Frequently-asked questions and tips

I've forgotten my password.

See the ResetPassword page.

Why can't I edit a page or create a new one?

You can't make changes if you haven't registered an account. You have to register and get an individual account to create/edit pages. There'll be a bit of a delay, since WilliamSeligman has to approve the registration; if you anticipate that you might one day want to create pages here, it's probably a good idea to register an individual account right away.

How do I create a new page?

Edit an existing page and include a WikiWord in the page, or enclose a short phrase in double square brackets [[like this]]. After you've saved your changes, you'll see a link in a highlighted format, like this: BrandNewPage or brand new page. Click on that link and start editing the new page.

No, don't hit the links for the specific word BrandNewPage in the previous paragraph! Then you'll edit that page, and it won't make a good example anymore. Sheesh!

You can also click on Create new topic on the bar to the left. Don't forget to include that that topic's name on some other page, otherwise no one will know that the new topic exists.

Why doesn't this look like the same wiki I'm used to?

The term wiki refers to a concept, not to a specific software package. There are many types of wikis. As of Jan-2010, the two leading wiki packages are:

• MediaWiki - If you asked the above question, this is probably the wiki you're used to. It's oriented around the needs of setting up a public encyclopedia of web pages, as befits its primary user: Wikipedia.

• TWiki - This wiki package is oriented around the needs of a business.

Why did we choose TWiki over Mediawiki? At Nevis, the primary need is for fine-grained access control to view and edit the webs and the web pages. This is not available in the MediaWiki package. If you want some or all of your group's web pages to be private, or to allow only certain accounts to edit them, then a TWiki is the better choice.

The TWiki WYSIWYG editor is a pain to use.

I agree, which is why I never use it. I use the "raw edit" button, located on the bottom of every page.

On a Mac running Firefox, you can use Ctrl-Alt-W to "click" on that button without scrolling down to click it with the mouse.

When I registered for an account on this wiki, I got a home page. Is it all right if I put stuff on it?

Go ahead, but even if you primarily use a protected web like NuSOnG, anything you put on your Main wiki page is not private. The world can see it; Google and other search engines will have copies of it, etc.

Actually, that's not quite true. You can protect your TWiki web page (and any other of your pages) using TWikiAccessControl, but you'll have to figure that out for yourself.

How do I upload a file?

The complete directions are in the FileAttachment topic. If you don't want to read the whole thing: click on "Attach" near the top or bottom of the page, and follow directions.

On some pages, I see the names of uploaded files without the URL or a table at the bottom of the page. How do you do that?

When you attach a file, click on the box that reads "Do not show attachment in table"; if you've already attached the file, just click on manage next to the file's name in the table.

To get the "clean link", click the box next to "Create a link to attached file" when you attach or manage the file. If you can't find the link, look at the bottom of the page.

If you want do it "by hand", use the "Specific Links" syntax of TextFormattingRules. For example, if you've attached sample.pdf, use the following (you can replace the second name with any descriptive phrase if you wish, as shown in the second example):

[[%ATTACHURL%/sample.pdf][sample.pdf]]

[[%ATTACHURL%/sample.pdf][This is a sample PDF]]

How do I...?

Before you finish the question, I strongly recommend that you look at the documentation on the TWiki home page. I don't know much more about TWiki formatting than you do; I look up how to do things in the documentation, just like anyone else.

If you see something that looks like a formatting "trick" that you'd like to use, hit the Edit button on the page and see how the author did it. Again, that's how I learned.

If you don't have permission to edit a page, you can still see its formatting by hitting the Raw text link near the bottom of the page.

The wiki automatically turns some names into page links, like NuTeV and GeV. How do I prevent this?

First, please see the answer to the previous question.

All right, I'll tell you. If you don't want something to be interpreted as a page link, put an exclamation point in front of it; for example !NuTeV and !GeV will display as NuTeV and GeV.

-- WilliamSeligman - 07 Aug 2008