Latest revision as of 16:30, 10 August 2014

Mozilla Wiki Categories

As part of the Wiki Working Group's goal to revitalize the Mozilla Wiki (WikiMo), we have created this guide on Categories.

This guide shows how to:

create a category

add a category

implement categories

The guide will also describe the WWG's Categories Project, an effort to improve WikiMo information architecture by reviewing existing categories.

Why Categories?

There is a lot of information on WikiMo, much of it admittedly not easy to find. Categories are the prime way to make WikiMo more searchable.

What are Categories?

Categories are essentially tags added to pages. These tags organize information on Mozilla Wiki. Unlike Namespaces, categories can be created by WikiMo users. They look like this in wikitext:

[[Category:Category_name]]

or

[[Category:Category_Name]]

In read mode, categories are displayed at the bottom of the page:

How to Create a Category

First: do you need to create one? Sometimes a category very similar to the one you are about to create already exists. Search Special:Categories for similar categories.

If you do not find a similar category or want to add another categorization:

To create a category just type

[[Category:Category_name]]

or

[[Category:Category_Name]]

at the bottom of the wiki page you are editing.

Please do not create categories like this

[[Category:Category/Name]]

or

[[Category:Category:Name]]

or

[[Category:Category:LongerName]]

Category names that are incorrect will be changed to the appropriate format

Once saved, the wiki page will now display your new category like the image example above.

You will also be able to locate your new category under Special:Categories. In both instances, the link will be in red text.

A red category link indicates that its page has not been created. A blue category link indicates that a page for that category exists.

Using Categories with Templates

Categories are most powerful when included within templates. Let's look at the Spam template as an example.

When a page is flagged with the spam template {{Spam}} it is automatically filed in [[Category:Spam]]. How? When an editor creates or edits a template, they can add a category to it just like any content page. Once a category has been added to a template, whenever that template is invoked it's member categories are as well.

How to Add a Category to a Template

When creating a template, just include the category within the <includeonly> tags:

<includeonly>

[[Category:Category_name]]
[[Category:Another_category_name]]

</includeonly>

Category Pages

Category page links are automatically generated, however the pages are not automatically saved. The generated links only show the listing of all the wiki pages that are tagged with that category. In order to create a category's page, the page needs to be edited and saved like any other WikiMo page.

Category Page Guidelines

Category pages should only include:

a brief definition: What does this category mean?

its purpose: Why was this category created?

an example: Provide a link to a page that provides good context of when to implement the category

How to Add an Existing Category

To add an existing page, just go to Edit at the top of the wiki page, and add [[Category:Category_name]] to the end of the page within the wikiText editor.

Subcategories

A subcategory is a category belonging to another category. Subcategories are useful when a contributor wants to group pages by an event date. For example, [[Category:Great_Mozilla_Conference]] can be a main category while each event year should be a subcategory.

How to Create a Subcategory

In the edit mode of a main category page, declare a category as you would on a regular content page. Once saved, the main category page will now display its new subcategory and the pages belonging to that subcategory.

How to Use Categories

It seems obvious: add as many categories to a page as the content allows. However, sometimes it is not clear if a project is still being documented on WikiMo.

What a Category Should Not Be

Categories are not personal or project pages.

Please do not add any user information. Please, do not add specific project information to a category page.: A category page should only include a

brief definition
its purpose
an example

Please, do not add categories to user pages.: The Verified Users category that lists all WikiMo users is controlled by admins.

Categories that are date specific should be subcategories.: For a category about an event, for example [[Category:Opensource_conference]], if you want to separate the event years, create a subcategory. We are deprecating/merging categories that include a specific date. For example, Fosdem 2008 and Fosdem 2009 will become Fosdem.

What to Do if a Page has been Miscategorized

If a page has been miscategorized, tag the page with the {{Miscategorized}} template. With this template, the category will be filed within the Miscategorized category for designated admins or bureaucrats to review.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 <br />
 <big>
-As part of the [[Contribute/Education/Wiki_Working_Group|Wiki Working Group]] goal to revitalize the Mozilla Wiki (WikiMo), we have created this guide on '''Categories'''.
+As part of the [[Contribute/Education/Wiki_Working_Group|Wiki Working Group's]] goal to revitalize the Mozilla Wiki (WikiMo), we have created this guide on '''Categories'''.
 This guide shows how to:
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 * [[#How to Use Categories|implement categories]]
-The guide also describes the WWG's [[#Category Changes|Categories Project]], an effort to improve WikiMo information architecture by reviewing existing categories.
+The guide will also describe the WWG's [[#Category Changes|Categories Project]], an effort to improve WikiMo information architecture by reviewing existing categories.
 </big>
 ===Why Categories?===
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 First: do you need to create one? Sometimes a category very similar to the one you are about to create already exists. Search [[Special:Categories]] for similar categories.
-'''If you do not find a similar category or still want to give a page a more specific label:'''
+'''If you do not find a similar category or want to add another categorization:'''
-To create a category just type
-<pre>
-<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category_name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>
+<big>To create a category just type</big>
-</pre>
+'''<pre><nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category_name<nowiki>]]</nowiki></pre>'''
 ''or''
-<pre>
+'''<pre><nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category_Name<nowiki>]]</nowiki></pre>'''
-<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category_Name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>
-</pre>
 at the bottom of the wiki page you are editing.
-;'''Please, do not create categories like this''' <pre>'''<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category/Name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>'''</pre>
-;'''Please, do not create categories like this''' <pre>'''<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category:Name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>'''</pre>
+<big>'''Please do not create categories like this'''</big>
+<pre><nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category/Name<nowiki>]]</nowiki></pre>
+''or''
+<pre><nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category:Name<nowiki>]]</nowiki></pre>
-;'''Please, do not create categories like this''' <pre>'''<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category:LongerName<nowiki>]]</nowiki>'''</pre>
+''or''
+<pre><nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category:LongerName<nowiki>]]</nowiki></pre>
 '''''Category names that are incorrect will be changed to the appropriate format'''''
@@ Line 63: / Line 65: @@
 A red category link indicates that its page has not been created. A blue category link indicates that a page for that category exists.
-==How to Define a Category Page==
-Categories are most powerful when included within templates. Let's look at the Spam template as an example. When a page is flagged with the spam template <nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:Spam]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki>, that page is automatically filed in the Spam category because it is written within the template. When you create a template, include the category within the <nowiki><includeonly></nowiki> tags <nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category_name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>.
+==Using Categories with Templates==
-If you want to add another category or a category that doesn't need a template just add </nowiki>[[Category:Category_name]]</nowiki> to the page.
+Categories are most powerful when included within templates. Let's look at the Spam template as an example.
-In both instances, a Category page will be generated. Search for it and save it. Describe the category and its function.
+When a page is flagged with the spam template <nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:Spam|Spam]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki> it is automatically filed in <nowiki>[[</nowiki>[https://wiki.mozilla.org/Category:Spam Category:Spam]<nowiki>]]</nowiki>. How? When an editor creates or edits a template, they can add a category to it just like any content page. Once a category has been added to a template, whenever that template is invoked it's member categories are as well.
+===How to Add a Category to a Template===
+When creating a template, just include the category within the <nowiki><</nowiki>includeonly<nowiki>></nowiki> tags:
+<pre>
+<nowiki><</nowiki>includeonly<nowiki>></nowiki>
+<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Category_name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>
+<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Another_category_name<nowiki>]]</nowiki>
+<nowiki><</nowiki>/includeonly<nowiki>></nowiki>
+</pre>
+==Category Pages==
+Category page links are automatically generated, however the pages are not automatically saved. The generated links only show the listing of all the wiki pages that are tagged with that category. In order to create a category's page, the page needs to be edited and saved like any other WikiMo page.
+===Category Page Guidelines===
+Category pages should only include:
+;a brief definition :What does this category mean?
+;its purpose :Why was this category created?
+;an example :Provide a link to a page that provides good context of when to implement the category
 =How to Add an Existing Category=
@@ Line 73: / Line 99: @@
 ==Subcategories==
-Categories themselves can also be specified to belong to another category. When displaying the page of a category to which other categories belong, a separate automatically generated, alphabetical list of subcategories is also produced.
+A subcategory is a category belonging to another category. Subcategories are useful when a contributor wants to group pages by an event date. For example, <nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Great_Mozilla_Conference<nowiki>]]</nowiki> can be a main category while each event year should be a subcategory.
-For example you could edit <nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Soccer<nowiki>]]</nowiki> and add the link <nowiki>[[</nowiwki>Category:Sports<nowiki>]]</nowiki>. The Soccer category is now a subcategory of the Sports category.
+===How to Create a Subcategory===
+In the edit mode of a main category page, declare a category as you would on a regular content page. Once saved, the main category page will now display its new subcategory and the pages belonging to that subcategory.
 =How to Use Categories=
-It seems obvious: add as many categories to a page as the content allows. However, sometimes it is not clear if a project is still being documented on WikiMo or [something else].
+It seems obvious: add as many categories to a page as the content allows. However, sometimes it is not clear if a project is still being documented on WikiMo.
 ==What a Category Should Not Be==
 Categories are not personal or project pages.
-;'''Please, do not add any user information or specific project information to a category page.''' :A category page should only include a
+;'''Please do not add any user information. Please, do not add specific project information to a category page.''' :[[#Category Page Guidelines|A category page]] should only include a
 * brief definition
@@ Line 90: / Line 117: @@
 ;'''Please, do not add categories to user pages.''' :The Verified Users category that lists all WikiMo users is controlled by admins.
-;'''Categories that are date specific should be subcategories.''' :For a category about an event, for example <nowiki>[[<nowiki>Category:Opensource_conference<nowiki>]]</nowiki>, if you want to separate the event years, create a subcategory. We are deprecating/merging categories that include a specific date. For example, Fosdem 2008 and Fosdem 2009 will become Fosdem.
+;'''Categories that are date specific should be subcategories.''' :For a category about an event, for example <nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:Opensource_conference<nowiki>]]</nowiki>, if you want to separate the event years, create a subcategory. We are deprecating/merging categories that include a specific date. For example, Fosdem 2008 and Fosdem 2009 will become Fosdem.
 ===What to Do if a Page has been Miscategorized===
-If a page has been miscategorized, tag the page with the '''<nowiki>{{</nowiki> [[Template:Miscategorized|Miscategorized]] <nowiki>}}</nowiki>''' template. With this template, the category will be filed within the [[Template:Miscategorized|Miscategorized]] category for designated admins or bureaucrats to review.
+If a page has been miscategorized, tag the page with the '''<nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:Miscategorized|Miscategorized]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki>''' template. With this template, the category will be filed within the [[Template:Miscategorized|Miscategorized]] category for designated admins or bureaucrats to review.

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