Help:Editing
From MissionTechWiki
Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.
An excerpt is here:
-- Sjm
This Editing Overview has a lot of wikitext examples. You may want to keep this page open in a separate browser window for reference while you edit.
Each of the topics covered here is covered somewhere else in more detail. See box at right for that.
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Editing basics
- Start editing
- To start editing a MediaWiki page, click the Edit this page (or just edit) link at one of its edges. This brings you to the edit page: a page with a text box containing the wikitext: the editable source code from which the server produces the webpage. If you just want to experiment, please do so in the sandbox, not here.
- Type your changes
- You can just type your text. However, also using basic wiki markup (described in the next section) to make links and do simple formatting adds to the value of your contribution.
Basic text formatting
| What it looks like | What you type |
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You can italicize text by putting 2 apostrophes on each side. 3 apostrophes will bold the text. 5 apostrophes will bold and italicize the text. (4 apostrophes don't do anything special -- there's just 'one left over'.) | You can ''italicize text'' by putting 2 apostrophes on each side. 3 apostrophes will bold '''the text'''. 5 apostrophes will bold and italicize '''''the text'''''. (4 apostrophes don't do anything special -- there's just ''''one left over''''.) |
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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. When used in a list, a newline does affect the layout (see below). | 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. When used in a list, a newline ''does'' affect the layout ([[#lists|see below]]). |
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You can break lines Please do not start a link or italics or bold on one line and close it on the next. | You can break lines<br> without a new paragraph.<br> Please use this sparingly. Please do not start a [[link]] or ''italics'' or '''bold''' on one line and close it on the next. |
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You should "sign" your comments on talk pages: | You should "sign" your comments on talk pages: <br> - Three tildes gives your user name: ~~~ <br> - Four tildes give your user name plus date/time: ~~~~ <br> - Five tildes gives the date/time alone: ~~~~~ <br> |
Organizing your writing
| What it looks like | What you type |
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Section headings
Headings organize your writing into sections. The Wiki software can automatically generate a table of contents from them. Subsection
Using more equals signs creates a subsection. A smaller subsection
Don't skip levels, like from two to four equals signs. Start with 2 equals signs not 1 because 1 creates H1 tags which should be reserved for page title. | == Section headings == ''Headings'' organize your writing into sections. The Wiki software can automatically generate a table of contents from them. === Subsection === Using more equals signs creates a subsection. ==== A smaller subsection ==== Don't skip levels, like from two to four equals signs. Start with 2 equals signs not 1 because 1 creates H1 tags which should be reserved for page title. |
marks the end of the list.
| * ''Unordered lists'' are easy to do: ** Start every line with a star. *** More stars indicate a deeper level. *: Previous item continues. ** A newline * in a list marks the end of the list. * Of course you can start again. |
A newline marks the end of the list.
| # ''Numbered lists'' are also good: ## Very organized ## Easy to follow A newline marks the end of the list. # New numbering starts with 1. |
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Another kind of list is a definition list:
| Another kind of list is a ''definition list'': ; Word : Definition of the word ; Here is a longer phrase that needs a definition : Phrase defined ; A word : Which has a definition : Also a second one : And even a third |
| * You can even do mixed lists *# and nest them *# inside each other *#* or break lines<br>in lists. *#; definition lists *#: can be *#:; nested : too |
A newline after that starts a new paragraph.
| : A colon (:) indents a line or paragraph. A newline after that starts a new paragraph. <br> This is often used for discussion on talk pages. : We use 1 colon to indent once. :: We use 2 colons to indent twice. ::: We use 3 colons to indent 3 times, and so on. |
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You can make horizontal dividing lines (----) to separate text. But you should usually use sections instead, so that they go in the table of contents. | You can make horizontal dividing lines (----) to separate text. ---- But you should usually use sections instead, so that they go in the table of contents. |
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You can add footnotes to sentences using the ref tag -- this is especially good for citing a source.
References: <references/> For details, see Wikipedia:Footnotes and Help:Footnotes. |
You can add footnotes to sentences using the ''ref'' tag -- this is especially good for citing a source. :There are over six billion people in the world.<ref>CIA World Factbook, 2006.</ref> <br> References: <references/> For details, see [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] and [[Help:Footnotes]]. |
Links
You will often want to make clickable links to other pages.
| What it looks like | What you type |
|---|---|
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Here's a link to a page named Official position. You can even say official positions and the link will show up correctly. | Here's a link to a page named [[Official position]]. You can even say [[official position]]s and the link will show up correctly. |
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You can put formatting around a link. Example: Wikipedia. | You can put formatting around a link. Example: ''[[Wikipedia]]''. |
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The first letter of articles is automatically capitalized, so wikipedia goes to the same place as Wikipedia. Capitalization matters after the first letter. | The ''first letter'' of articles is automatically capitalized, so [[wikipedia]] goes to the same place as [[Wikipedia]]. Capitalization matters after the first letter. |
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The weather in Moscow is a page that doesn't exist yet. You could create it by clicking on the link. | [[The weather in Moscow]] is a page that doesn't exist yet. You could create it by clicking on the link. |
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You can link to a page section by its title: If multiple sections have the same title, add a number. #Example section 3 goes to the third section named "Example section". | You can link to a page section by its title: *[[List of cities by country#Morocco]]. If multiple sections have the same title, add a number. [[#Example section 3]] goes to the third section named "Example section". |
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You can make a link point to a different place with a piped link. Put the link target first, then the pipe character "|", then the link text. | You can make a link point to a different place with a [[Help:Piped link|piped link]]. Put the link target first, then the pipe character "|", then the link text. *[[Help:Link|About Links]] *[[List of cities by country#Morocco| Cities in Morocco]] |
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You can make an external link just by typing a URL: http://www.nupedia.com You can give it a title: Nupedia Or leave the title blank: [1] |
You can make an external link just by typing a URL: http://www.nupedia.com You can give it a title: [http://www.nupedia.com Nupedia] Or leave the title blank: [http://www.nupedia.com] |
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Linking to an e-mail address works the same way: mailto:someone@domain.com or someone |
Linking to an e-mail address works the same way: mailto:someone@domain.com or [mailto:someone@domain.com someone] |
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You can use magic words to help make links to special pages such as diffs, edit pages or history pages. |
{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Official position}}
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} Edit]
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You can redirect the user to another page. | #REDIRECT [[Official position]] |
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Category links do not show up in line but instead at page bottom and cause the page to be listed in the category. Add an extra colon to link to a category in line without causing the page to be listed in the category: Category:English documentation | [[Help:Category|Category links]] do not show up in line but instead at page bottom ''and cause the page to be listed in the category.'' [[Category:English documentation]] Add an extra colon to ''link'' to a category in line without causing the page to be listed in the category: [[:Category:English documentation]] |
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The Wiki reformats linked dates to match the reader's date preferences. These three dates will show up the same if you choose a format in your Preferences: | The Wiki reformats linked dates to match the reader's date preferences. These three dates will show up the same if you choose a format in your [[Special:Preferences|]]: * [[July 20]], [[1969]] * [[20 July]] [[1969]] * [[1969]]-[[07-20]] |
- Preview before saving
- When you have finished, click Show preview to see how your changes will look -- before you make them permanent. Repeat the edit/preview process until you are satisfied, then click Save page and your changes will be immediately applied to the article.