Help:Editing
For help on editing please see the detailed instructions on the Wikipedia site.
Here are the most frequently used types of wiki markup.
Basic text formatting
You can format the page using Wikitext special characters.
What it looks like | What you type |
---|---|
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. (Using 4 apostrophes doesn't do anything special -- |
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'''''. (Using 4 apostrophes doesn't do anything special -- <br /> they are just ''''left over ones'''' that are included as part of the text.) |
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]]). |
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. |
You should "sign" your comments on talk pages: |
You should "sign" your comments on talk pages: - Three tildes gives your signature: ~~~ - Four tildes give your signature plus date/time: ~~~~ - Five tildes gives the date/time alone: ~~~~~ |
Organizing your writing
What it looks like | What you type |
---|---|
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: ## Very organized ## Easy to follow A newline marks the end of the list. # New numbering starts with 1. |
Here's a definition list:
Begin with a semicolon. One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing. |
Here's a ''definition list'': ; Word : Definition of the word ; A longer phrase needing definition : Phrase defined ; A word : Which has a definition : Also a second one : And even a third Begin with a semicolon. One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing. |
|
* 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 starts a new paragraph.
|
: A colon (:) indents a line or paragraph. A newline starts a new paragraph. Should only be used on talk pages. For articles, you probably want the blockquote tag. : We use 1 colon to indent once. :: We use 2 colons to indent twice. ::: 3 colons to indent 3 times, and so on. |
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. |
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> References: <references/> For details, see [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] and [[Help:Footnotes]]. |
Created By Me01273 23:54, 28 May 2007 (BST)