====== How to Edit a Wiki Page ======

Welcome to our community history wiki! If you can write an email or type a document in Microsoft Word, you have all the skills you need to contribute here. You do not need to be a programmer or a computer expert to help us preserve Clare County history.

===== Step 1: Entering Edit Mode =====
To change or add information to any page, look at the right-hand side of your screen. 
  * Click the **"Edit this page"** button (it looks like a small pencil icon).
  * The page will transform into an editable text box containing the page's current text.

===== Step 2: Typing and Formatting text =====
Just like Microsoft Word, this wiki has a visual **Formatting Toolbar** directly above the text box. You do not have to memorize any code to edit a page.

==== Using the Toolbar ====
  * To make text **bold** or //italic//, highlight the words with your mouse and click the **B** or //I// buttons on the toolbar.
  * To create bullet points, click the list icon on the toolbar.
  * To add a heading, highlight your section title and select a heading level from the toolbar dropdown menu.

==== Manual Shorthand (Alternative) ====
If you prefer typing over clicking toolbar buttons, you can wrap your text in these simple codes:
  * **Bold text:** Put two asterisks on each side: <nowiki>**your text**</nowiki>
  * //Italic text:// Put two forward slashes on each side: <nowiki>//your text//</nowiki>
  * **Creating Bullet Points:** Press the spacebar two times, type an asterisk, press spacebar again, and type your text: <nowiki>  * Your bullet point text here</nowiki>
  * **Headings:** Put five or six equal signs on each side: <nowiki>===== Your Title =====</nowiki>

===== Step 3: Creating Links =====
Linking pages together is what makes this a wiki. You can create a link using the toolbar or by typing:
  * **Toolbar Method:** Highlight the words you want to turn into a link, click the **Internal Link** icon on the toolbar (it looks like two chain links), and select the page you want to connect to.
  * **Typing Method:** Wrap the exact name of the destination page in double square brackets, like this: <nowiki>[[Clare City Bakery]]</nowiki>.
  * **Red Links:** If you link to a historical topic that does not have a page yet, the link will appear red. Clicking a red link allows you or another volunteer to start that new page from scratch!

===== Step 4: Submitting Your Changes =====

Scroll down below the text box when you are finished typing.

 1. **Summary Box:** Find the small text box labeled "Summary." Type a very brief note about what you changed (e.g., //"Fixed a spelling mistake"// or //"Added paragraph about the 1930 oil boom"//). This works just like the subject line of an email.

 2. **Preview Button:** Click the **Preview** button to see exactly what your text will look like before submitting it.

 3. **Save Button:** If everything looks correct, click the **Save** button.

===== Important Rules and Tips for Beginners =====
  * **Administrative Approval:** To protect our historical data from spam, all edits enter a moderation queue. **Your changes will not show up on the public website immediately.** An administrator will review and approve your submission before it goes live.
  * **Do not worry about mistakes:** The wiki automatically archives every single old version of a page. If you make an error or accidentally delete text, an administrator can roll the page back to exactly how it looked before you touched it.
  * **Capitalization Matters:** When creating links, remember that <nowiki>[[clare city bakery]]</nowiki> and <nowiki>[[Clare City Bakery]]</nowiki> are treated as two entirely different pages. We prefer to format pages as <nowiki>[[clare-city-bakery]]</nowiki>, all lowercase with dashes instead of spaces.