1.4.5 Wiki Pages and Namespaces

Go to 1.4 About the Wiki

DokuWiki organizes content as pages and namespaces.

A page contains the text and markup displayed to the reader. A namespace groups related pages and subordinate namespaces. In the wiki navigation tree, namespaces generally appear as folders and individual pages appear as page entries.

Each page has a page identifier composed of namespace names separated by colons.

For example:

dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:01-04-03-using-the-wiki

The final component identifies the page:

01-04-03-using-the-wiki

The preceding components identify the namespaces containing the page:

dido
02-crusible
01-introduction
01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki

DokuWiki uses colons in page identifiers to represent the namespace hierarchy. Page names are normally converted to lowercase, and page-name restrictions apply to special characters. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

DokuWiki maps page namespaces to directories in its page-storage area.

The page identifier:

dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:01-04-03-using-the-wiki

corresponds conceptually to the following directory and file path:

data/pages/
└── dido/
    └── 02-crusible/
        └── 01-introduction/
            └── 01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki/
                └── 01-04-03-using-the-wiki.txt

The page content resides in the .txt file. The directory hierarchy represents the namespaces.

DokuWiki creates namespace directories automatically when a page is created within a namespace. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

A namespace can contain a page named start. The start page acts as the landing page for that namespace.

For example:

dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:start

maps conceptually to:

data/pages/
└── dido/
    └── 02-crusible/
        └── 01-introduction/
            └── 01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki/
                └── start.txt

The displayed title of the page can be:

1.4 About the Wiki

The namespace can retain the earlier identifier:

01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki

This allows the displayed title to change without changing the established page URI or breaking existing references.

Within the Crucible wiki:

• Namespace index pages use a trailing :start
• Individual leaf pages omit a trailing :start
• A namespace name does not need to match the displayed title exactly
• Established namespaces should remain stable after other content begins referencing them

The navigation tree is a rendered view of the page and namespace hierarchy.

For example:

1. Introduction
└── 1.4 About the Wiki
    ├── 1.4.1 Why a Wiki
    ├── 1.4.2 What the Wiki Contains
    ├── 1.4.3 Using the Wiki
    ├── 1.4.4 Maintaining the Wiki
    └── 1.4.5 Wiki Pages and Namespaces

The visible hierarchy is derived from the namespaces, pages, page titles, and navigation configuration. The displayed page title comes from the page heading and does not need to reproduce the underlying page identifier.

DokuWiki stores images and other media separately from wiki pages.

A media identifier such as:

dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:reader-toolbar.png

maps conceptually to:

data/media/
└── dido/
    └── 02-crusible/
        └── 01-introduction/
            └── 01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki/
                └── reader-toolbar.png

Page namespaces and media namespaces can use the same logical hierarchy, but DokuWiki stores their files in separate page and media directories. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

A media reference uses the complete media identifier:

{{:dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:reader-toolbar.png?direct&50|Reader toolbar}}

The media file must exist in the namespace specified by the reference. Adding or removing a namespace component changes the location in which DokuWiki searches for the file.

The page identifier forms the basis for the page's URI and internal wiki links.

An internal link to a page uses:

[[dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:01-04-03-using-the-wiki|1.4.3 Using the Wiki]]

A link beginning with a colon is resolved from the wiki root:

[[:dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:start|1. Introduction]]

A link can also identify a section within a page by adding a section anchor:

[[dido:02-crusible:01-introduction:01-04-how-to-use-this-wiki:01-04-03-using-the-wiki#For Readers|For Readers]]

DokuWiki supports section links by appending the section identifier after a hash character. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Crucible pages and namespaces use the following conventions:

• Use lowercase page and namespace identifiers
• Use hyphens between words
• Use numbered prefixes to preserve document order
• Use :start only for namespace index pages
• Omit :start from leaf-page identifiers
• Keep established namespaces stable
• Change the displayed title rather than the namespace when preserving references is important
• Use explicit, complete namespaces in links when ambiguity could occur
• Store media in the namespace associated with the relevant subject
• Use descriptive media filenames without spaces

These conventions keep the URI hierarchy, navigation tree, underlying storage structure, and publication numbering aligned.