View source for OpenTTD:Manual of Style

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[[Image:StyleGuide.png|left|64px]]
{{TOCright}}
This page lists the policies for creating and editing [[OpenTTD]] wiki articles.

See [[OpenTTD:Editing_help|wiki editing help]] if you are new to editing wikis.

<div style="margin: 2em 0em 0em 0em; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; border: 1px solid #E1BBFF; background-color: #F5EDFC;">
==Very important rules==
<div style="font-size:large">
#Always sign your name when posting a comment. Use four tildes: <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>.
#Use the '''Preview''' button before saving a page.
#Refer to this page while editing pages.
</div></div>

==General rules==
*Use the '''Preview''' button.
*Follow the format of existing pages as much as possible.
*Please use our [[OpenTTD:sandbox|sandbox]] to test code.
*Test your wiki in multiple browsers if possible!
*Add a descriptive summary when editing a page.
*A "minor edit" is a fix to a typo or small change that does not affect the page.  No summary required.

==Discussion==
*Discussion and editor's commentary belongs on the Talk pages only.
*Do not edit other peoples' user pages.  Post on their user_talk page.
*Sign your name at the end of your post by adding 4 tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>)
*Indent your post with a colon (:) when replying to a previous post.
*When posting an idea, create a new section with the + link at the top of the page.
{|
!Code!!Result
|-
|<pre>==Comment topic==
discussion content ~~~~
:reply ~~~~</pre>
|
'''Comment topic'''
----
discussion content [[User:MeusH|MeusH]] 11:21, 6 June 2007 (CEST)
:reply [[User:Zojj|Zojj]] 11:21, 6 June 2007 (CEST)
|}

==Article titles==

===Singular vs plural===
When creating an article, imagine what will be searched for.<br>
e.g. A player wanting to know about [[industries]] will most likely search for "industries", not industry.    

You can also create a redirect page for the singular to point to the plural:
<pre>#REDIRECT [[industries]]</pre>

When in doubt (which shouldn't be often), use singular.

===Capitalization===
Do not capitalize any letters in an article title, unless the title is a proper noun or acronym.  The wiki will automatically capitalize the first letter.

===Non-english pages===
The article title should be in its language, followed by the symbol '''/''' and its international language. Examples:
*[[Página principal/Es]] (for ''main page'' in Spanish)
*[[Startseite/De]] (for ''main page'' in German)
*[[Главная_страница/Ru]] (for ''main page'' in Russian)

For an index of articles in other languages in OpenTTD Wiki see: [[:Category:Articles in other languages]]

===Test pages===
When the [[OpenTTD:sandbox|sandbox]] is not enough for your test page, you can create a page as a "folder" in your user page.  This helps keep the main namespace clean. Example:
*[[User:Zuu/New_Main_Page_side_by_side_layout]]

===Namespaces===
If your article is not directly about the game, it probably belongs in a namespace. Examples:
*[[OpenTTD:Village Pump]]
*[[Scenario:Italy]]

==Article content==

===Images===
Use whatever format works best.  PNG files are the best choice for most OpenTTD graphics.  This is typical:
{|
!Code!!Result
|-
|<pre>[[Image:longerbridges.png|frame|Image caption]]</pre>
|[[Image:longerbridges.png|frame|Image caption]]
|}

===Annotated screenshots===
[[Image:WhyPresignals.png|frame|right|Format for labelling screenshots]]
If you are posting screenshots to explain game concepts or junctions you should keep the amount of explanatory text in the actual image to a minimum and instead make reference to labelled parts in the main text.  The labelled parts should be done in a contrasting colour (for temperate climate, white is good) using an anti-aliased sans-serif font in bold on a transparent background.  Arrows can be used if needed but it is better to position the label near the item to be explained.  The image on the right is an example of this format (but remember the labels don't necessarily have to be letters or numbers as long as they don't clutter the screenshot and leave the job of explaining what's going on to the main text).
===Screenshots of windows===
If you need to include a screenshot of a game window, try to make sure you crop it to exactly the edges of the window for a more professional appearance.  OpenTTD windows are perfect rectangles so this should be easy enough - zoom in if necessary.

===Walkthroughs===
Use ordered or unordered lists to separate steps:
{|
!Code!!Result
|-
|<pre>
#step 1
#step 2
#* step 2 note
#* step 2 note</pre>
|
#step 1
#step 2
#* step 2 note
#* step 2 note
|}

===Game version===
Concentrate on writing manual pages for the latest release version, not the [[nightly]] builds.  Development pages can discuss nightly features.  If you really must include a nightly feature, mark the section with the {{S|nightly}} template.

===British vs American English ===
The original TTD was British, so:
*British English is the official English of this wiki.
*The pound (£) is the official currency. You may place dollars ($) in parentheses after Pound quantities.
*Metric units are official. You may place imperial units in parentheses after metric units.

===In-Game Buttons, Menu Items etc===
When quoting an in-game button, menu item, command etc. italics should be used, without quotation marks.  For example:

To adjust patch settings click ''Configure Patches''.

===Use of "meta" words===
Avoid using the word ''wiki'' and other words describing the mechanics unless it's absolutely necessary.  The name of what you are editing is ''documentation'', ''manual'', ''tutorial'' etc. - the wiki is just the medium for delivery, so ideally it shouldn't be mentioned.

A similar thing goes for things like "page", "section" or "link" when linking to other pages - you should use the page's title as the link text.  A good way to decide on this sort of thing is to imagine it as a printed document and see if it makes sense - obviously the word "click" doesn't make sense in that context.

We are aiming for media-independent information here that's useful in whatever format it ends up as.  Of course meta words can be appropriate if it's an article like this one about how to use the wiki.

===Patches===
Use the same format as [[longer bridges]].

==Templates==
===Templates format===
Use the same format as {{S|nightly}}.  Include instructions for other users!

Pick the colour scheme best suited to the message you want to convey - red for impending doom (e.g. deletion), yellow for warning, green for current tasks, blue for information.

===Common templates===
''Main article: [[OpenTTD:Manual of Style/Common templates]]''

*You can find a list of templates here: [[:Category:Templates]]
*For more information see: [[Templates]]

==Categories==
===Categories format===
Use the same format as [[:category:requests for deletion]].

===Add an article to a category===
Add your page to a category or 2 if appropriate.  This makes searching easier.

You can find a list of existing categories here: [[Special:Categories]].

Place the code at the very bottom of the article.
<pre>[[category:categoryname]]</pre>
However, you should first check what kind of article is using the category already - for example [[:Category:Engines]] is only for articles about specific engines - not for any train related articles that mention train engines.  The idea is if users want a simple "unpolluted" list of Engines, they will go to the category.

==Scenarios==
See instructions here: [[Scenarios_Team#Procedure_to_add_a_scenario]].
Place scenarios in the scenario namespace:
*[[Scenario:Italy]]

==See also==
*[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing Text Editing syntax in MediaWiki]
*[[wikipedia:Wikipedia:Extended_image_syntax|Extended image syntax]]
*[[wikipedia:Wikipedia:Picture_tutorial|Picture tutorial]]
*[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Table Editing Tables in MediaWiki]
*[[wikipedia:Help:Table|Table (Wikipedia help)]]
*[[wikipedia:Help:Template|Template (Wikipedia help)]]
*[[wikipedia:Help:Category|Category (Wikipedia help)]]
*[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Magic_words Magic words in MediaWiki]
*[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Extension:ParserFunctions ParserFunctions in MediaWiki]

[[Category:OpenTTD Wiki]]