Help:How To pages

How To Pages explain how to do something with Scratch in a less technical manner than other articles. They explain how to use Scratch rather than documenting its history and features.

Guidelines for writing How To pages

 * Keep it simple. When editing a “How-To” article, write for an audience that’s totally new to Scratch, and computers in general.
 * There are lots of ways to do scrolling backgrounds. A "How to make Scrolling Backgrounds" page should describe a single approach that's easy to implement and understand. You can link to alternative ways to make scrolling backgrounds at the bottom of the article.


 * Focus on how to do things, not what they are. Write as though you were sitting next to the reader, explaining how to do something.
 * A How To article about importing images to the paint editor might say: Next click the eraser tool, and erase the background of the photograph you imported. This is different from an informational wiki article, which might say: The eraser tool can be used to erase the backgrounds of imported photographs.


 * Explain things step-by-step. Since the goal is to show users how to do something in a way they can easily understand, avoid giving them information too fast, or in too much detail.
 * A "How to use the LEGO WeDo with Scratch" article should explain what the WeDo is in a sentence or two, then how to plug it in, and then how to get started using it with Scratch. WeDo hacks and other general info should be kept on the LEGO WeDo page.


 * Ask less experienced Scratchers for feedback on new How To articles (and major revisions). Try commenting on the user profiles of Scratchers you don't know to ask them to read your article and let you know if anything is confusing or hard to understand.
 * If you just wrote an article called "How to Make Songs with the Sound Blocks," you could comment on a few users' profiles: "Hey, I'm helping with the Scratch wiki and I'm working on an article about making songs in Scratch. Could you check it out and let me know if it makes sense? I'm especially worried about my descriptions of rhythms. Here’s a link: Thanks!"