Help:User manual



Semantic MediaWiki (or SMW for short) is an extension to the well-known MediaWiki software. The purpose of SMW is to allow users to improve the structure and organization of the knowledge in a wiki by adding simple, machine-processable information to wiki articles. With this additional information, you can greatly improve searching, browsing, and sharing the wiki's knowledge; both within the wiki's pages and from external computer programs.

This is the user manual of SMW that focusses on information for users of an SMW-enabled wiki. If you are new to SMW, then the introduction to Semantic MediaWiki is a good starting point. Information for site administrators and for SMW developers (including information on the spinoff extensions of SMW) can be found on the main page.

The main sections of this handbook explain the most important aspects of using SMW:
 * Editing
 * Browsing and searching
 * Semantic MediaWiki in the context of the Semantic Web
 * Using the API

These sections are relevant to different user groups, and need not be read in sequence. Detailed navigation is provided by the table of contents on the right. Other relevant parts of this handbook include:
 * Getting support – who can help out with questions?
 * Reporting bugs – making your requests for improvements heard
 * SMW Project – the makers of Semantic MediaWiki

There are other resources that you might find useful:
 * The references listed on the Semantic MediaWiki reference - provide information on SMW and its related extensions.
 * The list of wikis using Semantic MediaWiki
 * The wiki to show examples of usage and to try out Semantic MediaWiki online