RetroTechCollection:Tools
| Editing Tools |
|---|
| Tools to speed up article creation and editing on the RetroTechCollection Wiki |
These tools are available to all registered editors. They help automate repetitive tasks like creating infoboxes, importing specifications, and managing categories. For general editing help, see Help:Editing.
🧰 Available Tools
[edit source]Infobox Generator
[edit source]| Access | Open Infobox Generator — also available via the toolbar button when editing an article |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Generate properly formatted infobox wikitext for computers and peripherals/accessories |
Features:
- Switch between Computer and Peripheral infobox types
- Form fields for all infobox parameters — only filled fields appear in the output
- Auto-links predecessor and successor fields (e.g. type "Macintosh IIcx" → outputs
[[Macintosh IIcx]]) - Formats image filenames correctly (adds
[[File:...|250px]]wrapper) - Live preview shows how the infobox will render
- One-click copy to clipboard
- "Insert into Editor" button when used from the article editor
How to use:
- Open the Infobox Generator
- Select the infobox type (Computer or Peripheral)
- Fill in the fields you need — leave unwanted fields blank
- Click "Generate Infobox"
- Copy the wikitext and paste it as the first line of your article
Spec Sheet Importer
[edit source]| Access | Open Spec Importer |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Import technical specifications from EveryMac.com and auto-generate infobox wikitext |
| Data source | EveryMac.com — comprehensive Macintosh specifications database |
Features:
- Search EveryMac by model name
- Quick-select dropdown for common Macintosh models
- Fetches full specs and maps them to RTC Wiki infobox fields:
- CPU (processor type + speed)
- Memory (standard + maximum)
- Storage (HDD, floppy, optical)
- Display (built-in + resolution)
- Dimensions and weight
- OS support range
- Pricing and model numbers
- All mapped fields are editable before generating wikitext
- Side-by-side view: mapped infobox fields + full EveryMac spec sheet for reference
- Results are cached for 24 hours (fast repeat lookups)
How to use:
- Open the Spec Importer
- Search for a model or use the quick-select dropdown
- Review the auto-mapped infobox fields on the left
- Reference the full EveryMac data on the right for anything the auto-mapper missed
- Edit any fields that need adjustment
- Click "Generate Infobox Wikitext" to get the finished wikitext
Twinkle
[edit source]| Access | Toolbar buttons appear automatically on every page (TW menu) |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Maintenance tagging, page protection, speedy deletion, and batch operations |
25 maintenance templates available, including 5 RTC-specific:
- {{Missing specs}} — Article needs technical specifications
- {{Missing photos}} — Article needs product photographs
- {{Needs teardown}} — Device needs internal photography/documentation
- {{Verify model}} — Model information needs verification
- {{Software list needed}} — Software compatibility list needed
Enable in Preferences → Gadgets → Twinkle. Documentation: RetroTechCollection:TW.
HotCat
[edit source]| Access | Category links at the bottom of any page get (+) (−) (±) buttons |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Click-based category management — add, remove, or change categories without editing the source |
Enable in Preferences → Gadgets → HotCat.
Pywikibot
[edit source]| Access | Server-side only (command line) |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Batch operations — bulk edits, category moves, template substitutions |
Available for admin use. Contact an administrator if you need batch operations performed.
📋 Recommended Workflow
[edit source]Creating a new computer article:
- Import specs — Open the Spec Importer, find your model, review the data
- Generate infobox — Click "Generate Infobox Wikitext", copy to clipboard
- Create article — Paste the infobox as the first line
- Write content — Follow the editing guide and style guides
- Add categories — Use HotCat for quick category assignment
- Tag if incomplete — Use Twinkle to add maintenance tags for missing sections
📖 Related Pages
[edit source]- Help:Editing — Comprehensive editing guide
- RetroTechCollection:TW — Twinkle documentation
- Gadget Preferences — Enable/disable optional tools