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Feb 2, 2022 · Ever wonder about having own wiki like Wikipedia or wikiHow? Wikis can be great for storing personal information, keeping records and notes, tracking family or medical history, or just brainstorming. If you want to set up your own, personal offline wiki using MediaWiki software, get started with step 1 below.
- 1. Download the components. You need a virtual server to run the MediaWiki package. Go to this link and download the recommended version of WAMP St...
- 2. Install WAMP Stack. Double click on the downloaded WAMP installer to open it. Click Next. This will show a bunch of components to be installed....
- 3. Install the Mediawiki module. This module will only work with WAMP Stack from Bitnami (the software installed before). Double click to run the M...
- 4. Start your WAMP Control Center. Go to the WAMP installed folder location. Find a Folder name bitnamiwamp. Open it. Now look for manager-windows...
- 5. Access your wiki. Click on "Go to Application" button; the browser will open with Bitnami welcome screen. On the welcome screen, Click the "Appl...
- Overview
- How to roll out your own Wikipedia clone with MediaWiki: Preparation
- Step 1: Log in to your MediaWiki site with your administrator credentials
- Step 2: Edit your main page
- Step 3: Formatting your pages
- Step 5: Adding pages
- Step 6: Enable file uploads
- Summary
- Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
How-to
By Richard Sutherland
published 16 December 2022
Create an evolving knowledge base of user-generated content
(Image credit: MediaWiki)
MediaWiki is a collaborative documentation platform used by thousands of companies and organizations. Most notably, the software powers Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.
The easiest way to install MediaWiki is by using an installation wizard. For Hostinger, you’ll find this under Auto Installer in your website administration panel. Choose Other, then MediaWiki from the drop-down menu to start the wizard.
On the first screen, you’ll be asked to enter your website name and administrator login credentials. You can set MediaWiki to be installed in a subdirectory on your hosting. This will affect the URL visitors use to visit the encyclopedia. You have the option of choosing to create a new MySQL database (an open-source relational database management system) for MediaWiki or use one you’ve already created.
Once MediaWiki has finished installing, the URL for your new site will be listed on the Auto Installer page. Click on this URL and then choose Log in at the top right of the page. Enter the administrator login credentials you set in the Auto Installer and click the Log in button.
When you log in, the first page you’ll see is your Main Page. This page can now be edited by everyone who visits it. Get started by clicking on Edit to change the contents of the page. It will already be populated with some example text formatted using MediaWiki’s formatting syntax. When you’re finished, click Save changes, and the page will update to your new text.
You have the option of entering a summary of what you changed in your edit. This makes it easier for users of your wiki to see why each change was made.
You can use MediaWiki markup to better format your pages. For example, surrounding text with two apostrophes (e.g., ''italic'') will make the text appear in italics. Surrounding text with three apostrophes (e.g., '''bold''') will make the text appear in bold.
Using MediaWiki’s unique formatting syntax is also the way you can add links, lists, images, and tables. Some HTML tags are supported, too. It’s one of the most powerful features of MediaWiki. You can check the cheatsheet to get started, but new users should budget some time to learn this syntax until it becomes second nature.
There are several ways to add a new wiki page. One of the simplest ways is to search for the topic title in the search box. If a page for the topic doesn’t already exist, you’re given the option to create a new page for the topic from the search results.
By default, file uploads are disabled on MediaWiki installations. To enable users to upload files that support articles, such as images, you need to edit a setting in the LocalSettings.php file.
In the Hostinger administration panel, open the File Manager. Browse to the folder where you installed MediaWiki and double-click LocalSettings.php to open it.
Find the line that says ‘$wgEnableUploads = false;’ and change it to ‘$wgEnableUploads = true;’. Click the Save button at the top right of the screen.
Users can now upload files such as images to your MediaWiki installation by clicking on the Upload file link available in the main menu.
In this guide, you’ve learned how to set up the powerful MediaWiki collaboration tool on your own web hosting. MediaWiki is one of the best-known team collaboration tools, and it can also be used to build a community based around a common interest.
We’ve previously asked a Fiverr design expert how they might redesign Wikipedia for better usability, an interesting read for those considering MediaWiki for their next project. We’ve also covered some of the potential flaws of user-generated wikis and Wikipedia’s attempts to crack down on poor editing. It’s all food for thought for anyone installing MediaWiki for the first time.
Read more in this series:
•How to start a blog with Joomla
•Build your own CRM using SugarCRM
•How to host your files online using Nextcloud Hub
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- Richard Sutherland
People also ask
Where can I create a free wiki?
How do I create a wiki article?
What is a free wiki site?
How do I view a downloaded Wikipedia article?
- MediaWiki. MediaWiki is one of the most popular wiki platforms on the web. It is entirely open source and lets you create a wiki for free. Originally used on Wikipedia, the site now also provides the backend for many other common wiki sites, including Wiktionary, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata.
- SlimWiki. Lots of people don't have the time nor the technical expertise to use a complex wiki platform like MediaWiki. If you want a more straightforward way to create a wiki, check out SlimWiki.
- Wikidot. If you want to create your own wiki, but you don't have any knowledge of HTML, PHP, or JavaScript, Wikidot is another site worth looking at. After its launch in 2006, Wikidot has grown to become one of the largest wiki sites in the world.
- Tiki Wiki. Tiki Wiki is a free-to-use open source wiki-based content management system like MediaWiki. You don't need HTML knowledge to create a wiki on Tiki Wiki, but if you have the skills, HTML editing is available.
May 12, 2024 · 1. Ensure you have a Google account. If you don't have one, you can easily make one by going to https://www.google.com/ 2. Create a Google Site next. To make one, go to https://sites.google.com/. Then click on Create to design your own site. Start making pages for where the wikis will be. 3. Start a Google Doc.
Sep 29, 2022 · Kiwix is an open-source application that allows you to download all of Wikipedia, including images, with just a few clicks. It can also download almost any wiki-based website, and supports a tool to grab other websites you might want to save offline.
Jump over to our private wiki solutions page and click " clone in my Slite " this will pull the premade wiki template into your workspace. Or, if you're not a fan of our template (welp 😥), you can choose to create a " New private doc. ". . 3. Edit whatever you want. The private wiki template is there as a guide.
Feb 12, 2024 · Method 1. Starting a Fandom Wiki. Download Article. 1. Go to https://fandom.com/ in your computer's web browser. This is a service which allows you to create a Fandom-supported wiki for free. 2. Create a Fandom account.
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