How to Contribute

WikiYou is a free, community-built encyclopedia powered by GitHub. Anyone can create or edit pages by submitting a Pull Request. This guide explains everything you need to know to get started.

1. Quick Start

Contributing to WikiYou is a simple process using GitHub's Pull Request workflow:

• Fork the Repository

  Go to github.com/altlimit/wikiyou and click the Fork button in the top-right corner. This creates your own copy of the project.

• Create Your Page

  Add a new .html file in the appropriate category folder under site/src/. Choose the right template and fill in the frontmatter fields (see below).

• Write Your Content

  Write your content inside the {{define "content"}} block using standard HTML and the CSS helper classes provided below. No custom CSS needed!

• Submit a Pull Request

  Commit your changes, push to your fork, then open a Pull Request to the main repository. The maintainers will review and merge your contribution.

2. Directory Structure

Pages are organized into category folders. Always place your file in the correct category:

3. Available Templates

WikiYou provides several templates designed for different types of content. Choose the one that best fits your page:

4. Article Template

The article template is the most versatile. Use it for any informational content.

---
template: article.html
title: Your Article Title
description: "A brief description for SEO and social sharing."
category: guides
category_label: Guides
og_type: article
---

{{define "content"}}
<h2>Section Heading</h2>
<p>Your content here. Use standard HTML tags.</p>

<h2>Another Section</h2>
<p>More content. You can use lists, tables, code blocks, and more.</p>
<ul>
    <li>Point one</li>
    <li>Point two</li>
</ul>
{{end}}

5. Profile Template

The profile template shows a Wikipedia-style infobox sidebar. The infobox fields are populated automatically from your frontmatter.

---
template: profile.html
title: Company or Person Name
description: "Brief description for SEO."
category: companies
category_label: Companies
type: Private Company
industry: Software Development
founded: "2020"
location: San Francisco, CA
website: https://example.com
github: username
og_type: article
---

{{define "content"}}
<h2>Overview</h2>
<p>An overview paragraph about the subject.</p>

<h2>History</h2>
<p>Historical details and background.</p>
{{end}}

Available infobox fields:

6. Person Template

The person template is similar to the profile template but designed specifically for biographies. It includes an infobox sidebar with fields for biographical details.

---
template: person.html
title: Person Name
subtitle: "Short tagline or description"
description: "Brief description for SEO."
category: people
category_label: People
born: "January 1, 1900"
died: "December 31, 1980"
nationality: "American"
occupation: "Inventor, Engineer"
known_for: "Notable achievement or invention"
education: "University Name"
awards: "Award Name, Another Award"
og_type: article
---

{{define "content"}}
<h2>Early Life</h2>
<p>Background and childhood details.</p>

<h2>Career</h2>
<p>Professional accomplishments.</p>

<h2>Legacy</h2>
<p>Impact and lasting contributions.</p>
{{end}}

Person infobox fields:

7. Tool Template

The tool template provides a centered layout for interactive applications. Include your JavaScript in the addHead block.

---
template: tool.html
title: My Calculator
description: "A brief description of what this tool does."
category: tools
category_label: Tools
info: true
og_type: article
---

{{define "addHead"}}
<script>
    // Your JavaScript here
</script>
{{end}}

{{define "content"}}
<!-- Your interactive tool HTML here -->
<div class="form-group">
    <label for="input1">Enter a value</label>
    <input type="text" id="input1">
</div>
<div class="form-result" id="result">Result</div>
{{end}}

{{define "tool-info"}}
<h2>About This Tool</h2>
<p>Explain what the tool does and how to use it.</p>
{{end}}

8. Game Template

The game template provides a layout for browser-based games with a canvas/app container and an info section. Place your JavaScript in a sibling file (e.g., games/snake.js for games/snake.html).

---
template: game.html
title: My Game
description: "A brief description of the game."
category: games
category_label: Games
og_type: article
---

{{define "addHead"}}
<style>
    /* Game-specific styles */
</style>
{{end}}

{{define "content"}}
<!-- Your game HTML here -->
<canvas id="game-canvas" width="400" height="400"></canvas>
<script src="/games/my-game.js"></script>
{{end}}

{{define "game-info"}}
<h2>How to Play</h2>
<p>Instructions for the game.</p>

<h2>About This Game</h2>
<p>Background and history of the game.</p>
{{end}}

9. CSS Helper Classes

WikiYou provides a rich set of CSS utility classes so you can create well-structured pages without writing custom CSS. Here are the most commonly used classes:

Layout

Typography

Spacing

Components

10. Content Guidelines

• Be factual and neutral. Write in an encyclopedic tone similar to Wikipedia. Avoid promotional language.
• Use sections. Break your content into clearly headed sections using <h2> and <h3> tags.
• Write enough content. Aim for at least 3-4 paragraphs. Stubs are acceptable but fuller articles are preferred.
• Add descriptions. Always include a description field in your frontmatter for SEO and social sharing.
• Quote multi-line strings. YAML frontmatter values that contain colons or span multiple lines must be wrapped in quotes.
• Use lowercase filenames. Use hyphens to separate words: my-page-title.html.
• Cite your sources. Link to references or external sources when presenting factual claims.
• No inappropriate content. Content must be suitable for a general audience.