The Scratch Wiki helpdesk!

mathfreak231

Have you not joined the Scratch Wiki community yet, but need something nonetheless?

For example, do you want to know how the Scratch Wiki works? Do you have an argument for or against a page being deleted, renamed, or the like? Are you having trouble finding or understanding information? Is there a typo or misconception that you would like fixed? Is there an image that shows your username where you would like to plead anonymity? Do you have a project that would be great as an example for something? Do you want a new article or tutorial written?

If you answered yes to any of these questions and don't yet meet the requirements to have a Wiki account, then this is the place for you! I, Mathfreak231, Wiki administrator and one of the most active editors to date, and many others are here to answer your questions!

But before you ask, here are a few questions that I don't want you to ask because the answer is quite clear. Any questions asked too frequently will be put here.

Q: What is the Scratch Wiki?
A: A free, collaboratively written wiki hosted under the scratch.mit.edu domain.

Q: Where can I find the wiki?
A: You can go to Help, and click on the link to the Wiki under Resources. Alternatively, just type in wiki.scratch.mit.edu.

Q: Can I have an article about myself or one of my projects on the wiki?
A: No. We have a policy about not having articles on Scratchers or their individual projects, because the wiki is strictly for documentation of Scratch features, versions, trends, and also tutorials. An article about a Scratcher or their project(s) would be considered advertising, and they could be targets for vandalism (“This user was mean!”). If you join the wiki, you can have your own user page, a page where you can tell about yourself that is separate from the normal articles. Take mine for example.

Q: Can our collab have an article on the wiki?
A: As of September 2013, we have been disallowing most collabs. If you think yours is the best-of-the-best, however, we may be able to put it in the Hall of Fame on Collaboration (group) as an example. Even if not so, it can still be listed at List of Collaborations. See here for the form to fill out.

Q: Can I have an account to edit the wiki?
A: Sure! Just go to Scratch Wiki:Become a contributor and read all about it!

Q: How many articles?
A: Nearly 800! It says how many articles there are on the front page.

Q: An article is missing citation(s) ([citation needed]). What do?
A: Find a source. Usually a good place to look is the forums.

Q: What are the duties of a wiki editor?
A: To make the wiki precise, clear, and complete, while also teaching about what can be done with Scratch.

Q: Why are some articles giving outdated information?
A: The wiki is still under improvement. If you find information that is outdated and you aren't a wiki contributor, let us know by posting here. Most articles that are outdated have the Outdated message on them.

We're here to help! Scratch on!

I hope this gets stickied or I-Topic'd…

Last edited by mathfreak231 (Dec. 29, 2013 17:22:02)

ProdigyZeta7

Moar Q&A to add:

Q: Where can I find the wiki?
A: You can go to Help, and click on the link to the Wiki under Resources.

Q: How many articles?
A: 835, as of today.

Q: An article is missing a citation(s) ([citation needed]). What do?
A: ____

Q: What are the duties of a wiki editor?
A: ____

Q: Why are some articles giving outdated information?
A: The wiki is still under improvement. If you find information that is outdated and you aren't a wiki contributor, let us know by making a forum topic in Questions About Scratch.

mathfreak231

ProdigyZeta7 wrote:
Moar Q&A to add:

Q: Where can I find the wiki?
A: You can go to Help, and click on the link to the Wiki under Resources.

Q: How many articles?
A: 835, as of today.

Q: An article is missing a citation(s) ([citation needed]). What do?
A: ____

Q: What are the duties of a wiki editor?
A: ____

Q: Why are some articles giving outdated information?
A: The wiki is still under improvement. If you find information that is outdated and you aren't a wiki contributor, let us know by making a forum topic in Questions About Scratch.

Thank you!

dracae

Outdated: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Project_Notes
Meh: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Layer_(value) This layer page needs some help. DadofMrLog
Bland: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/How_do_I_create_a_new_project%3F Could use graphics
Outdated: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Shift_Secrets Not much for 2.0

I'll add more.

Sorry if it's like I'm forcing work onto you guys, idk.

turkey3

dracae wrote:
Outdated: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Project_Notes
Meh: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Layer_(value) This layer page needs some help. DadofMrLog
Bland: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/How_do_I_create_a_new_project%3F Could use graphics
Outdated: http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Shift_Secrets Not much for 2.0

I'll add more.

Sorry if it's like I'm forcing work onto you guys, idk.

We already have taken note of the outdated ones

which is why it says it at the top. Basically, we do the {{Outdated}} thing when we notice something is outdated but are too lazy at times to fix it ourselves

And the shift-secrets page will eventually probably be a historical perspective page on 1.4 only. But the layer does need work. Thanks!

dracae

turkey3 wrote:
We already have taken note of the outdated ones which is why it says it at the top. Basically, we do the {{Outdated}} thing when we notice something is outdated but are too lazy at times to fix it ourselves

Oh… I saw the outdated tag thing on the top, and at the shift secrets page, I was wondering about it… ;P

turkey3 wrote:
But the layer does need work. Thanks!

You're welcome. I thought you guys would be like: ARGH U GIEV US SO MACH WORK U SUCK!!!11!!!111!

turkey3

dracae wrote:
turkey3 wrote:
We already have taken note of the outdated ones which is why it says it at the top. Basically, we do the {{Outdated}} thing when we notice something is outdated but are too lazy at times to fix it ourselves

Oh… I saw the outdated tag thing on the top, and at the shift secrets page, I was wondering about it… ;P

turkey3 wrote:
But the layer does need work. Thanks!

You're welcome. I thought you guys would be like: ARGH U GIEV US SO MACH WORK U SUCK!!!11!!!111!

Life is work

chocolatepenguin

Actually, collabs CAN have articles.

mathfreak231

chocolatepenguin wrote:
Actually, collabs CAN have articles.

“Do you want your Scratch collaboration documented on the wiki?” is one of the questions in the intros. The Q&A “Can I have an article about myself or one of my projects?” refers to an INDIVIDUAL Scratcher or their project.

EDIT: Not anymore…

Last edited by mathfreak231 (Sept. 15, 2013 00:44:08)

turkey3

Okay, the layer value page is updated now

DadOfMrLog

Another (ab?)use of layers: executing scripts in different sprites/clones in some desired order via a broadcast - as seen in the 3d framework demo.

Done by using the fact that the order broadcasts are received is the same as the order that sprites (and clones) are layered on the screen -including hidden sprites. (This also means the wiki info about broadcast execution order could do with fixing - it's not strictly the ‘last drag’ order as it claims, but only happens to appear to be so because the last dragged sprite ends up on top - and that was also true for 1.4 - go check it out yourself…)

I can't think of that much extra to add to the layer value wiki page - I mean what else can you say…?

How about: “It can be a real pain to try to manipulate the layering of sprites exactly in the way you want, because of the existence of ‘extra’ items that you may not have taken into consideration (including hidden sprites, or reporters that may be visible or may once have been visible but now hidden, etc.) That's why we have no example scripts on this page…”

Perhaps it's worth noting that you can send a sprite forward a number of layers by giving a negative value to “go back ( ) layers”.

Last edited by DadOfMrLog (Aug. 19, 2013 20:42:24)

turkey3

DadOfMrLog wrote:
Another (ab?)use of layers: executing scripts in different sprites/clones in some desired order via a broadcast - as seen in the 3d framework demo.

Done by using the fact that the order broadcasts are received is the same as the order that sprites (and clones) are layered on the screen -including hidden sprites. (This also means the wiki info about broadcast execution order could do with fixing - it's not strictly the ‘last drag’ order as it claims, but only happens to appear to be so because the last dragged sprite ends up on top - and that was also true for 1.4 - go check it out yourself…)

I can't think of that much extra to add to the layer value wiki page - I mean what else can you say…?

How about: “It can be a real pain to try to manipulate the layering of sprites exactly in the way you want, because of the existence of ‘extra’ items that you may not have taken into consideration (including hidden sprites, or reporters that may be visible or may once have been visible but now hidden, etc.) That's why we have no example scripts on this page…”

Perhaps it's worth noting that you can send a sprite forward a number of layers by giving a negative value to “go back ( ) layers”.

I think it may mention moving forward a layer on the move back () layers block page. Yeah, the broadcast order would be good, too.

mathfreak231

bump to keep alive after vacation

mathfreak231

bump again

i thought this topic would be more useful

pls sticky or itopic

DadOfMrLog

A quick browse of a few wiki pages suggests here are still lots of things on the wiki that need updating for 2.0 (unsurprisingly…)

I've mentioned the broadcast execution order thing above (which was also never really ‘correct’ anyway), just because it's something I happened to come across when testing exactly that question.

Another page I noticed that could do with updating is the one on sensing case. It still suggests list-checking can be used, but there's no mention that method is 1.4-only (doesn't work in 2.0).

It also needs noting that the costume method is no longer possible from a brand new project (as of a fairly recent update of the editor) since you can't create two costumes with the same name - and case is ignored when comparing the names (so you can't have “a” and “A”, for example).

AFAIK, there's now no way to do case comparison from within Scratch 2.0, starting from a new project. (You have to take the costumes from an older project where you could have costumes with names that differ only by case. Of course, hacking the json is easy enough - but I'm talking about from within Scratch itself.)

Wondering if I'm correct in that assertion, or can someone find a way now…?

Last edited by DadOfMrLog (Sept. 2, 2013 14:35:27)

scimonster

DOML, perhaps you'd like to apply for a wiki account and make changes yourself?

DadOfMrLog

scimonster wrote:
DOML, perhaps you'd like to apply for a wiki account and make changes yourself?

Have considered it often. But I suspect I tend to be a bit too… verbose… in my explanations, trying to include all the little details to cover all sorts of possibilities and routes that may not always be that helpful. (I'd make everything sound too complicated.)

Also, I'd probably end up wasting spending loads of time on it, when I should be doing other things!

And finally, if someone edited what I'd written, expunging most of those ‘really important’ details, I think I'd just feel soooo hard done by!

But maybe, just maybe, one day…

mathfreak231

Burmp. Collabs are no longer allowed.

mathfreak231

Bump again just to see what kinds of people this brings.

Jerry_X2

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