Formatting: Difference between revisions

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'''Formatting''' is - without a doubt - one of the most important things on any wiki. All information on a page should cover every single thing. All wiki pages should look as organized, attractive and precise as possible. A wiki that's attractive enough may bring in more users and edits, and even create more interest in the game itself. A disorganized and sloppy wiki can push users away.
{{protected}}
{{manyimages}}
'''Formatting''' is - without a doubt - one of the most important things on any wiki. All information on a page should cover every single thing. All wiki pages should look as organized, attractive and precise as possible. A wiki that's attractive enough may bring in more users and edits, and even create more interest in the game itself. A disorganized and sloppy wiki can push users away. Also, users must respect each other and never vandalize any pages. Do not get into undo wars. If you see a mistake, please change it instead of just leaving it for someone else. If the page is protected, you can make a suggestion on the talk page.


''Let's remember the four P's of this wiki: We need to be as '''painfully pinpoint precise''' as '''possible'''.'' In other words, we want as much information on a game element as humanly possible - so much info that there's almost nothing left to even talk about.
''Let's remember the four P's of this wiki: We need to be as '''painfully pinpoint precise''' as '''possible'''.'' In other words, we want as much information on a game element as humanly possible - so much info that there's almost nothing left to even talk about. If you spot a mistake on any page, please fix it immediately. Do not lazily leave it for the next person to fix.


There must be a near-perfect consistency between pages, especially for pages of the same type. For example, all pages of a certain [[Resources|resource]] should be presented similarly, as well as use the same [[Special:Categories|categories]], making page searching even easier. They should also be using the exact same type of infobox, which should also be formatted carefully and consistently.
There must be a near-perfect consistency between pages, especially for pages of the same type. For example, all pages of a certain [[Resources|resource]] should be presented similarly, as well as use the same [[Special:Categories|categories]], making page searching even easier. They should also be using the exact same type of infobox, which should also be formatted carefully and consistently.
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===Text Editing Syntax===
===Text Editing Syntax===
Common format syntax options are as follows:
Common format syntax options are as follows:<br>
'''''Note: Some types of text/CSS formats may not be supported by certain browsers.'''''


{| class="wikitable" style="width: 855px;"
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 855px;"
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| There is a line break...<br />...between these lines of text.
| There is a line break...<br />...between these lines of text.
|-
|-
| <code><nowiki>This example in-game hotkey is {{hotkey|key=Ctrl+F10}}.</nowiki></code>
| <code><nowiki>This example in-game hotkey is {{hotkey|Ctrl+F10}}.</nowiki></code>
| This example in-game hotkey is {{hotkey|Ctrl+F10}}.
| This example in-game hotkey is {{hotkey|Ctrl+F10}}.
|-
|-
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With some CSS knowledge, tables can have some interesting customization, such as this:
With some CSS knowledge, tables can have some interesting customization, such as this:


<pre>{| class="wikitable" style="width: 500px; text-align: right; border: 2px solid #00ff00"
<pre>{| class="wikitable" style="width: 500px; text-align: right; border: 2px dashed yellow"
|-
|-
! Header 1
! <span style="color: yellow;">Header 1</span>
! Header 2
! <span style="color: green;">Header 2</span>
! Header 3
! <span style="color: red;">Header 3</span>
|-
|-
| Info 1.1
| <span style="float: left;">Info 1.1</span>
| Info 1.2
| <span style="float: left;">Info 1.2</span>
| Info 1.3
| <span style="float: left;">Info 1.3</span>
|-
|-
| Info 2.1
| Info 2.1
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== Editing Templates ==
== Editing Templates ==
<!-- {{main|:Category:Templates}} -->
<span style="margin-left: 17px;">''[[:Category:Templates|Click here to view roughly all the common templates. Each page contains helpful documentation.]]''</span>
{{Infobox_building
{{Infobox_building
|title = Sithilon Mine
|title = Sithilon Mine
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|icon = [[File:sithilon_mine_icon.png]]
|icon = [[File:sithilon_mine_icon.png]]
|cost = None
|cost = None
|building_type = [[Extraction]]
|building_type = [[Work]]
|subtype = [[Mines]]
|noise = Yes
|components = 2
|components = 2
|expandable = Yes
|expandable = Yes
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On the topic of making proper links, note that proper nouns should always be capitalized. When linking to a page, the link must match the case of the page's name. Notice how this very link to the [[export depot]] page by typing <code><nowiki>[[export depot]]</nowiki></code> doesn't seem to work, but the link of [[Export Depot]] works fine. To make the lowercase [[Export Depot|trade depot]] work, the link must be typed out like this: <code><nowiki>[[Export Depot|trade depot]]</nowiki></code>
On the topic of making proper links, note that proper nouns should always be capitalized. When linking to a page, the link must match the case of the page's name. Notice how this very link to the [[export depot]] page by typing <code><nowiki>[[export depot]]</nowiki></code> doesn't seem to work, but the link of [[Export Depot]] works fine. To make the lowercase [[Export Depot|trade depot]] work, the link must be typed out like this: <code><nowiki>[[Export Depot|trade depot]]</nowiki></code>
==Checking what's wrong==
If you want to find out if anything you can't quite easily see needs fixing in any way, you can visit the [[Special:SpecialPages|special pages]] page. This page shows small mistakes or discrepancies automatically detected by the wiki. For example, these can be broken links, incorrect redirects, pages with nothing linking to them (which isn't always a bad thing) or pages that lead to double redirects when they shouldn't. The list goes on. Our goal here is to minimize these small things as much as possible.
==Article rewards==
Some articles are written and formatted so well that they deserve to have the <code><nowiki>{{Goodarticle}}</nowiki></code> template used in them. When the template is used, you will see this icon ([[File:gold_medal_icon.png|25px]]) in the top right corner of the page. A page must have the following prerequisites to be considered a good article:
*Page is lengthy, containing every possible well-explained detail about the page's topic.
*The page has crisp, flawless and careful formatting.
*There are no spelling nor grammar mistakes.
*The entire page has proper punctuation.
*The page properly links to other pages, and other pages properly link to ''it''.
*There are at least two images to assist with what is being explained.
*The page contains a gallery with at least one or two good images.
*The page contains all templates it's supposed to. For example, the buildings navigation bar at the bottom of every building page.
Articles good enough may also be put up to be a headlined article on the front page for a week or so (once the feature is finished). The icon will look like this ([[File:headline_icon.png|25px]]).


==Page redirects==
==Page redirects==
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File:cannibal_preview.png|Cannibal image.
File:cannibal_preview.png|Cannibal image.
</gallery>
</gallery>
==Adding YouTube videos==
The syntax for adding a YouTube video is <code><nowiki><youtube>[VIDEO ID]</youtube></nowiki></code><br>
Note that the entire YouTube link does not need to be inside the tags, ''just'' the video ID.<br>
So if a video's URL is <code><nowiki>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=</nowiki>{{color|'''BJudRCyQSDg'''|lime}}<nowiki></nowiki></code>...<br>
''Only'' the "BJudRCyQSDg" part is to be placed inside the tags. Typing the syntax correctly will show this:
<youtube>BJudRCyQSDg</youtube>


== Page management templates ==
== Page management templates ==
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[[File:Cut_mountain_preview.png|left]] <span style="color:#a9efff;>Once again, the first line of text is here.<br />But if we add <code><nowiki>{{clear}}</nowiki></code> right at the end of this very line.</span>{{clear}}
[[File:Cut_mountain_preview.png|left]] <span style="color:#a9efff;>Once again, the first line of text is here.<br />But if we add <code><nowiki>{{clear}}</nowiki></code> right at the end of this very line.</span>{{clear}}
<span style="color:#a9efff;>The third of text is now below the image. As the templates clears out everything ahead of it and finds a fresh new line.</span>
<span style="color:#a9efff;>The third of text is now below the image. As the templates clears out everything ahead of it and finds a fresh new line.</span>
=== "To-do List" and "Small Bubble" Templates ===
There are two templates that can list what needs to be added to a page when it's still "under construction". Because of this, it's best to use these templates in conjunction with the <code><nowiki>{{construction}}</nowiki></code> template. The templates that are being mentioned in this section are <code><nowiki>{{tododiv}}</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>{{smallbubble}}</nowiki></code>. The format of each template are as follows:
====To-do List Template====
<pre>{{tododiv|width=NUMBER IN % or px|TEXT}}</pre>
For example, the following syntax:
<pre>{{tododiv|width=440px|I am an example. With more text, and more text and even these finals words are as well.}}</pre>
Creates this...
{{tododiv|width=440px|I am an example. With more text, and more text and even these finals words are as well.}}
====Small Bubble Template====
The "small bubble" template is very simple, as its just text inside a rounded bubble. Though it's only meant to be used in conjunction with the "to-do list" template. The syntax for the template is this:
<pre>{{bubblesmall|This is just sample text.}}</pre>
Which would create this...<br>
{{bubblesmall|This is just sample text.}}<br>
The bubble template can be used inside of the to-do list template. So we can get something like this...<br>
{{tododiv|width=440px|{{bubblesmall|I am entry #1.}} {{bubblesmall|...and I'm the 2nd one.}} {{bubblesmall|...and I'm the bronze medal of text.}}}}
Note that the text in the "bubblesmall" template can change colors when hovered over and clicked on. This is only to provide visual flavor, and serves no function.


== Marking articles for deletion ==
== Marking articles for deletion ==
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== Page combining ==
== Page combining ==


Some topics can fit into one single page, while others should have multiple pages or in some cases, have both. If something has a mid-to-high amount of important information by itself, it can have its own page, unless it's more of a sub-topic of something else, then it doesn't need a page of its own. A good example of this topic are the races in [[Songs of Syx|''Songs of Syx'']]. You'll notice the wiki has a page for all three races: the [[Cretonians]], [[Dondorians]] and [[Cantors]]. However, these races are also mentioned on the [[citizens]] page. This is because the citizens page encompasses the three races, but each race has more than enough information for their own pages as well. You'll also notice that the citizens page doesn't contain as much information on each race nearly as much as the individual pages about them, this is because adding ''all'' the info of those separate pages would make the citizens page far too long.
Some topics can fit into one single page, while others should have multiple pages or in some cases, have both. If something has a mid-to-high amount of important information by itself, it can have its own page, unless it's more of a sub-topic of something else, then it doesn't need a page of its own. A good example of this topic are the species in [[Songs of Syx|''Songs of Syx'']]. You'll notice the wiki has a page for all three species: the [[Cretonians]], [[Dondorians]] and [[Cantors]]. However, these species are also mentioned on the [[citizens]] page. This is because the citizens page encompasses the three species, but each species has more than enough information for their own pages as well. You'll also notice that the citizens page doesn't contain as much information on each species nearly as much as the individual pages about them, this is because adding ''all'' the info of those separate pages would make the citizens page far too long.


If each individual race didn't provide much information, there wouldn't need to be separate pages for them, and the only information about them would only be on the citizens page.
If each individual species didn't provide much information, there wouldn't need to be separate pages for them, and the only information about them would only be on the citizens page.


== Extra templates ==
== Extra templates ==
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{{imagefix|[[File:goods_large_icon.png|left]]}}Now the image is properly aligned. This is because the image is now placed in an imagefix template. The syntax of the template is written like this: <br /><code><nowiki>{{imagefix|[[File:image_name.png|leftORright]]}}</nowiki></code>
{{imagefix|[[File:goods_large_icon.png|left]]}}Now the image is properly aligned. This is because the image is now placed in an imagefix template. The syntax of the template is written like this: <br /><code><nowiki>{{imagefix|[[File:image_name.png|leftORright]]}}</nowiki></code>
=== Template:Citation ===
Sometimes it's a good idea to leave a citation, proving that sources were cited. Citations are left at the very end of sentences are words. The template format for leaving a citation is <code><nowiki>{{citation|cited_text}}</nowiki></code>. Links can also be placed in these templates. When placed, the citation shows up in superscript format.
For example, the end of this very sentence will leave a Wikipedia link to a page about trees.{{citation|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree}}


==Discussions==
==Discussions==
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<pre>
<pre>
==Big header==
==<span style="color: yellow;">Big header</span>==
===Getting smaller===
===<span style="color: yellow;">Getting smaller</span>===
====And smaller====</pre>
====<span style="color: yellow;">And smaller</span>====
=====<span style="color: yellow;">And this is the smallest</span>=====
======<span style="color: yellow;">...so every extra header will stay like this</span>======</pre>


Produces this...
Produces this...<br />
''Note: The headers will be marked in yellow to differentiate them from the other headers on this page.''


==Big header==
==<span style="color: yellow;">Big header</span>==
===Getting smaller===
===<span style="color: yellow;">Getting smaller</span>===
====And smaller====
====<span style="color: yellow;">And smaller</span>====
=====<span style="color: yellow;">And this is the smallest</span>=====
======<span style="color: yellow;">...so every extra header will stay like this</span>======
Comparison text. So uhh yeah...
Comparison text. So uhh yeah...


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== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
When there's any not-too-obvious facts about a topic that doesn't quite fit in the main article, it can be placed into its own trivia section. Note that all trivia must be put in a bullet point list.
When there's any not-too-obvious facts about a topic that doesn't quite fit in the main article, it can be placed into its own trivia section. Note that all trivia must be put in a bullet point list. Adding an extra bullet point will move the list entry over.
<pre>* This piece of text is not trivia, it's just an example.
** This just another example.
*** And wouldn't you know it? Another.
**** So uhh... yeah...</pre>
...will produce this:
* This piece of text is not trivia, it's just an example.
* This piece of text is not trivia, it's just an example.
** This just another example.
** This just another example.
*** And wouldn't you know it? Another.
*** And wouldn't you know it? Another.
**** So uhh... yeah...
[[Category:Articles_with_gallery]]

Latest revision as of 22:36, 5 December 2023

 This page is protected, meaning that only administrators and mods will be able to edit it.
 This page has a high number of images, which is not recommended for those with slow or limited internet.

Formatting is - without a doubt - one of the most important things on any wiki. All information on a page should cover every single thing. All wiki pages should look as organized, attractive and precise as possible. A wiki that's attractive enough may bring in more users and edits, and even create more interest in the game itself. A disorganized and sloppy wiki can push users away. Also, users must respect each other and never vandalize any pages. Do not get into undo wars. If you see a mistake, please change it instead of just leaving it for someone else. If the page is protected, you can make a suggestion on the talk page.

Let's remember the four P's of this wiki: We need to be as painfully pinpoint precise as possible. In other words, we want as much information on a game element as humanly possible - so much info that there's almost nothing left to even talk about. If you spot a mistake on any page, please fix it immediately. Do not lazily leave it for the next person to fix.

There must be a near-perfect consistency between pages, especially for pages of the same type. For example, all pages of a certain resource should be presented similarly, as well as use the same categories, making page searching even easier. They should also be using the exact same type of infobox, which should also be formatted carefully and consistently.

Proper sentence structure and capitalization should always be taken into account at all times when editing a page. Make sure that paragraphs are not too long as to not create an unattractive wall of text. Line breaks into a new paragraph should (but not always, in some cases) occur when speaking of a new factor about something. Professional, clinical must be used on all pages to the maximum degree:
Proper:
 Mountains are natural, rocky structures generated in the world that act as obstructions, but can be interacted with.

Improper:
 mOUntains are things that block ur path and can show up a lot, but i haven't seen much......

Much like this page, the very word(s) the topic is about should be bolded only when mentioned for the very first time per page.

Some pages, like the metal one, have icons alongside the text. Images are highly encouraged for almost all pages, but only if they're necessary and properly fit the page. Pages should also link to each other whenever certain words are mentioned for the first time in each page.

Note: This page is constantly being updated. So please check back every now and then.

Categories

A category is, by definition, a class or division of things regarded as having particular shared characteristics. In the case of this wiki, categories are pages that share a similar theme or themes as mentioned before. For example, pages like wood and stone would have the category of Category:Resources. Categories, in source mode, can be added to a page by typing [[Category:category_name]] near the bottom.

If, for some reason, you want to link to a category page, you need to put a colon in the start of the link, like this: [[:Category:Icons]]
If the colon isn't there, the wiki will think you're making a page a part of that category, rather than linking to it.

Editing and discussions

Pages can be edited in two ways. Simply clicking "Edit" will make the page editable in the sense of how the page will be seen. The second way of editing is clicking "Edit source", which puts the page into its bare-bones makeup by turning the page into just text. In some cases, editing the source of a page is more helpful when there are more detail-oriented things to add, such as the properties of a template.

Either way you edit the page, you can click the "Show preview" button, which will show the end result of the edits made. This should always be used to check for mistakes before saving a page. You can also click "Show changes" to compare your changes to what the page had in the previous edit.

Text Editing Syntax

Common format syntax options are as follows:
Note: Some types of text/CSS formats may not be supported by certain browsers.

Syntax Output
''This is text in italics.'' This is text in italics.
'''This is bold text.''' This is text in italics.
'''''This is both bold and italics text.''''' This is both bold and italics text.
<sup>This is superscript text.</sup> This is superscript text.
<sub>This is subscript text.</sub> This is subscript text.
<sub><sup>This is subscript and superscript mixed.</sup></sub> This is subscript and superscript mixed.
{{tooltip|This is text...|...but with a hover tooltip}} This is text...
{{divround|This is a divround box|yellow|100px|green}}
Note: For more info on this template, go here.
This is a divround box
[[Image:mediawiki_example_icon.png|50px|link=https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki]]
 Example:
{{glow|This is glowing text.|#fff|#fff}}
{{glow|This is more glowing text|yellow|red}}
 Format:
{{glow|<text>|<text color>|<glow color>}}
Note: Opacity can also be customized when using text and glow colors. Learn more here.
This is glowing text.

This is more glowing text

 Example:
{{shadow|This is shadowed text.|black}}
{{shadow|This is a text with a green shadow.|#060}}
 Format:
{{shadow|text|shadow color}}
Note: Opacity can also be customized when using shadow colors. Learn more here.
This is shadowed text.

This is a text with a green shadow.

This is text{{citation|with a citation.}} This is text[with a citation.]
<s>This is strikethrough text.</s> This is strikethrough text.
<code>This is code preview text.</code> This is code preview text.
<u>This is underlined text.</u> This is underlined text.
<small>This is small text.</small> This is small text.
<big>This is big text.</big> This is big text.
[[Formatting|This is an internal link.]] This is a link.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page This is an external link.] This is an external link.
{{color|This is lime green text.|lime}} This is lime green text.
<span style="color: yellow;">This is yellow text.</span> This is yellow text. (with some CSS)
<span style="color: #ffaefa;">This is pink text.</span> This is pink text. (with some CSS)
There is a line break...<br />...between these lines of text. There is a line break...
...between these lines of text.
This example in-game hotkey is {{hotkey|Ctrl+F10}}. This example in-game hotkey is  Ctrl+F10 .
<!-- An invisible comment! -->

* bullet list text 1
* bullet list text 2
** bullet list text 1.2
** bullet list text 2.2
*** bullet list text 1.3
*** bullet list text 2.3

  • bullet list text 1
  • bullet list text 2
    • bullet list text 1.2
    • bullet list text 2.2
      • bullet list text 1.3
      • bullet list text 2.3
;Definition

:item 1
:item 2

;Definition
item 1
item 2

Lastly, you can put many lines of text in <pre> tags. Which creates the following:

This is a bunch of text surrounded in pre tags.
But note that this takes up the entire width of the page.
Always take note of that.
Again, this is done by putting <pre> and at the start and end of the text respectively.
The <pre> tag at the end has a slash in it, like other tags.

Using pre tags is a good way to show text that explain how to type something out, such as a template or code of any kind. You will see more pre-tag text in the examples below.

Mixing and stacking formatting tags

Interestingly, using more than one set of tags to format text can be stacked to amplify its intended effects. Note that this doesn't work with all tags.

Syntax Output
<small><small>This is extra small text.</small></small> This is extra small text.
<big><big>This is extra small text.</big></big> This is extra large text.
<sup><sup>This is extra superscript text.</sup></sup> This is extra superscript text.
<sub><sub>This is extra subscript text.</sub></sub> This is extra superscript text.

Tables (first variant)

Some information may need to be added in the form of a table. A standard table follows this format:

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Header 1
! Header 2
! Header 3
|-
| Info 1.1
| Info 1.2
| Info 1.3
|-
| Info 2.1
| Info 2.2
| Info 2.3
|-
| Info 3.1
| Info 3.2
| Info 3.3
|}

Which would produce the following:

Header 1 Header 2 Header 3
Info 1.1 Info 1.2 Info 1.3
Info 2.1 Info 2.2 Info 2.3
Info 3.1 Info 3.2 Info 3.3

With some CSS knowledge, tables can have some interesting customization, such as this:

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 500px; text-align: right; border: 2px dashed yellow"
|-
! <span style="color: yellow;">Header 1</span>
! <span style="color: green;">Header 2</span>
! <span style="color: red;">Header 3</span>
|-
| <span style="float: left;">Info 1.1</span>
| <span style="float: left;">Info 1.2</span>
| <span style="float: left;">Info 1.3</span>
|-
| Info 2.1
| Info 2.2
| Info 2.3
|-
| Info 3.1
| Info 3.2
| Info 3.3
|}

Which produces this:

Header 1 Header 2 Header 3
Info 1.1 Info 1.2 Info 1.3
Info 2.1 Info 2.2 Info 2.3
Info 3.1 Info 3.2 Info 3.3

Tables (second variant)

There is another way tables can be made, and the format is as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | Header
|-
| colspan="2" | Data 1.1
|-
| colspan="2" | Data 1.2
|-
|| Info A || Info B
|-
|| Part 1 || Part 2
|-
| colspan="2" | Data 1.3
|}

Which produces the following:

Header
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3

The format of this second table makes CSS customization much easier for, as seen here:

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 300px;"
! colspan="2" style="background-color: darkred;" | Header
|-
| colspan="2" style="background-color: #559955;" | Data 1.1
|-
| colspan="2" style="color: yellow; background-color: #336633;" | Data 1.2
|-
| style="color: grey; background-color: #555; text-decoration: underline;" | Info A || style="color: blue; background-color: #555; text-decoration: underline;" | Info B
|-
| style="background-color: #999; | Part 1 || style="background-color: #999; | Part 2
|-
| colspan="2" | Data 1.3
|}

...which creates the following:

Header
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3

Aligning tables

Tables can also be configured to not only align itself to the left or right of the page, but also have text right beside them, instead of over or under them. This even allows multiple tables to be side by side. This is done by simply changing class="wikitable" to class="wikitable floatleft" or class="wikitable floatright". The end result concerning the text can be seen here:

Left Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3

Extra text that is beside the table.
Here is more text with a wood icon to show that even images align properly.
And one more icon with more text just for good measure.
That was a lie, this is the last icon with more text.

When putting tables side by side, the tables after the leftmost one must not have the added floatleft or floatright text. This can present a problem, however. As you can see, the second table is slightly misaligned. This proves that using such a feature for tables works better with text than it does other tables. Luckily, there's a workaround for this...

Left Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3
Right Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3

The alternate way to have a side-floating table is to add one space after class="wikitable" then type style="float: left;" or style="float: right;", and then the tables should align perfectly. Note that with this method, the other tables do need to have the style="float: left/right;". Sadly, it also creates makes text have a strange alignment:

Left Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3
Right Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3

This is text that does not perfectly align.

This means that one type of float-align method must be chosen over the other between working with text and working with multiple tables. As a bonus, we will look at how to shift aligned tables off of each other by adding "margin-left: 10px;", which creates this:

Left Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3
Right Table
Data 1.1
Data 1.2
Info A Info B
Part 1 Part 2
Data 1.3

Editing Templates

Click here to view roughly all the common templates. Each page contains helpful documentation.

Sithilon Mine
Probably the most wanted job in the game.
Building Information
Icon
Building cost None
Category Work
Sub-category Mines
Produces noise? Yes
Components 2
Expandable? Yes
Component Requirements Storage:
  × 1 (per tile)
Auxiliary:
  × 1 (per tile)
  × 1 (per tile)
Production Information
Input None
Output - Varies

Templates are pre-made bits of code that can be inserted into pages. Editing the template page will change how it appears on all pages, so it's wise to do some testing before using them. All template pages should include instructions on how to use and properly format them. So be sure to add instructions yourself if you make a template.

All templates are added with two left curly brackets, and end with two right ones. So all templates added to a page look like this: {{template_name}}.

Infobox templates are very common on this wiki, so we'll briefly discuss that. Templates like that have parameters such as a title, image, caption, resource info, icons, etc. As mentioned before, it is highly important you study and know the template you're using before you're using it, and add ALL paramters of the template to a page, even if you leave some parameters blank. Here's an example of a building template format, for sithilon ore:

{{Infobox_building
|title = Sithilon Mine
|image = [[File:sithilon_mine_preview.png]]
|caption = Probably the most wanted job in the game.
|icon = [[File:sithilon_mine_icon.png]]
|cost = None
|building_type = [[Extraction]]
|components = 2
|expandable = Yes
|comp_req = '''Storage:'''<br /> [[File:wood_icon.png]] × 1 <small>(per tile)</small><br />'''Auxiliary:'''<br /> [[File:wood_icon.png]] × 1 <small>(per tile)</small><br /> [[File:metal_icon.png]] × 1 <small>(per tile)</small>
|input =
|output = [[File:sithilon_ore_icon.png]] - Varies
|percent =
}}

What's seen in the code text box above is exactly what's creating the green infobox to the right. Note how all parameters were added, including "input" and "percent" which were left blank. This is because if those two weren't added at all, it would break the template, or show glitched or unattractive text. Do not leave out parameters unless the template page says it's okay to do so.

You can edit templates if you know exactly how, otherwise, it may be best to contact a mod or admin before doing so.

Singular and plural

There might be some confusion whether some page names should be singular or plural. By default, making them singular makes editing a lot easier. For example, when wanting to link to the page about stone, you can simply type [[stone]] to link to it. But if you're talking about stone in a plural sense, such as "the amount of stones needed to built it is much greater", you can type the link out as [[stone]]s with the "s" on the very left and outside the brackets, as the wiki will parse this as a link, which links to the page with the singular title, but adds an "s" to the link's text.

Now let's look at the inverse of this. There is a page on the wiki titled mountains, a page title with that's plural. When saying something like "not a single mountain could be seen", you'll notice the link is inactive and red, because the "s" was removed. So, properly linking to the page would have to be done like this: [[mountains|mountain]] which is a bit longer what we had to type before. This longer syntax can be a nuisance to keep typing.

It is possible to have both types of pages, and just have one of them redirect to the other. For example, this wiki has both a farm and farms page. The singular page automatically redirects to the plural one. This makes linking to either one much simpler. Note that not every page should have both a singular and plural version, just for the title. This should be done when it's most important and/or for certain words.

Capitalization

Note: This section is now obsolete, as typing the link either way properly leads to the same page.

On the topic of making proper links, note that proper nouns should always be capitalized. When linking to a page, the link must match the case of the page's name. Notice how this very link to the export depot page by typing [[export depot]] doesn't seem to work, but the link of Export Depot works fine. To make the lowercase trade depot work, the link must be typed out like this: [[Export Depot|trade depot]]

Checking what's wrong

If you want to find out if anything you can't quite easily see needs fixing in any way, you can visit the special pages page. This page shows small mistakes or discrepancies automatically detected by the wiki. For example, these can be broken links, incorrect redirects, pages with nothing linking to them (which isn't always a bad thing) or pages that lead to double redirects when they shouldn't. The list goes on. Our goal here is to minimize these small things as much as possible.

Article rewards

Some articles are written and formatted so well that they deserve to have the {{Goodarticle}} template used in them. When the template is used, you will see this icon () in the top right corner of the page. A page must have the following prerequisites to be considered a good article:

  • Page is lengthy, containing every possible well-explained detail about the page's topic.
  • The page has crisp, flawless and careful formatting.
  • There are no spelling nor grammar mistakes.
  • The entire page has proper punctuation.
  • The page properly links to other pages, and other pages properly link to it.
  • There are at least two images to assist with what is being explained.
  • The page contains a gallery with at least one or two good images.
  • The page contains all templates it's supposed to. For example, the buildings navigation bar at the bottom of every building page.

Articles good enough may also be put up to be a headlined article on the front page for a week or so (once the feature is finished). The icon will look like this ().

Page redirects

In some cases, it's best to have a page redirect to another to avoid confusion and make browsing much more convenient. Making a redirect page is very simple, just make sure the page doing the redirect has ONLY this text in source mode:

#redirect [[pagename]]

Navigation Bars

Navigation bars (also known as "navbars") are necessary for certain types of pages. At the time of making this article, resources and buildings are pages that have them. When making a page where navbars are most helpful, they must be added to the very bottom of the page. Here's what the resources one looks like:

This one is added by typing {{navbar_resources)).

Custom CSS

Users can create their own customized CSS for this wiki, but it will only show up for that user. To do this, type in the link User:username/common.css and add as much of your CSS as you wish. Remember to do a cache refresh after making changes to it. The CSS page itself should give instructions for this.

Refreshing

Refreshing a page to see the changes you've made is a more-than-common thing you'll do, but sometimes simply hitting F5 isn't enough. Due to how most browsers are set up, simple refreshes don't properly show changes. This will be the case when changing some images or templates. In cases like this, you must do what's called a "cache refresh", which is different for each browser:

  • Firefox / Safari: Hold Shift while clicking Reload, or press either  Ctrl-F5  or  Ctrl-R  ( ⌘-R  on a Mac)
  • Google Chrome: Press Ctrl-Shift-R (⌘-Shift-R on a Mac)
  • Internet Explorer / Edge: Hold Ctrl while clicking Refresh, or press Ctrl-F5
  • Opera: Press Ctrl-F5.

Uploading different types of animated images is another reason to use a cache refresh.

Adding images

Images can make almost improve any page, assuming the images fit the page and are formatted properly. Images can be added by clicking Upload file in the left sidebar. After choosing an image file to upload, a license for the image must also be selected. If someone has made an image and deserves credit for it, they should be credited in the description. Images, like pages, should also be given proper categories. For example, game icon images must be placed in Category:Icons.

When editing a page in source mode, the syntax of adding an image is [[File:<image_filename.png>|thumb/frame/none|<size>|alignment|caption]].

Note that an image does not need every parameter in the example. For example, some images don't need captions, nor always need to be in thumb/frame mode nor always need to be resized. It's all based on what the user wants the image on the page to look like, and what fits the page the most.

Also note that when showing GIF images, they must be presented in the exact pixels of the image as to not break their animation. So if you present a 128×128 GIF in a thumbnail resizing it to 100×100, the image will show, but it will not animate. If you want to make a GIF image smaller, you will have to resize it in whatever GIF program you have. EZGif can also help with this. Also, please put GIF images in the motion pictures category.

Format

The four main image formats you will see on wikis (and the entirety of the internet, more or less) are JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF and WEBP.

JPEG

JPEG's are among the lowest filesize type of image out there, but they look extremely compressed and ugly if not formatted or saved properly.

GIF

GIF's are animated images, which are also generally low in filesize, unless the animation is very detailed, colorful and/or has wide image dimensions. Note that GIF's can only have a very specific amount of colors: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256. They can have transparency, but only index transparency (which is when pixels are entirely transparent or entirely opaque) and never alpha transparency, like PNG and WEBP images can have. The three types of formatting GIF's can have are "error diffusion", "ordered dithering" and "nearest color".

Error diffusion uses a "pixely" type of coloring where pixels are more frequent the lighter a color is. This type of format usually looks the sharpest, clearest, and most attractive, but creates the biggest filesize. Ordered dithering is similar to error diffusion, but cross-hatches different color pixels to mix together in order to compensate for or "pseudo-create" another color (such as red and blue pixels being created to try and take the place of a purple color, if the GIF is low on color amounts). Nearest color is the least "pixely", and more solid-color based, and therefore looks more patchy or blotchy - this type of GIF usually looks the least appealing, but has the lowest filesize of the three color formats.

GIF's are heavily encouraged on this wiki if it adds to the page and helps convey what the page is trying to explain. Though these should not be overused, as they can potentially slow down or clutter the page. Especially if the filesize of these are too high. It is best if some GIF's are reformatted to have their filesize reduced before being uploaded to this wiki.

PNG

PNG's are arguably the most popular choice of image formats. Because they have a relatively low filesize, support any type of transparency and can contain nearly any amount of colors - sacrificing no amount of detail. It is recommended that all static images be uploaded to this wiki as this format.

APNG's are animated versions of PNG's, they are superior to GIF's as APNG's can have as many colors as possible while still animating, but they are somewhat more tricky to make than GIF's. Unlike GIF's which are supported by all devices and browsers, APNG's are not supported by everything, and will instead appear as a static image with only the first frame showing. APNG's are recommended if you can manage to create one, but if it can easily be a GIF, then just make it a GIF.

WEBP

WEBP is the most technically advanced of the four formats, as they contain the format of nearly all image types - both lossy and loseless - into one convenient filetype. This even includes animated images and all transparency types. They're even smaller than PNG's in terms of filesize (by about ~25% smaller).

The downside to this, is that MediaWiki is not suited to this format.

Gallery

If a page has multiple images, it's best to put them in a gallery. If images aren't put in a gallery, then images will just be stacked vertically to one side, which does not look good. Putting them in a gallery solves this issue by making images sit near each other in an organized fashion. Galleries are made by typing the following:

<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px">
File:warehouse_preview.png|Warehouse image.
File:hunter_preview.png|Hunter image.
File:cannibal_preview.png|Cannibal image.
</gallery>

Which produces the following:

Adding YouTube videos

The syntax for adding a YouTube video is <youtube>[VIDEO ID]</youtube>
Note that the entire YouTube link does not need to be inside the tags, just the video ID.
So if a video's URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJudRCyQSDg...
Only the "BJudRCyQSDg" part is to be placed inside the tags. Typing the syntax correctly will show this:

Page management templates

Some pages might have very little information, so {{stub}} must be placed at the top of the page.
Some pages may have a decent amount of information, but are still not quite finished, so {{construction}} must be placed at the top of the page.
If the page is about a feature that is planned for Songs of Syx but is not yet implemented, then an {{upcoming}} template is needed.
If a page needs at least one image but is missing one, then add {{needimage}} to the top of the page.
If a page is outdated and needs updating, then add {{outdated}} to the top of the page.

Some pages might need a combination of these templates, so they should all be added to the very top of the page, but perfectly sitting right above and below each other, which should make them sit seamlessly on top of each other when the page is saved.

There may be a lot of elements in a page that might scramble how text appears, and you might want the text to appear below all of it. You can do this by adding the {{clear}} template. Let's look at an example:

As you can see, the text is right beside the image.
...and so is the second line of text.
...and so is this third line.
But what if you wanted to cut that short, and just have your text just skip right to below the image?

That can be easily done by adding {{clear}} after the end of the text. So let's look at this next example:

Once again, the first line of text is here.
But if we add {{clear}} right at the end of this very line.

The third of text is now below the image. As the templates clears out everything ahead of it and finds a fresh new line.

"To-do List" and "Small Bubble" Templates

There are two templates that can list what needs to be added to a page when it's still "under construction". Because of this, it's best to use these templates in conjunction with the {{construction}} template. The templates that are being mentioned in this section are {{tododiv}} and {{smallbubble}}. The format of each template are as follows:

To-do List Template

{{tododiv|width=NUMBER IN % or px|TEXT}}

For example, the following syntax:

{{tododiv|width=440px|I am an example. With more text, and more text and even these finals words are as well.}}

Creates this...

This page should contain the following:
I am an example. With more text, and more text and even these finals words are as well.


Small Bubble Template

The "small bubble" template is very simple, as its just text inside a rounded bubble. Though it's only meant to be used in conjunction with the "to-do list" template. The syntax for the template is this:

{{bubblesmall|This is just sample text.}}

Which would create this...
This is just sample text.
The bubble template can be used inside of the to-do list template. So we can get something like this...

This page should contain the following:
I am entry #1. ...and I'm the 2nd one. ...and I'm the bronze medal of text.

Note that the text in the "bubblesmall" template can change colors when hovered over and clicked on. This is only to provide visual flavor, and serves no function.

Marking articles for deletion

If you feel that an article should be deleted, then put {{delete|reason = reason for deletion.}} at the top of the page. Please only do this if an article is breaking the rules or is added through pure trolling or vandalism.

Page combining

Some topics can fit into one single page, while others should have multiple pages or in some cases, have both. If something has a mid-to-high amount of important information by itself, it can have its own page, unless it's more of a sub-topic of something else, then it doesn't need a page of its own. A good example of this topic are the species in Songs of Syx. You'll notice the wiki has a page for all three species: the Cretonians, Dondorians and Cantors. However, these species are also mentioned on the citizens page. This is because the citizens page encompasses the three species, but each species has more than enough information for their own pages as well. You'll also notice that the citizens page doesn't contain as much information on each species nearly as much as the individual pages about them, this is because adding all the info of those separate pages would make the citizens page far too long.

If each individual species didn't provide much information, there wouldn't need to be separate pages for them, and the only information about them would only be on the citizens page.

Extra templates

Though these templates are not absolutely necessary to know, they are still helpful.

Template:Imagefix

Notice how the image and text are not properly aligned with each other. This happens due to some headers and templates being right above the image. There is a template made specifically to combat this.

Now the image is properly aligned. This is because the image is now placed in an imagefix template. The syntax of the template is written like this:
{{imagefix|[[File:image_name.png|leftORright]]}}

Template:Citation

Sometimes it's a good idea to leave a citation, proving that sources were cited. Citations are left at the very end of sentences are words. The template format for leaving a citation is {{citation|cited_text}}. Links can also be placed in these templates. When placed, the citation shows up in superscript format.

For example, the end of this very sentence will leave a Wikipedia link to a page about trees.[1]

Discussions

There might be a disagreement between users about what content should be added to a page. This can be rectified by using the "discussion" tab of a page and asking what information is okay to add. When you add a post, make sure to sign it. This is done by typing ~~~~ at the end of your text in source mode.

Please see the actual discussion section of this page to see a proper example.

Headers

Headers, in "edit source" mode, are made by using the equals key, like this: ==Header==. The more equals signs added to each sign, the smaller the header will become. The example text you see here...

==<span style="color: yellow;">Big header</span>==
===<span style="color: yellow;">Getting smaller</span>===
====<span style="color: yellow;">And smaller</span>====
=====<span style="color: yellow;">And this is the smallest</span>=====
======<span style="color: yellow;">...so every extra header will stay like this</span>======

Produces this...
Note: The headers will be marked in yellow to differentiate them from the other headers on this page.

Big header

Getting smaller

And smaller

And this is the smallest
...so every extra header will stay like this

Comparison text. So uhh yeah...

Table of Contents

Note that creating enough headers in a page will cause a Table of Contents to appear. If said Table doesn't fit the page very well, it can be removed by adding __NOTOC__ anywhere in the page. Adding __FORCETOC__ will force the Table of Contents to appear at the default location, while typing __TOC__ will add the table to a preferred location instead of the default one.

Trivia

When there's any not-too-obvious facts about a topic that doesn't quite fit in the main article, it can be placed into its own trivia section. Note that all trivia must be put in a bullet point list. Adding an extra bullet point will move the list entry over.

* This piece of text is not trivia, it's just an example.
** This just another example.
*** And wouldn't you know it? Another.
**** So uhh... yeah...

...will produce this:

  • This piece of text is not trivia, it's just an example.
    • This just another example.
      • And wouldn't you know it? Another.
        • So uhh... yeah...