Wiki for invenzzia.org?

[Skrupellos]

Hi,

what about a wiki on invenzzia.org for documentation purposes. Which includes the current manual, a place for user examples and so on. So the community can support you with the manual. My idea is something like http://wiki.moxiecode.com/index.php/TinyMCE:Index.
I think the best for a wiki, where a lot of people write on the same article, is when it is only in English. So there is no syncronisation problem with the same article in different languages.

(Actually I have only time to write Bug-Reports. :-))

[Zyx]

Hi, the wiki is installed, but we have never had a time (and idea) to maintain it so far. However, you're right. There is the right moment to run it again. I'll try to prepare a script within three weeks together with eXtreme; there are some add-ons that should be installed and moreover, I have an exam time on my university now.

The things to be done:
 - Install Markdown syntax to replace the default MediaWiki one - the documentation is written in this format, as well as our website :).
 - Install a syntax highlighter.
 - Create some help pages, for example with syntax explained and the templates that could be used.
 - Integrate it with the Invenzzia layout.

I only don't know, how such "community-written" manual would look like; it's quite problematic. The documentation is a set of text files in Markdown processed by our script, TypeFriendly and it is maintained with SVN. It should be no problem to write an output to TypeFriendly that would generate the MediaWiki pages, but I have no idea, how it could look like in the opposite direction :).

We rather think of the online version of documentation accompanied by the search system and user comments, like the PHP manual. But first, we need to remove finally some annoying bugs in TypeFriendly :).

[eXtreme]

Well, I don't like the idea of putting manual into wiki... it will be hard to maintain and manage.
Now, users can still propose changes in manual by downloading svn version, creating a patch and publishing it on bugtracker. I know it takes more time to do that but doesn't create problems. Our goal is to bundle the manual into a new website (but we have to prepare a new generator for TypeFriendly). With two separate manuals: on wiki and on svn it would be really hard to merge changes. What is more, manual generated by TypeFriendly (in my opinion) is much more readable and easier to navigate than something on wiki.

Wiki - OK, but without manual.

[Skrupellos]

OK a commenting system would also solve the problem "How can the community serve small changes to clarify a topic". Writing a bug report for such small changes is just an overhead for the writer and you :-) , because sometimes is just a word enough to clarify a topic. Finally I totally agree that two manuals are "useless".

I only don't know, how such "community-written" manual would look like

like those ;-)

• http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Main_Page
• http://wiki.moxiecode.com/index.php/TinyMCE:Index
• http://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page
• http://www.open-xchange.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
• And those: http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3AMain_Page+API&btnG=Search

Good luck with your exams,
Skruppy

[eXtreme]

Commenting - it is planned to be released for new website's manual browser. For now, documentation isn't even finished. ;)

How about "code snippets"? Something like at http://snippets.symfony-project.org/ (whitch is however a little bit out of date)

[Skrupellos]

Hm, this list looks ideal for a big, active IRC community (send only links to code). But I think it will end in a chaotic list of, indeed god, but unfindable codes :-)

Perhaps it's the best if the API documentation is in a php.net like style. And further informations (use case examples, Tips & Tricks, FAQ, ....) are under community control (in a Wiki). This provides a reliable API documentation and a repository of help for beginners, performance freaks, ....

For me, a community documentation is useful, because you (the developer) have a different angle of view on Op* then a user of Op*.

PS: You can also create a static version of a wiki. This static version and the API documentation can be served as a great offline help.

[Zyx]

OK, the initial version of wiki should appear in a few hours. The used software is MediaWiki.

ISSUES:

1. Both wiki and the forums will use the same SMF authentication system. This means that if you have an account on our forums, you can log into the wiki out of box. Moreover, if you log into the forum, you are also automatically logged on wiki and vice versa.

2. Creating and editing pages is allowed for registered users only.

3. I've installed a plugin for syntax highlighting using GeShi.

4. I've planned to add TypeFriendly Markdown support as a secondary markup language, but unfortunately this will take me much more time. So for now only the default MediaWiki syntax is allowed.