From Mwiki

Looking for Wiki answers? You have come to the right place! Here are some FAQs

[edit] How to Request/Create a User Account

1. Go to the Request account page to request a user account.

2. Type a user name (Please Do Not use your full name as user name), your email address and your real name.

3. Click the request account button to submit your request.

4. Check your email for a message asking you to confirm your email address. Click the link in the email to confirm.

5. Look for a second email with a temporary password. Use that password to sign in to the wiki (you will be able to change it later.)

IMPORTANT: To help us protect your privacy throughout the WIKI, please DO NOT, write your full name on any of the pages or files you upload.

[edit] Wiki Questions, posting and editing pages

The MyGLife Wiki runs on Media Wiki software, the same software that runs the famous Wikipedia. If you need a brief introduction to Browsing, Editing, and Customizing your Wiki Pages, please explore the official MediaWiki Help Page

[edit] How do I find Flash help on my game

If you are looking for help on how to do something in Flash try these things in order
Take a look at the topics in the Wiki's left navigation bar and see if there is anything that look like it might apply.

Use the search box in the upper left hand side of the screen. Type in a word or two that you think might describe what you are trying to do.

On your website there is a huge collection of online tutorials under Explore/Flash Resources. Scroll through and see if any might help.

Go to the group discussion and ask a question or contact the help desk.

[edit] I uploaded a file but I forgot its name!

Finding uploaded files is no problem, there are two easy ways to find it.
Go to your user page and click on "My Files", if you uploaded it, it should be there.
If you did not upload it,you can check the file list. It is in the left hand navigation bar. The files are listed chronologically, so you can scroll until you reach the files around the time yours was uploaded and look for it that way.

[edit] How do I create a NEW PAGE on the Wiki?

If you search for a page that doesn't exist (using the search box and click go button on the left of the page) then you will be provided with a link to create the new page. (Note that this technique doesn't work if you use the 'search' button).

You can also follow these step by step instructions:

1. In the SEARCH area (on the left Wiki Menu) type the name of the page you want to create.

2. Click "GO".

3. If the page doesn't exists you will get the message: "There is no page titled "---". You can create this page."

4. Click "Create this page".

5. Write your new page text and make sure you click "Save" (on the bottom menu.)

See also the Starting a new page tutorial on MediaWiki.

How to create a NEW PAGE on the Wiki

[edit] How do I add an IMAGE to my Wiki page?

1. Click the "Upload File" link in the 'Navigation' section of the left menu.

2. Write a brief description, and click 'Upload File'. If you encounter any errors, click on the checkbox marked 'Ignore any warnings.'

3. Take note of any changes to your filename. The Wiki might change any spaces in your filename to underscores (My Favorite Picture.jpg will become My_Favorite_Picture.jpg).

4. Edit the Wiki Page you want to add the image to.

5. Add the following line of code:

 [[Image:Example.JPG|border|400px]]

Replace the words 'Example.jpg' with the exact name of your image file, eg: mypicture.jpg

6. Preview or Save your Wiki Page.

How to upload a file to the wiki

For extra help with using Images in MediaWiki, see the official: MediaWiki Images Help Page

Before uploading a picture, look at the file on your computer, is it larger than 500kb (0.5MB), if so it is best to resize the image before uploading. You if you are able to, please check how big the picture is in pixels, if is larger than 1,000 pixels high or wide, it would be a good idea to resize the image. See below.

[edit] How to resize images

Please make sure you resize your images before uploading them to the Wiki or copying them into your Flash movies.

The Wiki supports image size of about 500Kb.

Right click on an image and select properties to find out its size.

To resize your images visit - www.resizeyourimage.com. This website will will let you upload an image, resize it and download the resized output.

[edit] I tried to upload a file, and I got an error message

The error message is "..This file is bigger than the server is configured to allow. "

For image files (such as .JPG or .PNG or .BMP), the wiki upload limit is 500K! The size limit is so low for images because the wiki turns them into those nice little thumbnails for you. The thumbnail maker can't process files that are too big -- it will choke on them and break the uploader. It's easy to resize your images so they are light and easy to upload. Try this utility from Microsoft: Image Resizer

NOTE: For other types of files, such as .SWF and .FLA the upload limit is bigger -- these can be up to about 10mb.

[edit] My file is to large to upload to the wiki

If the file you are uploading is to larger, it will need to be compressed. If it is an image you can read the information above about resizing an image. If it is an FLA there are a couple of things to do.

Reduce image sizes - This only applied to imported images like photos or Jpegs you got online. Anything you drew in flash should be fine. Follow the information above about resiing images and re-import them into the FLA file.
Use MP3 audio - If you are using audio it is best to import MP3 files as opposed to full quality files (WAV, AIFF, ACC). Even though Flash will export sounds as MP3s when creating a swf, within the Flash FLA if you import full quality audio, the FLA will become very large very fast.
Are you using Frame by Frame animation - Frame by frame animation, where the entirety of each frame is redrawn on each frame. The FLA file will be smaller, and it is just easier, if m you use motion tweens and ActionScript to create animations as opposed to redrawing each frame on its own. Read the sections on Adding Animation, Intro to ActionScript and Moving on a Path. Only use Frame by Frame animation when absolutely necessary.

If none of these do the trick, speak with your teacher or WikiTech about using the groups FTP account.

[edit] How do I add a LINK to my Wiki page

There are two sorts of links we frequently use:

Internal links to other pages in the wiki
External links to websites

To add an internal link, enclose the name of the page you want to link to in double square brackets. When you save the page, you'll see the new link pointing to your page. If the page exists already, it is displayed in blue, empty pages are displayed in red. For External links use single square brackets.

How to link within the Wiki (internal link)
How to link to an outside page (external link)

Description	You type	You get
Internal link	`[[Main Page]]`	Main Page
Piped link	`[[Main Page\|different text]]`	different text
Anchor link	`[[#External links\|Anchor link]]`	Anchor link
External link	`http://mediawiki.org`	http://mediawiki.org
Internal link to image file	`[[media:example.jpg]]`	media:example.jpg
External link, different title	`[http://mediawiki.org MediaWiki]`	MediaWiki
External link, unnamed	`[http://mediawiki.org]`	[1]

Visit Mediawiki.org Help page on Links for more information (this table was copied from there.)

[edit] Formatting pages

[edit] How do I format the TEXT on my Wiki page?

How to format text on the Wiki

Making beautiful Wiki pages is a snap, once you've mastered a few basic formatting tricks. Here are some useful links that will show you how to use colors, formatting, and images to make your Wiki pages jump off the screen!

Media Wiki Basic Formatting
Wiki Advanced Formatting
Wikipedia's How to edit a page Shows how to properly comment in the body of page

[edit] How do I change the font COLOR for text I am adding to my wiki page?

Using colored text for headers, etc. is an eye-catching way to make your page more interesting. It is easy too! Click on the edit tab of this page and find this section. Copy and paste one of the examples below and replace the sample copy with your own text.

How to change the font color

 <font color="yellow"> type your yellow text here</font>

This is blue
This is orange
This is magenta
Other color names to try: yellow, red, green, brown, purple

Here are More CSS Color Names.

[edit] How do I change the BACKGROUND color of my page or a section?

To change the background color of an entire page or specific section use the following HTML tag:

 <div style="background: pink;"> type your text, entire page or paragraph here </div>

This text will

have

pink

background

How to change background color

[edit] Multimedia, flash, video, etc.

[edit] How to PUBLISH a Flash movie (.SWF)?

Open the Flash CS3 Pro application.
Open the Flash movie you want to publish or create a new one.
Select "File" from the Toolbar.
Select "Save" to save your Flash code (.FLA) file to a specific folder.
Select "Publish" to create the published Flash movie (.SWF) file in the same folder.
Now you can uploaded the published Flash movie file (.SWF) and code file (.FLA) to the Wiki.

How to publish a flash movie

[edit] How do I add a FLASH movie (.SWF) to my Wiki page?

First, make sure you have uploaded your Flash .SWF file to the Wiki successfully. Just remember what filename it is called (example: FILENAME.swf) and plug it into the following 'wiki tag'--

<flash>file=FILENAME.swf|width=400|height=400|quality=best|bgcolor=#FFFFF|scale=showall</flash>

You can change whatever options you want, or take them out totally.

[edit] How do I embed YOUTUBE video in my wiki page?

Copy the code represents the ID of your video. You should be able to copy from the URL of the movie page on YouTube - Copy all the random numbers after the "watch?v=".

<youtube>XOSx7v87JCA</youtube>

How to Embed a Youtube Video in the Wiki

[edit] How do I embed TEACHERTUBE video in my wiki page?

To Embed TeacherTube video on a Wiki page you need the code that represents the ID (viewkey) of your video. You should be able to copy the viewkey from the URL of your movie when you upload it to TeacherTube.

<teachertube>23252</teachertube>

[edit] How do I embed Vidder videos in my wiki page?

The Viddler tags work a little differently than YouTube and TeacherTube. Instead of searching through the embed code for number, we are just taking the whole thing.

Go to Viddler and find the video you would like to embed
Click on the embed this button below the video
Double click on the embed code field to select it all.
Ctrl+C to copy
Paste it in-between the Viddler tags on your page.

<viddler>
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="437" height="288" id="viddler_2c69e5ad"><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/2c69e5ad/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/2c69e5ad/" width="437" height="288" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler_2c69e5ad" wmode="transparent"></embed></object>
</viddler>

This may or may not be easier to use than the old method. While it looks more complex on the page, it may be easier to execute. Please let us know you toughs.

[edit] Advanced Wiki

[edit] How to WATCH a page

Wiki is all about creating online content, together!

If you want to receive an e-mail alert when a wiki page has been updated by others, you need to "Watch" it.

Here are instructions on How to Watch a page.

How to watch a page

[edit] How to Enable Email Notification When Pages Change or are Added

You can choose to be alerted via email when new content is added or old content is updated.
How to enable email notification

[edit] How do I comment on another user's page or work?

Go to the users profile page, either by following their link in the user gallery or searching for User:USERNAME
On the top of the wiki page you see there are several tabs, (page, discussion, edit, history.....). Click on Discussion.
Now click the edit tab.
Move to the bottom of the page and add your comments or messages.
When you have finished writing your comments, enter a

<br>

Bellow the tabs at the top, above the edit window you will see a set of buttons. Click the signature button.

Save the page.

[edit] How can I see what the other schools are doing/How do I go to other wikis

You can check out the other school's wikis my going back to the MyGLife West Virginia Home page, MyGLife WV Map Page, and click on any of the schools. You then can navigate through the website to that schools wiki.
Once you are there you will be able to view other users work and leave comment and notes for them. Remember to use the signature button, so they know who you are and can easily find their way back to your wiki.

[edit] If I leave a note for someone how will they know where to find me

If you leave a comment for someone and click the signature button, there will be a link that will take them to your user page. If you are commenting on a different wiki, they will be taken to a page that says what wiki you are form, and provides a link back to your wiki.

Wiki Tips