How to contribute to the Wiki

## Welcome Editors!

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Research Story Wiki.

**Read this and you are ready to go. Detailed information and further help are below this box!**

 **Copy/paste** is your best friend! **Example:** Styling an image like it is on another article. Go to editing mode, copy the text, paste it to the article you are working on, and change it accordingly.

### Need support?

Reach out to us on the Research Story Discord Channel. We **organize edits, discuss changes, and make plans there.** Ideas for improvements, suggestions, and problem reports for certain articles are also welcome.

### To-Do List

* Research Story officially released in Early Access on February 20th, 2023. We are still working on filling out information, including, but not limited to:
	+ Loves, likes, neutrals, and dislikes for NPCs
	+ Adding images of sprites to tables
	+ Sell prices for items
* Spellchecking and making existing text more understandable.
* Create more categories and add existing pages to them.
* Create spoiler free guides/basic mechanics pages for newcomers.

### "Got an idea, where do I start?"

Recent changes for an article are shown in the history of a page. There, you can find out who is working on it or if it has been abandoned.

### "Got no idea, where do I start?"

Use Special:Random, see if there is something to add or improve, spellchecking, etc.

# Guidelines for Editing on the Research Story Wiki

### Verification Needed

It may happen, that you write something that others didn’t know about. You might get asked to share where you got your information from, contribute an image or video. **We want to make sure that the information given on this Wiki is verified by several people.**

### Spelling, Writing Style

Many English words have **different correct spellings**. For instance, "color" (U.S. spelling) and "colour" (British spelling) are both correct. Either may be used here, but, after one or the other is used on an article, please be consistent. Try to stay away from "slang" spellings. For example, use "light" rather than "lite".

**Non-native-Wiki-users** want to understand the texts too. Try to keep a simple English style. Technical terms that are not commonly known should have a footnote (cite) to an explanatory link or contain clarification, to help non-native English speakers.

## Tips for editing

### Visual and text editor

There are different editors, each with its own pros and cons:

* **Visual editor**
	+ Pros: Makes adding images, copying templates, and formatting text easy. Closer to a writing program, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
	+ Cons: You only see the surface of the code behind it. Some specifications of style, options for templates, etc., are only visible in the source editor.

* **Source editor**
	+ Pros: Allows the editing of pages via wikitext or some HTML.
	+ Cons: Requires some knowledge of wikitext and HTML (coding). If you need help with this, feel free to ask us in the Discord server!

You can easily **switch between the visual editor and source editor,** by clicking the pen on the top-right corner while working on an article (save before switching to the other). If you have an account, you can change your preferred editor (along with other options) by clicking your profile icon in the bottom left, selecting "My Preferences", and then "Editing".

### Sandbox Article

"Sandboxes are pages designed for testing and experimenting with MediaWiki syntax and the VisualEditor. They were created as a place with **fewer rules and policies than other pages** on Fandom. For example, you don't have to follow the Manual of Style or reach community consensus before making a major change. However, they must not be used for malicious purposes, and **policies such as no personal attacks, civility, and copyrights (such as non-free content criteria) still apply.**"

On this Wiki, there are two options:

**1.** Your personal subpage-sandbox, that will not show up on the Wiki, unless specifically searched for.

**2.** Under Construction, see description on the article for more information.

Create your **sandbox article** **on your user page** to test out editing, without the fear of ruining things or having tests showing live on the wiki:

1. Click "create new article". How to description here.
2. Title: User:YourUserName/test. Or any other /text. Save the changes.
3. Options to find your user-page:
	1. Account icon in Fandom left sidebar -> View Profile
	2. Special:PrefixIndex or Special:AllPages, search in Namespace: User.
	3. Save a link or remember the name.
	4. You can use the following transclusion in your user page to add a list of your subpages: `{{Special:PrefixIndex/{{BASEPAGENAME}}/}}`

### Creating a New Article

Before creating an article, make sure to check first if the thing you want to describe is **already in the Wiki**. Try some keywords and search or go through a certain w:c:community:Help:Category category that you think could match your article or **come to our Discord Server** and ask!

We suggest making a sandbox as outlined above for your drafts.

There are two easy ways to create a new article:

1) Tool Bar Method:

* Click the page icon in the menu bar
* A pop-up window will appear asking "Write your page title here".
	+ Note: You will not be able to change the page title after it gets entered here. Please be careful when writing your title.
* Enter your new page title and click "Next"

2) Wiki Home Page Method:

* Go to the Research Story Wiki Home Page
* Scroll down to the "Wiki Information" box
* Type in the title of the article and press "Create Article".

More information can be found here: Fandom: Creating a Page.

### Templates

#### Adding a Template

Depending on your preference, it may be easier to work with one or both types of editors - Source or Visual. However, it is recommended to use the Source Editor when possible.
In Visual Editor it's easier to find and click a template, to copy it to where you want it to be, and then change the parameters.

* For a general guide on how to, please visit the Fandom's Guide to Templates.
* Browse Templates,
* General Category:Templates should have full list of templates.

#### Commonly used templates to create content for the wiki

* Infoboxes : Creates a box with a quick summary of specific details.
* Notices : A custom notice will appear (e.g. citation needed, request for deletion, renovating).
* Quotes:
	+ Simple Quote: Best for short inline text.
	+ Complex Quote for "Quotes section" at the bottom of articles.
	+ IF you think something is a spoiler, or you want to give people a chance to choose if they would like to see something, use the **Spoiler Template** (see below)!

Note: If you're using the Source Editor, you will **not** be able to press the **Insert** button. That button is only available in the "Visual Editor" mode.

### Adding Images

#### Uploading Images

* At the main page at the top right corner, there's a menu with three dots.
	+ Click the dots and it will show option --> Upload New File. You will be led to the interface to upload files.
* Under the "File description" section:
	+ Destination filename: Input the name the file will show as on the wiki
	+ Summary: Describe the image and input categories
		- Choose one, better **2 or even 3 categories** for your image. This helps to sort images and find them again or for users to just browse the category that they are interested in.
			* **Example text is below for use in the summary field (categories should be sorted in alphabetical order):**
				+ Thank you <your name, name of person who made the image> for this image
				+ This image shows <short description> (optional)
				+ [[Category:BB - Images)]]
				+ [[Category:Broken Bridge (BB)]]
				+ {{Copyright game}} This is the correct copyright-template for screenshots of the game.
			* FYI: After you save, the categories will NOT show up in the viewer under the summary section. You will see them above the image file name as hyperlinks at the very top.
	+ License: Choose the best fitting license, (e.g. if it's a screenshot, use "This is from the game or its official website")
	+ Click the File Upload button once you're finished.

Note: It might be easier to add categories after uploading the image first. In that case, after your file uploads, click edit in the summary section. Begin typing in the first letters of the category and the names will populate automatically.

#### Replacing Images

If you need to upload a new version of the image, or replace the image with an updated one, it should be completed by:

* Making sure you find the image's file page on the Wiki
* Using the "Upload a new version of this file" link that is located under the "File history" section
	+ Do not change the "Destination File Name" that is displayed on the page
	+ You'll only be able to replace the file if the format is the same extension as the destination.

## References

1. ↑ w:c:home:Home Wiki:Style guide#Spelling
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 w:c:community:Help:Editing#Choosing an editor
3. ↑ w:c:community:Help:Source editor
4. ↑ Wikipedia:Wikipedia:About the sandbox