Clicklaw Wikibooks Contributor Guide

This is a help page for contributors or users.

This page contains no legal help information.
See other Clicklaw Wikibooks Guides.

This is a guide for editors and contributors who have accounts with Clicklaw Wikibooks, and who are actively responsible for editing content. The Clicklaw Wikibooks Contributor Guide is designed to get editors and contributors started. If you are not a Clicklaw Wikibooks contributor, but are a Clicklaw contributor for the main Clicklaw website and need support, please see the Clicklaw Website Contributor Guide.

Download the full Clicklaw Wikibooks Contributor Guide in PDF (current to March 2013).

Before you edit

Know what you're responsible for

Have you been invited to edit a particular title? Are you certain the page you're on is part of that title, and does not belong to a different wikibook?

Be conscientious about which page you are editing. Several different titles, or wikibooks, reside on this platform. Please only edit pages from those titles (or chapters within titles) for which you are responsible. Generally, let your discretion guide you, or email editor@clicklaw.bc.ca for help.

But also...

Relax, you can't screw up

Having asked you to be mindful of the pages you edit, take comfort in knowing that you literally can't damage a page so badly that it cannot be restored. One of the best things about this wiki platform is that each page has a "History" of older versions, including the one you just saved over. You (or another person) can always undo an edit and restore an older version of a page.

When viewing a page's history tab:

Selecting Undo on the current version will show you the difference between it and the next most recent version, and you can then select "Save page" to restore the earlier of the two versions.
Selecting Rollback on the current version of a page will undo all of the recent changes by the contributor who had saved that current version, with the effect of rewinding the page back to the most recent version saved by someone other than that contributor.

If we haven't taught you how to do it, ask us how (or leave it be)

But a minimum knowledge of the tools is required. Other than knowing how to log in, navigate around, and where to find things like the "Edit" tab, you will need to know how to:

create (or fix) links to cases, legislation, other web resources,
make lists (like this numbered list),
create emphasis for key words or documents using italics, or in rare cases bold,
divide pages with section headings and subheadings,
indent paragraphs or blocks of text,
create text in a plain format (for legislation excerpts), and
understand a few technical things that are happening and the limited things you need to know to:
- change what alert boxes are saying on pages,
- work with your contributor bio page,
- understand some of the weird coding and know what to leave alone,
- maybe change the contents of tables, and
- participate in Discussion pages (these are locked down so only editors can see Discussions about a page).

This page shows you how to do the above. You are not expected to do anything technically beyond what is explained here.

Logging in to your new account

Everyone who contributes to Clicklaw Wikibooks will be given an account. All of your work is linked to your account, so it’s important to use the same account every time.

You will receive an email from editor@clicklaw.bc.ca containing your username and password.
Go to http://wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca/.
Use the "Log in" button at the top right to log in with the username and password supplied in the email.
Change your password to something secure that you will remember (if you need to find the Change Password page, it’s http://wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca/index.php?title=Special:ChangePassword).

The "Edit" screen

Are you at the page you want to edit? Are you logged in? If yes, you can start editing.

Click on the "Edit" tab or click on the "edit" link beside a particular section (if you only want to edit the text for a certain section of a page).
You can make changes to the text in the edit window, and click on the “Save page” button to save your changes.

Basic editing using wiki codes and buttons

Clicklaw Wikibooks uses a simple markup language to control how content looks, but to start off, you don't need to remember what they are. There are buttons that do most of the formatting and wiki markup for you. Headings, lists, indented paragraphs and other formatting that give form and structure to a wiki page are controlled using wiki codes.

Select a portion of text while in the edit screen, and then click one of the buttons to apply that formatting. The buttons you see below have the following functions:

Bold: Simply select with your cursor the words you need to make bold, then click button #1.
Italics: Follow the same steps above, but click button #2 to create text in italics.
Internal Link: One page in a wiki often naturally leads to another page on the same wiki. For example, here is a link to the Clicklaw Wikibooks Style Guide, which is also useful because it tells you when bold and italics are used. To make an internal link click button #3. You will see [[Link title]]. Replace Link title with the exact name of the page, leaving the square brackets intact, i.e. Clicklaw Wikibooks Style Guide, and you're done. Don't forget to hit "Save page."
External Link: Examples of external links include any link to a case on CanLII, any other website outside of wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca, or even a PDF or DOC file from somewhere online. The simplest way to insert an external link is to click button #4. You will see [http://www.example.com link title]. Obviously, replace www.example.com and insert the URL you want to send readers to. You also need to either delete the words link title entirely, or better yet replace them with the words you want your link to read as. For example, to link to the online help guide for the BC Court of Appeal I would click button #4, then replace www.example.com with www.courtofappealbc.ca. I could then delete link title and save the page, which would show this [1], or I could

Lists

Information is often easier to understand when it is broken into lists. To make a simple numbered list, you put each item on a separate line and start the line with a pound symbol. To make a list with bullets, replace the pound symbol with an asterix. Example:

This wiki code	Results in this display on the page
`# One` `# Two` `## Two point one` `# Three`	One Two Two point one Three

More complicated lists with sublists are achieved by adding an extra pound or asterix symbol beside items you want to appear as indented subordinate list, and repeat this

This wiki code	Results in this display on the page
`# One` `# Two` `## Two point one` `# Three`	One Two Two point one Three

The Clicklaw Wikibooks Cheatsheet features the key wiki codes. Also available is a Clicklaw Wikibooks Style Guide that highlights key style and word usage for Clicklaw Wikibooks.

Note about updating resources in Legal Help for British Columbians

For contributors updating resources for the guide Legal Help for British Columbians, please see the explanatory note on the Resource List discussion page. (Resources are managed as individual pages that are then automatically consolidated on a single Resource List.)

Plain language writing

A short definition of "Plain English"

Brian Garner, from Legal Writing in Plain English, 2001, pp xiv:

A word about "plain English." The phrase certainly shouldn't connote drab and dreary language. Actually, plain English is typically quite interesting to read. It's robust and direct—the opposite of gaudy, pretentious language. You achieve plain English when you use the simplest, most straightforward way of expressing an idea. You can still choose interesting words. But you'll avoid fancy ones that have everyday replacements meaning precisely the same thing.

Plain language tips

We are writing with the public reader in mind, not lawyers or other legal advocates. Depending on the wikibook, you may need to aim for a very low reading level. For example, Legal Help for British Columbians serves very basic information so people can take the first step towards finding help for their common legal problem. JP Boyd on Family Law, on the other hand, presumes a higher reading level, since it offers motivated self-represented individuals a slightly more detailed description of family law. Both groups of readers benefit from plain language writing methods. Some tips to consider when writing or reviewing legal information for the public:

Think about your reader and question what they know or don't know.
Think about questions your readers will have on the topic, and organize your thoughts accordingly.
Summarize main points using headers.
Organize steps or similar information with lists.
Write brief sentences and keep paragraphs short.
Use common phrases and words.
Avoid unnecessary descriptive adverbs and words.
Write in the active voice and keep verb and subject close together.
Ask another reader to evaluate your writing.

More on plain language writing

Clicklaw Wikibooks Cheatsheet

Download the PDF file for convenient offline access or printing.

See the Clicklaw Wikibooks Style Guide for style and word usage.

Clicklaw Wikibooks Cheatsheet
Works anywhere in the text
Description	You type	You get
Italic text	`''italic''`	italic

Bold text	`'''bold'''`	bold

Bold and italic text	`'''''bold & italic'''''`	bold & italic

Link to another Clicklaw wiki page	`[[Name of page]]` `[[Name of page\|Text to display]]`	Name of page Text to display
Works only at the beginning of lines
Description	You type	You get
Section headings A Table of Contents will automatically be generated when four headings are added to an article. Do not use =Level 1=; it is reserved for page titles.	`== Level 2 ==` `=== Level 3 ===` `==== Level 4 ====`	Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Bulleted list	`* One` `* Two` `** Two point one` `* Three`	One Two Two point one Three

Numbered list	`# One` `# Two` `## Two point one` `# Three`	One Two Two point one Three

Indenting text	`no indent (normal)` `:first indent` `::second indent` `:::third indent`	no indent (normal) first indent second indent third indent

Using the Discussion tab to comment on content

Clicklaw contributors have the ability to leave comments for other contributors or editors on any page of a Clicklaw Wikibook. This can be a very useful way to flag possible changes that you think might be worth considering, but you are not wanting to make without input from others. Note that any discussion pages are invisible to most users. Only logged-in contributors and those with accounts on Clicklaw Wikibooks can see comments posted in discussion pages. This was done deliberately so that members of the legal profession could make recommendations or have debates about how to present legal information, and do so freely without concern that the public may encounter comments or questions intended only for other editors, which taken out of context might cause confusion.

To leave a comment on a Discussion page:

Login to your account on Clicklaw Wikibooks.
Navigate to the page that you want to leave a comment on.
Click on the "Discussion" tab, and then click "Edit".
Add your comment, leaving your signature at the end. If you are replying to a comment, indent your comment one level further than the comment that you are replying to. So for example:

The link to the Consumer Protection BC's complaint roadmap needs to be updated. - Drew

I have updated the link as of March 2013. - Beatriz

(To indent, use colons for each level you want to indent - for example, two colons (::) to indent two levels.)

Leaving a signature

Typing four tilde marks in a row will automatically place a signature for you, consisting of your username and the time that you left your signature. Please use a signature to let others know who made a contribution to a talk page, and when.

Function	Wiki markup (replaced when saving)	Resulting wiki code	Resulting display
Signature plus timestamp	~~~~	`[[User:Username\|Username]] 12:34, 1 February 2008 (UTC)`	Username 12:34, 1 February 2008 (UTC)
Signature alone	~~~	`[[User:Username\|Username]]`	Username
Timestamp alone	~~~~~	`12:34, 1 February 2008 (UTC)`	12:34, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Disabling Glossary/Terminology Popups

Terms that appear along with their definitions on the Terminology page will automatically be detected the first time they appear on any article in the Clicklaw Wiki. In general, this saves work, since no manual coding is required to ensure that a legal term will include a definition. The automatic nature of this process, however, will result in false-positives in cases where a defined term also has a common meaning in addition to a legal one (the terms "hearing", and "order" for example). To exclude defined terms from appearing with their pop-up definition (and where it is the first time the term has been used on a page), you should bracket the term with the HTML element:

<span class="noglossary">term</span>

A "div" tag will also work but create a separate paragraph that may not be desired. To exclude an entire article from receiving glossary popups, include the magic word anywhere in that article's text.

Additional resources

The Clicklaw Wikibooks Style Guide highlights key style and word usage for pages on Clicklaw Wikibooks.

The MediaWiki website also includes excellent support material — for example, instructions on navigating a wiki, editing pages, and much more. (MediaWiki is free, open source software that powers Clicklaw Wikibooks, as well as the hugely popular Wikipedia.)

For further information

This Guide is maintained by the Clicklaw site editors. For more information or support, please contact editor at clicklaw.bc.ca.