Thread:Fossiliferous/@comment-27860632-20160719182412/@comment-24668482-20160720142515

To be honest a template would be too much hassle to set up, and in long run not that useful since the page's base text changes depending on the type of collection (quest only, mode dependent, giftable, non-giftable, challenge, regular etc.). If is far easier to just copy an existing page (and just choose page of similar collection to copy), and that also speeds up the images since can pick a page that uses same combining elements and so just have to change the numbers in that bottom table. This is what has been done by others making them, and gives a good consistency across them, as all use same page text/layout that was mostly developed by WoMa.

The best way to do that is to press edit on the page you want to copy, then switch to source mode, copy the entirety of the text. You can cancel the edit then if not changing anything, but it is better to have pressed edit before copying text than just copying directly from the browser display.

Then start the new page, switch to source mode, and paste the text. The whole page will be there (copy of old one) and will just need information and images changed. You can switch back to visual to change the text to add correct items, using source for the copy just makes things easier and makes the copy/paste smoother, but when it comes to adding information you may like viewing the visual editor instead.

But I do personally find that the images are far quicker to do in source - as all you have to do is identify the image you want to change, and replace File:oldpicturename.png with File:newpicturename.png. That way all formatting remains intact (image size, placement, orientation etc.) so don't have to set that for each one (there's a lot on the page, it would be a pain to have to do it every time). And don't have to wait for the uploader to load the image, as all done in text and not displayed as image until switch to visual editor/publish.

The images can be found using categories set up to organise them:


 * Collections (Cropped) - the big image of the collection
 * Combining Elements (Cropped) - the combining elements together
 * Collection Item Images - the individual items (uploaded to date, about half of them at this point, slowly increasing)

You can copy the individual combining elements from previous collections pages or the list of combining element requirements page, and the list of collections page itself has all the reward images so can get filenames there which saves time (rather than scouring the wiki for images).

If images are too much hassle, then can just remove them from first page you make and use that as the page to copy from there on out. They can easily be added later, and not something to stress too much about (they are a bit over kill anyway).

I will get around to the collection pages eventually, but they have never been a priority here. They are not as useful as other things here, and are going to be toxic to the sites SEO when all done (as so much repetitive information as they are essentially 420 pages of the same thing). People ask to make them a lot, but no one has ever really asked for them to be made. And there is always tons of other stuff to do that are much bigger priority.

All that being said, the collection pages are a great place to start out editing as it's very little effort to make them - since it is just copying and pasting an existing page and then changing item names/locations - so they are great for getting used to the editors and how things work etc. and gaining confidence adding content. Which is possibly also why they have never been rushed as great to have that really obvious place for people to jump in and start editing with. So please do help out out as much as you want to (1 page, 10  pages, 420 pages), but know there is no rush or pressure to do those pages and it should be something enjoyable for you so if it starts to be anything other than enjoyable it is okay to stop.

Here are just some of the other things that always need doing around here though, in case wondering what I mean:
 * Updating/expanding/finishing the FAQ (its the most visited page on site, hasn't been updated in years)
 * All the introductory pages haven't been updated in years and could use a re-write/re-vamp (Home Desktop, Getting Started, Energy, Power, Experience Levels)
 * Other introductory pages are missing (such as a page dedicated to explaining the research window)
 * All Friend related pages need a complete revamp (Friends, Visiting, Gifting, Adding Friends, Hire Friends, Professions) since amongst most visited pages and most common source of questions
 * Blocks and Pipes pages need puzzles solutions finished and more meat in general
 * Memory Match page needs to be expanded
 * Gem Match page needs more guide information
 * Picture pages don't really have much about the pictures in them, recently were expanded but always feel a bit waste of opportunity
 * Quests (long way off from being done)
 * Writing Strategy guides for playing the game (new user/advanced user)
 * Going through all old pages and updating with information from most recent version of game (some information years old), fixing links and adding links to pages that didn't exist when some pages created etc.
 * Housekeeping in general
 * So many typos....