Wiki-style forums are the default forums for wikis created since July 2006. Older wikis who desire this feature can follow the steps below or request help from the Wikia Community Team.

Initial Setup

Setting up a new wiki forum involves copying a set of pages to your local Wikia. This page describes a basic set-up that adds two forums. Many aspects of this can be customized, but this set-up gives a good place to start.

• Copy the following pages to your local wiki (all pages below are on the Starter Wiki):
  1. Forum:Index
  2. Forum:Help desk
  3. Forum:Watercooler
  4. Template:Forumheader/Help desk
  5. Template:Forumheader*/Watercooler
  6. Template:Forumheader
  7. Category:Forums
  8. Category:Help desk
  9. Category:Watercooler

• If your wiki has customized CSS, ensure that the following CSS is in the local MediaWiki:Wikia.css (for the Wikia skin) and MediaWiki:Common.css (for the Monobook skin).

/* Forum formatting - Algorithm & Splarka */
.forumheader { border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; background-color: #F9F9F9; margin-top: 1em; padding: 12px; }
.forumlist td span { display: block; padding-left: 10px; font-size: smaller; }
.forumlist td span a { text-decoration: none; }
.forumlist td span.forum_author { padding-left: 30px; }
.forumlist td.forum_edited a { text-decoration: none; }
.forumlist td.forum_title a { padding-left: 20px; }
.forumlist td.forum_title span a { padding-left: 0px; }
.forumlist td.forum_title a.forum_new { font-weight: bold; background: url(http://images.wikia.com/www/images/4/4e/Forum_new.gif) center left no-repeat; padding-left: 20px; }
.forumlist td.forum_title a.forum_new:visited { font-weight: normal; background: none; padding-left: 20px; }
.forumlist th.forum_title { padding-left: 20px; }

• Save w:c:starter:Image:Forum new.gif to your hard drive, and then upload to your local Wiki with the same name.

• Add a link to Forum:Index to the wiki navigation.

Testing the Setup

To test the forums, you can add welcome messages for each section, similar to those at Welcome to the help desk and Welcome to the watercooler.

Adding Additional Forums

• See Help:Wiki-style forums.