Help:Editing primer: Difference between revisions

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== Renaming pages ==

Unlike traditional word processing software, MediaWiki is unique in that '''every edit''' is logged, along with '''the information on who did it and when''', and '''every version of a page''' after '''every version of an edit''' is ''also'' logged. ~~This~~ makes ~~such websites~~ incredibly resilient as~~, unless a user is making use of advanced permissions, it is nigh impossible to break anything. Almost every~~ edit can be reversed with a button ~~press.~~

Unlike traditional word processing software, MediaWiki is unique in that '''every edit''' is logged, along with '''the information on who did it and when''', and '''every version of a page''' after '''every version of an edit''' is ''also'' logged. While this is impressive, and makes the website incredibly resilient as any problematic edit can be reversed with a button click, the downside is that renaming pages is more complicated. To MediaWiki, page names are not cosmetic, they are crucial database identifiers. Thus, to rename a page, in MediaWiki's language, you '''''move''''' the page to '''a new page name'''. This specific process results in all of the metadata, edits, and page history being ''moved'' to it's new name.

~~The above~~, ~~alongside~~ the ~~fact~~ that the primary purpose of the MediaWiki software is to facilitate the editing of content released under a [https://creativecommons.org/ '''Creative Commons copyright license'''] — which requires proper attribution of edits to individuals — renaming pages ~~on a whim~~ is ~~simply not feasible~~. To MediaWiki, page names are not cosmetic, they are crucial database identifiers. Thus, to rename a page, in MediaWiki's language, you '''''move''''' the page to '''a new page name'''. This specific process results in all of the metadata, edits, and page history being ''moved'' to it's new name.

Due to the setup of the wiki, it is ill advised to move pages unless you are a regular contributor with an intimate understanding of the wiki's construction. Otherwise, please consult Sirdog (<code>sirdog3355</code>) or a known seasoned contributor, that way the navigation of information is not disrupted. To provide perspective, were the page [[Bogatyr]] renamed to, say, [[BogaTyr]], all links that lead to [[Bogatyr]] would break. As of November 1, there are '''7''' different pages linking to it. That is a lot of tedious work. This risk is doubled for [[mw:Help:Templates|templates]]. Were [[Template:ActionTemplate]] to be moved, '''50''' pages would be impacted, and the information on company pages would be completely unreadable.

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 == Renaming pages ==
-Unlike traditional word processing software, MediaWiki is unique in that '''every edit''' is logged, along with '''the information on who did it and when''', and '''every version of a page''' after '''every version of an edit''' is ''also'' logged. This makes such websites incredibly resilient as, unless a user is making use of advanced permissions, it is nigh impossible to break anything. Almost every edit can be reversed with a button press.
+Unlike traditional word processing software, MediaWiki is unique in that '''every edit''' is logged, along with '''the information on who did it and when''', and '''every version of a page''' after '''every version of an edit''' is ''also'' logged. While this is impressive, and makes the website incredibly resilient as any problematic edit can be reversed with a button click, the downside is that renaming pages is more complicated. To MediaWiki, page names are not cosmetic, they are crucial database identifiers. Thus, to rename a page, in MediaWiki's language, you '''''move''''' the page to '''a new page name'''. This specific process results in all of the metadata, edits, and page history being ''moved'' to it's new name.
-The above, alongside the fact that the primary purpose of the MediaWiki software is to facilitate the editing of content released under a [https://creativecommons.org/ '''Creative Commons copyright license'''] — which requires proper attribution of edits to individuals — renaming pages on a whim is simply not feasible. To MediaWiki, page names are not cosmetic, they are crucial database identifiers. Thus, to rename a page, in MediaWiki's language, you '''''move''''' the page to '''a new page name'''. This specific process results in all of the metadata, edits, and page history being ''moved'' to it's new name.
 Due to the setup of the wiki, it is ill advised to move pages unless you are a regular contributor with an intimate understanding of the wiki's construction. Otherwise, please consult Sirdog (<code>sirdog3355</code>) or a known seasoned contributor, that way the navigation of information is not disrupted. To provide perspective, were the page [[Bogatyr]] renamed to, say, [[BogaTyr]], all links that lead to [[Bogatyr]] would break. As of November 1, there are '''7''' different pages linking to it. That is a lot of tedious work. This risk is doubled for [[mw:Help:Templates|templates]]. Were [[Template:ActionTemplate]] to be moved, '''50''' pages would be impacted, and the information on company pages would be completely unreadable.