Combined FAQs



Getting started

What the heck is a wiki?

A wiki is an easy-to-use Web site that makes it easy to collaborate. You can use it to run a project at work, plan a trip, teach a class, etc. See also What's a Wiki? or see our Video Tour.


Are you guys going to spam my email address?

Heck, no! We do not share or sell your information to others. See our Spam Stinks! page and our Privacy Policy.


What are examples of some uses for my wiki?

  • Save ideas, appointments, and files
  • Create a page for you & your coworkers to discuss projects
  • Keep a to-do list for yourself and/or others
  • Write an online novel
  • Create a site for your favorite musician or band
  • Make a site for your entire family tree, complete with bios, pictures, and stories

How many wikis can I create?

You can create as many PBwiki's as you'd like! Create a wiki for every group you're a part of! If we discover people abusing the system badly (for example, by registering hundreds of wikis), we might need to limit those people's usage, but the majority of PBwiki users don't need to worry about that.


How do I rename my wiki?

We're sorry! The rename feature is not available.
You are welcome to start another wiki at pbwiki.com
*Wiki-Names are based on availability, and using at least four characters and or numbers.


How can I change which email address "owns" the wiki?

A wiki can only have one unique email address assigned as the admin. You'll need to email support@pbwiki.com from the email address used to create the wiki, if that email account is still accessible. If this isn't possible, send us an email from an alternate email account and let us know for verification which email address was originally used to create the wiki. Include the name of your wiki and the new email address you'd like to have assigned as the wiki's administrator.


How do I backup my data?

While we make constant backups of your data, we understand that you want to keep your precious data close! You can download a ZIP file of your wiki pages from your wiki's "Settings" page under "Backup".


How do I change my password?

Easy! Just go to your "Settings" page and click "Passwords and Access". Don't forget to tell the other folks accessing your wiki about the new password or they won't be able to access it!


What if I forget my password?

When you visit your wiki (at name-of-your-wiki.pbwiki.com) and you fail to log in, click "Lost the password?" - this will send you an email containing a special link which allows you to reset your password. When you are prompted for an email address, make sure you submit the administrator's email address. It's the one you used when you signed up for this wiki.

It says I have the wrong email address when I click on Lost Password!
Did you get this error message?

Here are some suggestions about what to do:

  • Double check that you didn't make a typing error when you entered the email address.
  • Double check that you didn't enter any extra spaces at the beginning or end of the email address.
  • Make sure the email you entered is the one you signed up with when you created the wiki.
If you get this message after a second or third try, email support@pbwiki.com. Include the name of your wiki and let us know the error message you are seeing.


How do I change the name of my wiki?

Send an email to support@pbwiki.com using your administrator email address. Be sure to include the current name of your wiki and the new wiki name you'd like to use.


Can I put my PBwiki on a domain of my own?

Yes, with our Platinum-level plan, your wiki can be at mywiki.com or wiki.mycompany.com and so forth. After you sign up for Platinum:

  1. Go to your "Settings" page.
  2. Click on "Custom Domain" and enter the domain name you'll be using.
  3. Read our DNS walkthrough to learn how to enable it.


How do I delete my wiki?

If you need to delete your wiki:

  1. Simply click the "Settings" link at the top of the page.
  2. Click the "Delete" link at the very bottom and this will allow you to remove your wiki from the system.

If you have a Premium wiki, you can cancel the subscription very easily. Just email us at support@pbwiki.com and let us know what you need.


How can I provide feedback to the PBwiki team?

Love something? Hate it? You can email us directly at support@pbwiki.com or you can post your comments on the PBwiki forums. Your feedback is very important to us; it's what makes the service better for everyone!


Do you guys have your own wiki?

We sure do! Check out "Yummy", where we'll keep you up to date on the latest in PBwiki-land.


What if I have more questions?

Check out the community-created and maintained PBwiki Central FAQ for even more questions and answers about PBwiki. You can find an excellent AdvancedWikiStyle page there. You can also post questions and answers in our official PBwiki forums. We often hang out there to answer people's questions and fix people's problems.

Want to see some wild wiki coding? Go to http://pbwikifanclub.pbwiki.com/About


Editing (using the PBwiki Rich Text Editor)

What is this new rich text editor?

The Rich Text editor is a much simpler way to create wiki pages. Editors of your wiki do not need to learn WikiStyle, but instead can edit pages just like they would if they were doing word processing – in the editor, text and graphics look exactly like they will look when viewed on the wiki page. Even better, you can use PBwiki Plugins to easily insert a shared calendar, a YouTube video, stock chart, photo slideshow, or almost anything else. It's easier to use your PBwiki than ever before.

WikiStyle (old editor)

Rich Text (new editor)

Can I switch back to the old editor (WikiStyle)?

Yes. When you’re in editing mode, a link in the upper right will let you switch between the WikiStyle editor or the rich text editor. You can choose whichever editing style works best for you, and you can change your mind any time.

Which browsers are supported?

Currently you may use the rich text editor with IE or Firefox. We’re working on being able to support Safari in the near future. Therefore, a wiki editor trying to use Safari to edit in rich text mode will be automatically switched to WikiStyle edit mode.

Can some of the editors of my wiki use WikiStyle and some use rich text? How?

The editors of your wiki will automatically be presented the editor you chose when you created the wiki (rich text or Wikistyle) but if the user clicks the link in the upper right of the editing page in order to change to the other editing style, the browser cookie they’ve received from PBwiki will make a note of which style they prefer to use. Every time they log in and edit a page, their preferred editing interface will be presented to them.

What happened to the “preview” button? It’s not there in the rich text editor.

Since the rich text editing mode is an accurate representation of how your page will look when it’s being viewed, the preview button is no longer necessary!

How do I add a page?

The recommended way to create a new page is to do so while in editing mode. It’s possible to click the “new page” button while in viewing mode, but this new page will not automatically be linked to any other page on your wiki and can only be found by clicking the “Show All Pages” link if you forget to add a link to it on an existing wiki page.

To create a new page in editing mode:

  1. Click “Link” in the toolbar.

  1. Make sure “WikiPage” is selected in the “Page Type” dropdown menu.

  1. In the “Link to wiki page” dropdown menu, select “new page”.

  1. In “New Page Name”, write the name of your page. In “Link Text” you can type the wording of the link you would like to make to the new page. If you highlighted a word on the page before you clicked the “Link” button, that word will already be in this field.

  1. Click "OK".

  1. When you save the page you’re editing, if you click the link you just created, you can select a template for the new page and then start to edit the new page.

How many pages can I create?

Unlike most other wiki solutions, there is no limit to the number of pages you may create. If, however, we find that you've used a script to automatically create 50,000 pages about Viagra, we might have a chat with you about your use of the service. But we don't limit people who are not deliberately trying to abuse our service.

How do I delete or rename pages?

  1. Log in as the administrator or moderator.
  2. Click on the link "Show all pages" at the bottom of the wiki.

  1. Open up the page revisions by clicking on the plus sign next to the page title.

  1. You will see "Delete" and "Rename" buttons next to the page revisions.

  1. Click on the button you need.

Can I use [brackets] to make links to other pages?

Yes. In the rich text editor, if you put brackets around a word, the editor will put a blue underline under that word. If you right click on the word, you’ll be presented with the option to make the word a link – either for one time only, or permanently. If you choose to make this a permanent setting, the browser cookie you received from PBwiki will make note of this choice and will remember it every time you edit your wiki.

After using brackets

Right-clicking on blue line under bracketed word

Can I paste HTML into the rich text editor?

Yes. HTML can be pasted into the editor window itself, but it is more likely to work the way you want it to if you follow these steps:

  1. Click on “Insert Plugin”.

  1. Click on “PBwiki Magic”.

  1. Click on “Raw HTML (insert anything)”.

  1. In the field provided, paste in the HTML you wish to use.

  1. Click "next" and the window will show how the HTML plugin will look in the editing window.

  1. Click "Finish"

  1. When you finish editing and save the page, your plugin will be represented properly.

What does the button labeled “Source” do?

This button is for the tech-savvy editors who want to see the HTML code showing what’s going on “behind the scenes” on the wiki page being edited. The average editor probably won’t need to use this button. If you accidentally click it, simply click it again to return to the normal look of the rich text editor.

Source Button

What the source looks like in the editing window

How can I type right-to-left?

Need to check this with Brian.

How do I find earlier versions/revisions of pages?

  1. Log in as the administrator or moderator.
  2. Click on the link "Show all pages" at the bottom of the wiki.

  1. Open up the page revisions by clicking on the plus sign next to the page title.

How can I change a page back to an earlier version? (revert)

  1. Log in as the administrator or moderator.
  2. Click on the link "Show all pages" at the bottom of the wiki.

  1. Open up the page revisions by clicking on the plus sign next to the page title.

  1. Click the page with the date and time to which you want to revert.

  1. You'll be allowed to view that revision, and will see a button to commit to reverting. If it's the revision you want, click the button. If not, go back and choose another.

How do I use plugins?

  1. Click the “Insert Plugin” button.

  1. You can insert cool things like a calendar, maps, stock charts, photos, videos, a chat room, etc into your wiki.

How do I link to a page?

  1. Click “Link” in the toolbar.

  1. Make sure “WikiPage” is selected in the “Page Type” dropdown menu.

  1. In the “Link to wiki page” dropdown menu, select the name of an existing page, in this case "WhatWikiIs".

  1. In “Link Text” you can type the wording of the link you would like to use to link to the page. If you highlighted a word on the page before you clicked the “Link” button, that word will already be in this field.

  1. Click "OK".

How do I link to a web page on another site?

  1. Highlight a word you wish to use as the link to the site.

  1. Click “Link” in the toolbar.

  1. Select “URL” and choose the proper protocol (http://, news://, etc).

  1. Paste the address of the page into the text box.

  1. Click “OK”

Note: If you don’t highlight a word before clicking “Link”, the editor will insert the entire web address into the page as the link, as shown below.

How do I link to an email address?

  1. Highlight a word you wish to use as the link to the email address.

  1. Click “Link” in the editing toolbar.

  1. Select “URL”, choose the proper prefix (http://, news://, etc), and paste the email address into the text box. Also, if you want the emailer's email program to add a pre-filled subject and body to the email being sent to you, you can enter that as well.

  1. Click “OK”.

Note: If you don’t highlight a word before clicking “Link”, the system will insert the entire email address into the page as the link, as seen below.

How can I add pictures?

  1. Click “Insert Image” in the editing toolbar.

  1. Click “Browse” to find the file on your computer.

  1. When you locate the picture and select it, then click “upload”. After uploading, the picture will appear in your picture file list.
  2. Select it and click “OK” to put the picture in your wiki.

Note: If you want to see a list of your files and pictures without going into editing mode, click the “files” button while viewing the wiki. From here you may also rename and delete files or pictures.

How do I attach a file?

  1. Click “Attach file” in the editing toolbar.

  1. Click “Browse” to find the file on your computer.

  1. When you locate the file and select it, then click “upload”. After uploading, the file will appear in the files list.

  1. Select it and click “OK” to put the file into your wiki.

Note: If you want to see a list of your files and pictures without going into editing mode, click the “files” button while viewing the wiki. From here you may also rename and delete files or pictures.

Why can't I delete files or pages?

If you're using a Premium multiuser wiki, there may be a separate Contributor password, which is different than the Admin password. If you created the wiki, make sure you're using the Admin password - it should say at the bottom of the screen whether you're logged in as an Admin or a Contributor. If you're logged in as the wrong one, log out, then log in again using the right password for the role. If you're not the creator of the wiki, contact the administrator to obtain the Admin password.

How can I make a picture smaller on my wiki page?

  1. When in editing mode, click the picture you want to resize in order to select it.
  2. Click and hold on the lower right corner of the picture and drag to make the picture bigger or smaller.

If I upload something, does PBwiki own it?

No. Everything you put on your site remains yours. Our Privacy Policy makes this clear. You can copyright your works however you wish.

How do I link to pictures or files?

The method for linking to files or pictures you have already uploaded is the same as it is for Attaching Files as is shown above. The only difference is that you can skip step 1 and simply choose the file from the list of files that will be displayed after you click on the Attach Files button.

How do I delete or rename files or pictures?

  1. Go to your files page from viewing mode.

  1. Click the "x" next to a file to delete it, or "r" to rename.

How can I play uploaded music files in my PBwiki?

You can do this by inserting some HTML code with Plugins:

  1. Click on “Insert Plugin”.

  1. Click on “PBwiki Magic”.

  1. Click on “Raw HTML (insert anything)”.

  1. In the field provided, paste in this script, but replace the music file address below with your music file address. 
    <embed src=" http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/f/walkinblues64.mp3" autostart="false" loop="false" width="300" height="42" controller="true" bgcolor="#FF9900"></embed>
  2. Click "next" and the window will show how the HTML plugin will look in the editing window.
  3. Click "Finish"
  4. When you finish editing and save the page, your plugin will be represented properly and will look like this:

How can I create a SideBar?

Simple! Just edit the page called SideBar (click on "Show All Pages" at the bottom of your wiki to find it). If the page exists, its contents will be displayed as a sidebar on every wiki page on your site!

How do I add a table?

  1. Click the "Insert/Edit Table" button in the editing toolbar.

  1. In the "Table Properties" window, decide how you want your table to look.

  1. Click "OK". Your table will be shown in the editor.

  1. Simply click in each of the cells to enter your data.

What are page tags?

They're simple text labels that describe a page; for example, "animals" or "cooking tips." Check it out by logging into your wiki and looking at the bottom-left box. You'll see the ability to add multiple tags to each page. Plus, you can add/delete tags right from the wiki page.

Editing (using the PBwiki Classic Editor)

How do I create a new page?

There are two simple ways to create a new page:

One way to create a page is to click on the "New Page" button at the top of your wiki. Be sure to remember that you will need to create a link to this page later - otherwise, you may orphan the page.

If you have a reason to create a wiki page without linking to it, here's a little cheat - you can type the page's name into the search box in the upper right or you can just type in the new page's web address directly (http://yourwiki.pbwiki.com/NewPage) but remember that with no link to this page, it might get lonely in a hurry because people will only be able to find it through the "Show all pages" link.

The second way to make a new page is to create a link to it. Wikis are unusual in that instead of encountering an error when you click on a "broken" link, the wiki will let you define it as a new page. So when you're editing your FrontPage (or any other page in your wiki), you can either type "See my news page" or "see my RecentNews". Both methods work - the first requires you to put brackets around the link you're making and the second requires you to use CamelCase.

Another way to create a link is to put square [brackets] around any word or phrase to create a new page. For example, if you wanted a page called "cars," you could just type [cars]! You can also watch a video that explains how to create pages.


How many pages can I create?

Unlike most other wiki solutions, there is no limit to the number of pages you may create. If, however, we find that you've used a script to automatically create 50,000 pages about Viagra, we might have a chat with you about your use of the service. But we don't limit people who are not deliberately trying to abuse our service.


How do I delete or rename pages?

  1. Log in as the administrator or moderator.
  2. Click on the link "Show all pages" at the bottom of the wiki.
  3. Open up the page revisions by clicking on the plus sign next to the page title.
  4. You will see "Delete" and "Rename" buttons next to the page revisions.
  5. Click on the button you need.


How can I format the text and links on my pages?

See WikiStyle and Advanced Wiki Style.


How can I type right-to-left?

We support all Unicode character sets in page names, including right-to-left scripts such as Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi, and others. Please make sure to select your language appropriately. To render a portion of a page as right-to-left, insert the following code: <div dir="rtl"> Your right-to-left text here </div>


Why don't my bullet points work?

When you put an ***** at the beginning of a line to make a bullet point, make sure there's a space after it.

How do I find earlier versions/revisions of pages?

  1. Click the link that says "Show all pages" at the bottom of the wiki.
  2. Expand the revision list by clicking on the plus sign next to the page you want to see.


How can I change a page back to an earlier version? (revert)

Follow these steps to revert to an older version of a wiki page:

  1. Log in as administrator or moderator.
  2. Click on the link "Show all pages" at the bottom of the wiki.
  3. Find the page you want to revert.
  4. Expand the revision list by clicking on the plus sign.
  5. Open the revision to which you would like to revert.
  6. Finally, click the "Revert page to this revision" button.


How can I create a SideBar?

Simple! Just make a page called SideBar (type "SideBar" into the search box and then click "Add SideBar"). Make sure to call it SideBar and not sidebar - capitalization is important! If the page exists, its contents will be displayed as a sidebar on every wiki page on your site! You can also watch our short video on the SideBar.


Why can't I delete files or pages?

If you're using a Premium multiuser wiki, there may be a separate Contributor password, which is different than the Admin password. If you created the wiki, make sure you're using the Admin password - it should say at the bottom of the screen whether you're logged in as an Admin or a Contributor. If you're logged in as the wrong one, log out, then log in again using the right password for the role. If you're not the creator of the wiki, contact the administrator to obtain the Admin password.


How can I add pictures?

Adding photos to your wiki:

  • Log in, and from your Front Page, hit "Files" in the top menu bar.
  • This opens the page for uploading and managing files. Click on one of the "Browse..." buttons.
  • This brings up a dialog box, where you can look for the photo you want on your computer. Select the file and hit "Open."
  • This brings you back to the upload page and you will see the file name filled in.
  • Hit the "Upload" button underneath the browse bars.
  • Once the upload is done, you will be returned to this page. At the top will be a pink box telling you the file uploaded. Now scroll down to the "Manage Uploaded Files" section and you will see your file listed as a hyperlink.
  • Click on the name of your picture. This brings up the picture in its own window.
  • Look at the address bar -- this shows you the actual address for where your picture is stored. Copy the complete address.
  • Go back to your Front Page (or other page to which you want to add a picture), select "Edit this page" and locate where in the text you want the picture.
  • Now paste the address you copied there, making sure to put it inside of square brackets [] (very important), then hit "Update" and your picture will show up!
[picture address]

For example, I uploaded the picture "harvey.jpg" When I clicked on the picture name, the address was http://coelacanthbooks.pbwiki.com/f/harvey.jpg
So on the front page I put:

[http://coelacanthbooks.pbwiki.com/f/harvey.jpg]

  • Another option for adding pictures: If you have pictures online already (such as on your web page), just locate the picture, right-click on it, and select "properties." Copy the address, and then paste this between brackets on your wiki page in the location you want.
One last note, your pictures need to be the right size before you put them up, or if you know HTML, you can use standard image commands to alter the size of your image. However, it's usually best to resize the picture before you upload it. See the next FAQ for help with that.


How can I make a picture smaller on my wiki page?

This is one of the most important things most of us learn as a new webmaster (or wiki master): don't upload big pictures unless you really need to.

  1. Shrink your picture to a reasonable size before you upload it. You can find lots of software that'll help you do this. Here's a free one we recommend: http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/PixResizer
  2. If you want to keep a full size picture on your website, upload a small thumbnail size of the same picture and display that instead. Then provide a link to the full size picture. Need an example? Click on the picture in the wiki page we mentioned in the the paragraph above.

If I upload something, does PBwiki own it?

No. Everything you put on your site remains yours. Our Privacy Policy makes this clear. You can copyright your works however you wish.


How do I upload pictures or files? How do I link to them?

  1. Upload the file
    1. The "Files" link at the top of your wiki will take you to a page where you can upload files and manage them.
    2. Use the "Browse..." button to locate the file(s) on your computer.
    3. Once you've located and selected all the files you want to upload, upload them using the "Upload" link at the bottom of the "Upload Files" section.
  2. Copy the file's URL
    1. If you want to create a link to a file, you'll need its URL. There are certainly many ways to get the file's URL, but this is perhaps the simplest. Find the newly uploaded file listed in the "Files" section.
    2. Right-click on the file name and choose the "copy location" option (this option is variously worded depending on the browser you are using - "Copy Shortcut" in Internet Explorer, "Copy Link Location" in Firefox, "Copy link address" in Opera, etc.).
  3. Link to the file
    1. Now that you have copied the URL, navigate to the page where you want the link to be.
    2. Edit the page and paste the URL into the page edit box.
    3. If it's a picture that you would like display as a picture (not just as a link), simply enclose the URL in square brackets ( [ ] ).
    4. If you would like to display the link so that a description shows up instead of the URL (or, in the case of pictures, instead of the picture), enclose the URL in square brackets, insert a vertical bar (|) after the URL, and type your description. For example, if we uploaded a file called "Fun.txt" to PBwikiCentral, we could display the link to that file as the phrase "Cool Story" like this: [http://pbwikicentral.pbwiki.com/f/Fun.txt|Cool Story].

For more information:

See adding pictures and adding files.


How do I delete or rename files or pictures?

To delete files and images:

  1. Go to the Files page ("Files" button at the top of wiki). All your files and pictures will be listed here.
  2. Click on the "X" to delete or click on the "R" to rename them.


How can I play uploaded music files in my PBwiki?

Just paste this script into your wiki but replace the music file address below with your music file address.

<embed src=" http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/f/walkinblues64.mp3" autostart="false" loop="false" width="300" height="42" controller="true" bgcolor="#FF9900"></embed>

It looks like this when it's placed on your page.


What are page tags?

What are page tags? They're simple text labels that describe a page; for example, "animals" or "cooking tips." Check it out by logging into your wiki and looking at the bottom-left box. You'll see the ability to add multiple tags to each page. Plus, you can add/delete tags right from the wiki page.

Q: "Why can't I add/delete tags?"
A: This is by design--you must be logged in. Log into your wiki and you'll be able to add a tag by clicking the "+" sign in the bottom left corner of your wiki.

Q: "Why use tags?"
A: Once your wiki starts getting big, you'll want a way to categorize different pages. Imagine adding the tag "student" to all of your student pages. Anytime you wanted to find all of those pages, you could do that with one click (just click the "student" tag). Also, tags are really shiny and you can brag to your friends about using them.

Q: "I saw a cooler implementation of tags at blah blah. When are you going to do THAT?"
A: Just add a comment here and we'll take a look!

Q: "What about wiki-wide tags?"
A: Yep, you can do this. Just click "Settings" and visit your Publicize page. From there, you can tag your wiki, create custom banners for publicizing your wiki, create "Add to delicious" links, and more.

Sharing your wiki

How can I invite people to my wiki?

Easy! Just share the wiki password with them and you can all access and edit the wiki! You can also check out our short video on sharing the joy of PBwiki.


What's an RSS feed?

To help you keep up to date with changes made recently on your wiki, every wiki has a computer-readable list of the changes made, using a format called RSS. If you use browsers like Firefox or Safari, or RSS readers like FeedReader, NetNewsWire, SharpReader, or BlogLines, you can stay informed about how your wiki is being changed without having to log in.

Note that if your wiki is password-protected, you will need to supply the password to your feed reader; many readers ask for the URL to your site/blog/feed - use the URL http://u:password@yourwiki.pbwiki.com/rss2.php. The username is ignored; feel free to put just "u" as a placeholder. If your wiki is public but you want more detail in the RSS feeds (like the email and IP address of the contributor to a change), then just add "?private=1" to the URL, e.g., http://u:password@publicwiki.pbwiki.com/rss2.php?private=1.


How do I enable or disable emailed change notifications?

You can enable or disable notifications when you login to a wiki: Just keep an eye on the "Notify me of changes" checkbox located under your email address when you login.

If the box is checked; you will be notified of changes.

If the box is not checked; you will not be notified.

The wiki administrator can change notifications through the "Settings" link, at the top of the page. In "Settings" go to the "Notifications" page to check or uncheck "Send notifications to the user making the edit".

Safety and security

How do I make my wiki Public or Private and could you explain the difference between the two?

To change the Public/Private settings, go to your "Settings" page, then click on "Public/Private".

These are the differences between Public and Private:

A private wiki:

  1. Can only be seen by those who have been invited by the owner (administrator) with one of three things: a password, a "magic URL", or an invitation through the PBwiki identity system - for more on this, please watch our video about sharing your wiki.
  2. Anyone without access to a private wiki will only see the logon page and nothing else if they go to the wiki's URL.
  3. We don't put any advertising on private wikis.

A public wiki:

  1. Can be seen by anyone surfing to its address.
  2. All pages are visible, except in certain premium wikis with page-hiding capabilities. Even though everyone can see the wiki, only those who have been given access can edit the pages.
  3. We place small ads on public wikis.

Only the owner (administrator) of a wiki has control over the master password (wiki-wide password). That control is identified with his or her unique email address.


How do I know my wiki is secure? I never have to type in a password.

I need our wiki to be private. When there was an option to choose whether I wanted a private or public wiki, I asked for it to be private but I don’t see where I can confirm that it is private.

To be sure your wiki is private:

  1. Go to your "Settings" page, which is a link at the top of your wiki, to the right side.
  2. Click on "Public/Private". This setting will let you know if your status is Public or Private.

A private wiki can only be viewed by a person with the password or someone who has already logged in and received a browser cookie from PBwiki.

If some random person comes to my wiki won’t they also be able to access the wiki?

We assure you that nobody but you, or someone you have invited, can edit your private wiki, except in one case which we'll discuss next.

I don’t understand why we need a password. When I access the wiki, I can change or make pages and do whatever I want without ever typing in a password. Will this be different for other people I invite? Do you somehow know that it’s me (the wiki creator) using the wiki?

Every time you access a website which requires a login (as is the case with PBwiki), the site sends you a browser cookie (a small text file) which is then stored in your computer. This cookie is used by PBwiki to identify you. This is why you do not need to log in. Your co-workers do not have this cookie - neither they nor anyone else can login to your wiki unless you share the password or invite them in another fashion.

Caution: If you leave your computer unattended, anyone can use your PC and access your wiki. We recommend that you lock your PC when you are away from it. Most businesses also recommend this for anyone using their computers.

Advice: Do not lose your password even though you don't use it often. Cookies can be deleted by accident or on purpose and it's more than likely you will have to login the normal way at some point.

Can you please explain how I stop people from stumbling across our wiki?

If your wiki is private, anyone "stumbling across" your wiki will see a login page. They will see nothing else to help them break into your wiki unless you were to put the wiki password in the wiki title or wiki description.

To share this wiki do I just give my co-workers (friends, students) the URL?

To access a private wiki, they will need the URL of your wiki and the password. There are two other methods to share access to a wiki and they are covered in the "Sharing your Wiki" section of the FAQ.


How can I log into my wiki without a password?

You can use a "magic URL" as a bookmark in your browser. This "magic URL" looks like the one below but has your wiki name in the address.

http://xxxxxxx.pbwiki.com/?aph=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You can always find a copy of this "magic URL" in your Settings link under "Sharing". Remember that whenever you change the password, you'll have to get a new copy of the "magic URL".

Keep this "magic URL" in a safe place. You can use it to access your wiki at any time, unless you change the password. You can also share your "magic URL" with your friends or associates. Be careful if you choose to share it, since they'll have the same powers that you do when they use it.



I see my email address displayed on the wiki; can other people see it too?

Private Wiki
If you have a private wiki of which you are the only user, nobody will ever see your email address. If you have a private wiki that you share with other people, those people can see your email address.

Public Wiki
If you have a public wiki, only a logged-in member of your wiki can see your email address. Vistors from the world wide web cannot see it.

The email addresses are there for your benefit when you need to identify who has been editing a page and for contacting the members of your wiki.

Your email address will not be exposed to spam bots or search engines, even on a public wiki.

Have fun and don't worry. We're looking out for your security.

How do I allow certain people to edit my wiki, but not others?

For free wikis, if you share your password with others they'll be able to edit your wiki.

For Premium wikis — which can apply advanced access levels — see the Access Controls FAQ.


How can I use Lockable and Hideable pages in my wiki?

Hideable pages and lockable pages are features on the Gold Plan. If you've already upgraded to Silver, you can add those features to your wiki a la carte. Here's how they work:

Lockable pages: Lets you lock them so others can't edit them. This would be useful, for example, for a syllabus or an agenda. You don't want people editing those. Only admins and moderators are able to edit lockable pages.

Hideable pages: You can choose to hide certain pages within your wiki. This means that only admins and moderators will be able to see them in the All Pages listing. Regular users (readers and contributors) will not. You might use this for planning pages that you don't want others to stumble across and see.

To get either of these features, just visit your wiki's upgrade page, where you can add them instantly.

How do I set up different access levels in a Premium wiki I want to share?

What are access controls?
For wikis with a large number of editors, it may not be sufficient to distribute the administrative password publicly; malicious editors may be able to go in and delete pages and files, ruining users' work. Access controls let users whose needs go beyond a single-password solution offer several different levels of access, each with their own password: Admin, Moderator, Contributor, and Reader.

Admin Rights
As the wiki's creator, you are the admin. Admin passwords can only be changed through the password-reset mechanism, whereby the wiki's creator must click a link in an email sent to them. This ensures that only the wiki's creator can change the admin password. As the admin, you are the god of your wiki. You can delete pages, change and disable passwords for Moderators, Contributors, and Readers. Admins alone have access to the wiki's Settings page. Only share an Admin password with people you really trust!

Moderator Rights
Moderators are trusted helpers who are super-privileged Contributors. They can delete pages and files, including revisions and revision histories. Moderators should be highly trusted, since they can delete your data irrevocably.

Contributor Rights
Contributors can edit pages and revert pages to previous versions. They can also upload new files and create new pages. Contributors don't need to be super-trusted, since they cannot perform any action that cannot be undone.

Reader Rights
Readers cannot make any modifications at all to a wiki. They only can read the pages, RSS feeds, and files. They can see page revision histories and diffs. Readers don't need a password in a public wiki.

To create passwords for each level of access:

  1. Log into your wiki as administrator.
  2. Click on "Settings" at the top right of your wiki.
  3. Select "Passwords and Access".
  4. Use the pulldown menus and the password entry fields to create passwords for each level of access you wish to have in your wiki.

Now when you click on "Share this Wiki" at the bottom of your wiki, you will see the additional levels of access that you have created.


How do I share a free wiki without letting the general public (or my students) vandalize it?

The easy answer is that you can't. However, you can limit the vandalism anyone can do by making some additional wikis for backup. Here's what we advise educators:

Three free wikis might work well for you.

  1. One for yourself, marked Private so no one else can see it.
  2. One for the class, marked Public so that everyone can see it, but you will be the only one with a password and editing control.
  3. One for the class, marked Private, for which they have the password and will edit.

You can copy pages back and forth between the student wikis and your own if you want to keep those pages "safe".

Also remember that PBwiki stores every change you make to a page, so it can easily be reverted to an older version if vandalism occurs.


How do I create a classroom wiki in such a way that students can't see each other's work?

You cannot do this with one wiki. However, it can be done if you have more than one.

Let's say you have 5 teams (or students).

  1. Create 5 free wikis yourself. This makes you the "owner" of each of them.
  2. Make sure you assign a different password for each wiki.
  3. Mark each wiki as "Private".
  4. Assign each team to its own wiki.
  5. Give the password for each individual wiki to only the team assigned to that wiki.
  6. When it's time to share results, access the wikis and make them "Public" or share all the passwords with all the teams.


How I keep pages from being edited? (lock)

If your wiki is Platinum, as an admin or moderator, you can click a checkbox on each page that you would like to lock. However, locking the page prevents anyone but admins and moderators from editing the page. While this keeps out vandals, this also prevents others from adding or editing content, so we generally recommend that you don't lock pages unless you feel it's absolutely necessary.

Who's trying to change my password?

Probably no one. Some or all of the password change requests occasionally emailed to the wiki administrators were probably sent as a result of a spider tripping the "Forgot your password?" link.

Advanced FAQ

What does upgrading to Premium do for me?

With a Premium wiki, you get gigabytes of space, no ads, more customization, advanced sharing capabilities, and more. All for just a few bucks.

You can upgrade by going to your wiki and clicking on the "upgrade" button at the bottom right corner of the wiki page.


How can I customize my wiki with CSS?

What is CSS? It stands for cascading style sheets and it's a set of codes that most web sites today use to control the look and feel of their websites.

PBwiki offers Premium wiki users the ability to customize their CSS. Premium users can upload a wiki.css file to their file repository and this CSS will be automatically included after PBwiki's CSS. Likewise, they can upload a print.css file that will be applied to a page's style when printing. Please note that your file must be named exactly wiki.css or print.css with no capitals. This means that you can override any of our CSS to make your pages look however you want. Take a look at Clif's Freeware Wiki for a great example of a tailored wiki. You can also look over his CSS.

We have started a CSS Resources center with some information to get you started. In addition, one of our advanced users has started a project to document the CSS used in pbwiki.


How can I see the amount of traffic at my wiki?

Our Traffic and Statistics page can tell you a great deal about the
visitors to your wiki. The statistics include such things as:

Unique viewers
Unique IP addresses
Page views

  1. of images/attachments viewed
Atom feed reads
RSS feed reads
login
Page edits
New pages created
Comments
login-bad-password
login-good-password
login-https-redirect
Settings view/change
New tag
Top 10 nations of origin

This feature is available to Gold and Platinum premium wikis, or as an
upgrade add-on. If you have traffic and statistics, then you can
access them at any time by going into your Settings and then clicking
on Traffic and Statistics.


How do I organize pages in a wiki?

Use the Front page to communicate where you want your readers to go. This is the first page they see after logging in.

On the front page, an educator might say:

Students, please see RecentActivity page, or the SideBar page in the tabbed navigation bar on your right. The RecentActivity page will show you the most recent changes to the wiki. The SideBar will show you important pages you need to see. If you have any questions, you can always ask me or look for help in the ClassRoomIndex page.

Create plenty of "index" pages which group links to similar topic pages together. Placing index pages in the SideBar is a great help for easy navigation.

Place links to important pages in the SideBar by clicking on its tab and clicking on the Edit link at the bottom of the SideBar. (Older wiki SideBars without the tabs are edited by clicking on the word "SideBar".)

In editing mode, you'll see that the recent pages you created are on the right side. Click on the page name and it'll create a link in the SideBar page you are editing. You can also create a link to the page manually. See WikiStyle and AdvancedWikiStyle for page link tips.

Finally, we'll give you one more piece of advice for keeping a wiki organized so no pages are lost.
Don't use the "New Page" button unless you need to create a template.

Instead, create new pages by forming links to them while editing an existing page. For example, if you want to create the page "Cool Stuff", edit an index page or the Side Bar and type in [Cool Stuff] or CoolStuff.

Either of these will create a red link in the existing page when you save it. To finish creating the page, just click on the new link you created. The new page will open and you can now edit it.

Following this advice makes certain that you can always easily follow links from one page to another in your wiki.

To find "orphaned pages" (pages that are not linked to any other page), go to the bottom of your wiki and click on "Show All Pages".

Every page in a wiki should link to at least one other page. This makes an unbroken chain of pages so that if you do this, you shouldn't have to use the "Show all pages" link to find a hidden or orphaned page. Once you reach a certain number of pages, you will probably have to use the search box to find them quickly. For example, Clif (one of our support gurus) has nearly 1000 pages in his wiki - he reports that he uses the search box all the time to find what he needs.

References:
See Clif's wiki's Side Bar: http://freewarewiki.com
How to create pages: http://pbwiki.com/videos/NewPage.swf
How to upload files and link to them: Upload and Link
Official PBwiki FAQ: http://pbwiki.com/faq.php
Additional help from fellow users: https://pbwikicentral.pbwiki.com/PBwikiFAQ
Interactive help from users: http://forums.pbwiki.com/


How can I add java-script or HTML to my wiki?

PBwiki doesn't actively support users who add java-script and HTML to their website. It can be done, but if you need help with it, please post a question in the user forums for advice from more experienced wiki owners.

Tips on HTML can be found in PBwikiTips.


How do I use brackets ( [ ] ) or other wiki formatting characters without them doing stuff I don't want them to do?

To have a special wiki character appear normally, put <!--verbatim3--> before the character and <raw escaped="1"></raw> after it.


How can I get rid of the extra tabs in my wiki's sidebar?

The Sidebar consists of 3 special pages - SideBar, QuickStart, and RecentActivity. These pages get special handling on PBwiki. The contents of these pages will be shown as part of the sidebar, which will appear on all standard pages. If all 3 special pages are deleted or otherwise don't exist, the SideBar will not appear.

To remove just parts of the SideBar, click "All Pages" at the bottom of your wiki, and delete "Quickstart" and "RecentActivity." (You can delete them by clicking on the "+" (plus sign) next to each page, then clicking "Delete").


How can I cancel a monthly Premium account with PayPal?

PayPal handles our billing, so you can easily change your payment options by visiting them. To downgrade your wiki, log into your Paypal account at PayPal.

Once you are logged into your PayPal, clicking on this link (below) will help you find the Coceve transactions.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_subscr-find&alias=paypal%40coceve%2ecom

Here's a close up of how a pbwiki subscription appears in PayPal.

Please click the "cancel subscription" button to complete the cancellation.

If you have any further questions, let us know by emailing support@pbwiki.com.

Business Customer FAQ

Why should I choose PBwiki over your competitors?

The challenge isn't having the most features (although we're extremely competitive with other wiki solutions) - the real challenge to motivate people to contribute to your wiki by making it clean, simple, and easy. We host the largest number of wikis anywhere, and we spend every day making PBwiki more usable so people will find contributing to be an easy task. We'll respond to your emails and work with you to make your wiki a real community.

The best way to find out about PBwiki is to sign up for a free account at www.pbwiki.com and to start playing around with what it can do!

Do you allow businesses to customize look & feel to match our site?

While we offer a great deal of flexibility, there are some areas of a wiki page that we do not allow to change much. The customized CSS Style sheet will still have a Home, Edit, Login, Help, and Search box at the top of every page. At the bottom of every page there will be Page information, Wiki information boxes, and a corner section with a link to our upgrading features. We are planning to offer more flexible layouts; if you need something specific, we'd like to hear about it. Please email support@pbwiki.com to let us know!

For a comparative view of what can be done with a customized wiki versus a plain wiki, see these two pages.
http://dochuyen.pbwiki.com/ (premium wiki with custom CSS)
http://clifstestwiki.pbwiki.com/ (free wiki with standard layout)

Do you offer unlimited pages and users?

This is already a standard feature - there is no limit to the number of users or pages. As the owner of a Premium wiki, you may offer users 4 levels of access: Reader, Contributor, Moderator, and Administrator. Users can login using a wiki access password, but the best option is to require the use of PBwiki Identities, in which case each user must register at my.pbwiki.com to obtain his own unique password. When Identities are used, you'll invite users via email and track them by their email address. Later, if needed, their access levels can be switched to any other level or they can be denied access entirely.

Do you offer the ability to categorize pages in a hierarchy?

There are no subdirectories at PBwiki. As long as each page in the wiki is linked to related pages or an index page, navigation is simple and logical. A link to the "All pages" view is always available, as well as the search feature.

Do you offer revision history with versioning and rollback in cases of abuse?

This is already a standard feature - with Administrative access, you can see every change ever made to a page and you can also make a comparison of page versions. Reverting to an older page revision is very simple. We also provide a downloadable zipped backup file for each wiki which the administrator can download at any time.

Do you allow comments on each article?

This is standard, but only users who are logged in may view them. We also support some third party java-script comment systems for public comments, such as www.haloscan.com.

Can we host PBwiki on our server?

No. There's a reason we host PBwiki on our servers - your data is actually safer with us. We backup your data hourly, and we're just as paranoid about your data's integrity as you are. Most IP theft and security issues happen behind the firewall, where security tends to be lax. We're fanatical about security. Do you custom-harden your kernels? With our hosted solution, we can roll out fixes and improvements immediately, with no extra support contract, and updates and enhancements are included free in your subscription.

What kind of support do you offer?

We offer support via email at support@pbwiki.com. For phone support or guaranteed 24-hour turnaround time, email sales@pbwiki.com.

Can you give me some examples of how other customers are using PBwiki in a way that similar to what we wish to achieve with our wiki?

We can give you lots of examples. Please email support@pbwiki.com with your request for examples.

Can I create more than one wiki with your software? For example: a wiki for customers and a wiki for internal use.

You may create as many wikis as you wish. However, each wiki which requires Premium features must be upgraded on its own. We offer discounts for creation of multiple Premium wikis.


Education-specific questions

What's a PBwiki?

A wiki is an easy-to-use web page which multiple people can edit. PBwiki (http://www.pbwiki.com) is the easiest way to get a wiki for your classroom or for yourself. For example, if you need a classroom web page, you could add your syllabus and handouts right to your PBwiki in 30 seconds.

What else can I do with a PBwiki?

  • Let your students collaborate: They can use a PBwiki to do group work or create their own personal web page.
  • Demo your work: Use your PBwiki as an easy-to-create portfolio of the projects completed by your students. You can create an online slideshow to demo your work with one click.
  • Keep others informed: Set up a page in your PBwiki to update parents on what your students are doing, or to update students on changes to your syllabus. It's live and editable any time.

What if one of my students posts something that's inappropriate?

If this happens, you can always go back to an earlier version of the wiki. Because we keep all versions of a page, you can go back in time very easily, and you can see who made each change.

How much does it cost?

Setting up a PBwiki is free. The basic PBwiki comes with 10MB of storage space, unlimited pages, and the ability to welcome an unlimited number of visitors. If you'd like more features and storage space, we offer Premium wikis starting at $10/month.

Is it easy to use?

Yes! It's as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich. It takes 30 seconds to create and you can have a classroom up and running in about 5 minutes. We have lots of templates to get you started, and we’re always adding more.

Who controls the content?

Whomever has the password to your wiki can edit it. In other words, you control who gets access to the wiki, but once they’re logged in, they can edit the wiki.

Our Premium plans offer advanced features like access controls, which allow you to designate certain people as Readers and others as Contributors. You may also lock certain pages (like your syllabus) and hide others. You may upgrade to Premium any time, right from your wiki, by clicking the "upgrade" button at the lower left.

Can I make my wiki public or private?

Yes, you can make your wiki public or private, and no matter which you choose, a password is always required to edit your wiki--meaning only your trusted circle of users can make changes to your wiki.

Can you show me some sample wikis?

  • http://mrlindsay.pbwiki.com/ is Mr. Lindsay's beautiful classroom wiki, where he demos his students' work with book reviews, poems, stories, and tons of other resources. It's a wiki run "by the students, for the students."
  • http://cas100b.pbwiki.com/ is another excellent educational wiki. Notice how it has class notes, project proposals, and different sections for different classes.
  • http://epochewiki.pbwiki.com/ is Penn State’s English 15 wiki, which is required for every freshman student.

Can I attach pictures or video clips?

Yes. In fact, you can add any type of file to any page in your wiki by clicking the "Files" button and uploading your files.

Can I monitor what happens on my wiki?

Yes, you can be notified by email of every change that's made to your wiki.

Is my data safe? Can I back up my pages?

Your data is safe. We back up our data hourly, and you can get 1-click backups right from your wiki from the "Settings" menu. Our job is to keep our users' data secure, so we're fanatical about safety and security.

Who are the people behind PBwiki?

We're real people. There are 3 of us: David Weekly, Ramit Sethi, and Nathan Schmidt. We're all Stanford graduates. Contact us any time at support@pbwiki.com.


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