Mention: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:54, 30 March 2025

Mention

Mentions in MediaWiki are a powerful and often underutilized feature for fostering collaboration and drawing attention to relevant content and users within a wiki. They allow you to directly notify another user about a conversation or a change to a page they might be interested in, or to link to other wiki pages in a clear and contextual way. This article will comprehensively explain how mentions work in MediaWiki 1.40, covering both user mentions and page mentions, along with best practices and troubleshooting.

What are Mentions?

At its core, a mention is a way to create a link that specifically notifies another user or relates to another page within the wiki. It’s more than just a regular hyperlink; it’s designed to draw attention and facilitate interaction. There are two primary types of mentions:

User Mentions: These are used to notify a specific User about a discussion, a change to a page they’ve contributed to, or a question you have for them. When a user is mentioned, they typically receive a notification (depending on their preferences) indicating they've been mentioned somewhere in the wiki. This is crucial for collaboration and ensuring important information reaches the right people.
Page Mentions: These are used to link to another page within the wiki in a way that highlights its relevance to the current discussion or content. While standard wiki links achieve the same result in terms of navigation, page mentions can be useful for specific highlighting or for situations where you want to emphasize the relationship between two pieces of content.

How to Create User Mentions

Creating a user mention is surprisingly simple. In MediaWiki 1.40, you use the `@` symbol followed by the username you wish to mention.

Syntax: `@Username`

For example, if you want to notify a user named "ExampleUser", you would type `@ExampleUser`. MediaWiki will automatically convert this into a link to that user's user page.

Autocompletion: As you type the `@` symbol, MediaWiki will offer an autocompletion feature, suggesting usernames as you type. This is incredibly helpful for quickly finding and mentioning the correct user, especially in large wikis. Start typing the username, and a dropdown list will appear with matching users. You can select the desired user from the list using the arrow keys and pressing Enter.

Important Considerations:

Case Sensitivity: Usernames are generally *not* case-sensitive when mentioning. `@ExampleUser` and `@exampleuser` will typically resolve to the same user. However, it's best practice to use the correct capitalization for clarity.
Spaces: Usernames cannot contain spaces. If a username contains spaces, it will not be recognized as a valid mention.
Valid Users: The username you use must correspond to a registered user account on the wiki. If the username doesn’t exist, the mention will likely display as plain text instead of a link.
Notifications: Whether a user receives a notification depends on their individual Special:Preferences settings. Users can choose to be notified via email, wiki notifications, or both. Be mindful of this when relying on mentions for critical communication.

How to Create Page Mentions

Page mentions are created using double square brackets, just like regular wiki links, but can be used strategically within text to emphasize relationship.

Syntax: `Page Name`

For example, to link to a page titled "Technical Analysis", you would type `Technical Analysis`.

Automatic Linking: MediaWiki can be configured to automatically link certain phrases to existing pages. This is controlled by site administrators and can streamline the process of creating page mentions.

Contextual Relevance: While standard links are always useful, page mentions are particularly effective when you want to highlight the connection between the current text and the linked page. For instance:

"Understanding Support and Resistance levels is crucial for successful trading."

This sentence explicitly connects the concept of support and resistance levels to its dedicated wiki page.

Best Practices for Using Mentions

Using mentions effectively requires a bit of thoughtfulness. Here are some best practices to follow:

Don't Overuse Mentions: Excessively mentioning users can be disruptive and annoying. Only mention users when it’s truly necessary and relevant to their interests or expertise. Repeatedly mentioning someone for minor updates can be considered spammy.
Be Specific: When asking a question, clearly state what you need help with. Vague mentions like "@ExampleUser, can you help?" are less likely to elicit a helpful response than "@ExampleUser, I'm having trouble understanding the calculation for the Relative Strength Index indicator. Could you explain it?"
Consider Alternatives: Before mentioning a user, consider whether the information could be found through a search or on a relevant talk page. If the question is general and not specific to a particular user’s expertise, posting it on a Help:Contents page or a dedicated discussion forum might be more appropriate.
Respect User Preferences: Always respect users’ notification settings. If a user has disabled email notifications, don’t rely on mentions for urgent communication.
Use Page Mentions to Clarify: Use page mentions to provide context and link to related information. This helps readers understand the topic more thoroughly.
Review Before Saving: Always review your edits before saving to ensure that your mentions are correct and that you haven’t accidentally mentioned the wrong user or page.

Troubleshooting Mention Issues

Sometimes, mentions might not work as expected. Here are some common issues and how to resolve them:

Mention Not Linking: If a user mention doesn’t link to the user page, double-check the username for typos. Ensure the username exists on the wiki. If the username contains special characters, it might not be recognized.
No Notification Received: If a user isn’t receiving notifications, ask them to check their Special:Preferences settings. They might have disabled notifications or specified a different email address. Also, confirm that the wiki’s notification system is functioning correctly.
Autocompletion Not Working: If autocompletion isn’t working, try clearing your browser cache and cookies. Sometimes, cached data can interfere with the autocompletion feature. Also, verify that the wiki’s search index is up to date.
Incorrect Page Link: If a page mention links to the wrong page, double-check the page name for typos and ensure that the page actually exists.
Mentions Displaying as Plain Text: If mentions appear as plain text (e.g., `@ExampleUser` instead of a link), it usually indicates that the username doesn't exist or that there's a syntax error.

Advanced Mention Techniques

While the basic syntax is straightforward, there are some advanced techniques you can use to enhance your use of mentions:

Mentions in Edit Summaries: You can use user mentions in edit summaries to notify users about specific changes you've made to a page. This is helpful for collaborative editing.
Mentions in Templates: Mentions can be used within templates to dynamically notify users based on the template’s parameters. This requires a more advanced understanding of template programming.
Mentions in Bots: Bots can use mentions to notify users about automated tasks or updates.
Linking to Sections within Pages: You can combine mentions with section links to direct users to specific parts of a page. For example: `Technical Analysis#Candlestick Patterns` links to the "Candlestick Patterns" section of the "Technical Analysis" page.

Mentions and Wiki Culture

Effective use of mentions contributes to a more collaborative and engaging wiki culture. By using mentions thoughtfully and respectfully, you can:

Improve Communication: Mentions facilitate direct communication and ensure that important information reaches the right people.
Foster Collaboration: Mentions encourage users to work together and share their knowledge.
Increase Engagement: Mentions can draw users into discussions and encourage them to contribute to the wiki.
Build Community: Mentions help build a sense of community by connecting users with shared interests.

Relation to Other Wiki Features

Mentions work closely with other MediaWiki features to enhance collaboration and information sharing:

Watchlists: When a page a user has on their Special:Watchlist is mentioned, they are more likely to notice the change.
Talk Pages: Mentions are commonly used on Talk:Main Page pages to discuss changes and seek feedback.
Notifications System: The entire mention system relies on the wiki’s notification system to alert users.
User Pages: Mentions link directly to User:ExampleUser pages, providing easy access to user profiles.
Revision History: Mentions are preserved in the Special:History of a page, allowing users to track who mentioned whom and when.

Resources for Further Learning

Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about mentions and other MediaWiki features:

Help:Wiki markup – A comprehensive guide to wiki markup syntax.
Help:Contents – The main help page for MediaWiki.
Manual:Configuration settings – Information about configuring the wiki’s notification system.
[1] - MediaWiki's official documentation on Talk Pages
[2] - MediaWiki's official documentation on Notifications
[3] - Stock Charts School - Technical Analysis
[4] - Investopedia - Technical Analysis
[5] - Babypips - Technical Analysis
[6] - Corporate Finance Institute - Technical Analysis
[7] - TradingView - Learning Resources
[8] - Forex.com - Learning Technical Analysis
[9] - DailyFX - Technical Analysis
[10] - Investopedia - Support and Resistance
[11] - TradingView Chart (Example)
[12] - Investopedia - Relative Strength Index (RSI)
[13] - Babypips - RSI indicator
[14] - Stock Charts - RSI indicator
[15] - TradingView - RSI indicator
[16] - Investopedia - Moving Average
[17] - Babypips - Moving Averages
[18] - Stock Charts - Moving Averages
[19] - TradingView - Moving Average
[20] - Investopedia - Fibonacci Retracement
[21] - Babypips - Fibonacci Retracements
[22] - Stock Charts - Fibonacci Retracements
[23] - TradingView - Fibonacci Retracements
[24] - Investopedia - Divergence
[25] - Babypips - Divergence
[26] - Stock Charts - Divergence
[27] - TradingView - Divergence

This comprehensive guide should provide you with a solid understanding of mentions in MediaWiki 1.40. By utilizing this powerful feature effectively, you can enhance collaboration, improve communication, and build a thriving wiki community.

Manual:Configuration settings

Manual:Talk pages

Manual:Notifications

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