Getting Started

*This guide has been imported from the Moon Guard Wikia because it is very useful.*
Welcome to the Shattered Coalition Wiki! This guide is intended to help those new to the wiki project in contributing content. If you have any questions or suggestions that you would wish to have added to this article, contact us! We wish to make this wiki as open and accommodating as possible to its many contributors.

-- The Admins

So you've found this wiki and want to contribute. Where do you start?

## Make an Account

On the upper right hand part of the screen, you should see a link stating “Create an account or log in.” Click it and follow the instructions on the next page to create your account. Now you're ready to make your first page.

## Making an Article

To begin your epic journey in article making, there are two paths you can choose:

* On the Main Page, there is a menu box just like this one where you can input the title of your soon-to-be article and begin creating right away. Be sure to follow the Article Naming Conventions! Those that do not are subject to be renamed by the Wiki Administrators.

<createbox>
width=24
break=no
buttonlabel=Create New Article
</createbox>

* On the top right hand corner of the wiki, there is a drop-down menu "Contribute" button. There are a few options that are pretty self explanatory. "Add a Page" will also start the article creating wizard.

## Editing your Article

At the top of the article, there should be a small tab called “Edit.” Click it and it will bring you to the edit page. You should see a nice big text box with nothing in it. This is your canvas.

## Visual Editing vs. Source Editing

There are two ways to edit your articles on the wiki.

* **Visual Editing** is the default and assisted way to edit your articles. It includes several buttons to help you format your article's contents. The Wikia staff have provided a Visual Editing Tutorial that you can reference while editing your articles.
* **Source Editing** is a more hands-on way to add special templates and edit the code that makes up your article. There is a Source Editing Tutorial that you can look through for ideas on how you can give your article a creative touch.

## Crediting Text

If you add something to any of your articles that you did not create yourself, **you need to give credit when credit is due!**

* If it is a decent amount of text on your page that you did not write yourself, add "Adapted from (Source)." at the bottom of the article in a section titled "References". If possible, add an external link to the source.

For further guidance on what is expected, visit the Crediting Content page.

## Uploading an Image

When making a wide variety of pages on the site, one would likely want some sort of supplemental picture--a character sketch, a map, or the like. In order to maintain the thematic style of the wiki, it is asked that all images be timely of World of Warcraft - be they screenshots, paintings, drawings or images.

To upload an image, go to the "Upload File" link in the toolbox panel on the left side of the wiki. From there, you may browse for and select the picture you wish to upload. A name will automatically be given to the picture for wiki use, though you may change this if you wish.

### Crediting Images

Next, fill out the Summary field, making sure to include artist's credit when necessary. Beneath the summary box, choose the license that best fits the image you are uploading. If you add something to any of your articles that you did not create yourself, **you need to give credit when credit is due!**

* If it is an image other than an in-game screenshot (even if you made it yourself!), please credit the image's creator on the image file page.

From this, hit Upload. For further guidance on what is expected, visit the Crediting Content page.

## Displaying an Image

You may directly link to an image on the wiki by typing, *[[Image:ImageName.xxx]]*, where *xxx* is the file extension. To make the picture appear on the right side of your text, type, *[[Image:Imagename.xxx|right]]* ("left" will make the image appear on the left, and "center" will center it).

 File:WoWScrnShot 121512 141103.jpg
### ***Type***

'thumb' / 'thumbnail' or 'frame'. Causes image to be displayed with specific formatting (see below).
### ***Location***

'right', 'left', 'center' or 'none'. Determines placement of the image on the page.
### ***Size***

{width}px (e.g. 50px), scales the image to the given width, keeping its aspect ratio.
### ***Caption***

Any element which cannot be identified as one of the above is assumed to be caption text.

So, for example, the line *[[File:WoWScrnShot\_121512\_141103.jpg|thumb|250px|The Tower of Azora]]* would produce the thumbnail above.

## Adding Categories

Categories are the main way that the wiki organizes pages. They make your page easier to find and associate with other pages. Adding a category to your article is very simple.

You can:

* Type *[[Category:<Category\_Name>]]*, where only one category can be declared in one statement.
* Use the "Categories" wizard in the editing section to add Categories one by one.

It is in your best interest to add categories that already exist on the wiki so your article can be associated with similar ones. For example, if you make an article for your character, you could add the categories "Characters" and the category for the guild he or she is in. This will allow people to go to the Character category page or your guild category page and find your character.

## Common Categories

* Characters *[[Category:Characters]]*
* Organizations *[[Category:Organizations]]*
* Places *[[Category:Places]]*
* Events *[[Category:Events]]*
* Documents *[[Category:Documents]]*
* Houses and Clans *[[Category:Houses and Clans]]*

To see examples of other existing categories, visit the Categories page.

## More Tips

* For further help, see the in-depth Wikipedia help documents. Here's a link!
* Try to add to an article before creating a new page. Create a new page only when a topic really stands alone.
* Be creative. These pages are created by users for others to enjoy, so go wild and have fun with them.
* There are things that have not been covered in terms of formatting among other things. Feel free to look them up and impress others.
* If you like the way someone has created their page, feel free to view the source and use what they made. Wiki is open source for a reason!
* Vandalizing is not tolerated. Any forms of vandalizing others pages or creating offensive pages will be dealt with through a variety of suspensions or bans.

## Attribution

Some sections of the tutorial were adapted from the original Moon Guard Wiki.