This is the 5th of 5 posts in the “Simple Tips for Improving a RichmondWiki Article” series and it is one of my favorites. The previous tips (categories, links, Google Maps, and templates) have revolved around using MediaWiki features to enhance the article and improve the larger wiki at the same time. This time, we’ll explore the easiest ways to spruce up an article visually by adding images.
Step 1: Log In
This part is pretty straightforward for anybody familiar with uploading content to the interwebs. The only catch is that you have to be logged in to RichmondWiki in order to upload files. Need to create an account?
Step 2: Upload a File
Visit the Special:Upload page. You can reach this page at any time by clicking on the “Upload file” link in the left-hand navigation box.
Be sure to use a descriptive file name. For example, “Acme-widgets-logo.png” is much better than “logo.png” since there are likely similarly named logo.png files in the wiki already and we want to avoid confusion and accidental overwriting.
Allowed file types (max 5 MB):
- png
- jpg
- gif
- jpeg
Some wikis allow for more file types, but we’ve limited it to the most widely used formats.
Once you’ve successfully uploaded a file, it will have its own page that includes information about the image, its history, and a list of articles that are currently using it.
My favorite so far? A tomato. Why? Just because.
A Tomato
Step 3: Link to the Image from an Article
Here’s the tricky wiki part (hmm…tricky wiki, think I’ll trademark that). Our filename is Tomato.png. To include an image in an article, use the following syntax:
[[Image:Tomato.png]]
This will pull in the image at its full size and with no caption. To set the width at 200 pixels, use a thumbnail (instead of the whole image), align it to the left side of the page, and add a caption that says “A Tomato”, use this syntax:
[[Image:Tomato.png|200px|thumb|left|A Tomato]]
Simple, right? Click the “Save page” button at the bottom of the editing page and you’re done!
More Info
There are a few more tips and advanced editing features on the Help with Images page. Check it out, and leave a comment with questions. Thanks!
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