[[Wikipedia]] is a [[Wiki]], which means that anyone can easily edit any [[Wikipedia:Protected page|unprotected page]] and save those changes immediately to that page. After your first edit you are a Wikipedia editor! To request a change to a protected page, you may use any {{tl|Editprotected}} [[Wikipedia:template|template]].
==Introduction==
''Editing'' a Wikipedia page is not very hard. Simply click on the "'''edit this page'''" tab at the top of a Wikipedia page (or on a [[Wikipedia:Section|section-edit]] link). This will bring you to a new page with a text box containing the editable text of the original page. '''If you just want to experiment, please do so in the [[Wikipedia:sandbox|sandbox]]'''; '''not here'''. You should write a short [[Wikipedia:Edit summary|edit summary]] in the small field below the edit-box. You may use shorthand to describe your changes, as described in the [[Wikipedia:Edit summary legend|legend]], and when you have finished, press the [[Wikipedia:Show preview|Show preview]] button to see how your changes will look. You can also see the difference between the page with your edits and the previous version of the page by pressing the [[Wikipedia:Show changes|Show changes]] button. If you're satisfied with what you see, [[Wikipedia:Be bold in updating pages|be bold]] and press the '''Save page''' button. Your changes will immediately be visible to other Wikipedia users.
You can also click on the "'''Discussion'''" tab to see the corresponding [[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk page]], which contains comments about the page from other Wikipedia users. Click on the "'''+'''" tab to add a new section, or edit the page in the same way as an article page.
You should remember to [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|sign your messages]] on [[Wikipedia:Talk pages|talk pages]] and some special-purpose [[Wikipedia:Project namespace|project pages]], but you should '''not''' sign edits you make to regular articles. In [[Wikipedia:Page history|page histories]], the [[MediaWiki]] software keeps track of which user makes each change.
==Tips on editing Wikipedia articles==
'''Always use a [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutral point of view]]''', because Wikipedia is [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not a soapbox|not a soapbox]].
'''Cite your sources''', so others can check and extend your work. Most Wikipedia articles currently lack good references, and this continues to be Wikipedia's single greatest criticism—that it is not a reliable source. Please help by researching online and print resources to find references for the article you are working on, then [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|cite them]] in proper form, and consider in-text citation for contentious facts. There is no consensus on the best way to do this, but anything is better than nothing.
'''Link to your article''' from other articles. After making a new page, it's a good idea to use the ''[[Wikipedia:What links here|What links here]]'' feature to check the pages that already link to your new page. Make sure that all the links are referring to your page in the right context. For example, a link to the Mercury article in an astronomy-related article should direct readers to [[Mercury (planet)]] rather than [[Mercury (mythology)]]. You should also use the [[Wikipedia:Searching|search feature]] to find occurrences of the title of your new page—and possible variants thereof—so that you can [[Wikipedia:Links|create appropriate links]].
==Minor edits==
''See also [[Wikipedia:Minor edit]]''
When editing an article page on this site, a [[Wikipedia:How to log in|logged-in]] user can mark that edit as being "minor". Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearrangement of text. It is possible to ''hide'' minor edits when viewing the [[Wikipedia:Recent Changes|recent changes]]. Marking a significant change as a minor edit is considered bad behavior, especially when it involves the deletion of some text. If you accidentally mark an edit as minor, you 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.
==Wiki markup==
The '''wiki markup''' is the syntax system you can use to format a Wikipedia page.
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 [[Wikipedia:Sandbox|Sandbox]]'''. Try opening the Sandbox in a separate window or tab and keeping this page open for reference.
===Examples===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
!What it looks like
!What you type
|-valign="top"
|
Start your [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (headings)|sections]] as follows:
'''New section'''
'''Subsection'''
'''Sub-subsection'''
* Start with a second-level heading (
|- valign="top" | 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 function ''diff'' (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]]). |==New section== ===Subsection=== ====Sub-subsection====
|- valign="top" | You can break linesA 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 function ''diff'' (used internally to compare different versions of a page). But an empty line starts a new paragraph.
|- id="lists" valign="top" | * It's easy to create a list: ** Start every line with a star ([[asterisk]]). *** More stars means deeper levels. **** A newline in a list marks the end of a list item. * An empty line starts a new list. |You can break lines
without starting a new paragraph.
|- valign="top" | # Numbered lists are also good ## very organized ## easy to follow ### easier still |* It's easy to create a list: ** Start every line with a star. *** More stars means deeper levels. **** A newline in a list marks the end of a list item. * An empty line starts a new list.
|- valign="top" id="definition" | ; Definition list : list of definitions ; item : the item's definition ; another item : the other item's definition * Begin with a semicolon. One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing. |# Numbered lists are also good ## very organized ## easy to follow ### easier still
|- valign="top" | * You can even create mixed lists *# and nest them *#* like this *#*; can I mix definition list as well? *#*: yes *#*; how? *#*: it's easy as *#*:* a *#*:* b *#*:* c |; Definition list : list of definitions ; item : the item's definition ; another item : the other item's definition
|- valign="top" | : 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 [[Wikipedia:Talk page|Talk page]]s. |* You can even create mixed lists *# and nest them *#* like this *#*; can I mix definition list as well? *#*: yes *#*; how? *#*: it's easy as *#*:* a *#*:* b *#*:* c
|- valign=top | When there is a need for separating a block of text: A colon indents a line or paragraph. A manual newline starts a new paragraph.
The '''blockquote''' command will indent both margins when needed instead of the left margin only as the colon does.This is useful for (as the name says) inserting blocks of quoted (and cited) text. |
|- valign=top | (See formula on right): *This is useful for: ** pasting preformatted text; ** algorithm descriptions; ** program source code; ** [[ASCII art]]; ** chemical structures; * '''WARNING''': If you make it wide, you [[page widening|force the whole page to be wide]] and hence less readable, especially for people who use lower resolutions. Never start ordinary lines with spaces. | The '''blockquote''' command will indent both margins when needed instead of the left margin only as the colon does.
|- valign="top" |IF a line starts with a space THEN it will be formatted exactly as typed; in a fixed-width font; lines will not wrap; END IF
|- valign="top" | A [[horizontal dividing line]]: this is above it ---- and this is below it. * Mainly useful for **disambiguation - but to be used sparsely, only when separating completely different, unrelated (groups of) meanings **separating threads on Talk pages. |Centered text.
|} ===Links and URLs=== {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" |- style="width=100%" ! What it looks like ! What you type |- valign="top" | London has [[public transport]]. * A link to another Wikipedia article. * Internally, the first letter of the target page is automatically capitalized and spaces are represented as underscores (typing an underscore in the link has the same effect as typing a space, but is not recommended). * Thus the link above is to the [[URL]] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport, which is the Wikipedia article with the name "Public transport". See also [[Wikipedia:Canonicalization]]. |A [[horizontal dividing line]]: this is above it ---- and this is below it.
|- valign="top" | San Francisco also has [[public transport| public transportation]]. * Same target, different name. * This is a [[piped link]]. * The "piped" text must be placed first, the text that will be displayed, second. |London has [[public transport]].
|- valign="top" | San Francisco also has [[public transport]]ation. Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s, and [[streetcar]]s. * Endings are blended into the link. * Preferred style is to use this instead of a piped link, if possible. |San Francisco also has [[public transport| public transportation]].
|- valign="top" | See the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]]. * A link to another [[Help:namespace|namespace]]. |San Francisco also has [[public transport]]ation. Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxi]]s, and [[streetcar]]s.
|- id="link-to-section" valign="top" | [[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. [[#example]] is a link to an anchor that was created usingSee the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]].
id="...">
attribute to almost any HTML element. This doesn't work with legacy browsers.
|
|- valign="top" | Automatically hide stuff in parentheses: [[kingdom (biology)|kingdom]]. Automatically hide namespace: [[Wikipedia:Village Pump|Village Pump]]. Or both: [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (headings)|Manual of Style]] But not: [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Links|]] * The server fills in the part after the pipe character (|) when you save the page. The next time you open the edit box you will see the expanded piped link. When [[Wikipedia:Show preview|preview]]ing your edits, you will not see the expanded form until you press '''Save''' and '''Edit''' again. The same applies to links to sections within the same page ([[#link-to-section|see previous entry]]). |[[Economics#See also]] is a link to a section within another page. [[#Links and URLs]] is a link to another section on the current page. [[#example]] is a link to an anchor that was created using an id attribute
|- valign="top" | [[Viniculture in London]] is a page that does not exist yet. * You can create it by clicking on the link (but please do not do so with this particular link). * To create a new page: *# Create a link to it on some other (related) page. *# Save that page. *# Click on the link you just made. The new page will open for editing. * For more information, see [[Wikipedia:How to start a page|How to start a page]] and check out Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|naming conventions]]. * Please do not create a new article without linking to it from at least one other article. |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|]]
|- valign="top" | [[Wikipedia:How to edit a page]] is this page. * [[Self link]]s appear as bold text when the article is viewed. * Do not use this technique to make the article name bold in the first paragraph; see the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Article titles|Manual of Style]]. |[[Viniculture in London]] is a page that does not exist yet.
|- valign="top" | When adding a comment to a Talk page, you should sign it by adding three tildes to add your user name: : [[User:Brockert|Ben Brockert]] or four to add user name plus date/time: : [[User:Brockert|Ben Brockert]] 00:18, Nov 19, 2004 (UTC) Five tildes gives the date/time alone: : 00:18, Nov 19, 2004 (UTC) * The first two both provide a link to your [[Wikipedia:user page|user page]]. |[[Wikipedia: How to edit a page]] is this page.
|- valign="top" | * [[Wikipedia:Redirect|Redirect]] one article title to another by placing a directive like the one shown to the right on the ''first'' line of the article (such as at a page titled "[[USA]]"). * Note that, while it is possible to link to a section, it is not possible to redirect to a section. For example, "When adding a comment to a Talk page, you should sign it by adding three tildes to add your user name: : ~~~ or four for user name plus date/time: : ~~~~ Five tildes gives the date/time alone: : ~~~~~
|- valign="top" | * Link to a page on the same subject in another language by using a link of the form:#REDIRECT [[United States]]
|- valign="top" | '''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]] |[[fr:Wikipédia:Aide]]
|- valign="top" | A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as: [[Special:Contributions/UserName]] or [[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]] |'''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]]
|- valign="top" | * To put an article in a [[Wikipedia:Category]], place a link like the one to the right anywhere in the article. As with interlanguage links, it does not matter where you put these links while editing as they will always show up in the same place when you save the page, but placement at the end of the edit box is recommended. |A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as: [[Special:Contributions/UserName]] or [[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]
|- valign="top" | * To ''link'' to a [[Wikipedia:Category]] page without putting the article into the category, use an initial colon (:) in the link. |[[Category:Character sets]]
|- id="link-external" valign="top" | Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources: # Bare URL: http://www.nupedia.com/ (bad style) # Unnamed link: [http://www.nupedia.com/] (only used within article body for footnotes) # Named link: [http://www.nupedia.com Nupedia] :See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts. * Square brackets indicate an external link. Note the use of a ''space'' (not a pipe) to separate the URL from the link text in the "named" version. * In the [[URL]], all symbols must be among:[[:Category:Character sets]]
|- valign="top" | Linking to other wikis: # [[Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]] # Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Hello]] # Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Wiktionary definition of 'Hello']] * All of these forms lead to the URL http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hello * Note that interwiki links use the ''internal'' link style. * See [[MetaWikiPedia:Interwiki_map]] for the list of shortcuts; if the site you want to link to is not on the list, use an external link ([[#link-external|see above]]). * See also [[Wikipedia:How to link to Wikimedia projects]]. Linking to another language's wiktionary: # [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]] # [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]] # [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|fr:bonjour]] * All of these forms lead to the URL http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/bonjour |Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources: # Bare URL: http://www.nupedia.com/ (bad style) # Unnamed link: [http://www.nupedia.com/] (only used within article body for footnotes) # Named link: [http://www.nupedia.com Nupedia]
|- valign="top" | ISBN 012345678X ISBN 0-12-345678-X * Link to books using their [[Wikipedia:ISBN|ISBN]]. This is preferred to linking to a specific online bookstore, because it gives the reader a choice of vendors. However, if one bookstore or online service provides additional free information, such as table of contents or excerpts from the text, then a link to that source will aid the user and is recommended. * ISBN links do not need any extra markup, provided you use one of the indicated formats. |Linking to other wikis: # [[Interwiki]] link: [[Wiktionary:Hello]] # Interwiki link without prefix: [[Wiktionary:Hello|]] # Named interwiki link: [[Wiktionary:Hello|Wiktionary definition of 'Hello']] Linking to another language's wiktionary: # [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour]] # [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|bonjour]] # [[Wiktionary:fr:bonjour|]]
|- valign="top" | Text mentioning RFC 4321 anywhere * Link to [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] [[RFC]]s. |ISBN 012345678X ISBN 0-12-345678-X
|- valign=top | Date formats: # [[July 20]], [[1969]] # [[20 July]] [[1969]] # [[1969]]-[[07-20]] # [[1969-07-20]] * Link dates in one of the above formats, so that everyone can set their own display order. If [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]], you can use [[Special:Preferences]] to change your own date display setting. * All of the above dates will appear as "[[20 July|20 July]] [[1969|1969]]" if you set your date display preference to "15 January 2001", but as "[[20 July|July 20]], [[1969|1969]]" if you set it to "January 15, 2001", or as "[[1969|1969]]-[[July 20|07-20]]" if you set it to "2001-01-15". |Text mentioning RFC 4321 anywhere
|- valign="top" | Special [[WP:AO]] links like [[As of 2006|this year]] needing future maintenance |Date formats: # [[July 20]], [[1969]] # [[20 July]] [[1969]] # [[1969]]-[[07-20]] # [[1969-07-20]]
|- valign="top" | [[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]] *To include links to non-image uploads such as sounds, use a "media" link. For images, [[#Images|see next section]]. Some uploaded sounds are listed at [[Wikipedia:Sound]]. |Special [[WP:AO]] links like [[As of 2006|this year]] needing future maintenance
|} ===Images=== Only images that have been uploaded to Wikipedia can be used. To upload images, use the [[Special:Upload|upload page]]. You can find the uploaded image on the [[Special:Imagelist|image list]]. {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" |- ! What it looks like ! What you type |- valign="top" |A picture: [[Image:wiki.png]] |[[media:Sg_mrob.ogg|Sound]]
A picture:|- valign="top" |With alternative text: [[Image:wiki.png|jigsaw globe]] |[[Image:wiki.png]]
With alternative text:* Alternative text, used when a mouse hovers over the image or when the image is not loaded in a text-only browser, or when spoken aloud, is '''strongly''' encouraged. See [[Wikipedia:Alternate text for images|Alternate text for images]] for help on choosing it. |- valign="top" |Floating to the right side of the page and with a caption: [[Image:wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]][[Image:wiki.png|jigsaw globe]]
Floating to the right side of the page and with a caption:* The frame tag automatically floats the image right. * The caption is also used as alternate text. |- valign="top" |Floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption: [[Image:wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]] |[[Image:wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]
Floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:* The help topic on [[En:Wikipedia:Extended image syntax|Extended image syntax]] explains more options. |- valign="top" |Linking directly to the description page of an image: [[:Image:wiki.png]] |[[Image:wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]
Linking directly to the description page of an image:* Clicking on an image displayed on a page (such as any of the ones above) also leads to the description page |- valign="top" |Linking directly to an image without displaying it: [[media:wiki.png|Image of the jigsaw globe logo]] |[[:Image:wiki.png]]
Linking directly to an image without displaying it:* To include links to images shown as links instead of drawn on the page, use a "media" link. |- valign="top" |Using the div tag to separate images from text (note that this may allow images to cover text): |[[media:wiki.png|Image of the jigsaw globe logo]]
|- valign="top" |Using wiki markup to make a table in which to place a vertical column of images (this helps edit links match headers, especially in Firefox browsers): |Example: Place images here
|} See the Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Image use policy|image use policy]] as a guideline used on Wikipedia. For further help on images, including some more versatile abilities, see the topic on [[En:Wikipedia:Extended image syntax|Extended image syntax]]. ===Character formatting=== {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" |- valign="top" ! What it looks like ! What you type |- id="emph" valign="top" | ''Emphasized text''Example: {| align=right |- | Place images here |}
|- valign="top" | A typewriter font for monospace text or for computer code:''Emphasized text'' '''Strong emphasis''' '''''Even stronger emphasis'''''
<code>int main()</code>
* For semantic reasons, using <code>
where applicable is preferable to using <tt>
.
|
|- valign="top" | You can use small text for captions. |A typewriter font for monospace text or for computer code: int main()
|- valign="top" | Better stay away from big text, unless it's within small text. |You can use small text for captions.
|- valign="top" | You canBetter stay away from big text, unless it's within small text.
|- valign="top" | '''Suppressing interpretation of markup:'''You can strike out deleted materialand underline new material. You can also markdeleted materialand inserted material using logical markup. For backwards compatibility better combine this potentially ignored newlogicalwith the oldmarkup.physical
|- valign="top" | '''Commenting page source:'''<nowiki>Link → (''to'') the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]</nowiki>
|- valign="top" | '''Diacritical marks:'''<!-- comment here -->
|- valign="top" | '''Punctuation:'''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
|- valign="top" | '''Commercial symbols:'''¿ ¡ § ¶ † ‡ • – — ‹ › « » ‘ ’ “ ”
|- valign="top" | '''Subscripts:'''™ © ® ¢ € ¥ £ ¤
x1 x2 x3 or
x₀ x₁ x₂ x₃ x₄
x₅ x₆ x₇ x₈ x₉
|- valign="top" | '''Greek characters:'''x1 x2 x3 or
x⁰ x¹ x² x³ x⁴
x⁵ x⁶ x⁷ x⁸ x⁹ ε0 = 8.85 × 10−12 C² / J m. 1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m²]]
|- valign="top" | '''Mathematical characters:'''{{secref|tex}}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
|- valign="top" |∫ ∑ ∏ √ − ± ∞ ≈ ∝ ≡ ≠ ≤ ≥ × · ÷ ∂ ′ ″ ∇ ‰ ° ∴ ℵ ø ∈ ∉ ∩ ∪ ⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇ ¬ ∧ ∨ ∃ ∀ ⇒ ⇔ → ↔
<i>
or <b>
. However, mathematical formulas often use italics, and sometimes use bold, for reasons unrelated to emphasis. Complex formulas should use [[Help:Formula|<math>
markup]], and simple formulas may use <math>
; or <i>
and <b>
; or ''
and '''
. According to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics#Italicization and bolding|WikiProject Mathematics]], wiki markup is preferred over HTML markup like <i>
and <b>
.
|
|- valign="top" | '''Spacing in simple math formulas:'''sin''x'' + ln''y'' '''x''' = 0
|- valign="top" | '''Complicated formulas:'''Obviously, ''x''² ≥ 0 is true when ''x'' is a real number.
|} ''(see also: [[Chess symbols in Unicode]])'' ===No or limited formatting - showing exactly what is being typed=== A few different kinds of formatting will tell the Wiki to display things as you typed them - what you see, is what you get! {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" |- ! style="width:8em" | !What it looks like !What you type |- |'''<nowiki> tags''' |:
|- |'''<pre> tags''' |<nowiki> The nowiki tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''. It reformats text by removing newlines and multiple spaces. It still interprets special characters: → </nowiki>
The pre tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''. It also doesn't reformat text. It still interprets special characters: →|
|- |'''Leading spaces''' | Leading spaces are another way to preserve formatting. Putting a space at the beginning of each line stops the text from being reformatted. It still interprets [[Wiki]] ''markup'' and special characters: → | The pre tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''. It also doesn't reformat text. It still interprets special characters: →
|} === Table of contents === 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). PuttingLeading spaces are another way to preserve formatting. Putting a space at the beginning of each line stops the text from being reformatted. It still interprets [[Wiki]] ''markup'' and special characters: →