Each group in nanoHUB has a set of wiki pages that is accessible to members of the group. The group managers can display or hide the wiki page functionality, and set the access for the wiki to be for group members only or for the public.
The wiki is a convenient way to collaborate and share content because every member of the group can create and edit wiki pages. There is also an option to have wiki pages that can only be edited by designated people.
This video explains the use of the wiki and forum: https://youtu.be/_dSe6buCWyI It was created using the MSE Instructional Exchange group, but the instructions apply to any group.
Basic instructions for getting started using the group wiki pages follow:
Navigate to the wiki page
To access a wiki page, click the wiki link in the left-side menu of the group, as shown in the image.
You will enter the wiki's Main Page, which features a menu bar that looks like this:
From the Main Page, use the blue buttons to view the index of all pages or create a new age.
Create a new wiki page
Click the button to create a new page:
The new page will look like this:
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Type in a title for the page
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Type in text for the page
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Other settings can remain at their default values
The main thing to keep in mind is that wiki pages need some additional formatting compared to most text editors you are familiar with. Here are a few of the most common formatting techniques:
Spaces between lines tend to disappear - sometimes adding additional carriage returns can remedy this.
To organize the page into sections, use the following format using "=" characters before and after the heading:
= Heading 1 =
== Heading 2 ==
=== Heading 3 ===
==== Heading 4 ====
To make a bulleted list, use an asterisk.
* List item one
* List item two
Be sure to add a space before the asterisk. Additional spaces before the asterisk increase the indenting.
Fill out the fields at the bottom of the page and click the save button:
The wiki page now looks like this:
While the heading sizes seem to be out of order, you now see what each size is; just choose the one you desire. (You can also submit a help ticket to ask for this to be fixed.)
Upload a file
Uploading a file into the wiki takes two steps:
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First upload the file into the wiki space in nanoHUB
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Then link the file into the wiki
This short video goes over the file upload and linking processes: https://youtu.be/_dSe6buCWyI
Filenames should not include spaces or special characters - make a short file name to use for the version to upload. If there are spaces in the file name, nanoHUB will correct the file to a new name that replaces the spaces with underscores and makes other changes.
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If you are not yet in editing mode for the page, click the edit tab:
Scroll down to the box where you can drop files or browse for files on your computer:
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Drag and drop a file into the box, or click on the box to navigate through your computer files:
For example, you could select the file named Example1.docx.
Once the file has uploaded into nanoHUB, it will appear in a list of files for this wiki:
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Copy the file name you see (in this case, Example1.docx)
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Go to the place in the wiki where you want this file to appear
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Click on the "Embedded File" icon in the wiki menu bar:
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Edit the wiki formatting template that appears
You will see this:
(file:File.doc not found)
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Replace File.doc with the name of the uploaded file that you copied
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Save the page
The page should look similar to this:
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You can then add additional text
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Uploading images works the same way, using the embedded image icon:
It is possible to navigate directly to any wiki page in nanoHUB using the URL for the page. For this example, the URL for this example is: https://nanohub.org/groups/mseinstructionalexchange/wiki/Formatingwikipages
If the wiki page is restricted to group members, it is necessary to be a member of the group and logged into nanoHUB in order to access it.
Within the group, it is possible to share the URL directly with other group members in forum posts.
Additional Wiki Page Features
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Wiki pages have a history, so it is possible to see what edits have been made and return back to a previous version
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Restricting the authors of a wiki page prevents unwanted edits from unauthorized users
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Pages can also be completely locked to prevent any further edits
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A .pdf of the wiki page can be downloaded; the links will be active.
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Wiki pages have comments, which can be used to solicit feedback from other group members. This can be used like a discussion forum for one particular wiki page.
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Each wiki page has its own URL. Once you navigate to a wiki page, the saved URL can allow navigation directly back to that page. If your wiki is restricted to group members only, you must be a logged-in member of the group to access the page.
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To learn more, browse the wiki help page on wiki formatting