View source for wikidoc:How to edit a page

{{semiprotected|small=yes}}
{{Style}}{{shortcut|WP:H2EAP|WP:HEP|WP:HOW|WP:EDIT}}
:''See also [[Wikipedia:Introduction]], [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]], [[Wikipedia:Tutorial]], [[Help:Editing]], and [[Help:Starting a new page]]''

[[Wikipedia]] is a [[wiki]] and this means anyone can easily edit any [[Wikipedia:Protected page|unprotected page]] and save those changes immediately to that page. After your first edit, you will be a Wikipedia editor! <!-- Comment Good luck with your first edit. -->

<div class="messagebox" style="float: right; width: 150px; margin-left: 10px;">Note: You can use the [[Wikipedia:Sandbox|sandbox]] to experiment with page editing.</div>
===Introduction===


Editing most Wikipedia pages is not difficult. 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.  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 see the difference between the page with your edits and the previous version of the page by pressing the "'''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 all 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 also 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.

==Minor edits==
{{further|[[Help:Minor edit|Minor edits]]}}
A check to the "minor edit" box signifies that only superficial differences exist between the version with your edit and the previous version: typo corrections, formatting and presentational changes, rearranging of text without modifying content, etc. A ''minor edit'' is a version that the editor believes requires no review and could never be the subject of a dispute. The "minor edit" option is one of several [[Wikipedia:Why create an account%3F#New_editing_options|options]] available only to registered users. 

==Major edits==
All editors are encouraged to [[Wikipedia:Be_bold|be bold]], but there are several things that a user can do to ensure that major edits are performed smoothly. Before engaging in a major edit, a user should consider discussing proposed changes on the article discussion/talk page. During the edit, if doing so over an extended period of time, the {{[[Template:inuse|inuse]]}} tag can reduce the likelihood of an edit conflict. Once the edit has been completed, the inclusion of an [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]] will assist in documenting the changes. These steps will all help to ensure that major edits are well received by the Wikipedia community.

A major edit should be reviewed to confirm that it is consensual to all concerned editors. Therefore, any change that affects the ''meaning'' of an article is major (not minor), even if the edit is a single word.

There are no necessary terms to which you have to agree when doing major edits, but the recommendations above have become best practice. If you do it your own way, the likelihood of your edits being reedited may be higher.

==Wiki markup==
{{shortcut|WP:MARKUP}}

The '''wiki markup''' is the syntax system you can use to format a Wikipedia page; please see [[Help:Editing]] for details on it, and [[Help:Wikitext examples]] for a longer list of the possibilities of Wikitext.

===Links and URLs===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- valign="top"
! What it looks like
! What you type
|- id="emph" valign="top"
|
London has [[public transport]].

* A link to another Wiki 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]].
|
<pre><nowiki>
London has [[public transport]].
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
San Francisco also has [[public transport|
public transportation]].

* Same target, different name.
* The target ("piped") text must be placed '''first''', then the text that will be displayed second.
|
<pre><nowiki>
San Francisco also has
[[public transport|
public transportation]].
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
San Francisco also has
[[public transport]]ation.

Examples include [[bus]]es, [[taxicab]]s,
and [[streetcar]]s.

* Endings are blended into the link.
* Preferred style is to use this instead of a piped link, if possible.
* Blending can be suppressed by using <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki></nowiki> tags, which may be desirable in some instances.  Example: a [[micro]]<nowiki>second</nowiki>.
|
<pre><nowiki>
San Francisco also has
[[public transport]]ation.

Examples include [[bus]]es,
 [[taxicab]]s, and [[streetcar]]s.

a [[micro]]<nowiki>second</nowiki>
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
See the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]].

* A link to another [[Help:namespace|namespace]].
|
<pre><nowiki>
See the 
[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]].
</nowiki></pre>

|- id="link-to-section" valign="top"
|
[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Italics]] is a link to a section within another page.

[[#Links and URLs]] is a link to another section on the current page.

[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Italics|Italics]] is a piped link to a section within another page.

* The part after the number sign (#) must match a section heading on the page. Matches must be exact in terms of spelling, case, and punctuation.  Links to non-existent sections are not broken; they are treated as links to the top of the page.
* Include "| link title" to create a stylish (piped) link title.

|
<pre><nowiki>
[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Italics]] 
is a link to a section within another page.

[[#Links and URLs]] is a link
to another section on the 
current page.

[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Italics|Italics]] 
is a piped link to a section within 
another page.</nowiki></pre>
|- 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]]).
* See [[Wikipedia:Pipe trick]] for details.

|
<pre><nowiki>
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|]]
</nowiki></pre>


|- valign="top"
|
<!-- A village pump proposal was made so that users would be allowed to create the article shown here. Pages here would be articles requested for a long time. If you find someone has created the article, please look in requested articles and put one in its place -->
[[National sarcasm society]] is a page
that does not exist yet.

* You can create it by clicking on the 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.
|
<pre><nowiki>
[[National sarcasm society]]
is a page 
that does not exist yet.
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|

[[Wikipedia:How to edit a page]] is a link to this page.

* [[Help:Self link|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]].
|
<pre><nowiki>
[[Wikipedia:How to edit a page]]
is a link to this page.
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
The character '''tilde''' (~) is used when adding a comment to a Talk page. 
You should sign your comment by appending four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>)
to the comment so as to add your user name plus date/time:
: [[User:Patricia|Patricia Zhang]] 13:40, Jan 14, 2007 (UTC)
Adding three tildes (<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>) will add just your user name:
: [[User:Patricia|Patricia Zhang]]
and adding five tildes (<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>) gives the date/time alone:
: 13:40, Jan 14, 2007 (UTC)

* The first two both provide a link to your [[Wikipedia:user page|user page]].
|
<pre><nowiki>
The character '''tilde''' (~) is used when adding a comment to a Talk page. 
You should sign your comment by appending four tildes (~~~~)
to the comment so as to add your user name plus date/time:
: ~~~~
Adding three tildes (~~~) will add just your user name:
: ~~~
and adding five tildes (~~~~~) gives the date/time alone:
: ~~~~~
</nowiki></pre>
|- 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]]").
* It is possible to redirect to a section. For example, a redirect to [[United States#History|United States History]] will redirect to the [[United States]] page, to the History section if it exists.
|
<pre><nowiki>
#REDIRECT [[United States]]

#REDIRECT [[United States#History|United 
States History]] will redirect to the 
[[United States]] page, to the History 
section if it exists 
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|

* Link to a page on the same subject in another language by placing a link of the form: <nowiki>[[language code:Title]]</nowiki> in the wiki text of the article.
For example in the article on [[Plankton]], which is available on a lot of other wikis, the interlanguage links would look like so:
:<tt><nowiki>[[de:Plankton]] [[es:Plancton]] [[ru:Планктон]] [[simple:Plankton]]</nowiki></tt>
* While it does not matter where you put these links while editing, it is recommended that these links be placed at the very end of the edit box. 
* These will not be visible in the main text of the article on which they are placed but appear as links in the extreme left margin column of Wikipedia page as part of a separate box under the 'toolbox' titled 'in other languages'. You can check out the links to the corresponding page in wikipedias of other languages for this Wikipedia MOS help page itself.
* Please see [[Wikipedia:Interlanguage links]] and the [[Wikipedia:Complete list of language wikis available|list of languages and codes]].
|
<pre><nowiki>
</nowiki></pre>
|- 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]]

|
<pre><nowiki>
'''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]]
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
A user's '''Contributions''' page can be linked as:
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]
or
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]
|
<pre><nowiki>
A user's '''Contributions''' page
can be linked as:
[[Special:Contributions/UserName]]
or
[[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]
</nowiki></pre>
|- 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.
|
<pre><nowiki>
[[Category:Character sets]]
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
* To ''link'' to a [[Wikipedia:Category]] page without putting the article into the category, use an initial colon (:) in the link.
|
<pre><nowiki>
[[:Category:Character sets]]
</nowiki></pre>
|- id="link-external" valign="top"
|
Three ways to link to external (non-wiki) sources:
# Bare URL: http://www.wikipedia.com/ (bad style)
# Unnamed link: [http://www.wikipedia.com/] (only used within article body for footnotes)
# Named link: [http://www.wikipedia.com Wikipedia]

: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:<br/>'''A-Z a-z 0-9 . _ \ / ~ % - + & # ? ! = ( ) @'''
* If a URL contains a character not in this list, it should be encoded by using a percent sign (%) followed by the [[hexadecimal|hex]] code of the character, which can be found in the table of [[ASCII#ASCII printable characters|ASCII printable characters]]. For example, the caret character (^) would be encoded in a URL as '''%5E'''.
* If the "named" version contains a closing square bracket "]", then you must use the [[HTML]] special character syntax, i.e. '''&amp;#93;''' otherwise the [[MediaWiki]] software will prematurely interpret this as the end of the external link.
* There is a class that can be used to remove the arrow image from the external link. It is used in [[Template:Ref]] to stop the URL from expanding during printing. It should '''never''' be used in the main body of an article. However, there is an exception: wikilinks in Image markup. An example of the markup is as follows:
** Markup: <nowiki><span
class="plainlinksneverexpand">
[http://www.sysinternals.com/
ntw2k/freeware/winobj.shtml WinObj]</span></nowiki>
** Display: <span class="plainlinksneverexpand"> [http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/winobj.shtml WinObj]</span>
* See [[Wikipedia:External links]] for style issues.
|
<pre><nowiki>
Three ways to link to
external (non-wiki) sources:
# Bare URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
(bad style)
# Unnamed link:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/]
(only used within article
body for footnotes)
# Named link:
[http://en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]
</nowiki></pre>
|- 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:Wikimedia sister 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
|
<pre><nowiki>
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|]]
</nowiki></pre>
|- 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.
|
<pre><nowiki>
ISBN 012345678X

ISBN 0-12-345678-X
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
Text mentioning RFC 4321 anywhere

* Link to [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] [[Request for Comments|RFC]]s.
|
<pre><nowiki>
Text mentioning RFC 4321 
anywhere
</nowiki></pre>

|- 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".
|
<pre><nowiki>
Date formats:
# [[July 20]], [[1969]]
# [[20 July]] [[1969]]
# [[1969]]-[[07-20]]
# [[1969-07-20]]

</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
Special [[WP:AO|as-of]] links like [[As of 2006|this year]]
needing future maintenance
|
<pre><nowiki>
Special [[WP:AO|as-of]] links 
like [[As of 2006|this year]]
needing future maintenance
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
[[media:Classical guitar scale.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]].
|
<pre><nowiki>
[[media:Classical guitar scale.ogg|Sound]]
</nowiki></pre>
|}

===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]]
|<pre>A picture: 
<nowiki>[[Image:wiki.png]]</nowiki></pre>

|- valign="top"
|With alternative text:
[[Image:wiki.png|Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.]]
|<pre>With alternative text:
<nowiki>[[Image:wiki.png|Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.]]</nowiki></pre>
* Alternative text, used when the image is unavailable or when the image is 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 using the ''frame'' attribute and a caption:
[[Image:wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all>
|<pre>Floating to the right side of the page using the ''frame'' attribute and a caption:
<nowiki>[[Image:wiki.png|frame|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki></pre>
* 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 using the ''thumb'' attribute and a caption:
[[Image:wiki.png|thumb|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]<br clear=all>
|<pre>Floating to the right side of the page using the ''thumb'' attribute and a caption:
<nowiki>[[Image:wiki.png|thumb|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki></pre>
* The thumb tag automatically floats the image right.
* The caption is also used as alternate text.
* An enlarge icon is placed in the lower right corner.

|- valign="top"
|Floating to the right side of the page ''without'' a caption:
[[Image:wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]
|<pre>Floating to the right side of the page
''without'' a caption:
<nowiki>[[Image:wiki.png|right|Wikipedia Encyclopedia]]</nowiki></pre>
* The help topic on [[Wikipedia:Extended image syntax|extended image syntax]] explains more options.

|- valign="top"
|A picture resized to 30 pixels...
[[Image:wiki.png|30 px]]
|<pre>A picture resized to 30 pixels...
<nowiki>[[Image:wiki.png|30 px]]</nowiki></pre>
* The help topic on [[Wikipedia:Extended image syntax|extended image syntax]] explains more options.

|- valign="top"
|Linking directly to the description page of an image:
[[:Image:wiki.png]]
|<pre>Linking directly to the description page
of an image:
<nowiki>[[:Image:wiki.png]]</nowiki></pre>
* 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:
[[:Image:wiki.png|Image of the jigsaw globe logo]]
|<pre>Linking directly to an image
without displaying it:
<nowiki>[[:media:wiki.png|Image of the jigsaw globe logo]]</nowiki></pre>
* 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):
|<pre><nowiki>Example:
<div style="display:inline;
width:220px; float:right;">
Place images here </div></nowiki></pre>

|- 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): 
|<pre><nowiki>Example: {| align=right
|-
| 
Place images here
|}
</nowiki></pre>

|}

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 [[Wikipedia:Extended image syntax|Extended image syntax]].

===Headings===

For a top-level heading, put it on a separate line surrounded by '=='. For example:

   ==Introduction==

Subheadings use '===', '====', and so on.

===Character formatting===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- valign="top"
! What it looks like
! What you type
|- id="emph" valign="top"
|
''Italicized text''<br />'''Bold text'''<br />'''''Italicized & Bold text'''''
|
<pre><nowiki>
''Italicized text''
'''Bold text'''
'''''Italicized & Bold text'''''
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt>
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code>

* For semantic reasons, using <code>&lt;code&gt;</code> where applicable is preferable to using <code>&lt;tt&gt;</code>.
|
<pre><nowiki>
A typewriter font for <tt>monospace text</tt>
or for computer code: <code>int main()</code>
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign=top
|
Create codeblocks<code><pre>
#include <iostream.h>
int main ()
{
cout << "Hello World!";
return 0;
}
</pre></code> that are printed as entered
|
<pre>Use &lt;code&gt;&lt;pre&gt; Block of Code &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/code&gt; around the 
block of code.

* The &lt;pre&gt; tags within the codeblock will create formatting 
issues - to solve, display the tags literally with 
&amp;lt;pre&amp;gt;  and  &amp;lt;/pre&amp;gt;</pre>
|- valign="top"
|
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.
|
<pre><nowiki>
You can use <small>small text</small> for captions.
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
Better stay away from <big>big text</big>, unless
<small> it's <big>within</big> small</small> text. 
|
<pre><nowiki>
Better stay away from <big>big text</big>, unless
<small> it's <big>within</big> small</small> text.
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s>
and <u>underline new material</u>.

You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup.
For backwards compatibility better combine this
potentially ignored new <del>logical</del> with 
the old <s><del>physical</del></s> markup.

* When editing regular Wikipedia articles, just make your changes and do not mark them up in any special way.
* When editing your own previous remarks in talk pages, it is sometimes appropriate to mark up deleted or inserted material.
|
<pre><nowiki>
You can <s>strike out deleted material</s>
and <u>underline new material</u>.

You can also mark <del>deleted material</del> and
<ins>inserted material</ins> using logical markup.
For backwards compatibility better combine this
potentially ignored new <del>logical</del> with
the old <s><del>physical</del></s> markup.
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Suppressing interpretation of markup:'''
<br/>
<nowiki>Link &rarr; (''to'') the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]</nowiki>
* Used to show literal data that would otherwise have special meaning.
* Escape all wiki markup, including that which looks like HTML tags.
* Does not escape HTML character references.
* To escape HTML character references such as <tt>&amp;rarr;</tt> use <tt>&amp;amp;rarr;</tt>
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&lt;nowiki>Link &amp;rarr; (''to'') 
the [[Wikipedia FAQ]]&lt;/nowiki>
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Commenting page source:'''
<br/>
''not shown when viewing page''
* Used to leave comments in a page for future editors.
* Note that most comments should go on the appropriate [[Wikipedia:Talk page|Talk page]].
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&lt;!-- comment here -->
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''<span id="diacritics">Diacritical marks:</span>'''
<br/>
À Á Â Ã Ä Å <br/>
Æ Ç È É Ê Ë <br/>
Ì Í
Î Ï Ñ Ò <br/>
Ó Ô Õ
Ö Ø Ù <br/>
Ú Û Ü ß
à á <br/>
â ã ä å æ
ç <br/>
è é ê ë ì í<br/>
î ï ñ ò ó ô <br/>
œ õ
ö ø ù ú <br/>
û ü ÿ

* See [[meta:Help:Special characters|special characters]].
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&amp;Agrave; &amp;Aacute; &amp;Acirc; &amp;Atilde; &amp;Auml; &amp;Aring; 
&amp;AElig; &amp;Ccedil; &amp;Egrave; &amp;Eacute; &amp;Ecirc; &amp;Euml; 
&amp;Igrave; &amp;Iacute; &amp;Icirc; &amp;Iuml; &amp;Ntilde; &amp;Ograve; 
&amp;Oacute; &amp;Ocirc; &amp;Otilde; &amp;Ouml; &amp;Oslash; &amp;Ugrave; 
&amp;Uacute; &amp;Ucirc; &amp;Uuml; &amp;szlig; &amp;agrave; &amp;aacute; 
&amp;acirc; &amp;atilde; &amp;auml; &amp;aring; &amp;aelig; &amp;ccedil; 
&amp;egrave; &amp;eacute; &amp;ecirc; &amp;euml; &amp;igrave; &amp;iacute;
&amp;icirc; &amp;iuml; &amp;ntilde; &amp;ograve; &amp;oacute; &amp;ocirc; 
&amp;oelig; &amp;otilde; &amp;ouml; &amp;oslash; &amp;ugrave; &amp;uacute; 
&amp;ucirc; &amp;uuml; &amp;yuml;
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Punctuation:'''
<br/>
¿ ¡ § ¶<br/>
† ‡ • &ndash; &mdash;<br/>
‹ › « »<br/>
‘ ’ “ ”
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&amp;iquest; &amp;iexcl; &amp;sect; &amp;para;
&amp;dagger; &amp;Dagger; &amp;bull; &amp;ndash; &amp;mdash;
&amp;lsaquo; &amp;rsaquo; &amp;laquo; &amp;raquo;
&amp;lsquo; &amp;rsquo; &amp;ldquo; &amp;rdquo;
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Commercial symbols:'''
<br/>
™ © ® ¢ € ¥<br/>
£ ¤
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&amp;trade; &amp;copy; &amp;reg; &amp;cent; &amp;euro; &amp;yen; 
&amp;pound; &amp;curren;
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Subscripts:'''
<br/>
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or
<br/>
x₀ x₁ x₂ x₃ x₄
<br/>
x₅ x₆ x₇ x₈ x₉

'''Superscripts:'''
<br/>
x<sup>1</sup> x² x³ or
<br/>
x⁰ x¹ x² x³ x⁴
<br/>
x⁵ x⁶ x⁷ x⁸ x⁹

*The latter methods of sub/superscripting cannot be used in the most general context, as they rely on Unicode support which may not be present on all users' machines. For the 1-2-3 superscripts, it is nevertheless preferred when possible (as with units of measurement) because most browsers have an easier time formatting lines with it.

ε<sub>0</sub> =
8.85 &times; 10<sup>&minus;12</sup>
C² / J m.

1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&sup2;]]
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
x<sub>1</sub> x<sub>2</sub> x<sub>3</sub> or
<br/>
x&amp;#8320; x&amp;#8321; x&amp;#8322; x&amp;#8323; x&amp;#8324;
<br/>
x&amp;#8325; x&amp;#8326; x&amp;#8327; x&amp;#8328; x&amp;#8329;
</nowiki></pre>

<pre><nowiki>
x<sup>1</sup> x<sup>2</sup> x<sup>3</sup> or
<br/>
x&amp;#8304; x&amp;sup1; x&amp;sup2; x&amp;sup3; x&amp;#8308;
<br/>
x&amp;#8309; x&amp;#8310; x&amp;#8311; x&amp;#8312; x&amp;#8313;

&amp;epsilon;<sub>0</sub> =
8.85 &amp;times; 10<sup>&amp;minus;12</sup>
C&amp;sup2; / J m.

1 [[hectare]] = [[1 E4 m&amp;sup2;]]
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Greek characters:'''
<br/>
α β γ δ ε ζ<br/>
η θ ι κ λ μ ν<br/>
ξ ο π ρ σ ς<br/>
τ υ φ χ ψ ω<br/>
Γ Δ Θ Λ Ξ Π<br/>
Σ Φ Ψ Ω
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&amp;alpha; &amp;beta; &amp;gamma; &amp;delta; &amp;epsilon; &amp;zeta; 
&amp;eta; &amp;theta; &amp;iota; &amp;kappa; &amp;lambda; &amp;mu; &amp;nu; 
&amp;xi; &amp;omicron; &amp;pi; &amp;rho; &amp;sigma; &amp;sigmaf;
&amp;tau; &amp;upsilon; &amp;phi; &amp;chi; &amp;psi; &amp;omega;
&amp;Gamma; &amp;Delta; &amp;Theta; &amp;Lambda; &amp;Xi; &amp;Pi; 
&amp;Sigma; &amp;Phi; &amp;Psi; &amp;Omega;
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Mathematical characters:'''
<br/>
∫ ∑ ∏ √ &minus; ± ∞<br/>
≈ ∝ ≡ ≠ ≤ ≥<br/>
&times; · ÷ ∂ &prime; &Prime;<br/>
∇ ‰ ° ∴ ℵ ø<br/>
∈ ∉ ∩ ∪ ⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇<br/>
¬ ∧ ∨ ∃ ∀ ⇒ ⇐ ⇓ ⇑ ⇔<br/>
→ ↓ ↑ ← ↔<br/>
* See also [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics|WikiProject Mathematics]] and [[TeX]].
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
&amp;int; &amp;sum; &amp;prod; &amp;radic; &amp;minus; &amp;plusmn; &amp;infin;
&amp;asymp; &amp;prop; &amp;equiv; &amp;ne; &amp;le; &amp;ge;
&amp;times; &amp;middot; &amp;divide; &amp;part; &amp;prime; &amp;Prime;
&amp;nabla; &amp;permil; &amp;deg; &amp;there4; &amp;alefsym; &amp;oslash;
&amp;isin; &amp;notin; &amp;cap; &amp;cup; &amp;sub; &amp;sup; &amp;sube; &amp;supe;
&amp;not; &amp;and; &amp;or; &amp;exist; &amp;forall; &amp;rArr; &amp;lArr; &amp;dArr; &amp;uArr; &amp;hArr;
&amp;rarr; &amp;darr; &amp;uarr; &amp;larr; &amp;harr;
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
<math>\,\! \sin x + \ln y</math><br>
sin''x'' + ln''y''
<!-- no space between roman "sin" and italic "x" -->

<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math><br>
'''x''' = 0

Ordinary text should use [[#emph|wiki markup for emphasis]], and should not use <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> or <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>.  However, mathematical formulae often use italics, and sometimes use bold, for reasons unrelated to emphasis.  Complex formulae should use [[Help:Formula|<code>&lt;math&gt;</code> markup]], and simple formulae may use <code>&lt;math&gt;</code>; or <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>; or <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>'''</nowiki></code>.  According to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics#Italicization and bolding|WikiProject Mathematics]], wiki markup is preferred over HTML markup like <code>&lt;i&gt;</code> and <code>&lt;b&gt;</code>.
|
<pre><nowiki>
<math>\,\! \sin x + \ln y</math>
sin''x'' + ln''y''

<math>\mathbf{x} = 0</math>
'''x''' = 0
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Spacing in simple math formulae:'''
<br/>
Obviously, ''x''²&nbsp;≥&nbsp;0 is true when ''x'' is a real number.
*To space things out without allowing line breaks to interrupt the formula, use non-breaking spaces: <tt>&amp;nbsp;</tt>.
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
Obviously, ''x''&amp;sup2;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ge;&amp;nbsp;0 is true when ''x'' is a real number.
</nowiki></pre>
|- valign="top"
|
'''Complicated formulae:'''
<br/>
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math>
* See [[Help:Formula]] for how to use <tt>&lt;math></tt>.
* A formula displayed on a line by itself should probably be indented by using the colon (:) character.
|
<br/>
<pre><nowiki>
: <math>\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{x^n}{n!}</math>
</nowiki></pre>
|}
''(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
|-
|'''&lt;nowiki&gt; tags'''
|
<nowiki>
The nowiki tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''.
It reformats text by removing newlines    and multiple spaces.
It still interprets special characters: &rarr;
</nowiki>
|<pre><nowiki>
&lt;nowiki&gt;
The nowiki tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''.
It reformats text by removing newlines 
and multiple spaces.
It still interprets special
characters: &amp;rarr;
&lt;/nowiki&gt;
</nowiki></pre>
|-
|'''&lt;pre&gt; tags'''
|
<pre>
The pre tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''.
It also doesn't     reformat text.
It still interprets special characters: &rarr;
</pre>
|<pre>&lt;pre&gt;<nowiki>
The pre tag ignores [[Wiki]] ''markup''.
It also doesn't     reformat text.
It still interprets special characters:
 &amp;rarr;
</nowiki>&lt;/pre&gt;</pre>
|-
|'''Leading spaces'''
|
Leading spaces are another way 
to preserve formatting. ''However, it will make the whole page fail to render properly in some browsers, such as IE7, thus making the page unreadable.''


 Putting a space at the beginning of each line
 stops the text   from being reformatted. 
 It still interprets [[Wiki]] ''markup'' and
 special characters: →
|<pre><nowiki>
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: &amp;rarr;
</nowiki></pre>
|}

===Invisible text (comments)===
{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Invisible comments}}
It's uncommon, but on occasion acceptable, to add a hidden comment within the text of an article.  <!--- This is an example of text that won't normally be visible except in "edit" mode. ---> The format is this:
 <nowiki><!--- This is an example of text that won't normally be visible except in "edit" mode. ---></nowiki>

=== Table of contents===
<!-- ==== 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 table of contents (TOC) to appear in front of the first header (or after introductory sections).  Putting <nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to appear at that point (instead of just before the first header).  Putting <nowiki>__NOTOC__</nowiki> anywhere forces the TOC to disappear.  See also [[Wikipedia:Section#Compact_TOC|compact TOC]] for alphabet and year headings.
<!--
THE TEXT BELOW IS COMMENTED OUT SINCE THE DESCRIBED TECHNIQUE 
DOESN'T WORK AFTER UPGRADING TO MEDIAWIKI 1.5

====Keeping headings out of the Table of Contents====
If you want some subheadings to not appear in the Table of Contents, then make the following replacements.

Replace  <nowiki> == Header 2 == with <h2> Header 2 </h2> </nowiki>

Replace  <nowiki> === Header 3 === with <h3> Header 3 </h3> </nowiki>

And so forth.

For example, notice that the following header has the same font as the other subheaders to this "Tables" section, but the following header does not appear in the Table of Contents for this page.

<h4> This header has the h4 font, but is NOT in the Table of Contents (actually, it is)</h4>

This effect is obtained by the following line of code.

<code><nowiki><h4> This header has the h4 font, but is not in the Table of Contents </h4></nowiki></code>

Note that when editing by section, this approach places the text between the tags in the subsequent section, not the previous section. To edit this text, click the edit link next to "Tables", not the one above.
-->

===Tables===
There are two ways to build tables: 
*in special Wiki-markup (see [[Help:Table]])
*with the usual HTML elements: &lt;table&gt;, &lt;tr&gt;, &lt;td&gt; or &lt;th&gt;.

For the latter, and a discussion on when tables are appropriate, see [[Wikipedia:When to use tables]].

===Variables===
''(See also [[Help:Variable]])''
{| style="text-align:center"
|-
! Code
! Effect
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTWEEK}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTWEEK}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDOW}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDOW}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTH}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTMONTH}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}</nowiki>
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki>
| {{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAY}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAY}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAYNAME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTDAYNAME}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTYEAR}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}</nowiki> || {{CURRENTTIME}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}</nowiki>
| {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{NUMBEROFUSERS}}</nowiki>
| {{NUMBEROFUSERS}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{PAGENAME}}</nowiki> || {{PAGENAME}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{NAMESPACE}}</nowiki> || {{NAMESPACE}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{REVISIONID}}</nowiki> || {{REVISIONID}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{localurl:pagename}}</nowiki>
| {{localurl:pagename}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{localurl:</nowiki>''Wikipedia:Sandbox''<nowiki>|action=edit}}</nowiki>
| {{localurl:Wikipedia:Sandbox|action=edit}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{fullurl:pagename}}</nowiki>
| {{fullurl:pagename}} 
|- 
| <nowiki>{{fullurl:pagename|</nowiki>''query_string''<nowiki>}}</nowiki>
| {{fullurl:pagename|query_string}} 
|- 
| <nowiki>{{SERVER}}</nowiki> || {{SERVER}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:1}}</nowiki> || {{ns:1}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:2}}</nowiki> || {{ns:2}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:3}}</nowiki> || {{ns:3}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:4}}</nowiki> || {{ns:4}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:5}}</nowiki> || {{ns:5}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:6}}</nowiki> || {{ns:6}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:7}}</nowiki> || {{ns:7}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:8}}</nowiki> || {{ns:8}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:9}}</nowiki> || {{ns:9}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:10}}</nowiki> || {{ns:10}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:11}}</nowiki> || {{ns:11}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:12}}</nowiki> || {{ns:12}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:13}}</nowiki> || {{ns:13}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:14}}</nowiki> || {{ns:14}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{ns:15}}</nowiki> || {{ns:15}}
|-
| <nowiki>{{SITENAME}}</nowiki> || {{SITENAME}}
|}

'''NUMBEROFARTICLES''' is the number of pages in the main namespace which contain a link and are not a redirect, in other words number of articles, stubs containing a link, and disambiguation pages.

'''CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN''' is the genitive (possessive) grammatical form of the month name, as used in some languages; '''CURRENTMONTHNAME''' is the nominative (subject) form, as usually seen in English.

In languages where it makes a difference, you can use constructs like <nowiki>{{grammar:case|word}}</nowiki> to convert a word from the nominative case to some other case.  For example, <nowiki>{{grammar:genitive|{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}}}</nowiki> means the same as <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}</nowiki>. <!-- Is there a reference for this, other than the source code (for example, phase3/languages/Lnaguage*.php) ? -->

===Templates===
The [[Wikipedia:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software used by Wikipedia has support for [[help:template|templates]]. This means standardized text chunks (such as [[Wikipedia:Template messages|boilerplate]] text) can be inserted into articles. For example, typing {{tl|stub}} will appear as "''This article is a [[Wikipedia:Stub|stub]]. You can help Wikipedia by [[Wikipedia:Stub|expanding it]].''" when the page is saved. See [[Wikipedia:Template messages]] for the complete list. Other commonly used templates are: {{tl|disambig}} for disambiguation pages and {{tl|sectstub}} like an article stub but for a section. There are many subject-specific stubs for example: {{tl|Geo-stub}}, {{tl|Hist-stub}}, and {{tl|Linux-stub}}. For a complete list of stubs see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types]].

==More information on editing wiki pages==

You may also want to learn about:
* [[Help:Starting a new page|How to start a page]] 
* Informal tips on [[Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia|contributing to Wikipedia]]
* Editing tasks in general at the [[Wikipedia:Editing FAQ]]
* [[Wikipedia:Cheatsheet]]
* Rename pages boldly, at [[Wikipedia:How to rename (move) a page]]
* Preferred layout of your article, at [[Wikipedia:Guide to layout|Guide to layout]]
* Style conventions in the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]]
* An article with annotations pointing out common Wikipedia style and layout issues, at [[Wikipedia:Annotated article]]
* General policies in [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines]]
* [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions]] for how to name articles themselves
* Help on [[Wikipedia:Page size#If you have problems editing a long article|editing very large articles]]
* If you are making an article about something that belongs to a group of objects (a city, an astronomical object, a Chinese character...) check if there is a [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProject]] on the group and try to follow its directions explicitly.
* [[Wikipedia:Namespace]]

{{Meta}}

<noinclude>
[[Category:Wikipedia how-to|How to edit a page]]
[[Category:Wikipedia basic information|How to edit a page]]

<!-- Interlanguage links -->
</noinclude>

[[af:Wikipedia:Redigeer]]
[[am:Help:Editing]]
[[ang:Wikipedia:How to edit a page]]
[[ar:مساعدة:تحرير]]
[[az:Vikipediya:Məqalələrin redaktə qaydaları]]
[[be:Вікіпэдыя:Як рэдагаваць існуючы артыкул]]
[[bg:Уикипедия:Как се редактират страници]]
[[bs:Wikipedia:Kako izmijeniti stranicu]]
[[br:Skoazell:Penaos kemmañ ur bajenn]]
[[ca:Ajuda:Com s'edita una pàgina]]
[[cs:Nápověda:Jak editovat stránku]]
[[de:Hilfe:Seite bearbeiten]]
[[el:Βοήθεια:Πώς να επεξεργαστείτε μια σελίδα]]
[[eo:Helpo:Kiel redakti paĝon]]
[[es:Ayuda:Cómo se edita una página]]
[[eu:Laguntza:Artikuluak nola aldatzen diren]]
[[fa:ویکی‌پدیا:راهنمای ویرایش صفحات]]
[[fi:Ohje:Kuinka sivuja muokataan]]
[[fr:Aide:Comment modifier une page]]
[[ga:Vicipéid:Conas alt a chur in eagar]]
[[he:עזרה:עריכת דף]]
[[hi:विकिपीडिया:लेख को कैसे बदलें]]
[[hu:Wikipédia:Hogyan szerkessz lapokat?]]
[[ia:Wikipedia:Como formatar texto]]
[[id:Wikipedia:Menyunting sebuah halaman]]
[[it:Aiuto:Modifica]]
[[ja:Help:ページの編集]]
[[lb:Wikipedia:Regelen]]
[[lt:Pagalba:Kaip redaguoti puslapį]]
[[ms:Wikipedia:Menyunting]]
[[nl:Help:Uitleg]]
[[no:Hjelp:Hvordan man redigerer en side]]
[[nn:Hjelp:Endring]]
[[pt:Ajuda:Guia de edição/Formatação]]
[[ro:Wikipedia:Cum modific o pagină]]
[[ru:Википедия:Как править статьи]]
[[simple:Help:How to edit]]
[[sk:Pomoc:Prehľad editácie stránok]]
[[sl:Wikipedija:Urejanje strani]]
[[sr:Помоћ:Уређивање]]
[[su:Wikipedia:Cara ngédit kaca]]
[[sv:Wikipedia:Hur man redigerar en sida]]
[[th:วิกิพีเดีย:การแก้ไขหน้า]]
[[tr:Yardım:Sayfa nasıl yazılır]]
[[ur:صفحہ کس طرح ترميم کريں]]
[[vi:Trợ giúp:Sửa đổi]]
[[yi:הילף:רעדאקטירן]]
[[zh:Wikipedia:如何编辑页面]]
[[zh-min-nan:Help:Pian-chi̍p]]
[[zh-yue:Wikipedia:點樣編輯一頁]]