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                          |   | 2 | = The Trac Wiki System =  | 
                  
                          |   | 3 | [[TracGuideToc]]  | 
                  
                          |   | 4 |   | 
                  
                          |   | 5 | Trac has a built-in wiki system which you can use for organizing knowledge and information in a very flexible way by [WikiNewPage creating pages] containing an intuitive and easy to learn textual markup. This text markup is also used in all other parts of the system, not only in [wiki:TitleIndex wiki pages], but also in [wiki:TracTickets ticket] description and comments, [wiki:TracChangeset check-in log messages], [wiki:TracRoadmap milestone] descriptions and [wiki:TracReports report] descriptions, even in third-party extensions.  | 
                  
                          |   | 6 | It allows for formatted text and hyperlinks in and between all Trac modules.  | 
                  
                          |   | 7 |   | 
                  
                          |   | 8 | Editing wiki text is easy, using any web browser and a simple [WikiFormatting formatting system], rather than more complex markup languages like HTML.  The reasoning behind its design is that HTML, with its large collection of nestable tags, is too complicated to allow fast-paced editing, and distracts from the actual content of the pages. Note though that Trac also supports [WikiHtml HTML], [WikiRestructuredText reStructuredText] and [http://www.textism.com/tools/textile/ Textile] as alternative markup formats, which can eventually be used in parts of a page (so called wiki “blocks”).  | 
                  
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                          |   | 10 | The main goal of the wiki is to make editing text easier and ''encourage'' people to contribute and annotate text content for a project. Trac also provides a simple toolbar to make formatting text even easier, and supports the [http://universaleditbutton.org/Universal_Edit_Button universal edit button] of your browser.  | 
                  
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                          |   | 12 | The wiki itself does not enforce any structure, but rather resembles a stack of empty sheets of paper, where you can organize information and documentation as you see fit, and later reorganize if necessary.   | 
                  
                          |   | 13 | As contributing to a wiki is essentially building hypertext,   | 
                  
                          |   | 14 | general advice regarding HTML authoring apply here as well.  | 
                  
                          |   | 15 | For example, the ''[http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style Style Guide for online hypertext]'' explains how to think about the  | 
                  
                          |   | 16 | [http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/Structure.html overall structure of a work]   | 
                  
                          |   | 17 | and how to organize information [http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/WithinDocument.html within each document]. One of the most important tip is “make your HTML page such that you can read it even if you don't follow any links.”  | 
                  
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                          |   | 19 | Learn more about:  | 
                  
                          |   | 20 |  * WikiFormatting rules, including advanced topics like WikiMacros and WikiProcessors  | 
                  
                          |   | 21 |  * How to use WikiPageNames and other forms of TracLinks which are used to refer in a precise way to any resource within Trac  | 
                  
                          |   | 22 |   | 
                  
                          |   | 23 | If you want to practice editing, please use the SandBox. Note that not all Trac wikis are editable by anyone, this depends on the local policy; check with your Trac administrators.  | 
                  
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                          |   | 25 | Before saving your changes, you can ''Preview'' the page or ''Review the Changes'' you've made.  | 
                  
                          |   | 26 | You can get an automatic preview of the formatting as you type when you activate the ''Edit Side-by-side'' mode (you have to Preview the page for the setting to take effect). '' There is a [wiki:/TracIni#trac-section configurable delay] between when you make your edit and when the automatic preview will update.''  | 
                  
                          |   | 27 |   | 
                  
                          |   | 28 | Some more information about wikis on the web:  | 
                  
                          |   | 29 |  * A definition of [http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki Wiki], in a famous wiki encyclopedia  | 
                  
                          |   | 30 |  * The [http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory History] of the original wiki  | 
                  
                          |   | 31 |  * A wiki page explaining [http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?WhyWikiWorks why wiki works]  | 
                  
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                          |   | 33 | ----  | 
                  
                          |   | 34 | See also: TracGuide  |