Recycled WikiContent
Many instructional documents must repeatedly present subsets of instructions. Synchronizing all the instances of that subset repeated throughout the wiki is a poor use of energy.
These subsections can be named as separate templates and then simply included (by name) in the Wiki pages. The MediaWiki system will look up & embed the expanded subsection into the page.
By editing the template, all the pages using that template will be updated instantly. This is the handled much like re-using image files on web pages.
However, too many templates create a filing mess. An alternative to ripping out a potentially re-useable chunk of text occurs when the original document has only a single re-useable subsection. In that case, you can mark off the desirable subsection and use the original page like a template.
The following subsection under the divider bar is a Transclusion (transcribed inclusion) from the Gramps 5.1 Wiki Manual - Preface page. (The <onlyinclude>...</onlyinclude> tags were added the original page around the re-useable subsection.
It remains 'transcluded' with a single line:
{{:Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Preface}}
But all that same content could just as easily been duplicated (like a a 'copy&paste') with the line:
{{subst:Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Preface}}
In this book, some words are marked with special typography:
- Applications
Commands you type at the command line
- Filenames or
Filenames
- Replaceable text
- Labels for buttons and other portions of the graphical interface. A trailing ▴ and ▾ in a column header indicates the sort order for table column. ◂ more headers or tabs ▸
- hint text for hover or roll-over hints (aka Tooltips) that identify elements of the graphical interface
- Menu selections look like this: Menu -> Submenu -> Menu Item
- Buttons you can click
- disclosure triangle node ▶expand or ▼collapse disclosure triangular widget. All the nodes of the tree view mode can be simultaneously collapsed or expanded from the pop-up menu shown by right-clicking.
- CTRL+D Key combinations you can press on your Keyboard.
- Anything you type in
- Checked - Checkbox that is ☑ selected
- Unchecked - Checkbox that is ❏ unselected
- Radio button that is ◉ selected
- Radio button that is 🔘 deselected
The manual also provides assorted bits of additional information in tips and notes as follows:
![]() |
Example Tip Tips and bits of extra information will look like this. |
![]() |
Example Note Notes will look like this. |
Finally, there are warnings, notifying you where you should be careful:
![]() |
Example Warning This is what a warning looks like. If there's a chance you'll run into trouble, you will be warned beforehand. |