How to comment
From eoswiki.co.uk
How to comment on an article
You must first log in as a Registered User. If you do not yet have a username and password, please get one by going to the User Registration page (see link in Left Hand side panel) to request one. Having logged in, you can then click on the Discussion tab at the top of the article on which you wish to comment. You will then find one of four things:
- A blank discussion page where there is no downloadable version of the article available at this time.
- A discussion page containing a notice that the article has not yet been converted to wiki/html format accompanied by a link to a pdf version of the article.
- A discussion page containing the un-altered text of the original article in wiki format but with no comments already inserted within the body of the article.
- A discussion page containing the text of the article into which other users have already inserted comments.
All of these may have a series of “thread” comments that users to the site have already started.
Adding comments to a blank discussion page
Occasionally you may encounter a discussion page which has not been set up. The most likely reason for this is that the article is not currently available. We will endevour to rectify this as soon as possible. Nevertheless, should you wish to comment on an article or book that is not actually available on this site, you can still insert a “thread” comment into the discussion page associated with it by following the procedure described below.
Adding comments where an article has not yet been converted
You will find a notice on the Discussion page explaining that the article has not yet been converted to wiki/html format but providing a link to a pdf version of the article. You then have one of two options available to you. You can either (i) copy and format the text of the pdf into the discussion page and then insert your comments or (ii) start a new “thread” comment without copying the whole article into the discussion page. It would obviously greatly assist other visitors to the site if you were to copy the to text of the article into the discussion page but this is only a help if the original formatting of the article is also recreated. Please therefore only copy all of the text from the pdf if you also intend to format it appropriately. Also. If you do intend to copy the text of the whole article into the discussion page please add it to the main article page and remove the code for the Template listed at the beginning of the article page and amend the template on the Discussion page to {{Template Talk:Discussion Header}}. You may then add your comments on the Discussion page within the body of the article you have copied into the Discussion page or add a “thread” comment.
You can also copy on a particular section of an article you wish to comment upon even if you have not copied the full text of the article to the Discussion page. To do this, highlight the text you want to comment upon in the PDF version of the article and then “copy and paste it into the “discussion” page.
You can insert a “thread” comment without copying any of the original article into the discussion page. For instructions on how to do this To add a “thread” comment see below.
Adding comments to a converted article
You can comment on an article which has been converted in one of three ways.
- Create comments within the body of the article text on a discussion page.
- Comment on other user’s comments within the body of the article text on a Discussion page
- Create a new “thread” comment at the end of the article on a Discussion page
- Comment on other user’s “thread” comments at the end of a Discussion page
Inserting comments within the body of the article text on a Discussion page
The following section deals with the insertion of comments relating to particular points in the text of an article. If your comment relates to several points within the article or to a more general aspect of discussion it may be more appropriate to start a new discussion “thread” at the end of the article. Instructions for how to do this will be found below.
To insert comments on a particular point within the article at the point to which they relate, first click the blue “edit” button for that section. This will open it in wiki/HTML format in a separate in a separate edit window. Locate the point on which you wish to comment and click at the end of the sentence. Enter two carriage returns. This will help to make your comments distinct from the body of the text of the article.
Once you have done this enter a single colon, : and then type your comment. The colon will cause the text of your comment to be indented slightly and thus help to distinguish the comment from the rest of the article.
- Contribution 1, entered by --~~~~
- Contribution 2, entered by --~~~~
- Contribution 3, entered by --~~~~
- Contribution 2, entered by --~~~~
At the end of your comment, sign and date it by entering two dashes and four tilds i.e. --~~~~ or by clicking the signature button 
which is in the wiki edit toolbar at the top of the edit window. This will insert your User Name, today’s date, and the time at which you made the comment. This will help other readers follow the sequence of discussion and "who is saying what".
Finally, before you save your comments, preview what you have done by clicking on the Preview button at the bottom of the edit window to ensure the text is correct and in the correct layout. If you need to change anything scroll down to the edit window again and make your changes and preview it again. Once you are satisfied the text is how you want it click the save button at the bottom of the edit window.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST SAVE YOUR COMMENTS BY CLICKING THE SAVE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN IF YOUR COMMENT IS TO BE KEPT.
Once you have saved the text of the section using the “save” button, the screen will return to a normal view of the Discussion page and a fuller version of the above exchange should show up as follows:
- This is not the best way of conceptualising this point. A better way would be as …. --User 1. Date user made comment.
- Well, actually, it would be even better to think about it this way …. --User 2, another date.
- Still better would be …. --User 3. A later date.
Commenting on comments already made within the body of an article text
If you wish to comment on a comment which has already been added within the body of an article on a Discussion page, first click the edit tab at the top of the Discussion page or the Edit link to the right hand side of the section heading to which you wish to add a comment. Then enter two carriage returns after the Time reference of the comment you wish to comment on. This will separate your comment from the one you wish to comment on. Then enter the appropriate number of colons to indent your comment one further indent beyond the one you are commenting on e.g. two colons i.e. :: if you are the second commenter on that particular comment or three etc if you are the third and so on. The effect of the colon is to indent the text of your comment from that above it. For example;
- Commentor 1
- Commentor 1’s comment
- Comentor 2
- Commentor 2’s comments
and so on
This helps to show the flow of comments and keeps them distinct from each other. Please follow this convention to make it easier for your fellow readers.
Having positioned your comment using the appropriate number of colons type your comment and then sign, date and time your comment by using --~~~~ or the signature button in the edit tool bar at the top of the edit window. Preview your comment to make sure it appears as you want it and is correctly indented with the other comments it relates to and then Save.
Creating a new topic or thread for discussion relating to an article
Where an article is not yet available, has not been converted to wiki/html format or where it is more appropriate to start a more general topic of discussion in relation to an article than to comment on a specific point within it you may wish to start a new discussion “thread”. To do this click the + tab at the top of the discussion page. This will open up a screen to allow you to enter a heading for the topic or thread about which you wish to start a discussion. Enter your heading and your comment. If you do wish to comment on a specific point within the article or if the article has not yet been converted to html/wiki format you can copy the relevant text into your comment by highlighting it and then pasting it into (or before) the discussion “thread” comment you are creating.
Don't forget to sign, date and time your comment using --~~~~ or the signature button at the top of the edit box.
Finally preview your comment to make sure the heading and comment appear as you wish and then Save it.
Commenting on comments already made under a topic or thread for discussion relating to an article
Discussion threads already begun by you or other contributors can be commented on in the same way as those within the body of the article on a Discussion page. First click after the Name, Date and Time of the comment on which you wish comment, enter two carriage returns and the appropriate number of colons to ensure your comments will be indented to the right of the previous comment. You will be able to tell this by seeing how many colons are before the comment you wish to comment on and then adding a further colon. For example;
- Commentor 1
- Commentor 1’s comment
- Your name
- Your comments
Type your comment, sign, date and time it by entering --~~~~ or using the signature button at the top of the edit box. Preview your comment to make sure it is correctly indented in relation to the previous comment and then Save your comment.
