FAQ

Administrative FAQs

Can I invite new users to join Ecoliwiki?

Yes, simply click the Accounts link on the left side of your browser window in the navigation window. Under the Create a Registered User section, click create an account. Type in the email address of the person you wish to invite and click xx.

What do I do if I forget my username?

Click on the Accounts link in the navigation bar on the left hand side of the browser. Under the section called Becoming a Registered User, click the registered user link to bring up a list of registered user names. Hopefully, you can identify your username and the crisis will be averted. If you cannot, email the Ecoliwiki staff at Ecoliwiki@gmail.com and someone will reply with your username.

What do I do if I forget my password?

If you forget your password, type in your username and click the email password button to the right of the log in button. A temporary password will be emailed to the email account on file. Once you log in, you will be prompted to enter a new password.

How do I change my password?

To change your password, click the my preferences link in the upper right hand corner of the browser window. Under the user profile tab, you will have to enter your old password, then type the new one. You will have to retype the new one to verify spelling, then click the Save button.

Can I customize Ecoliwiki?

Yes. You may customize the style in which you display the information by clicking the my preferences link in the upper right hand corner of the browser window. Under the skins tab, you may click the display that best suits you. You may preview these styles by clicking the preview button to the right of the style name. once you have made your selection, click the Save button to apply the new setting.

What is the My Watchlist link and how do I add topics to my watchlist?

If you have a particular page or topic of specific interest to you, you can add it to the watchlist and you can opt to receive an email notification when that page is modified (you select the email option under the user profile tab). To add pages to your watchlist, go to the my preferences link in the upper right hand corner of your browser. Under the watchlist tab, select the boxes of the pages you want to watch. Click the Save button to apply the new setting.

What is the User Contribution link?

Ecoliwiki keeps track of all the contributions you make to the wiki.

Adding Information to EcoliWiki

How do I add references?=

For references with a Pubmed ID

all you do is type PMID: xx where xx is the Pubmed ID. There is a script that will pull the necessary information out of Pubmed and format it for you. In this case, just copy and paste the PMID directly.

What do I do if someone changes what I wrote?

This is a wiki and so the information you add to the wiki may be changed by other users, just as you may change other users' enties. If you find the correction to be inaccurate, you may discuss the subject with other users in the Notes section available below each main section, or on the discussion page. To add a note on the same page at the bottom of the section, click the edit link to the right of the Notes heading. To initiate or view a discussion on a particular topic, click the discussion tab located on the top left hand side of the page. To add additional comments, you can click the + to add your comment to the end of the list. OR, you may click the edit tab and type your comments there. As you can see, there are plenty of places to make your voice heard.

Is there any way to keep people from editing my entries?

Yes. When you add data to a table, you have the opportunity to select public or private. The public selection allows any registered user to change your entries, whereas the private selection allows only you and the Ecoliwiki staff to edit your entries.

How do I get an image to show up in a page?

To add an image to a wiki page, you must first upload the image to the wiki. Click the upload file' link in the toolbox on the left hand side of your browser window underneath the search bar. You may type in the file pathway or click browse to find the file. Write a summary of the image, and click the Upload File button. The file format needs to be a jpeg. Next, go back to the page of interest and click the edit link and type File:File.jpg where File.jpg is the name of the file you uploaded. Click the Save button to save all your hard work.

Can I import data from an Excel spreadsheet?

No. We are working on creating a way to do that, but that option is currently unavailable.

How do I make suggestions?

There are 2 main ways to make suggestions to the Ecoliwiki staff. Click on the Suggestions subheading under the main heading and you will be taken to the suggestions page. Click the + tab or the edit tab at the top of the page and let us have it. The other way to do this is to email the Ecoliwiki staff at ecoliwiki@gmail.com. Either option will get your suggestions to us.

How do I know if it's right?

You can't break the wiki. If you're unsure of the formatting, markup, etc. someone else can fix it. Email the Ecoliwiki staff at Ecoliwiki@gmail.com and inform them of your concern. The staff will then format the page.

What if my information doesn't fit in to any templates?

If you find that the pre-existing categories don't apply to your information, click the Create new page link and you can edit

How do I find? FAQs

Finding Gene-Related Information

If you know the actual gene or gene product name

Type it into the search box on the left hand side of the browser window and click Go. You will be taken directly to the Quickview page for that gene. There you may select the specific tab to display the desired information.

If you don't know the specific name or the product is called something else

You need to perform a search. Type in the name of the item you wish to find and click the Search button. This will search text within the pages and will result in a list of pages where that word is located. Click the page link you want you will be taken to that page.

Finding Information Related to Plasmids

To find plasmid already in the wiki, type it in the box and click the Go button.

How do I find additional help if I need it?

If you need additional assistance, please email the Ecoliwiki staff at Ecoliwiki@gmail.com and we will be happy to answer your questions.