7 Components: the Function Pages - Developers

command line level. To do this, switch to the directory mediawiki/maintenance
and enter the following:
php rebuildall.php
Execution of the script can take several hours, depending on the database
size. Since a few special pages depend on the data, it is worth
the effort for reasons of consistency, because otherwise only incomplete
data will be generated.
8.3
Design Questions
If you wish to utilize MediaWiki as a component of your homepage,
it is a good idea to adapt the design of the wiki to your own site.
Even as an independent site, you may want to lend your wiki a personal
touch. There are two approaches you can use to change its appearance:
You can design the skin by altering the CSS files in the directory
mediawiki/skins/common. Changes to the page structure, on
the other hand, are done via the templates in the directory mediawiki/skins.
The template system has only been in use since MediaWiki
version 1.3. Template-based layout, however, is the model
for future versions and considerably easier to adapt. In addition, the
skin, which is intended to enable one's own settings, is based on a
template model. Thus we will concentrate on template-assisted design
below. It is of note, however, that the skins Standard, Nostalgia
and CologneBlue use a different system.
Let us first have a look at the template MonoBook.php in mediawiki/skins.
The crucial area begins as of the line
class MonoBookTemplate extends QuickTemplate
The schematic construction is depicted in Tab. 8.3.
Area Function
Determines the page title and the
stylesheet to be employed.
The entire content to be displayed is
located here.
Areas in which the article is displayed.
Article display.
All navigation bars and toolboxes are
located here.
Skins
Template
structure
Tab. 8.3
8.3 Design Questions �
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