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G'day!
I am new to wikis since Apr-2008 so am a sponge for any helpful advice.

I have a vested interest in these wikis:

but am also a browser of other wikis. I browse for inspiration and to "proudly plagiarize" any creative ideas that I notice. As I learn new things I do keep fairly detailed notes at sub-pages below my user page at each wiki so feel free to browse for any helpful caveats or bouquets.

Common/Global Monobook Quartz Monaco Mine Alt Common Instructions
MediaWiki CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS
Personal CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS CSS JS CSS CSS
Signature sig [sig.css] SmartSig
Sandbox123456789color palette


Personal customization alternatives[]

For someone without admin/sysop access it is handy to know about the following personal customization files. You can test your idea for the wiki using your personal customization file and then post the exact code that you want an admin to add to the wiki community's site-wide MediaWiki message after you've debugged it.

Customization files
Purpose Skin Site-wide
(requires sysop rights)
Personal
CSS
(style)
Monaco MediaWiki:Monaco.css Special:Mypage/monaco.css (site-wide)
Monobook MediaWiki:Monobook.css Special:Mypage/monobook.css (site-wide)
both MediaWiki:Common.css w:c:central:Special:Mypage/global.css (Wikia-wide)
Javascript
(behavior)
Monaco MediaWiki:Monaco.js Special:Mypage/monaco.js (site-wide)
Monobook MediaWiki:Monobook.js Special:Mypage/monobook.js (site-wide)
both MediaWiki:Common.js w:c:central:Special:Mypage/global.js (Wikia-wide)
Sidebar navigation
(links)
Monaco MediaWiki:Monaco-sidebar Special:Mypage/Monaco-sidebar
Monobook MediaWiki:Sidebar personal sidebars are a monaco feature
Monaco toolbox
(links)
Monaco MediaWiki:Monaco-toolbox Special:Mypage/Monaco-toolbox
Wiki page in widget
(links or info)
Monaco MediaWiki:Widgetwikipage the source can be any page
and title is arbitrary
In each case
  • community.wikia.com is also known as "central" or central.wikia.com or w:c:central
  • domain.wikia.com refers to a specific wiki community (replace "domain" with the original name of the wiki)
  • The Monaco toolbox is also known as the Link Toolbox or Link box
  • For CSS:
    • A specific skin file (Monaco, monaco, Monobook, monobook) takes precedence over a generic (Common, global) file
    • Your personal file (lowercase) takes precedence over the wiki community's site-wide file (Capitalized)
    • Your personal file at a specific wiki takes precedence over your personal Wikia-wide file (global - stored at www.wikia.com)
    • The wiki community's site-wide file takes precedence over your personal Wikia-wide file
  • For JS:
    • If the same named function appears in two files then (usually) the last declared function is the one which has effect but with JS anything is possible so avoid same named functions!
    • Review the sample page source HTML code below to see the order in which JS files are sourced.
Sample page source
The highest precedence file appears latest in the page source listing.

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://vsk.wikia.com/extensions/wikia/StaticChute/?type=css&packages=monaco_css&checksum=30d57447eff7a25605012ca4a3b53fb1" /> <style type="text/css">/*<![CDATA[*/@import "http://www.wikia.com/index.php?title=User:Najevi/global.css&action=raw&ctype=text/css";/*]]>*/</style> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Common.css&usemsgcache=yes&ctype=text%2Fcss&smaxage=86400&action=raw&maxage=86400" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Monaco.css&usemsgcache=yes&ctype=text%2Fcss&smaxage=86400&action=raw&maxage=86400" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/index.php?title=-&action=raw&maxage=86400&smaxage=0&ts=20091123012219&gen=css" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/index.php?title=User:Najevi/monaco.css&action=raw&ctype=text/css" type="text/css" />

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://vsk.wikia.com/extensions/wikia/StaticChute/?type=js&packages=monaco_loggedin_js&checksum=0b15a780ae9f4b77a8dbd521773ba1a6"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/index.php?title=-&action=raw&smaxage=0&gen=js&useskin=monaco"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/index.php?title=User:Najevi/monaco.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://images.wikia.com/common/releases_200911.3/skins/common/mwsuggest.js?15131"></script> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.wikia.com/index.php?title=User:Najevi/global.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript&dontcountme=s"></script>


The line highlighting &gen=js&useskin=monaco is the line which indirectly sources Common.js and then Monaco.js in that order.
See: http://www.wikia.com/index.php?title=-&action=raw&smaxage=0&gen=js&useskin=monaco

Common mistakes
  1. wrong case for page name
    • site-wide files use capitalization whereas most personal files use only lowercase
    • the capitalization used in the table above is deliberate and correct
  2. global.css/global.js files at domain.wikia.com have no meaning
  3. common.css/common.js files at domain.wikia.com have no meaning
    • instead you must choose either monaco/monobook (at domain.wikia.com) or global (at www.wikia.com)
  4. using comments in MediaWiki:Monaco-toolbox and MediaWiki:Monaco-sidebar causes rendering problems
  5. when so-called "special-urls" are used in Monaco-toolbox and Monaco-sidebar files do not leave any white space between that special-url and the pipe (|) character.
    • white space after the pipe is perfectly OK


See also

There may be other customizations that I do not yet know about. If so, then please edit the above table because I think it is a useful reference for all and I don't recall seeing this all in one place before now.