MediaWiki 1.1 Beginner's Guide

Jeff Orlof, Mizanur Rahman

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Overview

Table of Contents

The Author

Reviews

Downloads

Install and administer MediaWiki to build a successful wiki site
Master the many administrative tasks associated with running and securing your wiki
Clear focus on beginners with lots of step-by-step instructions and clear explanation
Up-to-date with version 1.15 of MediaWiki, released in June 2009

Book Details

Language : English
Paperback : 356 pages [ 235mm x 191mm ]
Release Date : March 2010
ISBN : 1847196047
ISBN 13 : 978-1-847196-04-0
Author(s) : Jeff Orlof, Mizanur Rahman
Topics and Technologies : All Books, Beginner's Guides, Content Management (CMS), Open Source

Preface
Chapter 1: About MediaWiki
Chapter 2: Installing MediaWiki
Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Wiki
Chapter 4: Creating Content
Chapter 5: Advanced Formatting
Chapter 6: Putting the Media in MediaWiki
Chapter 7: Organizing Your Wiki's Content
Chapter 8: The MediaWiki Administrator
Chapter 9: Multi-user Environment
Chapter 10: Advanced Customization
Chapter 11: Maintaining MediaWiki
Chapter 12: Integrating MediaWiki
Appendix A: The Best Extensions for MediaWiki
Appendix B: The Best of MediaWiki in Use
Appendix C: Where to Turn to
Appendix D: Pop Quiz Answers
Index

Preface

Chapter 1: About MediaWiki
- Before we get started
- An introduction to wikis
  - The history of the wiki
  - Introducing Wikipedia
- What can you do with a wiki?
  - When wikis are not the best choice
    - Strict access control
    - E-commerce
    - Static content sites
    - Users are unwilling to learn something new
  - What are wikis good for?
    - Community information sharing
    - Project collaboration
    - Creating a user manual/FAQ page
    - Building an entire website
    - Company policies and documents
    - Learning management
    - Comparing wikis to content management systems, blogs, and forums
- MediaWiki
  - MediaWiki's features
  - MediaWiki and other wiki engines
  - How MediaWiki fits your needs
- Summary

Chapter 2: Installing MediaWiki
- MediaWiki requirements
  - PHP
    - Software version
    - Extensions
    - Database
    - Database management
  - Web server
  - Hardware requirements
    - The bare minimum
  - One final decision
    - Subdomains
    - Subdirectories
    - Installing to the root folder
- Using the Fantastico installer
- Installing MediaWiki with Fantastico
- Time for action – installing the software
  - Username and password choices
- Downloading MediaWiki
- Uploading files using cPanel
- Time for action – uploading MediaWiki files with cPanel
- Uploading MediaWiki files with an FTP client
- Time for action – uploading the files
- Completing the installation
- Time for action – getting everything ready
  - Setting permissions
- Time for action – finishing up
- Summary

Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Wiki
- Navigating the Main Page
  - Navigation
    - Community portal
    - Current events
    - Recent changes
    - Random page
    - Help
  - Search
  - Toolbox
    - What links here
    - Related changes
    - Special pages
    - Printable version
    - Permanent link
  - Body section
  - Footer
  - Account section
- Time for action – creating a user account
- The logo
- Time for action – changing the logo method one
- Time for action – changing the logo method two
- Summary

Chapter 4: Creating Content
- Planning for new content
- Creating a new page
  - Editing the Main Page
- Time for action – editing the Main Page
  - Protect the Main Page
- Time for action – protect the Main Page
  - Create a new page using the search feature
- Time for action – create a new page using the search feature
  - Creating a new page using a wikilink
- Time for action – creating a new page using a link
  - Creating a new page using a URL
- Time for action – creating a new page using a URL
  - Deleting a page
- Time for action – deleting a page
- Formatting pages
  - Wiki syntax
    - The edit toolbar
- Time for action – editing text with the edit toolbar
  - The nowiki tag
  - Formatting with HTML
- Links
  - Internal links
  - Interwiki links
  - External links
- Time for action – creating external links
  - Fixing your external links

Summary

Chapter 5: Advanced Formatting
- Anchor links
- Time for action – creating anchor links
- Lists
  - Unordered lists
- Time for action – creating an unordered list
  - Ordered lists
- Time for action – creating an ordered list
  - Using HTML for ordered lists
  - Definition lists
- Time for action – creating a definition list
- Using tables
  - Table syntax
- Time for action – creating a table
  - Styling your table
- Time for action – formatting our table
  - Nested tables
- Time for action – creating a nested table
  - Creating the main table
  - The Featured Software table
  - FLOSS News
  - Top Downloads
- Mathematical formulas
- Time for action – enabling TeX
- Magic words
- Time for action – inserting a magic word
- Summary

Chapter 6: Putting the Media in MediaWiki
- File uploading
- Time for action – enabling file uploads
- Uploading images
- Time for action – uploading an image
  - Existing file names
  - Inserting an image onto a page
- Time for action – uploading an image onto a page
  - Creating an image gallery
- Time for action – creating a gallery
- Video files
- Time for action – installing the Flash extension
- Time for action – uploading a Flash file
- Audio files
- Time for action – installing the OggHandler extension
- Time for action – embedding Ogg files
- Summary

Chapter 7: Organizing Your Wiki's Content
- Namespaces
- Time for action – creating a page in a namespace
  - Creating a custom namespace
- Time for action – creating a new namespace
- Categories
- Time for action – creating a category
  - Adding a page to a category
- Time for action – add a page to a category
- Page templates
- Time for action – creating a template
  - Templates with parameters
- Time for action – using parameters in a template
- Page redirection
- Time for action – redirecting a page
- Moving a page
- Time for action – moving a page
  - Swapping pages
- Time for action – a more creative way to move a page
- Summary

Chapter 8: The MediaWiki Administrator
- User types in MediaWiki
  - Sysop group
  - Bureaucrat group
  - Bot group
  - Additional groups
    - The Developer group
    - Autoconfirmed
    - Emailconfirmed
  - User group
  - The all users group
- Changing permissions
- Time for action – editing group permissions
  - Creating groups
- Time for action – creating a new group
  - Adding users to a group
- Time for action – adding users to a group
- File uploads
- Time for action – editing the allowed file types for uploading
- MediaWiki security
- Time for action – stopping bad behavior
- Time for action – checking up on logins
  - Best practices
    - Stay up-to-date
    - PHP recommendations
    - MySQL recommendations
- Summary

Chapter 9: Multi-user Environment
- Users
  - Preferences
    - User profile
- Time for action – changing the user profile
  - Skins
- Time for action – changing the skin
  - Editing preferences
- Time for action – changing the editing preferences
  - Administration
    - Page history
- Time for action – viewing the page history
  - Recent changes
  - Watching pages
- Time for action – watch a page and revert
  - Revert changes
- Time for action – reverting to previous content
  - More administrative tools
- Your wiki's community
  - Talk pages
- Time for action – starting a conversation on a standard
- talk page
- Time for action – starting a conversation on a user talk page
  - Conflicts
- Time for action – resolving an edit conflict
  - Discussion extension
- Time for action – installing the Discussion extension
- Summary

Chapter 10: Advanced Customization
- Customizing your wiki's appearance
- Time for action – changing the skin
  - Making changes to the skin
- Time for action – locating and analyzing the
- CologneBlue.php file
  - Editing CSS
- Time for action – changing the skin's background
- Time for action – changing the color of the text
- Changing the layout
- Time for action – changing the footer
- Time for action – changing the navigation links
- Time for action – moving sections on a page
- Customizing user capabilities
- Time for action – disable the ability to change skins
- Hacking MediaWiki
  - The file structure
- Time for action – making your wiki private
- Time for action – enhancing custom namespaces
- Summary

Chapter 11: Maintaining MediaWiki
- Maintenance scripts
- Time for action – installing the MaintenanceShell extension
- Backing up your wiki
- Time for action – backing up the database
- Time for action – backing up the filesystem
- Restoring from a backup
- Time for action – restoring the database backup
- Time for action – restoring the filesystem on a new installation
- Upgrading MediaWiki
- Time for action – upgrading MediaWiki
- Summary

Chapter 12: Integrating MediaWiki
- Integrating MediaWiki with WordPress
- Time for action – install WordPress Comments
- Joomla! integration
- Time for action – installing AuthJoomla
- MediaWiki and Moodle
- The Single sign-on approach
- Summary

Appendix A: The Best Extensions for MediaWiki
- Administration
  - AbsenteeLandlord
  - AbuseFilter
  - AccessControl
  - TitleBlacklist
  - BrokenLinks
  - Google Analytics
  - ImportUsers
  - MaintenanceShell
  - ManageCategories
  - StalkerLog
  - UserLoginLog
  - UserRightsList
- Content
  - PdfBook
  - Cite
  - DocumentApproval
  - EditOwn
  - EmbedPDF
  - EmbedVideoPlus
  - Flash
  - Google Calendar
  - Google Maps
  - GoogleWave
  - Collection
  - OggHandler
- User
  - ConfirmAccount
  - EditOnlyYourOwnPage
  - SocialRewarding
- Communication
  - AIM
  - ContactPage
  - ICQ
  - IRC Chat
  - QPoll
  - Skype
  - WebChat
  - Discussion
- Security
  - AuthorProtect
  - Check Spambots
  - EnforceStrongPassword
  - PasswordProtectPages
  - Bad Behavior
- Monetization
  - AmazonAssociates
  - Google Adsense & Google Adsense2
  - PayPal
- Cool
  - AnyWikiDraw
  - Balloons
  - CSS MenuSidebar
  - CategoryCloud
  - Flickr
  - MediaWikiPlayer
  - SendToTwitter
- More on extensions

Appendix B: The Best of MediaWiki in Use
- Collaboration
- Support
- Project management
- Online learning
- The complete site

Appendix C: Where to Turn to
- Official MediaWiki support
  - Project:Support desk
  - Chat
  - Help:Contents
  - Manual:FAQ
  - Manual:Contents
  - Mailing list
- Outside support
  - MediaWiki Users
  - SiteGround

Appendix D: Pop Quiz Answers
- Chapter 2
  - MediaWiki requirements quiz
- Chapter 3
  - the navigation box
  - the toolbox
  - the Body
- Chapter 4
  - creating pages
- Chapter 5
  - tables
- Chapter 6
  - multimedia
- Chapter 7
  - namespaces
- Chapter 8
  - user groups
- Chapter 9
  - Recent changes
  - edits
- Chapter 10
  - understanding blocks
- Chapter 11
  - backup and restore
- Chapter 12
  - WordPress Comments
  - AuthJoomla

Index

Jeff Orlof

Jeff Orloff is a Technology Coordinator with the School District of Palm Beach County and has worked bringing technology solutions to the education forefront for over ten years. In addition to his work with education, Jeff is a consultant with Sequoia Media Services helping businesses install, configure, and use social media tools and create engaging content for their Web presence.

Mizanur Rahman

Mizanur Rahman from Bangladesh is a Senior Software Engineer at Relisource Technologies (http://www.relisource.com). He loves to work with Java, PHP and other web-based technologies and is a moderator of PHPXperts, the largest PHP user group in Bangladesh.

Contact Mizanur Rahman

This book is a concise and practical guide that steps the reader through all the basics of setting up and running a MediaWiki site. It is a hands-on, learn-by-example book

Sample chapters

You can view our sample chapters and prefaces of this title on PacktLib or download sample chapters in PDF format.

Find your book in our support section to find errata and to download code samples.

What you will learn from this book

Install MediaWiki on your server and get started quickly
Create new MediaWiki templates and configure MediaWiki to suit your personal taste
Secure your wiki against malicious users
Integrate multimedia files into your wiki
Add extensions to expand the functionality of your wiki
Get your MediaWiki site up and running quickly even if you're not sure how wikis work
Maintain your wiki through backups and other tasks
Manage users and protect pages from vandalism
Dig into the files that run your MediaWiki site
Learn how to use MediaWiki for collaborationa
Understand what being a good MediaWiki administrator entails
Integrate your wiki with other collaboration software

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In Detail

MediaWiki is the free, open-source wiki engine software that powers Wikipedia and many of the other popular wikis across the Web. Written in PHP, it possesses many features that make it the engine of choice for large collaborative wikis: flexible markup, comprehensive user management, multimedia handling, and more. Whether you are creating a public wiki for open contributions, a private wiki for collaborating within your work team or group of friends, or even a wiki for personal use, this book will provide you with all the essential steps you require to achieve this.

This book covers how to administer users, back up and restore content safely, migrate your installation to another server or database, and even make hacks to the code. From the installation process to customizing the pages, you will learn what it takes to run a well designed, secure MediaWiki site.

Throughout the course of this book, you will see the many different ways that MediaWiki can be used on the Web. This book covers the open source MediaWiki wiki engine from installation and getting started through structuring your collaborative web site, advanced formatting, images, and multimedia to migrating your installation and creating new MediWiki templates. While you will be introduced to the many uses of a wiki, you will also be taken through step-by-step exercises that will help you master the many administrative tasks associated with running and securing your wiki. You will learn how to prevent unauthorized edits being made to content, how to prevent spam, how to back up and restore your wiki, how to configure its look and functionality to suit your needs, and much more.

A fast-paced, friendly guide that uses a fun example to teach all of MediaWiki's key features.

Approach

This book was written with the beginner in mind. It walks you through step-by-step exercises and makes use of illustrations to show exactly what is going on in each. You will be taken through exercises that not only help you to build a solid, secure wiki, but provide a foundation on which you can build and challenge yourself to learn even more. Throughout the book, you will follow along as a wiki dedicated to free/open source software built from the ground up.

Who this book is for

If you are a Web Designer, IT Administrator or Executive, or a Programmer and wish to gain a solid foundation in the MediaWiki software application, then this book is for you.

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MediaWiki 1.1 Beginner's Guide

Book Details

Table of Contents

Jeff Orlof

Mizanur Rahman

Sample chapters

What you will learn from this book

Special Offers

In Detail

Approach

Who this book is for

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