Style Guide

From FFOWA Wiki

This page is meant to be a manual for editing the wiki. It contains four parts: a basic run-down of wiki syntax/formatting, the conventions we use on this particular wiki, a short list of common English mistakes to avoid, and a misc. FAQ. This page is meant to be relevant, not complete. The last question on the FAQ points you to other places to look, if you can't find what you need here.

Contents 1 Wiki Editing: Basic Syntax 1.1 Basic Text Formatting 1.2 Links 1.3 Subsections 1.4 Lists, Indentations, and Line Breaks 1.5 Images 1.6 Discussion Pages 1.7 Common Templates 2 Conventions 3 English 4 Misc. FAQ

Wiki Editing: Basic Syntax

This is a short guide to commonly use wiki syntax. It is meant as a quick tutorial or reminder. An insanely long list of things you can do with a wiki can be found at [Wikipedia:How to edit a page].

If you need somewhere to practice, try Sandbox, Sandbox2, or your user page.

To begin, find an article and click the edit tab at the top. You can also edit just part of an article by clicking the word "edit" to the right of a section or subsection title. If you wish to create a new article, enter it into the URL bar after "title=". It should go where "Style_Guide" is right now. So for example, to write a page called "Why Tifa Sucks," you would enter http://wiki.ffowa.org/index.php?title=Why_Tifa_Sucks and press enter. Keep in mind that spaces need to be represented as underscores, and the wiki is case-sensitive. Also remember that when you edit a page, there is a button labeled "show preview" which you can use to check things before submitting a page.

Basic Text Formatting

Use multiple single quotes ( ' ) to surround text in order to make it bold and/or italic.

''This will be in italics'', '''this will be bold,''' and '''''this will be both'''''.

This will be in italics, this will be bold, and this will be both.

Note that doing both takes five sigle quotes instead of four.

Links

To link to another article in the wiki, surround its name in double brackets. [[Ultimecia]] renders as Ultimecia. To link to one thing and say another, add a | inbetween the actual link and the text you want to display. [[Spoilers|Aeris Gainsborough]] displays as Aeris Gainsborough. It looks like it goes to her character page, but it actually links to a page with a screenshot of a huge FF7 spoiler. This is a very mean thing to do. You could use this trick to link a plural word to a singular title, but it isn't really necessary. [[Chocobo]]s will link to chocobo but display as chocobos. The S is automatically included by the wiki.

To link to a category, use a category tag, but put a : at the beginning inside the brackets. [[:Category:Final Fantasy VII]] displays as Category:Final Fantasy VII. Category tags are covered below.

To link to a URL, you still use double brackets. You just put the full url, a space, and then the text you want. [[http://forums.ffowa.org our forums]] produces [our forums]. Don't use this too much.

Subsections

To make new sections and subsections, you put the name of the section surrounded by equals signs. This subsection was made by typing "===Subsections===". A section would use double equals signs, a subsection uses triple, and a sub-subsection uses quadruple. When deciding which to use and when to use them, consider that anything you make this way will show up in the table of contents at the top of the page. This page is a good example of how that looks. Too many sections will look cluttered, and too few will make a long article hard to navigate.

Lists, Indentations, and Line Breaks

• List items are made by starting a line with a *.
  • A list within a list can be made by doing the same thing with two *'s.

You can end a list simply by making a new line with no * at the beginning.

You can indent things by starting the line with a colon ( : ).

This works the same way as a list does.

To start a new line
without starting a new paragraph
use the HTML tag <br>.

If you are confused by this section, click "edit" (to the right of "Lists, Indentations, and Line Breaks") and look at how I did it.

Images

You will need to upload images to the wiki before you can use them, and to do that you need to create an account and log in. (This is painless and we won't spam you, promise. I'm not even sure if an email is required.)

A basic image tag just looks like this: [[Image:Ff8qaqua.jpg]]

Add a | and you can add alt text: [[Image:Ff8qaqua.jpg|'Sup?]]

Inbetween the alt text, you can add "frame" to put a frame around an image. If you do this, the alt text will be displayed as a caption. You can also add "right" (or "left") to align the image: [[Image:Ff8qaqua.jpg|frame|right|'Sup?]]

Instead of "frame", you might find it useful to use "thumb" and add a size in pixels. This will make the image a thumbnail of the size you give, and it will link to the page for the image. The alt text will still show as a caption, like it did with "frame". [[Image:Ff8qaqua.jpg|thumb|200 px|right|'Sup?]]

The image on the right is the final result.

If you don't have an image to add, but feel one is needed, there is a template for that. See Common Templates, below.

Discussion Pages

Less attention is payed to details on these pages, because they are for, well, discussion. The only thing you really need to know for them that isn't covered above is how to leave a signature. Type ~~~ to sign a comment, or ~~~~ to sign with a timestamp. There is a signature button above the edit box which automatically adds --~~~~ for you. It will look like this: --KSG 02:55, 21 July 2006 (EDT). This, and using : to indent replies, will make it much easier for people to follow conversations on discussion pages.

Common Templates

Templates are used when you need several variations on the same table (bestiaries or character stats, for example), or when there is a message that needs to be displayed many, many times throughout the wiki. Here are some common templates used on our wiki, and how to make them. The wiki is case-sensitive, so be careful to capitalize these properly.

{{Spoiler}} renders as:

Use these beginning and ending templates to identify bodies of text with spoilers located within. For example, if the page you are making or editing talks about key events in the storyline, make sure to use these tags!!!

{{EndSpoiler}} renders as:

---

Since this is a wiki, there will always be many pages that are incomplete or in need of editing. Though it would be better for you to just fix the pages yourself when you find them, we also have a few templates for you to place on them. These let other wikiers know where work is needed.

• For pages which are inaccurate, biased, very poorly written, unorganized, etc., use this template at the very top of the page:

{{ActiveDiscuss}} is the tag that creates:

	I don't care what you're doing, so much as the idiotic way you're doing it...
	This article is in need of substantial editing. Some information may be biased, disputable, or poorly explained. Please read the talk page for further information, and for discussion of what the page needs.

Note that it points to the talk page, so you really ought to explain your reasoning there.

• If you happen to come across a page that was done in a hurry or without effort and is very short, it should have a Stub template at the bottom. Stub templates are very useful in identifying lackluster pages.

The code for a stub template goes as follows:{{Stub|Game=[[subject here]]}}

Note that it takes the subject as a parameter. If you come across a Final Fantasy X related page, you can change the stub to {{Stub|Game=''[[Final Fantasy X]]''}}, which will result in this:

This Final Fantasy X-related article is a stub. You can help FFOWA by expanding it.

• Incomplete pages which get the {{Incomplete}} template are longer than stubs but not complete enough for NotStub. This is good for pages that have headings with no content under them, or pages about places/people seen in multiple games which only have information for one game. Basically, this is for something that got some serious effort put into it, but is half-done. It has no parameters.

	This page is incomplete.
	This page has too much content to be a stub, but is missing a substantial amount of information. Please add to it.

• For pages too complete to be either stubs or "under construction" but which could still use some expanding on, we have the NotStub template. It works just like Stub. {{NotStub|Game=''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''}} renders this:

This Final Fantasy VII-related article is not a stub, but feel free to help FFOWA by expanding it anyway.

• The Relevance template is for pages that are, well, irrelevant. Their names do not reflect their contents and should be changed, they have off-topic sections that should be cleaned up, or they get into too many related areas that should probably be given their own pages. For these, put {{Relevance}} on the page and explain the problem on the talk page. Here's the template in action:

	It is irrelevant (in more ways than one).
	This page has material not relevant to its topic. It needs to be cleaned up, renamed, or broken into more pages.

• ((ChangesNeeded}} is for specific parts of a page that need fixing. Use this when the page as a whole is good, and none of the templates above seem appropriate. Place ChangesNeeded at the top of the section that needs fixing. Use the fix parameter to briefly explain what needs correcting. {{ChangesNeeded|fix=be more up-to-date -- the game already came out}} renders as:

	I wonder if they'd change it if I asked?
	This section should be changed to be more up-to-date -- the game already came out.

• Finally, for pages needing images, there is the {{ArticlesNeedingPictures}} template. A page needing an image is not just any page that doesn't have pictures already. This template should be used for pages where an image would actually help explain the subject material (a screenshot to show the style of an animation, a picture of a character on a character page, etc.). It has the parameter needs, so you can specify what sort of image would help the page. Use it like this: {{ArticlesNeedingPictures|needs= title screen, logo, or box art for the Infobox Game template}}.

	Oh, shut up! I made it look like that on purpose.
	This article has been flagged as needing (or greatly benefiting from) the following image(s): title screen, logo, or box art for the Infobox Game template.

---

[Here is a complete list of templates.]

Conventions

If you are unsure how to do something mentioned here, it is probably explained in the section above this.

• In spite of all evidence against the name, we have decided that her name is Aeris Gainsborough, not Aerith, simply because some guys on the forums said it sounded better. Whether or not we should also apply this reasoning to rename Rude to Steven is still up for debate.
• Character pages should use the character's full name when available. Shorter versions of their name should be redirected to the full name. Cloud Strife would be correct. Cloud would redirect to Cloud Strife.
• If a name is used in more than one game, separate pages should be made for it. Shiva is a disambiguation page, which links to pages like Shiva (FFVII) and Shiva (FFX). This is not necessary for characters who reappear in direct sequels. Cloud Strife only needs one page, even though he is in both Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children. If a name is very important in one game and a minor detail in another, make a separate page for the minor detail and then link to it at the top of the main page, but don't bother with disambiguation. Shinra is about the bad guys from Final Fantasy VII, but the the top contains a note linking to Shinra (X-2), a kid that sits on the bridge of the airship in Final Fantasy X-2.
• Nearly every page in this wiki can and should be in at least one category. The three most common category typed are individual games, and characters and locations for those games. Cloud Strife would have two categories at the bottom of his page: "Final Fantasy VII" and "FFVII Characters." Midgar would have "FFVII Locations" instead of characters.
• The main pages for games should all have roughly the same format. Final Fantasy V is a good example of how to make such a page.
• Games are abbrieviated using roman numerals and not standard numbers (FFIX, not FF9).
• Longer articles should start by explaining what they are about. This introduction should mention what game the subject is from. The Midgar page starts by saying it is from Final Fantasy VII.
• The first time another FF topic is mentioned in an article, it should be in the form of a wikilink to that article.

English

• British/American spelling: nobody cares which you use, just make sure to use the same spelling throughout a page. The same goes for other details of English which are correct either way (commas after the second-to-last item in a list, etc.). If you're refering to something from a game, spell it the way the English version of that game does. FF characters generally wear armor, not armour.
  • Never change the spelling of a quote, even if it is different from the rest of the article. If the game made a typo, add [sic] ("said in context") to make it clear that this error is part of the quote, and not a mistake on your part.
• To add emphasis to part of a sentence, use italics by surrounding a word with two apostrophes as described above. Do this instead of using bold or CAPITAL LETTERS.
• Italicise the names of published works. Final Fantasy X-2, not just Final Fantasy X-2.
• Try to avoid the following mistakes:
  • Do not capitalize common nouns. "Materia" and "chocobo" are common nouns. Even "red materia" or "blue chocobo" are still generic classes of objects, not specific entities. "Teioh" and "Shiva" need to be capitalized.
  • "Your's" is not a word. "Your" is already posessive, so the apostrophe is not needed. "Yours" is the word you are looking for.
  • There is only one case where you need a apostrophe to make something plural: words as terms ("there are too many the's in that sentence"). "Chocobo's" would mean "belonging to chocobo."
  • "Their" and "your" are very different from "there" and "you're." If you are confused about which to use, please consult the nearest elementary school teacher for clarification.
  • "Then" refers to time, including hypothetical if-then situations. "Than" is used for comparisons. "If Cloud gets more votes [i]than[/i] Yuffie, [i]then[/i] my head will explode."

Misc. FAQ

• Is this obscure detail worth making a page about?

Yes.

• I want to make new pages. Where should I start?

Anywhere. You can have a look at Special:Wantedpages, which lists pages that are already linked to, but haven't been made yet. You can also click "random page" on the sidebar and look for red links. (Red links go to pages that haven't been made yet.)

• I just want to edit pages that already exist. Where should I start?

is the main place. This list of pages using the NotStub template is a good way to find mostly-finished pages needing additions.

• Is it okay to edit a page just because of one tiny typo or something?

YES!

• My question isn't answered here. Where else can I get help?

Several places:

• [Wikipedia]. While we do things a bit differently than the wikipedians, our wikis work in about the same way. That link goes to their Manual of Style, and syntax details can be found [here].
• You could pose a question on the discussion page for this guide, though it might take a while for someone to answer you. If you want to suggest a new guideline, or explain the reason behind one that you've added, this is your best choice.
• You could go to [our forums] and post in the wiki subforum.
• You can go to the Staff page and email one of the staff members.