Editing Help:FAQ

This page is to answer commonly asked questions that may come up while editing Final Fantasy Wiki.

==Contributing to the wiki==
===How do I make an article?===
First you should find if the article does not already exist. To do this you must use the Search. If the search results do not show an article, then press the Enter key or click either the "Go" or "Search" button of the search bar and click on the <span style="color:#D20">red link</span> that displays when you search for the article. This automatically takes you to an editing window where you can start making the page. You can 

If the page is already linked on the wiki through a <span style="color:#D20">red link</span>, then you can just click the link to start the page. If the article you want to create is not linked to, then you can add a link to a relevant page, and click the red link after saving it. When creating a new article links should be made. Things to consider include does it need to be linked to on a disambig, parent page, list article, or a navigation template?

===What should or should not be added?===
Anything unrelated to ''Final Fantasy'' should not be made into an article, including characters who only appear in crossover titles, such as Disney characters from the ''[[Kingdom Hearts (series)|Kingdom Hearts]]'' series. Crossover coverage should have information pertaining only to ''Final Fantasy'' franchise unless the crossover title is part of the overall ''Final Fantasy'' franchise.

===Any specifics on what should be on a page?===
As a matter of fact, there is. To make sure we are able to present as much information as possible, a few guidelines have been written, referred to as our '''[[Project:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]]'''. But if you don't have all the specifics, don't worry about it. Just add the {{t|Stub}} template at the bottom of any article that is lacking in information. If this only applies to a certain section, add <code><nowiki>{{stub|section=yes}}</nowiki></code> at the bottom of the section.

===What should I do if I come across a poorly written article?===
You can try and rewrite the page or stick the {{t|Cleanup}} template at the very top of the article. This way, others can immediately notice that the article must be redone.

===There's a page that I don't think 
If there is a page that should not be on the wiki (regardless whether it's an article, file, template, etc.), type {{t|delete}} at the top of the page. It is recommended to provide a reason (after the pipe) for adding the delete template. For example: <code><nowiki>{{delete|vandalism}}</nowiki></code>. This tells us the exact issue is that the page contains vandalism.

===Spamming the recent changes list===
To avoid spamming of the '''[[Special:RecentChanges|recent changes]]''' list, you can click the "Show preview" button, which is right next to the "Save page" button. Doing this allows you to preview your work and determine whether it is ready for publishing. Making dozens of minor edits on the same page with 30 seconds in-between, because something didn't work and you're "trying again" by making a change and saving, is annoying to other users and takes up a portion of the recent changes meaning more important issues such as vandalism may drop out of the recent changes unnoticed. Of course, slip-ups, typos, and other minor errors occur, and it's understandable if someone needs to redo an edit after the first time around; fixing those will not be considered spamming the list.

There are also other scenarios where making lots of minor edits is understandable, such as the editing of some Templates, as the effects of changes to the template has had on articles it is included in can only be seen after the page has been saved, or editing CSS, JavaScript, or Lua files where the results cannot necessarily be seen immediately.

==Userpages==
Userpages are personal pages which are accessible when you create an account. It is also this page that will be linked to, when ever you sign a comment by using four tildes, i.e. <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>. It is not required that you make a userpage, but it is a great way to let people know about yourself.

On your own personal userpage, you get to throw objectivity out the window. Write about anything you wish. About yourself, about what games you like, what games you don't like, why something is better than something else and so on. Any content that is discriminatory, illegal, sexually explicit, and or shows very graphic images is <span style="color:red">'''STRICTLY PROHIBITED'''</span>.

===Userboxes===
:''See [[Final Fantasy Wiki:Userboxes]] to find out how to use userboxes on a user page.''

==Talk bubbles==
{{Talk bubble
|name={{SITENAME}}
|image=FFVII Cloud icon.png
|top-section='''[[Special:MyPage|<span style="color:black">{{USERNAME|Cloud}}</span>]]'''<br><font size="1">[[Special:MyTalk|<span style="color:black">TALK</span>]] - {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTDAY}}, {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)</font>
|text=The talk bubbles or talk text you notice in all of the talk pages that look more or less like this can be found at [[Template:Talk bubble]]. This template, as you will notice, is quite blank. If you desire a talk template and plan to use it with any consistency, we would suggest that you create a template of it that you can then reuse, by adding the code shown below to a template and saving:

:<nowiki><onlyinclude>{{Talk</nowiki>
:<nowiki>|image=Myfavoriteimage.jpg</nowiki>
:<nowiki>|name= </nowiki>{{USERNAME|YOURUSERNAME}}
:<nowiki>|time= {{{time}}}</nowiki>
:<nowiki>|text= {{{text}}}</nowiki>
:<nowiki>}}</onlyinclude>[[Category:User talk templates|{{subst:ROOTPAGENAME}}]]</nowiki>

The three things you will want to be mindful of are:
*You need to fill out all blanks
*You need to leave time and text as variables (surrounded by "{{{" and "}}}")
*You do not want to include "File:" in front of your image name. You can use an external image by placing the URL in the image field; however, if it is not 60px wide, it will be removed.

If you want a more advanced text box, like most people have opted for, view [[Template:Talk bubble#Usage|this]]. There are a fair more variables that are required than the mandatory three (image is optional) shown above. Review what I have posted below if you have any questions about how to use the more option-filled version of the text template, contact a [[Project:Staff|staff member]], or add onto a staff member's page.
}}

====Example====
<pre>
{{Talk bubble
|image=FFVII Cloud icon.png
|color=yellow
|color2=gray
|color3=black
|namecolor=black
|namefonttype=Times New Roman
|textcolor=black
|textcolor2=gold
|line=yellow
|line2=gray
|border=black
|border2=gold
|border3=gold
|corners= diagonal
|top-right= square
|bottom-left= round
|fonttype=Arial
|name=Cloud Strife
|sig=...is a character
|time={{{time}}}
|text={{{text}}}
}}</pre>

'''creates:'''
{{Talk bubble
|image=FFVII Cloud icon.png
|color=yellow
|color2=gray
|color3=black
|namecolor=black
|namefonttype=Times New Roman
|textcolor=black
|textcolor2=gold
|line=yellow
|line2=gray
|border=black
|border2=gold
|border3=gold
|corners= diagonal
|top-right= square
|bottom-left= round
|fonttype=Arial
|name=Cloud Strife
|sig=...is a character
|time={{{time}}}
|text={{{text}}}
}}

'''Note:''' Color variables will take either CSS color names, rgb() colors, or hexadecimal. Hexadecimal color charts can be found online.

;Summary
#Create a template named after your username: [[Template:{{USERNAME}}]]. 
#Fill out the coding after the "=" sign accordingly. For example, "image=your image's name" or "color=your desired color". Leave the "time={{{time}}}" and "text={{{text}}}" parameters alone.
#Save the page.
#In [[Special:Preferences]], add the template name in braces ({{t|{{USERNAME}}) into the signature input box. Be sure to click the "''Treat signature as wikitext (without an automatic link)''" option so that it's recognized as wiki text, and then save.

As a side note, the talk template should be readable to other users. If you want to make a talk bubble with a dark background, please use a light font. White works best. If you use a dark or even medium font on a dark background, nobody will be able to read your words without highlighting them.

Although there is a "nick" parameter to replace your username with a nickname, this function should not be misused on talk pages, as you need to be identifiable when leaving a message on talk pages. The "nick" parameter is reserved for informal use, such as user pages.

==Images==
===Personal images===
Final Fantasy Wiki allows users to have a few personal images that they can use for their userpage. Keep in mind that unused personal images will be deleted. Personal images would usually consist of:

*Something related to the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise but is unofficial.
*Original material or fan-art which is ''self-created''.
*Fan-art or original material which you have obtained permission from the creator to use.

===Before uploading===
Before uploading, check '''[[:Category:Images]]'''. There will be subcategories leading to a specific release, e.g. ''Final Fantasy X'', and again subcategories leading to type of image, e.g. characters, locations, etc. Make sure not to upload the image if there is a similar image already. It is important to do this, so that we don't have several copies of the same image taking up space.

===Categories===
{{Main|Help:Categories}}
When uploading an image in a specific release write '''<nowiki>[[Category:[the release's name] [description] [type of image]]]</nowiki>''' in the "'''Summary'''" box to make sure the image is categorized, e.g. [[:Category:Final Fantasy VII character artwork]]. If you forget to add the category during upload, you can add one after uploading by clicking the "Edit" button at the top of the file page.

===How to upload===
In the [[MediaWiki:Sidebar|sidebar]], click "Upload file", under Toolbox. Click the "Browse" button next to "Source filename". This allows you to select the image to add onto the wiki. Then change the input for "Destination filename" that [[#Naming|describes the subject]], followed by the extension. JPG and PNG are the two most commonly used extensions. It is recommended that you fill in the {{t|aboutfile}} details and click on a license from the dropdown menu, and then click the Upload file button (not the one in the toolbox) at the bottom of the page.

There are times when it is acceptable to upload over an existing image if the image you want to upload is either of better quality or a similar image that presents the same thing (e.g. a better positioned model screenshot). If the image fits these criteria, here's how you do. Go to the existing image, e.g. [[:File:Chocobo FFX artwork.jpg]]. Near the bottom, click a link that says "Upload a new version of this file" and follow the upload instructions. Keep in mind that the destination filename will already be filled out; '''do not change it'''.

Select the image you want to upload and make sure it has the same extension as the existing image, i.e., if the existing image is .jpg, your image has to be .jpg as well. As usual, once you have selected the image that you want to upload, click the "Upload file" button. Keep in mind that it usually takes several minutes for the changes to refresh and the new image to be shown, so '''DO NOT''' repeatedly upload duplicates if the changes do not immediately take effect.

===Naming===
All filenames must be comprehensible and describe the subject accurately. In some cases, such as when naming sprites, we use uniform file names. So once you've found the file you wish to upload, using the "Browse..." function, the destination filename will automatically be the same as the filename on your computer. This can be changed manually. An example of a good name would be '''[[:File:Chocobo FFX artwork.jpg]]'''. You can tell from its name that it is an artwork image of a [[Chocobo]] from ''[[Final Fantasy X]]''. An example of a bad name would be '''File:5000px-cfx.jpg''', as this does

===How to insert in pages===
For help on how to insert images properly into articles, please go to [[Help:Images]].

==What else can I do to help?==
Well, if you don't know what to do, the absolute best place to check out would be the '''[[Project:Community portal|community portal]]'''. There, you can see a list of the most important things that needs to be made. This can include finding images, finishing articles, making templates, and so forth.

==What if I still need help?==
If you still need help, leave a message asking for help on a [[Project:Staff|staff member]] or another user's talk page. You can also join our [https://discord.gg/PBDCHYq Discord server] and ask there.

[[Category:Help pages]]