Editing Getting involved

[[File:Getinvolved.png|right|frameless]]
:Getting involved with the '''{{SITENAME}}'''.<br>
If you're interested in helping out the wiki but don't know where to start, here are some things we would appreciate help with.<br>
<font size="4"><b>'''Before reading / Guidelines'''</b></font><br>
;Contributing
'''{{SITENAME}}''' focuses on detailed and advanced information for "[[:Category:Emulators|software emulators]]", [[Preservation projects|preservation projects]] and other related stuff such as "[[Hypervisors|hypervisors]]", "[[Simulators|simulators]]", "[[Compatibility_layer|compatibility layers]]", "[[Wrappers|wrappers]]" and "[[FPGA|FPGA-based hardware cloning]]" (see [[Emulation accuracy]] page for more information about these terms). 

Also check out and join us in building a comprehensive resource by contributing other emulation related pages such as [[Game engine recreations and source ports]], [[Homebrew_and_hack_Roms|Homebrew]] and [[Main_Page|much more]]...<br>
;Compatibility & Accessibility
To ensure compatibility, accessibility and reliability with older systems and retro web browsers (and [[Preservation_projects#Proxy_Projects_for_Retro_Web_Browsing|related proxy projects]]), please avoid (as much as possible) using redirection links and other elements on pages that rely on JavaScript. Opt for non-JavaScript alternatives whenever possible, as JavaScript can cause issues with legacy systems/retro web browsers and the Wayback Machine (web.archive.org).<br>
;Mindfulness
To protect emulator projects, '''please avoid''' sharing the {{SITENAME}} pages directly on their official websites, discord servers and other services.

This public exposure could '''potentially''' attract unwanted legal attention and jeopardize their projects. The last thing we (the Wiki users and contributors) want is for these projects to be taken down. Thank you, see [[Legal Status of Emulation]] page for more information.

With communities (Like the [[CHIP-8 emulators|CHIP-8]] and [[Fantasy system emulators|Fantasy consoles]] communities) that have little to no worries for legal persecution this advice likely would not need to be followed.

This is for a variety of reasons, some of which are links connected to or committing copyright infringement (such as violating the GNU GPL license).
;Sandboxing
:See [[Help:Sandbox]] and [[Template:Sandbox]]
:'''Not needed''', recommended for overhauls of (commonly read / popular) pages 
It is recommended to make your own [[Special:MyPage/sandbox|Sandbox]] page so there are not multiple edits for different pages in the main [[Sandbox]].

Creating your own [[Special:MyPage/sandbox|Sandbox]] page or using the Emulation General's [[Sandbox]] allows to demo page edits before adding them to  the proper page, This is useful in the case of making large redesign/addition to a page while having the proper page readable before the redesign is finished.
==Low effort==
* Updating [[Category:Emulator_Templates|emulator versions]]. You can find news and new releases on [https://www.emunations.com/ EmuNations], [https://www.zophar.net/ Zophar's Domain] and [https://www.aep-emu.de/ AEP Emulation Page].
* Updating the [[Template:News|News section]] on the [[Main Page]].
* Correcting any redirect that [[Special:DoubleRedirects|links to another redirect instead of a page]].
* Finding categories to put [[Special:UncategorizedPages|these pages]] in.
* Finding categories to put [[Special:UncategorizedTemplates|these templates]] in.
* Finding categories to put [[Special:UncategorizedCategories|these categories]] in.
* Tagging pages that need it with {{t|stub}}, {{t|Outdated}} or {{t|WIP}}.
* Checking [[Special:ShortPages|Short pages]] and tagging them with either {{t|stub}} if they should be longer or {{t|delete}} if they fill no function.
* Fixing spelling and grammar issues.

==Moderate effort==
* [[:Category:Article WIP|WIP articles]] – These are new articles that are not yet ready for the main page and need to be improved.
* [[:Category:Outdated|Outdated articles]] – These articles contain information that might no longer be accurate and need to be updated.
* [[:Category:Article stubs|Articles stubs]] – These articles are stubs and need to be expanded with more information.
* [[#Emulator_page_template|Update/create new emulator pages]] - Copy the template below, add {{t|WIP}} if you need help or intend to finish the page later, add {{t|stub}} if everything is finished but it should be longer.
* Adding licensing info to [[:Category:Images|Image files]] using [[:Category:Image_wiki_templates|Image wiki templates]] for licensing info.
;Archival and preservation. 
* Archive links on the wiki using [https://archive.org/ archive.org] or [https://ghostarchive.org/ ghostarchive.org] for websites/downloads
* Archiving YouTube videos on the wiki using [https://ghostarchive.org/ ghostarchive.org]
* Fixing broken links with archived versions using [https://archive.org/ archive.org] or [https://ghostarchive.org/ ghostarchive.org]
* Identifying broken links with tools such as [https://www.deadlinkchecker.com/website-dead-link-checker.asp deadlinkchecker.com]
* Adding old news [[Template:News#Previous_years|previous years section]] of the news template, using [[Talk:Emulators_on_Legacy_systems#Old_emulator_lists_and_news|this list]].
==High effort==
;[[:Category:Wikipedia copies|Wikipedia copies]]
:These are articles we took from Wikipedia. The source article may either contain updated information beyond what we've copied, causing us to stagnate and provide potentially incorrect information, or showcase a subject in a manner that may stray from its relevance in emulation. The best way to deal with these articles is to rewrite them, but in their current form they require a high degree of knowledge in their fields in order to break them down for readers.

==Emulator page template==
[[Template:Infobox emulator|Here's our current layout]] for an emulator page. Copy-paste this if you are creating a new emulator page or use it if a page needs updating.

==Similar and related sites==
;For similar sites see:
* [https://fantasyanime.com/emuhelp/ FantasyAnime] - Has in depth pages on the options of each emulator. {{SITENAME}} focuses on detail of the history of a emulator on its page and details of our many [[Main Page|other articles]].
* [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/ PCGamingWiki] - Focuses on PC gaming instead of emulators. (Emulation specific pages are outdated)

[[Category:FAQs]]
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