Help:User access levels
From Hardware Wiki
Different users have access to different functions of the site. Wiki founders are given administrator and bureaucrat access. They can make any other user on their wiki an administrator, bureaucrat, or rollback user.
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[edit] Anyone
Anyone, including users without a user account, can read the wiki as well as create new pages and edit unprotected pages. Any non-banned user is free to create a user account.
[edit] Logged in users
Users who have created an account and logged in (this is free and only requires a username and password) can change the title of a page by moving it. (That is much better and faster than creating a new page and moving the content.)
Logged-in users can upload an image or other file to the wiki. There are restrictions on which file types can be uploaded.
Logged-in users can mark a page on recent changes as "patrolled" to show other users that they have checked an edit. This feature is disabled by default, you can request it be turned on by asking the Community Team.
Logged-in users can also customize the display of the wiki using Special:Preferences, as well as maintain a page watchlist.
[edit] Rollback
Users with the "rollback" permission are able to revert vandalism and bad-faith edits by using the rollback link on diff pages and user contributions list. They are just like logged-in users, only with one extra button.
Bureaucrats can give users rollback rights by using the form at Special:Userrights. The action will be logged on Special:Log/rights.
[edit] Administrators ("sysops")
Administrators can delete pages and page histories. They can also undelete a previously deleted page, or undelete specific revisions of it. Administrators can also delete and undelete uploaded files.
Administrators can lock (protect) a page so it cannot be edited or renamed by users without admin rights or autoconfirmed users, dependent on settings.
Administrators can block an IP address or user name from editing.
Administrators can revert bad edits more easily using a "[rollback]" link which appears on diff pages and user contributions lists.
Administrators can edit the MediaWiki namespace to make changes to the interface.
On Wikipedia, an admin is defined as a "trusted user". You should be aware that this might not be the case on Wikia. The requester of a wiki will be given admin access to that wiki on the Principle of First Trust. If a user later turns out to be irresponsible with the admin access, it may be removed by staff at any time.
For details, see the administrators' how-to guide.
[edit] Bureaucrats
A bureaucrat can make other users into bureaucrats or administrators on the wiki where they are a bureaucrat and give trusted users a rollback function on their own wiki. They are not currently able to remove admin access from any user. Please contact the Community Team if you need admin access removed from any user.
[edit] Instructions for bureaucrats
(Please see Central Wikia help page for full details.) Briefly, the commonest duties are:
- Bureaucrats can turn other users into admins or bureaucrats using Special:Userrights. They can also promote and revoke rollback rights using this forum. There is a link to this on the list of special pages.
[edit] Helper
The Wikia Helper Group is made up of contractors and volunteer interns who are working for Wikia. They could be helping to defend against spam, improving your wiki's interface and design, or helping to increase the amount of quality content on your wiki. They also drop in to say "hi" to new wiki founders and help to greet newcomers. See here for more info.
[edit] Janitor
Janitors are Wikia users that help to keep everything tidy across Wikia. Janitors can help with cleaning cross-Wikia spam, reverting vandalism on quiet or inactive wikis, and can give help and advice on using the advanced features of the wiki. See here for more info.
[edit] Staff
Some Wikia staff members have full access to all wikis. They will be shown in Special:Listusers/staff on any wiki. Please see contact us for details on how to contact Wikia staff.
Different users have access to different functions of the site.
Wiki founders are given administrator and bureaucrat access. They can make any other user on their wiki an administrator, bureaucrat, or give the rollback ability.
What can all users do on a wiki?
Anyone can read the wiki as well as create new pages and edit unprotected pages, including users without a user account. Any non-banned user is free to create a user account.
What can logged-in users do on a wiki?
Users who have created an account and logged in (this is free and only requires a username, password, and birth date) can:
- customize the appearance and features of the wiki by setting their preferences.
- maintain an article watchlist.
- mark their own contributions as minor edits.
- upload an image or other file to the wiki.
- mark a page on recent changes as "patrolled" (where this feature is enabled)
Logged in users who have accounts four days old are given the 'autoconfirmed' user right.
Autoconfirmed users can move/rename pages and edit semi-protected pages.
A user with a confirmed email address can enable email messages from other users, and can request lost passwords. Some future social networking oriented extensions at Wikia may also require a confirmed email.
What is the rollback permission?
Anyone can revert vandalism and bad-faith edits, but it takes a couple of clicks in the page history to get it done. Users with the "rollback" permission are able to undo bad edits with one click, by using the rollback link on diff pages and user contributions list. They are just like logged-in users, only with one extra button.
It's important to note that sysops already have the rollback ability, so it doesn't need to be granted separately. Rollback is designed for helpful users who are not sysops but could use the tool to combat bad-faith edits.
Bureaucrats can give or revoke users' rollback rights by using Special:UserRights.
What can bots do on a wiki?
A "bot" is any automated process, program, or script that make it easier for a user to make tedious or repetitive edits on a wiki. When a bot makes many edits in quick succession, the recent changes log can sometimes be overtaken by quick and repetitive edits, making it harder to spot more substantial edits by regular users. Giving an account a "bot flag" will hide these edits from the RecentChanges list (although any editor can still choose to see them by clicking "show bots").
On Wikia, a user who wishes to use a bot should set up a separate account for it, then talk with other users on the wiki (using discussion pages or forums) about whether the types of edits the bot makes should be hidden. This depends on the bot's purpose, and how well the bot user is trusted by the community.
If the community agrees that the bot account should be flagged, contact the Wikia Community Team with a link to the discussion and the bot flag will be added.
For more information on using and making bots, see AutoWikiBrowser or Pywikipediabot.
What can administrators do on a wiki?
Administrators can:
- delete pages and page histories. They can also undelete a previously deleted page, or undelete specific revisions of it.
- delete and undelete uploaded images and other files.
- rename pages in the File: namespace
- lock (protect) a page so it cannot be edited or renamed by users without admin rights.
- block an IP address or user name from editing.
- revert bad edits more easily using a "rollback" link which appears on diff pages and user contributions lists.
- edit the MediaWiki namespace to make changes to the interface.
On Wikipedia, an admin is defined as a "trusted user". You should be aware that this might not be the case on Wikia. The requester of a wiki will be given admin access to that wiki on the Principle of First Trust. If a user later turns out to be irresponsible with the admin access, it may be removed by one of the wiki's bureaucrats at any time.
For details, see the Help:Administrators' how-to guide.
What can bureaucrats do on a wiki?
A bureaucrat can make other users into bureaucrats, and can grant and revoke administrator and rollback rights for users on their wiki. Unlike Wikipedia's bureaucrats, Wikia bureaucrats cannot grant and revoke "bot" status or rename user accounts.
Please contact a member of the Wikia:Community Team if the community decides bureaucrat access should be removed from a user.
How do I grant rollback or admin rights?
A bureaucrat can grant or revoke rollback rights for non-administrators through Special:UserRights. Bureaucrats can also turn other users into admins or bureaucrats using Special:UserRights. While bureaucrats can remove admins, only staff can remove bureaucrat rights. There is a link to UserRights on the list of special pages, which is always available in the toolbox in the sidebar menu. Sysops have the rollback ability by default, so adding rollback to administrators grants no additional rights.
First enter the user's name (capitalization matters!) and click "Edit User Groups". The form shown at the right will be made available. Select the appropriate right(s) under "Groups you can change", fill in "Reason for change", and click "Save User Groups". Make sure you're giving rights to the right person by checking the links to the user page and the contributions! Once you save the form, a confirmation message will display which groups the user is now in, and the change in rights will be recorded at Special:Log/rights.
The user gains administrator access immediately. There is a link to the user's talk page on the form -- after receiving the confirmation, you may wish to use this to notify and congratulate the user, and perhaps provide links to Help:Administrators' how-to guide and any local policies for administrators on your wiki.
Who are users in the "helper" group?
Helpers consist of contractors and volunteer interns who are working for Wikia. They have administrator access to all Wikia.
See Wikia:Wikia Helper Group for more info, or Special:Listusers/helper for a list.
What are the users in "staff" group?
User in staff group are Wikia employees and they have full access to all Wikia wikis. They will be shown in Special:Listusers/staff on any wiki. Please see Help:Contacting Wikia for details on how to contact Wikia staff.
Staff members can use "oversight" (revision hiding) tools to remove certain revisions permanently (for instance, those that contain personal information such as addresses and phone numbers).
What can't blocked users do?
Blocked users can't:
- Edit pages
- Move pages
- Upload files
In some cases, blocked users are also prevented from emailing other users, creating new accounts, and editing their own user talk page.
