Article Creation Help - For Beginners!

Step by step instructions on how to create an article.

Step One: Creating the article
First, you need to have the ambition to create a page, hereafter called an article. Once you have achieved said ambition you may proceed. There isn't any point contining on with this tutorial if you don't want to really create a page for your character. You don’t have to be on the main menu to create a page – but for the purposes of the exercise, you will be.

On the home screen you will see the logo for the Pravus Axiom Wiki. Below you will see the title page of Home, and next to it, on the right a few buttons. Click on the 'Add a page' button to start out journey! Once you click this button, a small screen will pop up, allowing you to name your article. Be careful when considering your article name - but don't worry, you can change if it you make a typo or decide later on to change your character name. So carefully type the name into the box, and then look down at the two options that you are presented with. I would recommend that you choose the type called 'Blank' for now.

Step Two: Adding the infobox
Now that you have created the article, you should add an infobox. This will section through the acts of making a Sith character infobox, though there are other options available which can and will be made available to you in the future if you ask Lucian nicely enough.

But first, on the tool bar, you will find a button which says, ‘Templates’. Click this button, to open up a browse down menu. Go right to the bottom of this menu, and select the button called ‘Other Template/ Magic Word’. Now it will ask you to search for a Template. For the purposes of this exerise, I'm going to chose a Sith Character Infobox. I type Template:Sith Character Infobox into the browse menu and wait until the screen loads with my template. The search is case sensative, so if it doesn't come up, then simply try again.

Now once you have pressed search, the window will refresh, and the image of the infobox will appear on the right hand side of the window. Ignore that, and focus on the other side. It asks you a series of questions which you should answer as such.

Width: 260px. I generally go for the 250px only because it fits nicely to a few of the images that I have put infoboxes to. However, the width should change depending on how big your picture that you will be attaching later should be.

ImageBG: 000.

Otherwise, the image background, it’s the colour of the background should the image now completely fill the infobox. This is a precaution only, and not necessisary for a beginner.

Image:

For a picture to be used on your infobox, you need to upload a picture first to the Wikia database. To do this, I would recommend opening another screen and returning to the Pravus Axiom homepage. In the right hand corner, just below the banner advert, will be two buttons. One will be Wiki Activity, and the other will be Random Article. Press on the Random Article button to take you to, exactly what the button suggests. A random article. Don't worry - I'm not taking you here just so that you can admire someone elses work. We're here to upload a picture.

On the right hand side of the screen, you will see a tool bar, and about half way down your screen, though you might have to scroll down to see it, will be a small toolbar with the words "X number of pictures on this Wiki". Next to it will be a button that says 'Add a photo'. Press the button, and follow the prompts, uploading the picture. Once the file has loaded, go to the image location and go to the address bar copying the following part of the address.

Example: File:Wiki.png  you must copy this part, which is highlighted by the square brackets. This is then put into the Image slot. Now, to make sure that the picture is going to fit the infobox perfectly, add |250px to the picture (e.g.

Name:

Well, obviously this is the place that you put the name of the person, or thing that you are representing.

Then, you answer all the other relevant questions, depending on your type of infobox. Remember, if you put  around an answer, this will create a link to the page, even if it doesn’t actually exist at the moment. You can go back later, and create the page using these steps.

Do not type in the ‘css’, ‘hidep’, ‘hidec’, or anything else which does not make sense as a question. Those sections hide parts of the infobox from view. This isn't something that you need to worry about with this size of infobox, so I'd just leave those sections blank.

Then, once you are finished, press ok. This will upload the infobox onto the article. The infobox will be represented by a small green jigsaw piece, which you can move around the page. It is recommended that you put this at the very top of your page.

Step Three: Writing your articles
Now that you have an infobox, you can begin working on the rest of your article. You may begin with a quote, but it is not mandatory to do so. However, you type all of the relivant data into the spaces provided.

The first paragraph should be a summary of the character. This is for quick browsing, although it also is not mandatory either.

To create section headings, look at the top of your editting screen. There will be a small toolbox that currently says Normal. Click on the downward arrow - and a drop down menu will appear. You can select your different types of section headings, of various sizes. The largest section heading will appear on the contents (which is automatic and appears once you have a few section headings) as the most prominent, the smaller ones falling as dot points underneath main subject.

Step Four: Adding Pictures
This section is different to the inserting pictures into a template scenario. While inserting pictures directly onto the page, you can do this from the side menu without having to leave the article or create a new window.

Once you have written, or during you are writing, there is no real order to this, you can add pictures to your article. Go to the tool bar on your right and look under 'Add features and media’ There will be a small button which says 'Photo'. Select this option for a similar prompt as before to appear.

Now to add an original picture, select ‘Browse’, and go through your own folders to select the photo or picture that you wish to be added to your article. After you have pressed ok, press ‘Upload’, and the file should upload.

Then you will be asked if you wish the file to be full size, or a thumbnail. If you choose full size, you simply just need to add a caption (optional) and decide which side of the page you wish for the picture to be on.

Once you have decided, press ‘Insert File’, to have the picture inserted. Then press ‘Return to Editting’ to continue. Then, you can move the picture wherever you decide.

Step Five: Preview
Once you have done everything that you think is right, go to the bottom of the editing browser, and press the ‘Preview’ button. This will let you look at the product, while being able to make a few alterations if you need to the finished product.

For each alteration though, you should press the preview button to see the changes. That is only my suggestion however - and over the years, I've grown lazy, and just click publish.

Then, once you are done, press the 'Publish' button.

Step Six: Finished
You can come back at any time to edit the article, by pressing the edit page button at the top of the screen.

However, barring any changes that you need to make, you have successfully completed the article.

Congratulations.