Help:Editing
- See also Quick Edit Guide, Help:Editing, m:Help:Editing
- Part of the Style and How-to Series
Wikipedia is a WikiWiki, which means that anyone can easily edit any unprotected article and have those changes posted immediately to that page.
It's very easy to edit a Wiki page!!!
Simply click on the "Edit this page" tab at the top (or the edit link on the right or bottom) of a Wiki page. This will bring you to a page with a text box containing the editable text of that page. (If you want to experiment, please do so in our sandbox, not here. You could open the sandbox in a separate window or tab to be able to see both this text and your tests in the sandbox.)
Type away, write a short edit summary on the small field below the edit-box. You may use shorthand to describe your changes, as described in the legend, and when finished, press preview to see how your changes will look. Then press "Save". Depending on your system, pressing "Enter" while the edit box is not active (when there is no typing cursor in it) may have the same effect as pressing the "Save" button. Also, please do not vandalise the information on Wikipedia.
You can also click on the "Discussion" tab (or the "Discuss this page" link) to see the corresponding talk page, which contains comments about the page from other Wikipedia users. Click on the "+" tab (or "Edit this page") to add a comment.
Contents
More information on editing wiki pages
This page is the reference for wiki markup. You may also want to learn about:
- How to start a page
- Informal tips on contributing to Wikipedia
- Editing tasks in general at the Wikipedia:Editing FAQ
- Why not to rename pages boldly, at Wikipedia:How to rename (move) a page
- Preferred layout of your article, at Guide to Layout (see also Wikipedia:Boilerplate text)
- Style conventions in the Wikipedia:Manual of Style
- General policies in Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines
- Wikipedia:Naming conventions for how to name articles themselves
- If you are making an article about something that belongs to a group of objects (a city, an astronomical object, a chinese character...) check out if there is a WikiProject on the group and try to follow its directions explicitly.
- Finally, for a list of articles about editing Wikipedia see Wikipedia:Style and How-to Directory or Wikipedia:Utilities.
Tips on editing Wikipedia articles
Please use a neutral point of view, and please cite your sources so others can check and extend your work.
It is often more convenient to copy and paste the text first into your favorite text editor, edit and spell check there, and then paste back into the browser to preview. This way, you can also keep a local backup copy of the pages you authored so that you can make changes offline. Some text editors can be specially adapted to edit Wikipedia articles: see Wikipedia:syntax highlighting.
If during editing you want to see the current version again, open "Cancel" in a new window. This does not cancel your edit.
After making a new page, it's a good idea to
- With your page displayed, use What links here to check the articles that already link to it, and make sure that they are all expecting the same meaning that you have supplied;
- Use the Search button to launch a Google search of Wikipedia for your topic title (and possibly variants), to find articles that mention it, and make links from them if appropriate;
- Check for corresponding articles in the Wikipedias of other languages that you can read.
Safari browser 60-second timeout
If you use the Safari browser on Mac OS X, you may find that the 60-second browser timeout is shorter than the amount of time it takes for your edit to be acknowledged, especially when server load is high. Clicking "Save page" again will cause the edit to be repeated, which can be disastrous when doing section edits. You may want to install SafariNoTimeout, a free extension that will increase the 60-second timeout to 10 minutes. Note that this "haxie" does not require Application Enhancer. Alternatively, the Safari plug-in Saft also allows you to alter the timeout, although it is not free.
Minor edits
See also Wikipedia:Minor edit
When editing a page, a logged-in user can mark that edit as "minor". Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearranging of text. It is possible to hide minor edits when viewing Wikipedia:Recent Changes. Marking a significant change as a minor edit is considered bad behavior, and even more so if it involves the deletion of some text. If one has accidentally marked an edit as minor, the person should edit the source once more, mark it major (or, rather, ensure that the check-box for "This is a minor edit" is not checked), and, in the summary, state that the previous change was a major one.
The wiki markup
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
| What it looks like | What you type |
|---|---|
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Start your sections as follows:
Template:Section headings example
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==New section== ===Subsection=== ====Sub-subsection==== |
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A single newline generally has no effect on the layout. These can be used to separate sentences within a paragraph. Some editors find that this aids editing and improves the diff function (used internally to compare different versions of a page). But an empty line starts a new paragraph.
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A single [[newline]] generally has no effect on the layout. These can be used to separate sentences within a paragraph. Some editors find that this aids editing and improves the ''diff'' function (used internally to compare different versions of a page). But an empty line starts a new paragraph. |
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You can break lines
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You can break lines<br/> without starting a new paragraph. |
marks the end of a list item. |
* 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 a list item. |
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# Numbered lists are also good ## very organized ## easy to follow |
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* You can even do mixed lists *# and nest them *#* like this |
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; Definition list : list of definitions ; item : the item's definition ; another item : the other item's definition |
A manual newline starts a new paragraph.
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: A colon indents a line or paragraph. A manual newline starts a new paragraph. |
IF a line 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;
|
IF a line 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;
|
|
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<center>Centered text.</center> |
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A horizontal dividing line: this is above it and this is below it.
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A [[horizontal dividing line]]: this is above it ---- and this is below it. |
Links and URLs
| What it looks like | What you type |
|---|---|
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London has public transport.
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London has [[public transport]]. |
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San Francisco also has public transportation.
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San Francisco also has [[public transport|public transportation]]. |
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San Francisco also has public transportation. Examples include buses, taxis and streetcars.
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San Francisco also has [[public transport]]ation. Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s and [[streetcar]]s. |
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See the Wikipedia:Manual of Style.
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See the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]]. |
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Economics#See also is a link to a section within another page. #Links and URLs is a link to a section on the current page.
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[[Economics#See also]] is a link to a section within another page. [[#Links and URLs]] is a link to a section on the current page. |
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Automatically hide stuff in parentheses: kingdom. Automatically hide namespace: Village Pump. Or both: Manual of Style But not: [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Links|]]
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Automatically hide stuff in parentheses: [[kingdom (biology)|]]. Automatically hide namespace: [[Wikipedia:Village Pump|]]. Or both: [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (headings)|]] But not: [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Links|]] |
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The weather in London is a page that doesn't exist yet.
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[[The weather in London]] is a page that doesn't exist yet. |
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Wikipedia:How to edit a page is this page.
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[[Wikipedia:How to edit a page]] is this page. |
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When adding a comment to a Talk page, you should sign it by adding three tildes for your user name: or four for user name plus date/time:
Five tildes gives the date/time alone:
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When adding a comment to a Talk page, you should sign it by adding three tildes for your user name: : ~~~ or four for user name plus date/time: : ~~~~ Five tildes gives the date/time alone: : ~~~~~ |
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#REDIRECT [[United States]] |
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[[fr:Wikipédia:Aide]] |
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What links here and Related changes pages can be linked as: Special:Whatlinkshere/Wikipedia:How to edit a page and Special:Recentchangeslinked/Wikipedia:How to edit a page |
'''What links here''' and '''Related changes''' pages can be linked as: [[Special:Whatlinkshere/Wikipedia:How to edit a page]] and [[Special:Recentchangeslinked/Wikipedia:How to edit a page]] |
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A user's Contributions page can be linked as: Special:Contributions/UserName or Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0 |
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as: [[Special:Contributions/UserName]] or [[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]] |
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[[Category:Character sets]] |
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[[:Category:Character sets]] |
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Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:
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Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources: # Bare URL: http://www.nupedia.com/ # Unnamed link: [http://www.nupedia.com/] # Named link: [http://www.nupedia.com Nupedia] |
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Linking to other wikis:
Linking to another language's wiktionary:
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Linking to other wikis: # [[Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]] # Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]] # Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|]] Linking to another language's wiktionary: # [[Wiktionary:fr:Bonjour]] # [[Wiktionary:fr:Bonjour|Bonjour]] # [[Wiktionary:fr:Bonjour|]] |
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ISBN 012345678X ISBN 0-123-45678-X
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ISBN 012345678X ISBN 0-123-45678-X |
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Date formats:
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Date formats: # [[July 20]], [[1969]] # [[20 July]] [[1969]] # [[1969]]-[[07-20]] |
Some uploaded sounds are listed at Wikipedia:Sound. |
[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]] |
Images
| What it looks like | What you type |
|---|---|
| A picture: File:Wiki.png Wikipedia Encyclopedia
|
A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png]] or, with alternate text [[Image:Wiki.png|jigsaw globe]] or, floating to the right side of the page and with a caption. A picture: [[Image:Wiki.png|frame|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]] or, floating to the right side of the page without a caption. [[Image:Wiki.png|right|]] Note the extra | after the word right. This is to make sure the image floats to the right side of the page, and not so that the alternate text is "right". |
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Clicking on an uploaded image displays a description page, which you can also link directly to: Image:Wiki.png |
[[:Image:Wiki.png]] |
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To include links to images shown as links instead of drawn on the page, use a "media" link. |
[[media:Tornado.jpg|Image of a Tornado]] |
Character formatting
| What it looks like | What you type |
|---|---|
|
Emphasize, strongly, very strongly.
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''Emphasize'', '''strongly''', '''''very strongly'''''. |
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A typewriter font for monospace text
or for computer code:
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A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt> or for computer code: <code>int main()</code> |
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You can use small text for captions. |
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions. |
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You can You can also mark
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You can <strike>strike out deleted material</strike> and <u>underline new material</u>. You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and <ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup rather than visual markup. |
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Umlauts and accents:
À à Â Ã Ä Å |
è é ê ë ì à 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 |
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Punctuation:
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¿ ¡ § ¶ † ‡ • – — ‹ › « » ‘ ’ “ ” |
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Commercial symbols:
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™ © ® ¢ € ¥ £ ¤ |
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Subscripts:
Superscripts:
ε0 = 8.85 × 10−12 C² / J m. |
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or x¹ x² x³ ε<sub>0</sub> = 8.85 × 10<sup>−12</sup> C² / J m. 1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m²]] |
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Greek characters:
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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 Γ Δ Θ Λ Ξ Π Σ Φ Ψ Ω |
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Math characters:
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∫ ∑ ∏ √ − ± ∞ ≈ ∝ ≡ ≠ ≤ ≥ → × · ÷ ∂ ′ ″ ∇ ‰ ° ∴ ℵ ø ∈ ∉ ∩ ∪ ⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇ ¬ ∧ ∨ ∃ ∀ ⇒ ⇔ → ↔ |
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Spacing in simple math formulas:
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Obviously, <i>x</i>² ≥ 0 is true. |
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Complicated formulas:
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: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math>
|
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Suppressing interpretation of markup:
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<nowiki>Link → (<i>to</i>) the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]</nowiki> |
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Commenting page source:
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<!-- comment here --> |
Tables
Placement of the Table of Contents (TOC)
At the current status of the wiki markup language, having at least four headers on a page triggers the TOC to appear in front of the first header (or after introductory sections). Putting __TOC__ anywhere forces the TOC to appear at that point (instead of just before the first header). Putting __NOTOC__ anywhere forces the TOC to disappear. See also compact TOC for alphabet and year headings.
Tables
There are two ways to build tables:
- in special Wiki-markup (see m:Help:Table)
- with the usual HTML elements: <table>, <tr>, <td> or <th>.
For the latter, and a discussion on when tables are appropriate, see Wikipedia:How to use tables.
Variables
(See also m:Help:Variable)
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| {{CURRENTMONTH}} | 11 |
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} | November |
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}} | November |
| {{CURRENTDAY}} | 24 |
| {{CURRENTDAYNAME}} | Sunday |
| {{CURRENTYEAR}} | 2024 |
| {{CURRENTTIME}} | 13:16 |
| {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} | 1,434 |
| {{PAGENAME}} | Editing |
| {{NAMESPACE}} | Help |
| {{localurl:pagename}} | /wiki/Pagename |
| {{localurl:Wikipedia:Sandbox|action=edit}} | http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox?action=edit |
| {{SERVER}} | https://www.thinkwiki.org |
| {{ns:1}} | Talk |
| {{ns:2}} | User |
| {{ns:3}} | User talk |
| {{ns:4}} | ThinkWiki |
| {{ns:5}} | ThinkWiki talk |
| {{ns:6}} | File |
| {{ns:7}} | File talk |
| {{ns:8}} | MediaWiki |
| {{ns:9}} | MediaWiki talk |
| {{ns:10}} | Template |
| {{ns:11}} | Template talk |
| {{ns:12}} | Help |
| {{ns:13}} | Help talk |
| {{ns:14}} | Category |
| {{ns:15}} | Category talk |
| {{SITENAME}} | ThinkWiki |
NUMBEROFARTICLES is the number of pages in the main namespace which contain a link and are not a redirect, i.e. number of articles, stubs containing a link, and disambiguation pages).
Templates
The MediaWiki software used by Wikipedia has limited support for template inclusion. This means standardized text chunks (such as boilerplate text) can be inserted into articles. For example, typing {{stub}} will appear as This article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. when the page is saved. Other commonly used ones are {{disambig}} for disambiguation pages and {{spoiler}} for spoiler warnings. See Wikipedia:Template messages for the complete list.
