Help:Editing

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General[edit source]

To edit a page, click on "Edit" link at the top of the page or along one of its edges, depending on the skin in your preferences.

After adding to or changing the wikitext, press "Show preview", which produces the corresponding webpage in your browser but does not make it publicly available yet (not until you press "Save page"). Errors in formatting, links, tables, etc., are often much easier to discover from the rendered page than from the raw wikitext.

If you are not satisfied you can make more changes and preview the page as many times as necessary. You can then write a short edit summary in the small text field below the edit-box (although this is not necessary on this wiki) and when finished press "Save page". Depending on your system, pressing the "Enter" key while the edit box is not active (i.e., there is no typing cursor in it) may have the same effect as pressing "Save page".

You may find it more convenient to copy and paste the text first into your favorite text editor, edit and spell check it there, and then paste it back into your web browser to preview. This way, you can also keep a local backup copy of the pages you have edited. It also allows you to make changes offline, but before you submit your changes, please make sure nobody else has edited the page since you saved your local copy (by checking the page history), otherwise you may accidentally revert someone else's edits. If someone has edited it since you copied the page, you'll have to merge their edits into your new version (you can find their specific edits by using the "diff" feature of the page history). These issues are handled automatically by the MediaWiki software if you edit the page online, retrieving and submitting the wikicode in the same text box.

Dummy edit[edit source]

If the wikitext is not changed no edit will be recorded and the edit summary is discarded.

A dummy edit is a change in wikitext that has no effect on the rendered page. This allows an edit summary, and is useful for correcting a previous edit summary, or an accidental marking of a previous edit as "minor" (see below). Also it is sometimes needed to refresh the cache of some item in the database.

Minor edits[edit source]

When editing a page, a logged in user has the option of flagging the edit as a "minor edit". When to use this is somewhat a matter of personal preference. The rule of thumb is that an edit of a page that is limited to spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearranging of text should be flagged as a "minor edit". A major edit is anything that makes the entry worth looking at for someone watching the article; any content change, even if it only involves a single word, is a major edit. This feature is important, because users can choose to hide minor edits in their view of the recent changes to keep the volume of edits down to a manageable level.

The reason for not allowing a user who is not logged in to mark an edit as minor is that vandalism could then be marked as a minor edit, in which case it could stay unnoticed longer. This limitation is another reason to log in.

The wiki markup[edit source]

In the left column of the table below, you can see what effects are possible. In the right column, you can see how those effects were achieved. In other words, to make text look like it looks in the left column, type it in the format you see in the right column.

You may want to keep this page open in a separate browser window for reference. If you want to try out things without danger of doing any harm, you can do so in the Sandbox.

Sections, paragraphs, lists and lines[edit source]

What it looks like What you type
Start your sections with header lines:

New section

Subsection

Sub-subsection


== New section ==

=== Subsection ===

==== Sub-subsection ====
Newline (using the enter key):

A single newline has no effect on the layout.

But an empty line

starts a new paragraph.

A single
newline
has no
effect on the
layout.

But an empty line

starts a new paragraph.
You can break lines
without starting a new paragraph.

Sufficient as wikitext code is <br>, the XHTML code <br /> is not needed, the system produces this code.

You can break lines<br>
without starting a new paragraph.
  • Lists are easy to do:
    • start every line with a star
      • more stars means deeper levels
  • A newline
  • in a list

marks the end of the list.

  • Of course
  • you can
  • start again.
*Lists are easy to do:
**start every line with a star
***more stars means deeper levels
*A newline
*in a list  
marks the end of the list.
*Of course
*you can
*start again.

  1. Numbered lists are also good
    1. very organized
    2. easy to follow
  2. A newline
  3. in a list

marks the end of the list.

  1. New numbering starts
  2. with 1.
#Numbered lists are also good
##very organized
##easy to follow
#A newline
#in a list  
marks the end of the list.
#New numbering starts
#with 1.
  • You can even do mixed lists
    1. and nest them
      • like this
        or have newlines
        inside lists
* You can even do mixed lists
*# and nest them
*#* like this<br>or have newlines<br>inside lists
  • You can also
    • break lines
      inside lists
      like this
* You can also
**break lines<br>inside lists<br>like this
  • You can also
    • break lines
      inside lists
      like this
* You can also
**break lines<br>inside lists<br>like this
Definition list
list of definitions
item
the item's definition
; Definition list : list
of definitions
; item : the item's definition
A colon indents a line or paragraph.

A manual newline starts a new paragraph.

  • This is primarily for displayed material, but is also used for discussion on talk pages.
: A colon indents a line or paragraph.
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.
IF a line of plain text starts with a space THEN
  it will be formatted exactly
    as typed;
  in a fixed-width font;
  lines won't wrap;
ENDIF
this is useful for:
  * pasting preformatted text;
  * algorithm descriptions;
  * program source code
  * ASCII art;
  * chemical structures;

WARNING: If you make the box too wide, it will cause the whole page to be wide and hence less readable. Never start ordinary lines with spaces.

(see also below)
 IF a line of plain text starts with a space THEN
   it will be formatted exactly
     as typed;
   in a fixed-width font;
   lines won't wrap;
 ENDIF
 this is useful for:
   * pasting preformatted text;
   * algorithm descriptions;
   * program source code
   * ASCII art;
   * chemical structures;
Centered text.
<center>Centered text.</center>
Quoted text.
<blockquote>Quoted text.</blockquote>
A horizontal dividing line: above

and below.

A horizontal dividing line: above
----
and below. 

Summarizing the effect of a single newline: no effect in general, but it ends a list item or indented part; thus changing some text into a list item, or indenting it, is more cumbersome if it contains newlines, so they have to be removed.

Links, URLs[edit source]

What it looks like What you type
I am looking at the Main Page.

Thus the link above is to http://hrfwiki2.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page, which is the page with the name "Main Page".

I am looking at the [[Main Page]].

Link to a section on a page, e.g. HRFWiki2:FAQ#Questions and Answers; when section editing does not work the link is treated as link to the page, i.e. to the top; this applies for:

  • links to non-existent sections
  • links in redirects
  • interwiki links
[[HRFWiki2:FAQ#Questions and Answers]].
Link target and link label are different: home page.
Link target and link label are different: 
[[Main Page|home page]].
Endings are blended into the link: Main Pages.
Endings are blended
into the link: [[Main Page]]s.

Automatically hide stuff in parentheses: Coach Zemail.

Automatically hide namespace: Wiki Stuff.

The server fills in the part after the | when you save the page. Next time you open the edit box you will see the expanded piped link. A preview interprets the abbreviated form correctly, but does not expand it yet in the edit box. Press Save and again Edit, and you will see the expanded version. The same applies for the following feature.

Automatically hide stuff in parentheses:
[[Coach Zemail (CoachErinStrongSad)|]].
Automatically hide namespace:
[[HRFWiki2:Wiki Stuff|]].

When adding a comment to a Talk page, you should sign it. You can do this by adding three tildes for your user name:
Gfdgsgxgzgdrc
or four for user name plus date/time:
Gfdgsgxgzgdrc 9:08, Friday, March 29, 2024 (EST)
five gives just the date/time:
9:08, Friday, March 29, 2024 (EST)

When adding a comment to a Talk page,
you should sign it. You can do this by
adding three tildes for your user name:
~~~
or four for user name plus date/time:
~~~~
five gives just the date/time:
~~~~~
The weather in London is a page that does not yet exist.
  • You can create it by clicking on the link.
  • There are several ways to create a page. See the FAQ for more information.

Note: Please do not create this page. The link is meant as an example and is not a necessary article.

[[The weather in London]] is a page
that doesn't exist yet.

Redirect one article title to another by putting text like this in its first (and only) line.

#REDIRECT [[Main Page]]
"What links here" and "Related changes" can be linked as:

Special:Whatlinkshere/Main Page and Special:Recentchangeslinked/Main Page

[[Special:Whatlinkshere/
Main Page]] and
[[Special:Recentchangeslinked/
Main Page]]
External links: Homestar Runner, [1]
External links:
[http://www.homestarrunner.com Homestar Runner],
[http://www.homestarrunner.com]
Or just give the URL: http://www.homestarrunner.com.
Or just give the URL:
http://www.homestarrunner.com.
Interwiki links:

Homestar Runner, A Jorb Well Done

[[hrwiki:Homestar Runner|Homestar Runner]],
[[hsr:cantsayjob.html|A Jorb Well Done]]

Images[edit source]

What it looks like What you type
The Homestar Runner logo A picture:
[[File:H*R.png]]

With alternate text:

[[File:H*R.png|The Homestar Runner logo]] 

With alternate text and size:

[[File:H*R.png|200px|The Homestar Runner logo]]

Web browsers render alternate text when not displaying an image— for example, when the image isn't loaded, or in a text-only browser, or when spoken aloud. You can see the alternate text when moving the mouse over the image.

Clicking on an uploaded image displays a description page, which you can also link directly to: File:H*R.png

[[:File:H*R.png]]

Gallery:

Gallery:
<gallery>
File:H*R.png|H*R Logo
File:HRWiki.gif|HRWiki Logo
File:HomestarRunner.png|Homestar
</gallery>

You can also paste image URLs into the page to make the image show up: dcL2SfE.png

https://i.imgur.com/dcL2SfE.png

Character formatting[edit source]

What it looks like What you type
Emphasize, strongly, very strongly.
  • These are double and triple apostrophes, not double quotes.
''Emphasize'', '''strongly''',
'''''very strongly'''''.
Non-formatted text:

[[Main Page]]

<nowiki>[[Main Page]]</nowiki>
A typewriter font for technical terms.
A typewriter font for
<tt>technical terms</tt>.
You can use small text.
You can use <small>small text</small>.
You can strike out deleted material

and underline new material.

You can <s>strike out deleted material</s>
and <u>underline new material</u>.
You can make text big, small, very big, or very small.
You can make text <big>big</big>, <small>small</small>, <big><big>very big</big></big>, or <small><small>very small</small></small>.
Change the color, size, and font.
Change the <span style="color:red">color</span>, <span style="font-size:125%">size</span>, and <span style="font-family:Times New Roman">font</span>.
red orange yellow lime green cyan blue dark cyan fuchsia white black
<span style="color:red">red</span> <span style="color:orange">orange</span> <span style="color:yellow">yellow</span> <span style="color:lime">lime</span> <span style="color:green">green</span> <span style="color:cyan">cyan</span> <span style="color:blue">blue</span> <span style="color:dark cyan">dark cyan</span> <span style="color:fuchsia">fuchsia</span> <span style="color:white">white</span> <span style="color:black">black</span>

Umlauts and accents:
è é ê ë ì í

À Á Â Ã Ä Å
Æ Ç È É Ê Ë
Ì Í Î Ï Ñ Ò
Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Ù
Ú Û Ü ß à á
â ã ä å æ ç
è é ê ë ì í
î ï ñ ò ó ô
œ õ ö ø ù ú
û ü ÿ


è é ê ë ì í

&Agrave; &Aacute; &Acirc; &Atilde; &Auml; &Aring;
&AElig; &Ccedil; &Egrave; &Eacute; &Ecirc; &Euml;
&Igrave; &Iacute; &Icirc; &Iuml; &Ntilde; &Ograve;
&Oacute; &Ocirc; &Otilde; &Ouml; &Oslash; &Ugrave;
&Uacute; &Ucirc; &Uuml; &szlig; &agrave; &aacute;
&acirc; &atilde; &auml; &aring; &aelig; &ccedil;
&egrave; &eacute; &ecirc; &euml; &igrave; &iacute;
&icirc; &iuml; &ntilde; &ograve; &oacute; &ocirc;
&oelig; &otilde; &ouml; &oslash; &ugrave; &uacute;
&ucirc; &uuml; &yuml;

Punctuation:
¿ ¡ « » § ¶
† ‡ • —

&iquest; &iexcl; &laquo; &raquo; &sect; &para;
&dagger; &Dagger; &bull; &mdash;

Commercial symbols:
™ © ® ¢ € ¥
£ ¤

&trade; &copy; &reg; &cent; &euro; &yen;
&pound; &curren;
Greek characters:

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ
Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν
Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ
Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω
α β γ δ ε ζ
η θ ι κ λ μ ν
ξ ο π ρ σ ς
τ υ φ χ ψ ω

&Alpha; &Beta; &Gamma; &Delta; &Epsilon; &Zeta;
&Eta; &Theta; &Iota; &Kappa; &Lambda; &Mu; &Nu;
&Xi; &Omicron; &Pi; &Rho;  &Sigma;
&Tau; &Upsilon; &Phi; &Chi; &Psi; &Omega;
&alpha; &beta; &gamma; &delta; &epsilon; &zeta;
&eta; &theta; &iota; &kappa; &lambda; &mu; &nu;
&xi; &omicron; &pi; &rho;  &sigma; &sigmaf;
&tau; &upsilon; &phi; &chi; &psi; &omega;

Math characters:
∫ ∑ ∏ √ − ± ∞
≈ ∝ ≡ ≠ ≤ ≥ →
× · ÷ ∂ ′ ″
∇ ‰ ° ∴ ℵ ø
∈ ∉ ∩ ∪ ⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇
¬ ∧ ∨ ∃ ∀ ⇒ ⇔
→ ↔

&int; &sum; &prod; &radic; &minus; &plusmn; &infin;
&asymp; &prop; &equiv; &ne; &le; &ge; &rarr;
&times; &middot; &divide; &part; &prime; &Prime;
&nabla; &permil; &deg; &there4; &alefsym; &oslash;
&isin; &notin; &cap; &cup; &sub; &sup; &sube; &supe;
&not; &and; &or; &exist; &forall; &rArr; &hArr;
&rarr; &harr;

Simple math:
Subscript: x2 Superscript: x2

  • The latter method of superscript can't be used in the most general context, but is preferred when possible (as with units of measurement) because most browsers have an easier time formatting lines with it.

Simple forumla: x2   ≥  0

  • To space things out, use non-breaking spaces - &nbsp;.
  • &nbsp; also prevents line breaks in the middle of text; this is useful in formulas.
Subscript: x<sub>2</sub> 
Superscript: x<sup>2</sup> 
Simple forumla: <i>x</i><sup>2</sup>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&ge;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 

For comparison for the following examples:

arrow →

italics link

arrow      &rarr;

''italics''
[[link]]

Use <nowiki> to suppress interpretation of wiki markup, but interpret character references and remove newlines and multiple spaces:

arrow → ''italics'' [[link]]

<nowiki>arrow      &rarr;

''italics''
[[link]]</nowiki>

Use <pre> to suppress interpretation of wiki markup and keep newlines and multiple spaces, and get typewriter font, but interpret character references:

arrow      →

''italics''
[[link]]
<pre>arrow      &rarr;

''italics''
[[link]]</pre>

Use leading space on each line to keep newlines and multiple spaces, and get typewriter font:

arrow      →
italics
link
 arrow      &rarr;

 ''italics''
 [[link]]

Use typewriter font:

arrow →

italics link

<tt>arrow      &rarr;</tt>

<tt>''italics''</tt>
<tt>[[link]]</tt>

Show character references:

&rarr;

&amp;rarr;
Commenting page source:

not shown in page

  • Used to leave comments in a page for future editors.
  • Used to hide text that will be used in the immediate future.
  • May be temporarily used to set invisible markers in long term editing projects.
<!-- comment here -->

Extensions[edit source]

These are Miraheze extensions that have been added to the wiki for your convenience.

What it looks like What you type
The Sun is pretty big.[1] The Moon, however, is not so big.[2]

Notes:

  1. E. Miller, The Sun, (New York: Academic Press, 2005), 23-5.
  2. R. Smith, "Size of the Moon", Scientific American, 46 (April 1978): 44-6.
The Sun is pretty big.<ref>E. Miller, ''The Sun'', (New York: Academic Press, 2005), 23-5.</ref> The Moon, however, is not so big.<ref>R. Smith, "Size of the Moon", ''Scientific American'', 46 (April 1978): 44-6.</ref>

'''Notes:'''
<references />
  • Removes the title at the top of the page
__NOTITLE__

This tool allows you to view a given user's edit count across all namespaces.

2,222
  • Shows the edit count of a user
{{Special:Editcount/Gfdgsgxgzgdrc}}
<inputbox>
type=create
break=no
</inputbox>
Option #5
  • Chooses a random option
<choose>
<option>Option #1</option>
<option>Option #2</option>
<option>Option #3</option>
<option>Option #4</option>
<option>Option #5</option>
</choose>
 repeat (5)
 move (10) steps
 
 end
 say [Done!]
 
<scratchblocks>
 repeat (5)
 move (10) steps
 
 end
 say [Done!]
 </scratchblocks>
{{#spoiler:This is a major spoiler.}}
  • Variables for the number of subpages.
{{SUBPAGETITLE}}, {{SUBPAGES}}, {{PARENTPAGES}}, {{SIBLINGPAGES}}, {{NUMBEROFSUBPAGES}}, {{TOPLEVELPAGE}}
3
{{#vardefine:variable|3}}{{#var:variable}}
You are logged out.
<loggedin>You are logged in.</loggedin><loggedout>You are logged out.</loggedout>
  • Your username: 3.237.5.1
  • Your real name in your preferences:
  • Your language code: en

Note: {{CURRENTUSER}} shows IP addresses, {{CURRENTLOGGEDUSER}} shows nothing for IP addresses.

*Your username: {{CURRENTUSER}}
*Your real name in your preferences: {{CURRENTUSERREALNAME}}
*Your language code: {{USERLANGUAGECODE}}
Logo: dcL2SfE.png
Logo: {{LOGO}}

Templates[edit source]

Some part of a page may correspond in the edit box to just a reference to another page, in the form {{name}}, referring to the page "Template:name" (or if the name starts with a namespace prefix, it refers to the page with that name; if it starts with a colon it refers to the page in the main namespace with that name without the colon). This is called a template. For changing that part of the page, edit that other page. Sometimes a separate edit link is provided for this purpose. Note that the change also affects other pages which use the same template.

Page protection[edit source]

In a few cases the link labeled "Edit this page" is replaced by the text "Protected page". In that case the page cannot be edited by users below sysop privileges.

Separating edits[edit source]

When moving or copying a piece of text within a page or from another page, and also making other edits, it is useful to separate these edits. This way the diff function can be usefully applied for checking these other edits.

Vandals[edit source]

The bad news is that occasionally a vandal will deface a page. The good news is that any page can be reverted back to a previous version:

Simply click "history" at the top of the page you wish to roll back. Then click on the time and date of the archived version you want to revert back to. The page will appear with the version indicated at the top of the page, just underneath the page title. Next, click "edit" at the top of the page. Add a note in the Summary box that you are reverting the page because of a vandal, and then click "Save page".

Another option is the undo function. When viewing the diff for an edit (whether from the diff link on Recent Changes or on an article's history page) you may undo that specific edit by clicking on the undo link. This is useful for reversing an edit that has happened prior to other edits you do not want to remove.

External resources[edit source]