Configuring MediaWiki
A Guide to Using MediaWiki in a Hosted Environment
An instructional website by the developer of mh370wiki.net - a MediaWiki site about Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Configure vs Customise
The distinction between configuring MediaWiki and Customising a MediaWiki-based website is defined here, and applied to the two Categories - Configure and Customise.
Configure
Configuring a MediaWiki installation requires access to files on the server wherte mediaWiki is installed. An interface or dashboard (usually cPanel) is used via a log-in to the account at the Hosting Provider.
Most settings or variables are configured by changes to the file LocalSettings.php.
Some configuration, such as installing Extensions, can also require use of the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to upload files.
A systems administrator typically performs these tasks.
Customise
The appearance of a MediaWiki-based website can be customised by changes to the MediaWiki:Skin Name.css page and MediaWiki:Common.css, without requiring access to files on the server.
The menu can be customised by changing MediaWiki:Sidebar.
Various magic words can be used on a per-page basis (as behaviour switches) to over-ride global settings. In-line css can be placed in pages by users..
How to Configure MediaWiki
Manual: System Administration https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:System_administration#Configuration
Articles which relate to configuring MediaWiki
Articles which relate to configuring MediaWiki are included in Category:Configure.
The CategoryTree extension enables a listing of relevant sub-categories and pages:-