Talk:Forth Lesson 0

Titles on Pages Versus Titles in the Index

Seems a little perverse that each lesson page is identified only "Forth Lesson n" with n in {0..22} while the index in the box has names without numbers. The numbers will add only two or three characters to each lesson name. If I add the numbers to the index box, will anyone object? Peasthope 00:14, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

Sure, but can you make it a table? The varying width of numbers in a bullet list would make it harder to read. --Quozl 21:35, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

Good idea. Probably not this week but possibly next or the week after, Peasthope 01:21, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

OK, I have xhtml which makes a table as you describe but have not found the wiki text which currently generates the xhtml which makes the extant list. Is this wiki text accessible to me? Thanks, Peasthope 19:37, 9 November 2012 (UTC)

I don't think XHTML has any bearing. --Quozl 07:39, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

"View Page Source" shows me XHTML text. The wiki markup is transformed into XHTML. --Peasthope 00:15, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

View Page Source is not a function of the Wiki, so not relevant to the discussion. --Quozl 01:54, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

The Wiki page is Template:Forth_Lessons. --Quozl 07:39, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. I was baffled. --Peasthope 00:15, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

For an example of Wiki table markup, see Operating_system_image_installation_methods. --Quozl 07:39, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks again. Never tried to put a table in a wiki. --Peasthope 00:15, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

It would take too long to explain it, so I've just done it instead. A table might be harder to maintain for no real advantage. I hope you noticed that already, before the change, moving a mouse over the link shows you the lesson number? --Quozl 07:39, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Might have noticed, but lesson numbers in the index are a definite improvement. Thanks, Peasthope 00:15, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

No worries. Someone might want it changed back, given that the numbers are now redundant. Check your browser shows you were you click before you click; an important security feature. I've reformatted the discussion so others can read it more readily. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Talk_page_guidelines#Layout and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Using_talk_pages#Indentation for how to use talk page indentation. --Quozl 01:54, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

All the preceeding makes good sense. Now one last point. My instinct is to put the heading at the top of the page. "Forth Lesson 9, Device Trees" rather than just "Forth Lesson 9" for example. OK or no? If there is no complaint, will add the headings, Peasthope 16:21, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Seems a waste of effort, both yours and mine, concentrating on formatting rather than the content. Have you actually used the content, and do you understand it? The heading of which you speak is automatic (checked lessons 1 through 8), so the only way to change it is to rename every page, and that breaks any inbound links from offsite. A redirect is created, but that doubles the footprint of the pages in the Wiki. The subheading you desire is often a subheading below the main heading, or if not then it is in the navigation template Template:Forth_Lessons. There could be more consistency in this subheading usage, but the way it is at the moment does not detract from usability of the content. --Quozl 23:23, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I've read all the lessons; understood about 1/3 or 1/2 of the content. Yes I have questions and suggestions about the content. Certainly content is important but organization, format and text structure all help to make content more readable and understandable. These matters won't seem so important to someone who already knows the content cold ... but any professional editor will insist on a heading more meaningful than "Forth Lesson n" ... but the index suffices. Yes,let's leave it here. Regards, ... Peasthope 15:36, 17 November 2012 (UTC)