How to Use This Website

Introduction

This website uses wiki technology, which allows anyone who registers on the site to edit and add new topics. The particular brand of wiki software we run is called TWiki. Below are some links to learn how to use TWiki software in general, and this site in particular.

Using a wiki means that you can add your own pictures, tips, and thoughts on the state of the world (such as they pertain to being easily amused). You can also help fix any out-of-date or incorrect information you see. This is the spirit of community that will help the College website grow. But take your own precautions too - images and other file attachments may come from any number of sources, and may be corrupted or infected with viruses. You may also run across graffiti, spam, or other inappropriate content. Please help keep the site clean of such things: since you can edit the site, you can help clean up when such things appear.

A Note to Spammers and Hackers

The College for the Easily Amused maintains its own private paramilitary force to guard against malicious attackers, childish pranksters, and everyone else who considers himself to be otherwise but nonetheless behaves like one of the aforementioned ne'er-do-wells. Jack booted thugs with big sticks will show up at the doorsteps of anyone who abuses this site.

Getting Started

Start with the documentation and tutorials provided with the TWiki software:

• TWiki User's Guide - The front page of the TWiki Web is an excellent catalog of the available documentation. Start here to learn what a Wiki is and how to edit. Check out the one-page primers to get started quickly. Within this web are a few particularly handy topics to visit:
  • TWikiTutorial - a compact, 20-minute TWiki primer
  • GoodStyle - best practices for writing new topics
  • TextFormattingFAQ - a handful of questions and answers about common formatting tasks, including how to insert a picture into a topic
  • WikiSyntax - a description of the TWiki formatting syntax and the most important rules
  • TextFormattingRules - a reference to the formatting rules (not complete, but it complements WikiSyntax)
  • TablePlugin - documentation on adding simple, flexible tables to your topics
  • FileAttachment - documentation on uploading and working with attachments on topics (pictures, data files etc.)

Play Around

The Sandbox Web

The Sandbox Web is a place for you to try your hand at creating and editing topics. The whole web will be reset from time to time, so make sure that if you create anything there that you want to save, you copy it over to a topic in some other web.

If you want your own little corner of the Sandbox to play in, you can use this link to create and edit a personal Sandbox topic: Sandbox.TWikiGuestSandbox^?.

Your Personal Topic

Your personal topic, Main.TWikiGuest, is for you to post information about yourself, or to organize your own set of useful links (though if the links will be useful to others as well, think about putting them somewhere more public).

Frequently Asked Questions

Images and File Attachments

Most common questions about managing file attachments can be answered by reading FileAttachment. Below are some common tasks that aren't spelled out very clearly in that topic:

Including Images

Any time the TWiki formatting engine comes across a URL ending in .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png, it will attempt to display the image in the web page. You can use this to display arbitrary images that are available on the internet.

If you want more control over the generated HTML, for example setting the image width and height, or the ALT parameter which is used for tooltips and for non-graphical browsers, you can type in the HTML yourself, using the <img> tag.

Attaching Images

Most commonly, to include a picture in a topic, you'll want to attach the image file to the topic first. Read FileAttachment for details on how to manage file attachments. Then, if you attached filename.gif to your topic, you can display the image by typing:

• %ATTACHURL%/filename.gif

You can also display images which are attached to other topics, by using this form:

• %PUBURL%/web/topic/filename.gif

Deleting Images and Other File Attachments

1. Click on the manage link for the attachment in the attachment table on the bottom of the topic. If the table isn't showing, then click on Attach at the top of the topic, then click on the manage link for the attachment you want to delete.
2. If you scroll down a little and look carefully, there is a link to Delete the attachment - click that link.
3. Scroll down and press the Delete button to confirm the action.

If you run into problems trying to move or delete attachments, please email provost@easily-amused.org for assistance.

Change Notifications

There are several ways to receive notification when topics in on this site are changed.

Notification Emails

Each web has a topic called WebNotify. You can edit this topic and sign up to receive nightly emails listing all the changes that have happened in that web (or in certain topics in the web). Here are links to all the WebNotify topics:

• Chapters.WebNotify
• Gallery.WebNotify
• Main.WebNotify
• Sandbox.WebNotify
• TWiki.WebNotify

RSS and ATOM

Each web also has two topics, WebRss and WebAtom. I don't know how to use either of these, so if you do, please update this documentation, and email me if they're not working properly. Thanks.

-- DavidBlumenthal - 23 Jun 2006