Forum:Editing categories in visual and source editors

__NOWYSIWYG__

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Thanks to SpikeToronto for this info ( in a blog comment ). I can now go back to source mode alone to edit, add, and remove categories from pages. The key is checking "Disable Category module" in preferences (editing tab). Previously, I was unable to remove categories when editing in wide-screen mode. Now I can.

Categories (adapted from SpikeToronto info):

In Source Mode, categories are now working like they should if I one does the following:


 * Go to Preferences.
 * Go to the Edit tab.
 * untick: Enable visual editor (where available).
 * tick: Widen the Source mode edit box to fill the entire screen.
 * untick: Do not show link suggest in Source mode.
 * tick: Disable Category module (only applies if editing in visual mode has been disabled).

Then, all the categories that have been manually entered into a page (i.e., not by a template) will appear in the edit window. And, new categories can be added in the usual manner by typing two opening square brackets, the word category plus a colon, and the starting letters. Then, LinkSuggest … er … CategorySuggest … kicks in. Some people do not like LinkSuggest or CategorySuggest. That can be turned off in preferences (see above list).

This also works in wikis with RTE disabled.

Can someone sticky this to the FAQ list (Forum:FAQs - Please read).

There is a way to edit categories without disabling the category module in preferences. Even in source mode the right sidebar can be opened or closed by clicking the arrow icon on the right edge. It is very small, but it is there. The category module can then be seen in the right sidebar. Once the categories are edited one can go back to wide-screen format by closing the right sidebar by clicking the arrow. It is not as straightforward as editing completely in the wide-format, source mode window though. --Timeshifter 06:19, September 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * The "Widen the Source mode edit box to fill the entire screen." and "Do not show link suggest in Source mode." options are separate features and have little to do with controling categories 'the old way'.


 * So the above list can be shortened to the following:
 * Go to Preferences.
 * Go to the Edit tab.
 * untick: Enable visual editor (where available).
 * tick: Disable Category module (only applies if editing in visual mode has been disabled).


 * You can still add categories like you used to in source mode with the category module enabled by typing two opening square brackets, the word category plus a colon etc. The difference is that after a save they will be shown in the category module instead of the edit area. — Sovq 06:31, September 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * Sovq, categories saved will be shown in the edit area if each step in the list at the top of the page is followed. Or, at least that’s how it was working yesterday. We all know how quickly, and without warning, things can change around here! Smiley.png — Spike Toronto  06:44, September 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * It is not necessary to "Widen the Source mode edit box to fill the entire screen". Link suggest is a matter of choice, too, and not necessary for getting category wikitext back into the source mode window. By the way, Spike, please do not change my messages. I adapted your message to my needs, credited you, and I had a reason for everything I wrote or changed. --Timeshifter 07:08, September 9, 2011 (UTC)

You do not “adapt” someone else’s message. You either quote it exactly, or not at all. I don’t want to be responsible for your “adaptation”. After all, I had no part in it. If you are going to change someone else’s words, you need to indicate those changes clearly. It’s the way it’s done. It’s common courtesy. Otherwise, it creates the misconception that everything up there came from me, including your changes. — Spike Toronto  07:15, September 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * Spike, sorry I credited you. Next time when I use your ideas, and mix them with mine as I did here, I will do it all without crediting you. I will rewrite more so that it is not plagiarism. I will not credit you at all so that I don't to have to justify to you whether I rewrote the text enough.

Sovq, I did not see the arrow at first for opening and closing the right sidebar. Even with that ability I prefer editing categories completely in the source mode window most of the time.

One can add categories in the source mode window whether the category module is enabled or not. The problem though is that if the category module is enabled then one can not remove categories by deleting them from the source mode edit window. Category wikitext is not shown in the source mode edit window after categories are saved if the category module is enabled. --Timeshifter 07:26, September 9, 2011 (UTC)

Wish list
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Suggestions:
 * I would like link-suggest (category-suggest) to work in the source-mode edit window too, even when the visual editor is enabled. Right now it only works inside the source-mode edit window if the visual editor is disabled. Otherwise, I can not use the visual editor since I have to disable it in order to get link-suggest (category-suggest) inside the source-mode edit window. I use wide-screen source-mode for nearly all my editing, and so I prioritize all my preferences for that. I wish I did not have to disable the visual editor in


 * [[Category: - Go to the edit window and start typing a category name. If I start a category name as in " [[Category:F " it will show a list of all categories starting with F. The list sometimes extends past the bottom of the screen. When that happens I can't choose any of the suggested categories below the bottom of the screen. Also, when that happens the list is pushed up a little and then covers up where I am typing out the category name. I know this can be fixed. Hover menus and context menus can be made to open up or down depending on which way will show the whole list or the most possible. Also, it seems that there are only certain spots to click outside the list that work in removing the list. So I am stuck with the category names offered to me, and can't easily start over, or add more characters. I suggest changing things so that if I click anywhere outside the list of suggested categories the list disappears until after I change something in the category name. Or maybe put an "x" at the top right of the list menu box. --[[User:Timeshifter|Timeshifter]] 03:58, September 10, 2011 (UTC)


 * You have been out (at least of this forum) for some time so I don't know if you realize that the editor and skin are finished and by wikia standards nothing else will be changed.
 * But fell free to vent.
 * 17:07, September 10, 2011 (UTC)


 * Kirkburn has noted the category problems, welcomes further specific info on them, and is working on them. I see from your talk page that others have already pointed out your cluelessness.--Timeshifter 21:54, September 10, 2011 (UTC)


 * I agree with Timeshifter. Since the new editor was first launched months ago, Staff have been responsive to our concerns. But, programmers cannot perfect new code in an instant. And, what they work on requires prioritization. The key here is to be patient. Later, down the road, when serious concerns have been ignored, then we can vent our collective spleen. — Spike Toronto 


 * So what happened with our Admin tools concerns? Are we still waiting for improvements there? Sure, we can always wait, but history tells us that if we stop complaining, Wikia stops making improvements. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 13 Sep 2011 4:31 PM Pacific


 * That discussion should go in another forum thread. This thread is linked to from various places, and people need a thread like this that summarizes category problems, requests, solutions. --Timeshifter 00:37, September 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * I was responding to Spike's comment on being patient. Venting your spleen after Wikia has moved on to something else has already proven to be ineffective. I think Nidek's comments were perfectly appropriate. The current handling of categories in the new editor is a step backwards and he was just pointing out some of the problems. I'm not sure how calling him "clueless" is productive.
 * I don't agree that Staff has been responsive to "our" concerns. Maybe your concerns. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 14 Sep 2011 5:07 PM Pacific


 * Fandyllic. Maybe try the @ method. @Spike and @Timeshifter. Nidek is clueless when he tells people not to point out problems, and calls it venting, and says "nothing else will be changed." Kirkburn has been continuously changing the editor. So that makes Nidek totally clueless. :) Have a nice day. Pointing out problems versus venting is mostly semantic in my opinion. Attempts at condescension by Nidek is gameplaying. And it works both ways. So if Nidek can't stand the heat then he can get out of the kitchen. --Timeshifter 16:52, September 15, 2011 (UTC)


 * @Timeshifter: Unfortunately, I mostly agree with Nidek that we are mostly venting. I've known Kirkburn for a long time, but he is still part of Wikia and is more the conduit for info about dev changes to the editor than the direct dev in most cases. That means he is likely only making the easiest changes (position/size tweaks, etc.) and not what many users have been asking for (category module improvement, source mode font changes, templates area improvement, wide mode fixes etc.). Some of these improvements may be coming, but unless we can actually see Wikia's priority list, it mostly hope that we can expect major improvements after a point. There were many promises of improvement to the Admin tools (including some by Kirkburn), but at some point the improvement basically stopped and it largely coincided with the new editor roll out. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 15 Sep 2011 1:49 PM Pacific

LinkSuggest covers up text one is typing
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The link suggestions sometimes cover up where I am typing. It only occurs when I am using a minimum font size in Firefox. See: Firefox minimum font size problems. Here is a screenshot from the source-mode edit window for Porto, Portugal:



It does not always happen. Sometimes the link, file, and category suggestions cover up where I am typing, and sometimes not. --Timeshifter 18:45, September 12, 2011 (UTC)

Confusing, weird preferences to get LinkSuggest to work
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Currently, if the category module is enabled, then LinkSuggest will not work in the category module unless the visual editor is also enabled in preferences.
 * Special:Preferences

If the category module is disabled, then LinkSuggest only works if the visual editor is disabled too.

A category page is good for illustrating the various difficulties. For example;
 * Category:Wiki Promotions

Try changing your preferences in various ways. Reload the category page after each preference change, and then try entering category names to see whether LinkSuggest is working or not.

I suggest starting with "U" in the category name since there are a lot of user categories. See: this list of many of the categories on the Community Central wiki.

Depending on whether you are on the source tab or the visual tab, you will and will not have to enter  [[Category:  in the category module to get LinkSuggest to show up.

It gets more confusing. Still figuring it out. I see that if the visual editor is disabled, but the category module is enabled, then LinkSuggest does not work in the category module. But LinkSuggest does work in the source-mode edit window.

This all makes my brain hurt. See the next section for a possible solution and simpler way. --Timeshifter 20:51, September 13, 2011 (UTC)

Simpler category module
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I think the category module should only be edited in one way. Without brackets. It should always work in visual mode since if it is enabled, the categories do not show up in the main editing window anyway.

If the category module is disabled, then categories show up in the main editing window. --Timeshifter 20:51, September 13, 2011 (UTC)


 * I wish they'd make the Category module work more like CategorySelect. That is a good feature. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 14 Sep 2011 5:00 PM Pacific