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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
As a reminder (rather quietly mentioned first here), part of the process of improving TxB is removal of dead/obsolete pages and recreation of others having need of better titles (to better indicate the subject matter of the articles). With regard to obsolete stuff, it’s just being removed quietly. With regard to renamed pages, I’m keeping track of those in Redesign Change Log (itself a poorly titled page…sigh). Sooooooooo, if you book marked a wiki page in 2005, or are the author of a page you seem not to find now, please do check the Redesign Change Log (and update your links accordingly).
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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
I was just wading through the Basic Preferences, psyching myself up for the Advaned prefs page and it seems there’s a bit of a problem; the headings have numbers in them according to numbers assigned to items in the various screenshots. The same is true of many pages (e.g. the Write tab).
Since options are shuffled around / re-ordered (a lot on the prefs tabs it seems), I see a couple of ways forward:
- Remove these numbers from the headings and put them in bold immediately underneath
- Pro: Future re-orders or mods to the screenshots don’t affect inbound links
- Con: All current links to specific items will need updating
- Leave the options numbered as they are and change the numerical order in the screenshots to match
- Pro: All current links to specific items remain intact
- Deleted, missing or re-orderer items (e.g. some items from Basic Prefs are now in Advanced Prefs) may be out of sequence in the page flow and some numbers may be skipped
Although possibly a greater amount of work, I’ve gone for Door #1 on the Basic Prefs and must now hunt down any inbound links to that page — where’s smd_where_used when you need it ;-)
It’s fairly easy to roll back and go the other way if anyone objects, but before tackling the far more complicated Advanced Prefs tab I’d like to gauge some thoughts on either approach (or any others if anyone has any cool ideas). I guess we can get away with numbering the headings on the Write tab because it won’t change much from version to version and is certainly nowhere near as volatile as the prefs pages. But maybe that should be revisited too? Thoughts?
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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
I think the first choice like your doing is the right way to go. The numbers were originally concieved as a way to bring quick attention to the specific preference in question, but clearly it poses a maintenance problem over time. I would also say we need to change those graphics (removing the numbers/letters), and consider if it’s necessary to use numbers in text at all. I say strip down and build up only if clearly necessary.
As for links, it’s rarely a good idea to link to article subjections in one page from another in a wiki (something I’ve come to opinion about from years of wiki experience), because the page is subject to change over time and then there you go. I agree with: it’s better to improve content/architecture and break a few links, than otherwise not improve content/archtiecture.
There’s a nice tool in the wiki for finding what links to a give page (whether to or from). It’s the first link in the Toolbox list in the footer. This makes easier work of tracking detritus.
Last edited by Destry (2008-11-16 18:03:01)
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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
Destry wrote:
I would also say we need to change those graphics (removing the numbers/letters), and consider if it’s necessary to use numbers in text at all.
I’m down with that. Will remove those numbers from the gfx / markup forthwith.
There’s a nice tool in the wiki for finding what links to a give page
Haha, how did I miss that?! Thanks for pointing it out, that’s going to help a lot.
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#35 2008-11-16 18:06:00
- els
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- Registered: 2004-06-06
- Posts: 7,458
Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
I give up… for the second time I deleted a – longish – reply because preview showed you two were faster; from now on I’ll stay out of it ;)
All I wanted to say is: I totally agree with both of you :)
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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
Els wrote:
I give up… for the second time I deleted a – longish – reply because preview showed you two were faster; from now on I’ll stay out of it ;)
:) Hehe, sorry. For once my fingers are warm enough to type with a degree of proficiency. I tend to be in your situation and someone (usually you :-) beats me to it!
Anyway, the Basic Prefs page is now done (EDIT: but if someone would care to verify the integrity of the Time Zone/DST stuff it’d be useful. I left the text as it was because time zone stuff does my head in).
That What Links Here thing is mighty handy. One question: does it show what naughty pages have referenced headings within the page? I’m sure I’ve seen some references to, for example:This depends on the [[Basic Preferences#Production Status (4)|production status]] you have set"If not, what’s the easiest way to catch those? Can a simple search pick them up so they can be eradicated and the link changed to the top level page?
Last edited by Bloke (2008-11-16 18:23:13)
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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
Outside of that one tool, I don’t think so.
I’ve seen links like those too, I just rewrite stuff as I stumble upon it. Usually just linking to the page itself if a link turns out to be relevant at all.
Another thing to keep in mind, if the target subsection headers get edited (often the case during article improvements). The links to them become red text and such links are easier to spot over time.
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#38 2008-11-19 00:28:22
- els
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- From: The Netherlands
- Registered: 2004-06-06
- Posts: 7,458
Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
These days I find myself needing Google a lot to find certain pages in Textbook, like the moving installation instructions and other pages like listed on this one. Looking at ‘what links here’ it seems that these pages are only linked to from pages that are just as hard to find ;)
Am I just not looking hard enough? should they be in category:Tutorials? or what?
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Re: [wiki] textbook architecture
Thanks for the reminder. I keep getting side-tracked and not finishing any one thing completely. I need to make a list of To-Dos or something.
Actually, those old index pages like what you found are only being kept around until their contained articles are relocated accordingly under the new structure. That doesn’t mean they have to be shoehorned into the structure currently, it could be we need another topic in the left column, but I hope we can get things to fit as it is. I just need to finish auditing everything.
I’ve been using the Tutorials category as a catch-all for those things that don’t have an immediate fit elsewhere yet. Feel free to create subcategories in Tutorials to further separate articles by nature. That might help to see link relationships with other locations too.
In those old index pages like that, feel free to remove any dead links or pages already accounted for in the new structure. It’s easier to see what remains and still needs accounted for that way.
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