| 1 | = The Trac Wiki System = |
| 2 | [[TracGuideToc]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Trac has a built-in wiki system which you can use for organizing knowledge and information in a very flexible way by [WikiNewPage creating pages] containing an intuitive and easy to learn textual markup. The wiki markup is used throughout Trac, so not only in [wiki:TitleIndex wiki pages], but also in [TracTickets ticket] description and comments, [TracChangeset version control] log messages, [TracRoadmap milestone] descriptions, [TracReports report] descriptions and even in third-party extensions. |
| 5 | It allows for formatted text and hyperlinks in and between all Trac modules. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Editing wiki text is easy, as compared to complex markup languages like HTML, using any web browser and simple [WikiFormatting formatting]. The motivation for wiki markup is that HTML, with its large collection of nestable tags, is too complicated to allow fast-paced editing, and distracts from the actual content of the pages. Note that Trac also supports [WikiHtml HTML], [WikiRestructuredText reStructuredText] and [https://txstyle.org Textile] as alternative markup formats, which can be used in parts of a page, so called wiki blocks. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | The main goal of the wiki is to make editing text easy in order to ''encourage'' people to contribute to a project. Trac also provides a simple toolbar to make formatting text even easier, and supports the [http://universaleditbutton.org/Universal_Edit_Button universal edit button] of your browser. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | The wiki itself does not enforce any structure, but rather resembles a stack of empty sheets of paper, where you can organize information and documentation as you see fit, and later reorganize if necessary. |
| 12 | As contributing to a wiki is essentially building hypertext, general advice regarding HTML authoring apply here as well. |
| 13 | For example, the ''[https://www.w3.org/Provider/Style Style Guide for online hypertext]'' explains how to think about the [https://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/Structure.html overall structure of a work] and how to organize information [https://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/WithinDocument.html within each document]. One of the most important tips is to "make your HTML page such that you can read it, even if you don't follow any links". |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Learn more about: |
| 16 | * WikiFormatting rules, including advanced topics like WikiMacros and WikiProcessors. |
| 17 | * How to use WikiPageNames and other forms of TracLinks which are used to refer to any resource within Trac. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | If you want to practice editing, please use the SandBox. Note that not all Trac wiki pages are editable by anyone, this depends on the local policy; check with your Trac administrators. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Before saving your changes, you can ''Preview'' the page or ''Review Changes'' you have made. |
| 22 | You can get an automatic preview of the formatting as you type when you activate the ''Edit Side-by-side'' mode. There is a [wiki:TracIni#/auto_preview_timeout configurable delay] between when you make your edit and when the automatic preview will update. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Some more information about wikis on the web: |
| 25 | * A definition of [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki] according to Wikipedia. |
| 26 | * The [http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory history] behind the original wiki. |
| 27 | * A wiki page explaining [http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?WhyWikiWorks why wiki works]. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | ---- |
| 30 | See also: TracGuide |