====== Using and Maintaining This Wiki ======

===== Basics =====

==== What is a Wiki? ====

A wiki is a website on which users collaboratively modify content and structure directly from within the web browser. Text is written using a simplified markup language. Anyone with a user account can log in and create new information pages or edit and update existing pages from within their web browser.

A wiki is run using wiki software on a server. There are dozens of different wiki server systems available. This wiki is based on the Dokuwiki server engine.

"Wiki" is a Hawaiian word meaning "quick". The goal is to have a web system that is quick to learn and quick to maintain.

==== Wiki Syntax ====

Wiki language syntax is a simplified way of creating web pages. There is no HTML involved. So instead of having to learn all the various forms of complicated HTML markup, just a few simple text tags are used. For example to make a bulleted list in HTML you would write:

<code>
<ul>
<li>Item 1</li>
<li>Item 2</li>
<li>Item 3</li>
</ul>
</code>

But in wiki markup you would simply write:

<code>
  * Item 1
  * Item 2
  * Item 3
</code>

and it will look like:

  * Item 1
  * Item 2
  * Item 3

In HTML a link to a different page might look like:

<code>
<a href=” http://www.telemetryspectrum.org/documents.html”>Documents</a>
</code>

In wiki markup you would write:

<code>
[[Documents]]
</code>

Headings, bolding, underlines, tables, and other common formatting are similarly easy. Some more complicated formatting is also available with the use of some custom plug-ins that have been installed.

==== Creating New Pages and Editing Existing Pages ====

The editor – note links to wiki syntax pages, make editor bigger

Plug-ins



===== Advanced Topics =====

==== Namespaces ====

[[https://www.dokuwiki.org/namespaces|Namespaces]] are like directories. Create them and use them to keep pages, documents, images, and other files organized.  Also, namespaces should be used to create areas which may have restricted access.

==== Uploading and using documents, files, and images  ====

Documents, files, and images can be uploaded to allow users to click on a link to download. Creating downloadable documents is a two step process. 

  * Upload the files using the Media Manager. 
  * Create wiki links to these files. 

Detailed instructions for this are on the [[Upload/Download]] page.

==== Users and Protecting Pages ====

===== Organization of the ITCS Wiki =====