Editing the Alphabetical List of Ships
This index lists U.S. Naval Vessels in alphabetical order. There is one page for each letter of the alphabet and each page will list all the vessels whose name starts with that letter.
Basic Page Structure
The entry for a ship is contained on a single line starting with "...". There are two types of entries:
- Entries with an active link
The ship's name is a link that takes you to the page for that ship. An entry should only provide an active link if there is an actual page already created for that ship or if the ship's page will be created immediately after the entry is added to the alphabetical list of ships. Entries with an active link use the following template:<tr><td> [[PAGE_NAME | SHIP NAME ]] </td><td>DESIG HISTORY</td></tr>
- Entries with an inactive link
The ship's name is not a link (ie, it is not clickable). Entries with an inactive link use the following template:<tr><td><!-- [[PAGE_NAME | -->SHIP NAME<!-- ]] --> </td><td>DESIG HISTORY</td></tr>
Where:
"[[PAGE_NAME | SHIP NAME]]" is a link to the page that contains the information for the ship. "PAGE_NAME" is the name of the page for the given ship and should have the form: "<Ship Name>_<Designation>_<Hull Number>". For example, the page name for USS ALLEN M. SUMNER DD-692 is "ALLEN_M_SUMNER_DD_692".
"SHIP NAME" is the name of the ship and will be used as the link's label (ie, how the link will appear when displayed on the page). For example, [[ALLEN_M_SUMNER_DD_692 | ALLEN M. SUMNER]] is a link to a page named ALLEN_M_SUMNER_DD_692 but on the Hull Designation page the link looks like "ALLEN M. SUMNER".
"DESIG HISTORY" is the name, designation, and hull number history of the ship. It starts with the most recent designation and hull number and moves progressively backward in time listing each previous name, designation, and hull number. For example, the designation history for USS MONTCALM is "ATO 39 ex AT 39 ex KINEO" since its most recent designation and hull number was ATO-39. Prior to that it had designation and hull number AT-39. Prior to that the ship was named KINEO.
Notice the difference between the two templates. The "inactive link" template has portions commented out using HTML comments (starts with a "<!--" and ends with a "-->"). There are two sections within the template that are commented out: "[[PAGE_NAME |" and "]]".
How to convert an existing inactive link entry into an active link entry
All you have to do is remove the HTML comment tags.
- Remove the comment start tag (
"<!--") before"[[PAGE_NAME |" - Remove the comment end tag (
"-->") after"[[PAGE_NAME |" - Remove the comment start tag (
"<!--") before"]]" - Remove the comment end tag (
"-->") after"]]"
For example, convert:
<tr><td><!-- [[ALACRITY_AG_520 | -->ALACRITY<!-- ]] --> </td><td>AG 520 ex MSO 520</td></tr>
- to:
<tr><td> [[ALACRITY_AG_520 | ALACRITY ]] </td><td>AG 520 ex MSO 520</td></tr>
If you need to create the page for a new ship entry, copy the Ship Page Template.
Don't forget to preview the page before saving it and please add a short description of the change in the Summary text box just above the Save / Show buttons at the bottom of the page. A short description would be something like "activated link for USS FREEDOM XX-34".
How to add a new "inactive link" entry
If you just want to add a ship's name but not create the actual page for that ship, then you need to use the "inactive link" template (see above) to create an entry with an inactive link.
Copy the template and paste it in the correct location. Then replace "PAGE_NAME", "SHIP NAME", and "DESIG HISTORY" with appropriate values. For example:
<tr><td><!-- [[ALACRITY_AG_520 | -->ALACRITY<!-- ]] --> </td><td>AG 520 ex MSO 520</td></tr>
Don't forget to preview the page before saving it and please add a short description of the change in the Summary text box just above the Save / Show buttons at the bottom of the page. A short description would be something like "added entry for USS FREEDOM XX-34".
How to add a new "active link" entry
If you want to add the name of a ship that already has its own page or if you want to add a new ship and then create its page immediately after, then you need to use the "active link" template (see above) to create an entry with an active link. Copy the template and paste it in the correct location. Then replace "PAGE_NAME", "SHIP NAME", and "DESIG HISTORY" with appropriate values. For example:
<tr><td>[[ALACRITY_AG_520 | ALACRITY ]] </td><td>AG 520 ex MSO 520</td></tr>
Note: Unless the ship is completely new to the Museum (ie, not listed in any index), then it will already have a page name. Always use the existing page name so that the ship only has one page and all indexes point to that same page.
If you need to create the page for a new ship entry, copy the Ship Page Template.
Finally...
Don't forget to preview the page before saving it and please add a short description of the change in the Summary text box just above the Save / Show buttons at the bottom of the page. A short description would be something like "added entry for USS FREEDOM XX-34".
To see some examples, just look at how the current entries are coded. If you have questions or run into trouble, contact the Curator for help. You can always Cancel an editing session using the "Cancel" link just to the right of the "Show changes" button at the bottom of the editor screen. For general editing help, see the article on How To Edit Pages.
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