These are some guidelines for adding images to Vexillology Wiki. For any help or questions, ask at the forum, the community portal or this page's talk page.
File naming and renaming
There are no definitive file naming conventions on this wiki. The most common naming scheme for US and Canadian flag proposals is "XX Flag Proposal YYY", where XX is the two-letter postal code of the state, province or territory, and YYY is the flag designer (for example File:ID Flag Proposal Tibbetts.jpg). You may however use any format you like. A descriptive, unambiguous name is recommended.
For current flags, "Flag of XXX" is the advised format (e.g. File:Flag of Arkansas.png, File:Flag of the Northwest Territories.svg).
Unlike regular pages, files can be renamed by administrators only. To request a file be moved, add the {{rename}} template to the file page, giving the new name as first parameter (e.g. {{rename|NewName.ext}}). Please do not just upload the same file again under a different name, unless you mark the old file for deletion (see below).
Uploading an image
Methods
There are several ways to upload images. You must have a Wikia account in order to be able to upload files. Note: The latter three methods are only available in the default Wikia skin, not in Monobook and other skins.
- Using Special:Upload, the classic upload form.
- Directly from any page in normal view, using the "Upload image" button in the "Images" section in the sidebar.
- From any page with an image gallery, using the "Add a photo to this gallery" button below the gallery.
- From an article's edit screen, using the buttons in the "Add features and media" section in the sidebar. The "Photo" button adds a floating image; "Gallery" creates a gallery of images (but cannot modify or add to an existing one).
The Special:Upload and "Upload image" forms are recommended over the add-to-gallery script for uploading, since the special page allows you to choose a name for your file (the script will use the name of the file on your computer). The "Photo" sidebar button also allows for a different file name in the "More options" menu; however, the "Gallery" button does not.
Don't forget to edit the file page after uploading to add the necessary file information, if it is not already added using Special:Upload's summary field. See below for what to put on the file page.
File formats
Supported image formats include SVG (vector), PNG (lossless raster), JPEG and GIF (lossy raster). SVG is the preferred format for non-photographic images; if no vector version is available, it is recommended to use the PNG format.
See Help:Uploading files for the general help page on uploading files.
File information page
The file page should include a description of the file, and must include source and licensing information. File information can be displayed using either the {{File information}} template (see its documentation) or in plain text.
In Special:Upload and the "Upload image" sidebar button, the contents of the "File information" field will appear on the file page. With the other upload methods, the file page must be separately edited; the file page of an image can be reached using the "More Info" button in the enlarged image view (found by clicking on an image in view mode).
Categorizing files
Files and other pages can be added to categories using the "Categories" menu in the sidebar of the edit page.
Ideally, all flag images are categorized in a subcategory of Category:Flags as well as an entity-specific subcategory of Category:Categories; for example, File:Flag of Vermont.svg is in Category:Vermont and Category:Current U.S. flag. For proposed flags, this most often means categorizing in the entity-specific category and a designer-specific category in Category:Flag by users: File:FL Flag Proposal Alternateuniversedesigns.png is in Category:Florida and Category:Flag by Alternateuniversedesigns.
Adding files to articles
Adding an image to a gallery
Most articles have a section containing a gallery of proposed or historical flags. The button "Add a photo to this gallery" opens a form to add images to it. Click "Add a photo", choose a file to add to the gallery, and add a caption in the next screen. Click "Done" to confirm.
To add a new flag manually, click the "Edit" icon next to the section header, go to the end of the section and add a new line just before the closing </gallery> tag. On this line, write the file name, a pipe character, and a caption; e.g. File:Filename.ext|XXX flag proposal by Example.
Adding a new gallery or floating image
In the sidebar, the "Photo" and "Gallery" buttons insert a floating image and a new gallery respectively.
Deleting a file
To nominate a file (or any other page) for deletion, use Template:Delete, the syntax for which is {{delete|reason=Reason for deletion}}. Replace "Reason for deletion" with the reason why you think the file should be deleted.
If you are requesting deletion of your own file, you do not need to specify a reason; use just {{delete}} in such cases.