Help:Tracking changes: Difference between revisions

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m (→‎Finding a specific edit: Binary search might be an even better term than successive approximation)
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{{WIP}}
{{tip|
Giving a comprehensive and concise edit summary will help other understand the revision history.


This '''tutorial''' is mainly aimed at people new to the [[Main Page|FlightGear wiki]], but might also be useful for the more experienced users from time to time.
'''Why''' the edit was done is more useful than '''what''' was edited — a diff will show '''what''' was edited but not '''why'''.}}


The main purpose here is to explain how to use the wiki software, how it is structured, where you can learn more about it, and not less important, how to interact with the part of the FlightGear community that is directly involved with the wiki.
{{Wiki help navbar}}


== For readers new to a wiki ==
One of the main characteristics of a wiki that like the FlightGear are using the MediaWiki software is that the edit history of all pages is preserved and is available to everyone.  This allows for very transparent collaboration.
{{tip|If you are very familiar with Wikipedia, you can just skim through this section or even skip it.}}


A wiki is a place for collaboration.  There are many like it but this is ours.  As with most wikis they allow readers to browse through the ''articles'' and other ''pages'' making up the content of the wiki.  Pages can also be found by using ''links'', traversing ''categories'' and ''searching''.  But lets start by describing what you can see on a typical wiki page.
As the ''revision history'' of pages is kept, changes can be tracked in various ways.


=== Typical article layout ===
==== Messageboxes ====
At top of some articles there can be ''messageboxes'' with general notices about the article.  These could for example state that an article could be out of date, contain factual errors or is to be deleted.


Sometimes there are messageboxes in other places in article as well.
== Recent changes ==
The page [[Special:RecentChanges]] is a list of all the recent changes on the wiki.


==== First section ====
If you want to have a feel about what is going on on the wiki you could start your wiki session by having a peek at that page.
The first section of the article, before the table of contents should contain a summary of the article.  Sometimes you might instead find this information further down in a section named something like ''Goal'', ''Background'', but this practice is discouraged.


==== Infobox ====
Some of the things visible there are:
On the top left in many articles you can find an ''infobox'' with a summary of information relevant to articles about certain subjects, for example aircraft, airports and software.


==== Navbox ====
* Edits to pages
Below the infobox or at the bottom of the page there is often a ''navbox'' with links to related articles in a series of articles.
* Creation of new pages
* File uploads, usually images
* Creation of new users
* Pages being protected
* Deletion of pages or files
 
As it shows all the latest changes it is often the place where one will find any spam, vandalism or other unwanted edits.


==== Links to related FlightGear resources ====
One days changes will for example look like below:
At the bottom of the article you can find links to related wiki articles and FlightGear project web pages like forum topics, developer mailing list threads and source code.


==== Links to external resources ====
[[File:FlightGear wiki recent changes.png|none|frame|Recent changes on the wiki.  Only some users have rights to block users.]]
Sometimes there is also links to pages external to the project.


==== Category links ====
== Watchlist ==
At the very bottom of an article there should be ''category links'' to category pages which list all pages in a category with pages on the same subject.
The ''watchlist'' will help you keep track of interesting pages if the recent changes page is too busy.


== Wiki features ==
The watchlist presents changes the same way as the recent changes page.
=== Main characteristics ===
 
The two main characteristics of a wiki that like the FlightGear are using the MediaWiki software are:
The watchlist is accessible from a link in the top right corner of every wiki pages when you have logged in.


* Anyone can register and edit most pages
At first the watchlist will at first be empty, but pages can be added to it either by clicking the ''watch tab'' (the star icon tab) or by clicking the "Watch this page" box below the edit summary text box when editing or creating a new page.
* The edit history of all pages is ''preserved'' and is available to everyone


This allows for very transparent collaboration.
== Page revision history ==
The ''revision history'' of a page, accessible from the history tab, holds all the changes to a page.  Some data regarding deleted revisions is only available to users with sufficient rights.


=== Tracking changes ===
[[File:FlightGear wiki revision history.png|none|frame|The top of the revision history of a page]]
As the ''revision history'' of pages is kept, changes can be tracked in various ways.


==== Recent changes ====
The revision history allow you to look at and compare selected revisions using ''page diffs'' (or often just ''diffs''), as well as link to a certain revision or comparison of revisions.
The page [[Special:RecentChanges]] is a list of all the recent changes on the wiki.


If you want to have a feel about what is going on on the wiki you could start your wiki session by having a peek at that page.
== Diffs ==
{{tip|If you need to compare two separate pages you can do so with [[Special:ComparePages]].}}
{{tip|By pressing the ''Show changes'' button when you edit a page you can see your changes as a diff. It can be useful when writing the edit summary.}}


Some of the things visible there is:
A ''diff'' is comparison between two revisions of a page. With them you can see what was changed, added or removed in a revision.


* Edits to pages
A diff page is typically shown with the actual diff at the top of the page and the rendered page as of the latter revision at the bottom of the page.
* Creation of new pages
* File uploads, usually images
* Creation of new users
* Pages being protected
* Deletion of pages or files


As it shows all the latest changes it is often the place where one will find any spam, vandalism or other unwanted edits.
The diff itself is split into two columns: Typically the old one to the left and new one to the right.


==== Watchlist ====
On top you have the dates and usernames as well as the edit summaries added before saving the revisions.  Below that are the changed chunks of lines and a few lines surrounding them.
The ''wathlist'' will help you keep track of interesting pages if the recent changes page is too busy.


The watchlist is accessible from a link in the top right corner of every wiki pages when you have logged in.
[[File:FlightGear wiki diff.png|none|frame|The diff part of a diff page]]


At first the watchlist will be empty, but pages can be added to it by clicking the ''watch tab'' (the star icon tab) or by clicking the "Watch this page" box below the edit summary text box when editing or creating a new page.
{{tip|If [[User:Johan G|Johan G]] above had used the ''Show preview'' button more he might have remembered to add the other changes as well.}}


==== Page revision history ====
== Finding a specific edit ==
The ''revision history'' of a page, accessible from the history tab, holds all the changes to a page. Some data regarding deleted revisions is only available to users with sufficient rights.
[[File:Finding an edit using successive approximation.png|left|thumb|200 px|Finding an edit through successive approximation.]]


The revision history allows you to look at and compare selected revisions using ''page diffs'' (or often just ''diffs''), as well as link to a certain revision or comparison of revisions.
If you are looking for when a particular section of text was edited, you can use ''binary search''/''successive approximation''.


=== Wiki markup ===
Start by comparing the revision ''between'' the oldest and newest possible revision with ''its previous'' revision.  Then in ''halfway steps'' compare revisions with their previous ones till you find the edit.
To format the text of the wiki, adding images etc, ''wiki markup'' or ''wikitext'' is used.  For a summary see [[Help:Your first article]] and for details, see [[Help:Formatting]].


== Whats next? ==
This can come in handy for example if you want to discuss a confusing phrasing with the user who added it, or if you are an administrator and need to find a specific user due to spam etc.
* [[Portal:Wiki]]
* [[Help:Your first article]]


[[Category:Help]]
[[Category:Help]]

Revision as of 07:50, 10 June 2018

Tip 

Giving a comprehensive and concise edit summary will help other understand the revision history.

Why the edit was done is more useful than what was edited — a diff will show what was edited but not why.

Wiki help
Reading
Editing
Advanced editing
Writing about specific topics


One of the main characteristics of a wiki that like the FlightGear are using the MediaWiki software is that the edit history of all pages is preserved and is available to everyone. This allows for very transparent collaboration.

As the revision history of pages is kept, changes can be tracked in various ways.


Recent changes

The page Special:RecentChanges is a list of all the recent changes on the wiki.

If you want to have a feel about what is going on on the wiki you could start your wiki session by having a peek at that page.

Some of the things visible there are:

  • Edits to pages
  • Creation of new pages
  • File uploads, usually images
  • Creation of new users
  • Pages being protected
  • Deletion of pages or files

As it shows all the latest changes it is often the place where one will find any spam, vandalism or other unwanted edits.

One days changes will for example look like below:

Recent changes on the wiki. Only some users have rights to block users.

Watchlist

The watchlist will help you keep track of interesting pages if the recent changes page is too busy.

The watchlist presents changes the same way as the recent changes page.

The watchlist is accessible from a link in the top right corner of every wiki pages when you have logged in.

At first the watchlist will at first be empty, but pages can be added to it either by clicking the watch tab (the star icon tab) or by clicking the "Watch this page" box below the edit summary text box when editing or creating a new page.

Page revision history

The revision history of a page, accessible from the history tab, holds all the changes to a page. Some data regarding deleted revisions is only available to users with sufficient rights.

The top of the revision history of a page

The revision history allow you to look at and compare selected revisions using page diffs (or often just diffs), as well as link to a certain revision or comparison of revisions.

Diffs

Tip  If you need to compare two separate pages you can do so with Special:ComparePages.
Tip  By pressing the Show changes button when you edit a page you can see your changes as a diff. It can be useful when writing the edit summary.

A diff is comparison between two revisions of a page. With them you can see what was changed, added or removed in a revision.

A diff page is typically shown with the actual diff at the top of the page and the rendered page as of the latter revision at the bottom of the page.

The diff itself is split into two columns: Typically the old one to the left and new one to the right.

On top you have the dates and usernames as well as the edit summaries added before saving the revisions. Below that are the changed chunks of lines and a few lines surrounding them.

The diff part of a diff page
Tip  If Johan G above had used the Show preview button more he might have remembered to add the other changes as well.

Finding a specific edit

Finding an edit through successive approximation.

If you are looking for when a particular section of text was edited, you can use binary search/successive approximation.

Start by comparing the revision between the oldest and newest possible revision with its previous revision. Then in halfway steps compare revisions with their previous ones till you find the edit.

This can come in handy for example if you want to discuss a confusing phrasing with the user who added it, or if you are an administrator and need to find a specific user due to spam etc.

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