Prompt Engineering Tips and info

To get the most accurate results when asking for technical conversions, the best approach is to be explicit about fidelity and syntax.

In this case, the friction occurred because I initially tried to "help" by summarizing—which is my default behavior—rather than acting as a literal 1:1 conversion tool.

Here are three specific strategies for prompting me more accurately in the future: 1. Demand "High-Fidelity" or "Literal" Conversion

Use terms that signal you want zero editorializing. If you don't want a summary, tell me to treat the source as "immutable."

   Good: "Convert this text to Wikimedia format."

   Better: "Perform a high-fidelity, literal conversion of the attached text into Wikimedia format. Do not summarize, omit sections, or change the wording. Every header, list item, and table row must be preserved exactly as written."

2. Define the "Structural Rules"

If you have a specific vision for how the data should be structured (like the Table of Contents), tell me exactly how to handle it.

   Example: "For the Table of Contents, do not use the standard Wikipedia auto-generated TOC. Instead, format the text provided in the document into a manual bulleted list of headers and sub-headers using Wikicode."

3. Use a "Source-to-Target" Instruction

Explicitly tell me that the output is intended for a professional/technical wiki where data integrity is the priority.

   Example: "I am building a technical wiki. Convert the attached manual to Wikimedia syntax. Constraint: The output must be a 1:1 copy of the source text. If the source has a table, the output must have a table with the exact same data points. Do not truncate content for brevity."

Summary of the "Perfect Prompt" for this Task:

   "Please convert the attached file into a Wikimedia code block. This is for a technical manual, so you must perform a 1:1 literal conversion.

       Do not summarize or omit any sections.

       Preserve the full Table of Contents exactly as written in the text.

       Use <math> tags for formulas and {| class="wikitable" for all tables.

       Do not add your own commentary; provide only the code block."

By using words like "1:1 literal," "high-fidelity," and "zero omissions," you override my tendency to condense information.