Style and Presentation

Editor: Caroline 09:47, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Please refer to the Help Pages for Editors and Authoring for further information about the conventions of Wiki presentation style.

The Help Pages also give examples of other useful code such as using galleries, tables and the various ways of using images.

Unless it is clear that the page is being actively worked on, if text or code is in the Wiki then it is considered as editable.

Therefore if any deviations from these conventions or any grammatical inaccuracies are spotted, they will be corrected.

Writing style in "The Wiki"

• Write formally in complete sentences or bullet points, following the standard rules of written English rather than the more chatty style of the forums.
• Prepare your text in advance and check it for spelling and grammar before pasting it into the Wiki, otherwise it may be edited without any consultation or warning.

Please use the following conventions for punctuation:-

• Use one or two spaces after a full stop and there should be no spaces before a full stop.
• Use one space after a comma and there should be no spaces before a comma.
• Capital letters (upper case) should only be used for the beginning of a sentence and proper nouns. All other text should be in lower case.

• Section Headings should be in Title Case.

Please Note:-

Text pasted from Word loses its formatting, therefore lists such as addresses need
carriage return after each line.

Text which needs an extra line to separate it from the line above also needs an extra carriage return.

Layout and presentation in "The Wiki"

RULE: One space AFTER every line and two spaces BEFORE every heading.

Please refer to the Help Pages for Editors and Authoring for the conventions for the use of code for layout and presentation.

Please Note:-

Descriptive text following a hyperlink in a list should be avoided. However, if it is absolutely necessary it is allowed provided the following conditions are met.

• the link plus its descriptive text will occupy no more than two lines and preferably only one
• the descriptive text must add value to the link

For example: "Maps of England - many English maps can be found here" is not acceptable, whereas Maps of England on its own is adequate

• it may be necessary to alter the text which show on the page

Any links not confirming to this will be edited.

Any links and descriptive text which can be shortened without changing their meaning or impact will be edited.

The link should reflect the content of the hyperlinked website.

Headings for Links Sections on any county page in “The Wiki”.

Primary Reference (with the county record office at the top in bold type)

Countywide Interest

Specific Town and Village Interest

Maps and Photographs

Please make sure that all links are in alphabetical order – see below.

The exception to this is the county record office, which goes at the top of the list under the Primary Reference Links heading, and is formatted in bold type.

In the "Primary Reference " section, alphabetise according to town/village name.

N.B. Only the following should appear in this section and in this order, all other links should go in the appropriate sections:-

• County Record office
• County Family History Society
• County Library
• County Look-up Exchange
• Relevant Online Parish Clerk

Alphabetising of links

In the "Countywide Interest" section, alphabetise according to keyword/topic.

N.B. Only links which cover the whole or most of the county should appear here.

In the "Specific Town and Village Interest" section, alphabetise according to town/village/location.

In the "Maps and Photographs" section, alphabetise according to town/village/location name.

N.B. In all cases, what finally shows on the page may need to altered to what the site is mainly about.

Spacing for lists of links

• See County model as an example.

Page creation and editing

General Principles

• If you want to create a page - do it, but please try to ensure its content is valid and that it follows the layout and style of already published pages.

• If you edit a page, use the Summary pane at the bottom of the edit box to give a brief overview of why you have edited.

• If your content has been edited and you feel it shouldn’t have been, check the summary box first for an explanation. If there isn’t one, and the reason for the edit is not obvious by looking at the page history, you should contact the member involved and ask them.

ADMIN Specific

• If you are working on a page, you must use the "SCAD at work" image to let others know. If this image is missing the page is classed as open for editing by all.

• If, on a locked page, your edits constitute a change of layout or meaning, these should be discussed with the original contributor before proceeding.

Unless it is clear that the page is being actively worked on, if text or code is in the Wiki then it is considered as editable.

Therefore if any deviations from these conventions or any grammatical inaccuracies are spotted, they will be corrected.

To avoid pages under construction being overwritten please refer to

Stages for adding content to the Wiki