User:DeviantSerpent/Help desk

This is a Help Page:

This is a page centered around general advice for new users, or those who want to know a few things about editing. So before you post a simple question like "How do I edit" on my wall, please read this. This contains a list of frequently asked questions freshly answered by me. Along with some advice for advanced editors.

My message wall is mainly for advanced questions or general discussion. So please read this if you need simple help (how to edit, how to add categories etc.)

If there's an important question you think I should answer and add here, please let me know

Hope this list helps!

(The list is incomplete)

Editing
Question: How do I edit a page?


 * Answer: At the top of pages, you will see "edit", clicking this will take you to the editor, where you can edit the page. You could also just search your page in the url and add "?action=edit". If you see the "Edit" space appear as "View source" this means that the page has been protected by an administrator for a specific reason. If you wish to edit the page, you would have to ask an administrator to remove the protection.

Question: How do I disable Visual editor?


 * Answer: Go to your preferences, and visit the tab "Editing". From there you will see the section "Editing experience". Uncheck "Enable visual editor".

Question: How do I add/remove categories?


 * Answer: At the bottom of articles you should see a category bar. Click "Add category" and insert which ones you'd like. To remove a category, you'd have to edit the page manually and remove them as you'll see to your lower right. Click the small trash can icon to delete them.

Question: How do I add/remove categories with Visual editor disabled?


 * Answer: Go to your preferences, and visit the tab "Editing". From there you will see the section "Starting an edit". Check "Disable Category module". Categories will now be visible in source editor, where you can add/remove them in a "link style".

Question: How do I create a template?


 * Answer: To create a template you need to create a new page with the title beginning in "Template" namespace. For example, Template:Infobox. From there you can create a template and use it on your wiki.

Question: How do I add a template to a page?


 * Answer: To add your template to a page you need to post it on said page with the curly brackets outside it. For example, or simply.

Question: How do I add a signature?


 * Answer: When editing in source mode, you'll see a small square at the top bar which will read "Your signature with timestamp" when hovered over. Once clicked it will generate your signature to the page. You can also do it manually by typing the four tildes. ( ~ )


 * Please keep in mind not to use a signature from one wiki across Wikia globally. As it puts a lot of strain on the server and isn't allowed. Example of this would include posting w:c:template:username_sig on multiple wiki's.

Question: How do I create a custom signature?


 * Answer: There are two options for this. You could create it as a template and post it on a page. Example, . The advanced option for this would be to create it in a space to use all across wikia, which will also switch the Signature button to your custom one by default. Steps for this follow below:


 * 1) Create your signature in Special:Mypage/sig
 * 2) Afterwards, add  to this page
 * 3) The final step is to go to your preferences, and visit the tab "My info". From there you will see the section "Signature", add "  " into the Custom Signature bar. Finally check "I want to use wikitext in my signature".


 * You're all done now! Your custom signature will now be generated whenever you post the four tildes ( ~ ) anywhere!


 * If you edit multiple wikis, you'll have to repeat steps 1-2 for each one.

Blocking
Question: How do I prevent certain users from editing?


 * Answer: This action can only be performed by administrators on your wiki. If you are an administrator, you can block a certain user from editing by using Special:Block. Another location is to go to the users' contributions and select "block". Then you will have to set the expiry time of the block, and the block reason.


 * From the dropdown menu you can select a time of the block, and the block reason from the next menu. After you're set, and confirm yourself that you want to block the user, select "block this user" at your lower-left.

Question: What are the appropriate time settings when blocking a user?


 * Answer: It depends on what the user is/was doing. Also how disruptive their editing really was. Furthermore, inspect if they've performed the same editing on other wiki's. From there you could decide the appropriate time limit for the block.

Question: The block reason I'm looking for isn't in the dropdown menu. Is there any way to add custom block reasons?


 * Answer: Yes. There is. At the top of the dropdown menu you'll see "Other". Once you've set it you'll be able to enter your own block reason from the bar below. You can also set custom block reasons by editing MediaWiki:Ipbreason-dropdown on your wiki.

Question: How do I block a user for an infinite amount of time?


 * Answer: You can perform this by entering "infinite" (no caps) in the expiry time bar. Preferably you could use "indefinite" as an option as well.

Question: Is it possible to set "infinite" as a default expiry time?


 * Answer: Yes. You can do this by adding "infinite" to MediaWiki:Ipboptions on your wiki.

Question: Could you give me some advice on blocking?


 * Answer: Sure. For starters, if a user's edits are not helping your wiki, it would be best to calmly explain to the user why their edits aren't helpful. If the user continues after your warning(s) you could sentence a one-day block on the user. This will serve as a more advanced warning. If the user continues with the same editing even after the block--then you could start going higher. Appropriate examples would be: 3 days to 1 week.


 * If the user is disruptive from the start, and or breaking rules intentionally, and their only purpose on the wiki in addition is to proceed in a harmful matter. It's recommended to rule out long blocks (i.e 2 weeks to infinite)


 * If a user's name is inappropriate itself, you could just go with an infinite block. It's best to uncheck "Prevent account creation". Because only the "username" is prohibited, and not the user.


 * For any users who post advertisements across your wiki (spam) or ruin pages purposely (vandalism) it's perfectly fine to give lengthy blocks.


 * Take some further advice here, and keep in mind to never block IP addresses for an infinite amount of time. IP addresses can change from person to person in as little as two weeks, and risks a potentially good editor being prevented from editing due to the autoblock.


 * The appropriate time setting for IP blocks should be 2 weeks at first. If excessive even after the 2 week block, you can set block ranges from 1-3 months. 3 months should be the highest for any IP address.


 * This was some advice. Hope it helped!

Spam/Vandalism
Question: How do I take action against a vandal?


 * Answer: The best you could do would be to undo any edits they've made, and block the user from further editing. If you do not have admin rights on the wiki, then report it to a user who does. However, if it's wide-range vandalism (from wiki to wiki), report it to VSTF (link)


 * There is a special tool you could use to quickly undo vandal edits, which is known as AjaxUndo. Add the following code to your global js:




 * AjaxUndo will now be installed, and ready for use!

Question: How do I identify spam?


 * Answer: Spam can consist of social or promotional advertisement. It's generally just ad floods that try to draw attention away from your wiki. Users who are posting spam on your wiki need immediate blockage from an administrator. If none are active you can contact VSTF (link)

Question: A user has an offensive username, what should I do?


 * Answer: If you are an administrator on your wiki, you can block the user for an infinite amount of time. But as stated, if the username is offensive, it's best to get it globally disabled via Special:Contact.

Question: Someone is impersonating another user, what should I do?


 * Answer: Report it via Special:Contact, and Wikia will take action against the issue.