Introducing the PF Library

[Kurdt]

i added an entry on the exponential distribution but it hasnt appeared.

It has to be moderated and approved first. You'd know this if you'd read the first post.

 

[siddharth]

now when i search for it, it says "the entry has been found and you are being redirected to it". after it loads, this is the message i get :

dx, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
2. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

I think all entries need to be approved by a science advisor or a homework helper or a mentor.

 

[Astronuc]

Each new entry starts in moderation which is not visible/accessible to general membership. The entry is reviewed and if found suitable, it will be approved at which time it becomes visible and accessible.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

All current entries have been moderated now.

 

[Ed Aboud]

How come it says that I don't have sufficient privelliges to make an article?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

How come it says that I don't have sufficient privelliges to make an article?

Looks like you do have permission. Were you logged in? Went to "add content"?

 

[jal]

I have a few questions.
Will the library link work when quoted?
I don't like to paraphrase an explanation that I found. Can I cut and paste and not get into "trouble" with the original authors?
Can I just say, "see wiki entry" and add a link?
jal

 

[CRGreathouse]

What about objects with multiple definitions? I've already seen "square" used in the sense of a second power auto-linked to the geometrical definition.

What happens if someone writes an alternate definition talking about algebra? Will only one ever be auto-linked, will this cause a problem, will we not be able to add it?

 

[robphy]

Maybe something like...
square (geometry)
square (algebra)
..with links to alternate uses.
EDIT: (Oh, I understand the issue under discussion now... maybe it should point to a disambiguation(?) page.)

Interesting... my original word was lowercase... but it appears Capitalized in the post.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Interesting... my original word was lowercase... but it appears Capitalized in the post.

working on this

 

[Air]

One Question:

Do you get to edit other peoples articles for mistakes that they might have done (like wikipedia) or will you need to leave comments asking them to correct mistakes?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

One Question:

Do you get to edit other peoples articles for mistakes that they might have done (like wikipedia) or will you need to leave comments asking them to correct mistakes?

For the time being only staff, HH, and SAs can edit. So either report it or comment.

 

[cristo]

So either report it or comment.

Where do library reports go? Is it the same system as for post reports, or do they go to HH/SA?

Edit: scratch that question.. I can see you're working on it now.

 

[Crazy Tosser]

For the time being only staff, HH, and SAs can edit. So either report it or comment.

So can we just send you a PM with a change if we want to change anything?

 

[Hootenanny]

So can we just send you a PM with a change if we want to change anything?

Yeah, send Greg a PM if you need something changed

Edit: Just encase you've started writing the PM's already, I was only joking. I think it would be best to use the 'report' button and explain what changes you would like to make. However, please note that the reporting system is not operational as yet.

Edit: Looks like the report feature is now operational

 

[cristo]

So can we just send you a PM with a change if we want to change anything?

I think it would be best to use the "report" feature.. just like one would use the report feature to ask a mentor to edit a post on the forum. This way, there are several people that can do it if one person is too busy.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

So can we just send you a PM with a change if we want to change anything?

Just report the item and enter in what you want changed.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Improved browsing function is now complete. If is no longer required to select all three drop downs. You can now browse by topic, topic/sub topic or topic/sub topic/ sub topic.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Now search will return a group of results if a match isn't directly found.

 

[tiny-tim]

Some words are simply not suitable for auto linking.

The word "square", for example, comes up far more often in its non-rectangular sense, as in …

… Only square matrices are invertible.)

where the auto linking even gives it a capital S although it was not typed like that!

And does any user of this forum really need a library entry whose entire wording is "A square is a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles"? Or an entry for "triangle"?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Some words are simply not suitable for auto linking.

The word "square", for example, comes up far more often in its non-rectangular sense, as in …

where the auto linking even gives it a capital S although it was not typed like that!

And does any user of this forum really need a library entry whose entire wording is "A square is a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles"? Or an entry for "triangle"?

True, those were kinda test entries, I will likely delete them.

 

[CRGreathouse]

True, those were kinda test entries, I will likely delete them.

Similarly, on a recent thread, I saw "surreal numbers" linked to "real numbers".

This may be unavoidable when there is no article for (in this case) the surreals. But if there was an article there, would the algorithm know to link only the longest match?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

This may be unavoidable when there is no article for (in this case) the surreals. But if there was an article there, would the algorithm know to link only the longest match?

Ok noted for future fixes, thanks

 

[Redbelly98]

When I browse subtopics, it would be nice if my Search choices would remain intact. For example, I select "Physics", then select "Classical Optics", then select "Diffraction". Perhaps I would next like to look at other subtopics under Classical Optics, but I must reselect "Physics" and "Classical Optics" all over again before selecting my next subtopic. If "Physics" and "Classical Optics" stayed as the active selection, I could do this more quickly.

Thanks for putting this together!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

When I browse subtopics, it would be nice if my Search choices would remain intact. For example, I select "Physics", then select "Classical Optics", then select "Diffraction". Perhaps I would next like to look at other subtopics under Classical Optics, but I must reselect "Physics" and "Classical Optics" all over again before selecting my next subtopic. If "Physics" and "Classical Optics" stayed as the active selection, I could do this more quickly.

Thanks for putting this together!

Good idea, noted!

 

[Helical]

It might just be me, I'm kind of a neat freak, but I think that the article writers should be able to turn off information sections (i.e. Definition/Summary, Equations, Scientists, etc.) which don't apply so there aren't empty sections. Some things just aren't going to be "In the News."

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It might just be me, I'm kind of a neat freak, but I think that the article writers should be able to turn off information sections (i.e. Definition/Summary, Equations, Scientists, etc.) which don't apply so there aren't empty sections. Some things just aren't going to be "In the News."

"In the News" will be changed into something else shortly.

 

[mathwonk]

so far the few entries in the library I've read are not exactly likely to bring me back for more reading.

to me they just display symbols without insight, not the kind of thing i think anyone needs except maybe as a way for the posters to spend their excess energy.

of course maybe wiki looked like this too at first. hopefully all the enthusiasm here will translate gradually into higher quality treatments.

 

[Kurdt]

I think once people get used to the features and the bugs are ironed out the quality of the entries will increase. Of course you're free to add to any entries yourself mathwonk

 

[CRGreathouse]

I think once people get used to the features and the bugs are ironed out the quality of the entries will increase.

Just to spite you, I'm going to define all 26 letters of the alphabet.

"Q: The rational numbers, or a constant or variable. In number theory, an unknown prime number."

j/k