Getting Started on Lalashan Working Wikis
From projects
If you are a member of any of the theobio wikis, you should feel free to experiment with WorkingWiki on this wiki. (If you're just learning, a good place to experiment is on your User Page, or on the Sandbox page.)
- Please feel free to correct, expand or improve the documentation below, or on any of the linked pages.
We desperately need help on this list.
Contents |
Using MediaWiki
First you should familiarize yourself with MediaWiki, the platform on which WW is based. Information for editors here, or the Users' guide may be particularly helpful.
Using WorkingWiki
Then you'll want to get familiar with WorkingWiki, the extension developed here in the Dushoff lab that makes these wikis into a full-featured environment for writing papers and software models. Start by looking over the WorkingWiki tutorial or the WW documentation.
Browser integration
Next, you will want to make your browser co-operate with a real editor. There are some browser plugins that make this easier. You can also get in the habit of copying and pasting from a good editor; trying to develop WW pages while using the browser box (and losing your place each time you preview or save) is a recipe for frustration. The following extensions allow you to edit text areas in a regular text editor:
- Firefox: It's All Text
- Google Chrome: TextAid
GNU Make and Makefiles
WW was conceived basically as a platform for combining the collaboration and history functions of wikis with the functionality of the "co-ordination tool" make. Depending on your application you may want to learn about GNU make, and browse our Makefiles sooner or later, but it will be worth doing it eventually.
Other documentation
- Read through the WorkingWiki Documentation, do the tutorial, and look at some examples (both above and below). Anything you see on this site can be copied and modified; there's nothing hidden about what makes it work.
- A basic Recipe Book of commands/syntax useful for working on the Wiki
