefer to first type your contribution in a word processing application such as a Microsoft Word. Then copy and paste into the appropriate wiki page. If you stick to very simple formatting and/or use a text-only application (e.g., NotePad or TextEdit), you risk less trouble with pre-embedded HTML. You can always add italics, bolding, bullet points, etc. once you've pasted your text into the wiki Editor.
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Files & Images
In addition to typing text into a wiki page, you can add relevant documents and images. To link to a file or an image,
- Select the "Edit" tab of the page where you want to insert a file or image.
- In the "Insert links" box on the Right side of the screen, choose "Images and files".
- If the file you want is not already uploaded to the wiki, click "Browse" to search for it on your computer. The click "Upload" once you've located it. All uploaded files appear in the "Images and file" list.
- Click on the name of the file you want to link and it will be inserted in the wiki page.
You can find uploaded files and images listed in the "Insert links" box, on the Right-Hand side of the screen when you are in Edit mode. Or, at the Top-Right while in View mode, click on "Pages & Files" to view a full list of both wiki pages and files.
The PBwiki 2.0 Manual includes a very clear, succinct and well-illustrated section on Files & Images.
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Links
In any wiki page, you can add links to external websites, other wiki pages, or email addresses. Files too (see the section above).
Do you spot the "Insert/Edit Link" icon in the editing toolbar (it looks like a blue/green globe with a chain link at the bottom)? To create a link, highlight the word or phrase you want to use as the link to an external webpage. Next, click the "Link" icon. A popup box will appear. From there, the steps are slightly different depending on what type of link you want to make.
To add a link to a website do the following once the popup box appears:
- Select “URL” as the Link Type.
- Most pages use the default Protocol "http://" (but other options like "news://" are also available).
- Type or paste the address of the web page into the text box.
- Then, select the 2nd tab within the popup box, called "Target".
- Choose "New Window (_blank)" (this will ensure the link opens in a new window, rather than navigating you away from the wiki).
- Click “OK”.
The simplest way to link to a wiki page is to use the "Insert links" box, which appears on the Right-Hand side of the screen when you are in Edit mode. In the list of "Pages", just click on the name of the wiki page you want to link and it will automatically be inserted.
You can also use the "Insert/Edit Link" icon to create a link to a wiki page. Click on the "Link" icon and when the popup box appears, do the following:
- Select "PBwiki Page" as the Link Type.
- Choose the desired page from the drop-down list.
- Click “OK”.
To link to an email address, click on the "Link" icon and once the popup box appears:
- Select "E-mail" as the Link Type.
- Paste or type in the email address.
- Click “OK”.
What else? If you want to change the text of an existing link, click somewhere in the middle of it, type the new text, then delete what's around it. The link shouldn't change.
The information from this section can be found in greater detail, and with illustrations, in the PBwiki 2.0 Manual's section on Links.
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Tables
The explanation provided by the Tables section of the PBwiki 2.0 Manual is right on target. To insert a table, PBwiki says:
- Click the "Insert/Edit Table" button in the editing toolbar.
- In the "Table Properties" window, decide how you want your table to look.
- Click "OK". Your table will be shown in the body of the wiki page.
- Simply click in each of the cells to enter your data.
Typical keyboard short cuts for Tables that work in Microsoft Word function in the wiki. For example, Right-Click on the Table to show the menu of Table Properties. That menu includes the option to Delete the Table.
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Plugins
You may be asking: what in the world is a "plugin"? PBwiki defines a plugin as a "small applet or program that can be viewed by your browser and displays various types of content." Basically, it's a tricky little way to insert multimedia content and tools into the wiki, without having to be a techy or know anything about HTML! Examples of plugins available with PBwiki are: video, chat, calendar or table of contents.
To insert a plug-in, enter "Edit" mode for the desired wiki page. Position your cursor in the spot where you want the plugin to appear, then click on "Insert Plugin" in the editing toolbar. A popup box will appear, which categorises the plugins available into a number of categories:
- Productivity
- PBwiki Magic
- Video
- Photos
- Chat
The PBwiki 2.0 Manual includes specific instructions for inserting each kind of available Plugin. The best way to get comfortable with plugins is to test them out. If you wish, you can first test out a plugin in the WorkSpace page - it's there for random questions, new ideas and general experimentation!
If you are a more advanced wiki User, you likely know there is another way to include multimedia content and tools in wiki pages. By clicking the "Source" button in the editing toolbar, you enter the HTML version of the wiki page, where you can directly insert the code for a YouTube or BlipTV video, for example, or embed the feed for a blog or website. The PBwiki 2.0 Manual explains briefly how to work with HTML.
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Organising the wiki
http://pbwikimanual.pbwiki.com/Organizing+Your+Wiki
Creating a new page
PBwiki recommends creating a new page while in Editing mode. This ensures that the new page is automatically linked to an existing page of the wiki. To create a new page:
- Click on the command "Insert a link to a new page" found in the "Insert links" box on the Right when in Editing mode.
- - OR -
- Click on the "Links" icon, choose Link Type: PBwiki page, Page: New page, and type in the desired page name.
In regard to naming pages, remember that symbols are not valid. PBwiki notes that the characters [,],?,&,|,/,\,',",# are not allowed in page names, folder names or file names. Thanks!
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Table of Contents
The SideBar functions as a Table of Contents for the wiki. All the main sections of the wiki are listed there and linked to the main pages of those sections.
In addition, some pages include their own Table of Contents, to help further organise the wiki and make it more user friendly. For example, following the Introduction to this User Guide, there is a Table of Contents with live links to each section of the Guide.
As the wiki's content grows, this tool can be helpful on other pages. In the future, within Right to Food, there may be Resources, Links, Case Studies and other categories of content. Organise the content into categories, and select "Heading" as the "Format" for each category title (using the "Click-and Point" editing toolbar). Position your cursor at the place on the page where the Table of Contents should appear. Then, click on "Insert Plugin" and under PBwiki Magic choose "Table of Contents". Click "Preview" and then "OK" to generate the Table of Contents for your wiki page.
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Top of the page
As you've been reading this User Guide, you may have noticed the handy "Top of the page" links at the end of each section, on the Right side of the page. Clicking this link takes you right back to the top of the page, making it easier to navigate a long wiki page like this one.
As the content of the wiki increases, you may wish to add this kind of link to other pages. It's not too hard. Copy the URL of the page you are working on from the browser Navigation Bar. For example, the URL of this page is "http://equalinrights.pbwiki.com/User+Guide". Next, in Editing mode, click on the "Insert/Edit Link" icon. In the popup box,
- Choose URL as the "Link Type" and paste in your URL.
- HERE'S THE KEY: add # to the end of the URL. (Don't do anything in the "Target" tab of the popup window).
- Click "OK" to save and the link will appear in the wiki page.
To make it look like "Top of the page", do the following:
- Click somewhere in the middle of the link, type the new text, and delete the old text around it.
- In the Editing toolbar, choose
- Right Justify,
- Size: 85%,
- Bold,
- And make the color bright blue!
See the PBwiki 2.0 Manual for more instructions.
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Folders
Folders are a new feature of PBwiki 2.0. that allows wiki Users to group pages and files by theme. Like the Table of Contents plugin described in the above section, Folders provide an additional level of organisation as content grows and people share information and resources in the wiki. For example, as Right to Food blossoms into a diverse collection of pages and documents, those pages and documents can be grouped into Folders. We might create Right to Food Folders about Case Studies, Tools, and other types of resources.
In View mode, add a wiki page to an existing or new Folder by clicking the small icon "Put this page in a folder" and selecting from the drop-down list.
On a wiki page, create a link to an existing Folder: Click the "Insert/Edit Link" icon in the editing toolbar and choose Link Type: PBwiki Folder.
Browse all existing Folders and their contents by clicking on "Pages & Files" (Top-Right of the page while in View mode).
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Tags & searching
Page "tags" are key words that describe and classify the content of a wiki page. Tags are user-generated; when you create a page on the wiki, you make up the tags to describe it. Other Users can edit the tags. For this wiki, we're collaboratively developing a list of shared tags (download it here) for consistency. Please make use to already existing tags for this wiki, and add new ones of your own to the list.
Wikipedia explains: "...tagging helps to organize content, it also adds user-relevant context, and can be used by groups in a structured way to share resources." Other types web-based services - other than wikis - that provide the option of tagging are "blogs (Blogger or WordPress), photos (Flickr), bookmarks (del.icio.us), presentations (SlideShare), email messages (gmail), and videos (Blip, YouTube)."
One reason for using tags is that they enable more effective searches of the wiki's content. Also, use PBwiki's search tips to fine-tune your search results.
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Miscellaneous tips & reminders
- Remember, links to external websites should open in a new page. When you are working in the "Links" popup box, remember to select the "Target" tab within the popup box and choose "New Window (_blank)". This will ensure the link opens in a new window, rather than navigating you away from the wiki.
- Please follow this standard for naming doments uploaded to the wiki: "[Author or Organisation]_[Publication Year]_[Brief Title or Description]. This helps makes the document indentifiable for other wiki contributors.
- Click the icon "Printable version" at the extreme Bottom-Right of any page for a printer-friendly format.
- Do not include symbols or punctuation when titling a wiki page or folder; the system won't accept it.
- When renaming a wiki page, folder or file in the "Pages & Files" section, you must hit "Enter" after typing the name. If you simply click out (as you would when renaming a Word document, for example), your changes will NOT be saved.
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PLEASE DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE
Return to the FrontPage
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