[Wiki] Archived documentation

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SpaceSmithers
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[Wiki] Archived documentation

Post by SpaceSmithers » #642401

Hi, I'm looking for some feedback on how the /tg/ wiki handles the archival of obsolete information.

Currently, full pages are usually untouched except for a small banner at the top stating its removal and that the page is archived (example: Nanites).
Outdated sections in parts of larger pages, like Machines#Cloning_Pod, are compressed and tucked away into an expandable box.
In rarer cases, areas in which archived pages or sections are referenced are merely crossed out (example: Guides).

Some problems with various cases are that they take up space in pages, give off an impression of laziness or lack of maintenance, or just don't look very good.
Is there a better way of handling archival? What do you like and what don't you like? How can we balance the accommodation of downstream codebases?
Let me know what you think; any feedback regarding archival is welcome.
Last edited by SpaceSmithers on Mon May 30, 2022 2:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Arcanemusic
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Re: [Wiki] Archived documentation

Post by Arcanemusic » #642612

I just noticed this myself and came to the same conclusion that something should be done about this.

I think moving those crossed out guides to a new directory for obsolete information would be for the best. We're not removing the pages outright since I imagine it's useful to have to archival and historical purposes, but leaving these up in their current state makes it look like the wiki is out of date... Which is a rather bad look even if it's partially true.

I think it'd be a rather easy task to pull off, but if you need okay from MSO or something I'd agree something needs to be done.
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SpaceSmithers
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Re: [Wiki] Archived documentation

Post by SpaceSmithers » #642614

Thanks for replying.
I definitely agree that the crossed out guides are a major offender.
I think the only course of action that would require MSO approval/intervention would be to create a new namespace as Factoryman suggested on the Discord. Much like how TGMC is set up on our wiki, this would be very effective in concealing the archived content unless a user is specifically looking for, or is redirected to the archives. However, I'm not certain that there's enough content to warrant a whole namespace. Otherwise; new pages, subpages, and categories are free for any user to create.

As a side note, I came across a page titled Guide to Old Research and Development and thought that this may be relevant to the thread.
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Re: [Wiki] Archived documentation

Post by BlueMemesauce » #642713

Archival pages just for the sake of archival are unnecessary because the wiki software automatically archives every single edit made to a page. You can go back to any edit ever made at any point in time using the view history tab. These drop-down box or crossed-out sections aren't meant for archival; they are meant to allow players on servers that haven't updated yet to easily access their needed information without having to scroll through the entire history page. These pages should be removed once there are no servers left using that outdated code, however it is difficult to know exactly when that happens. But the Old Research and Development page can definitely be removed as that is over 5 years old.
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blackdav123
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Re: [Wiki] Archived documentation

Post by blackdav123 » #642717

I used to play on a server that ran older TG code so having wiki pages for things like classic circuits and cloning and old chems was very useful for a small server without its own wiki. If I was forced to go through edit logs just to figure out how to make bicardine I probably would have dropped ss13.
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