Editing basics
Start editing
To start editing an existing article page, click the Edit link at the top of the page if one exists. If there is no edit link then you are on a page (like this one) which you might not have permission to edit. You can also click on the Add a new Article link on the left hand navigation to start a new article from scratch on anything related to wargaming that you can think of! When editing, you will come 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 greatly adds to the value of your contribution.
Summarize your changes
Write a short edit summary in the 'edit comments' field below the edit-box.
Preview before saving
When you have finished, click 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 and your changes will be immediately applied to the article.
Basic text formatting
You can use the basic buttons above the page editor to add bold, italic, underlined text, add links to articles, quotes, spoilers, and a few other basic text formatting options.
What it looks like
| What you type
|
A single newline
has no effect
on the layout.
But an empty line
starts a new paragraph.
|
A single newline
has no effect
on the layout.
But an empty line
starts a new paragraph.
|
You can break lines
without a new paragraph.
Please use this sparingly.
|
You can break lines<br />
without a new paragraph.<br />
Please use this sparingly.
|
Invisible comments to editors ( ) only appear while editing the page.
If you wish to make comments about article content to the public, you should use the articles 'comments' page, reached by using the 'comments' tab available on most articles.
|
Invisible comments to editors ( <!-- --> )
only appear while editing the page.
<!-- Note to editors: blah blah blah. -->
If you wish to make comments about article
content to the public, you should use the
articles 'comments' page, reached by using
the 'comments' tab available on most articles.
|
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 is reserved for the page title.
If you use headings, you can put a table of contents
into your article with the following special word:
|
== Section headings ==
<b>Headings</b> 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 is reserved for the page title.
If you use headings, you can put a table of contents
into your article with the following special word: __TOC__
|
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.[1]
References: - 1 CIA World Factbook
|
You can add footnotes to sentences using the <b>ref</b> tag -- this
is especially good for citing a source.
:There are over six billion people in the world.<ref>CIA World Factbook</ref>
References: <references/>
|
Links
You will often want to make clickable links to other pages, helping explain unusual terms and content, or pointing to interesting content on the wiki or on the web.
What it looks like
| What you type
|
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.
|
You can put formatting around a link.
Example: Wikipedia.
|
You can put formatting around a link.
Example: <b>[[Wikipedia]]</b>.
|
The first letter of articles is automatically
capitalized, so wikipedia goes to the same place
as Wikipedia. Capitalization matters after the
first letter.
|
The <b>first letter</b> of articles is automatically
capitalized, so [[wikipedia]] goes to the same place
as [[Wikipedia]]. Capitalization matters after the
first letter.
|
When a page doesn't exist, it will have a red coloured
link.You can create a non-existent page by clicking on
the link and clicking 'Edit'.
|
When a page doesn't exist, it will have a red coloured
link. You can create a non-existent page by clicking on
the link and clicking 'Edit'.
|
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:
*[[Article_Tutorial#Basic text formatting]].
If multiple sections have the same title, add
a number. [[#Example section 3]] goes to the
third section named "Example section".
|
You can make a link point to a different place
or use more descriptive text in the link
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
or use more descriptive text in the link
with a [[Piped link|piped link]]. Put the link
target first, then the pipe character "|", then
the link text.
*[[Article_Tutorial|Dakka Articles Tutorial]]
|
You can make an external link just by typing a URL:
http://www.nupedia.com
You can give it a title (note, no pipe is used, just a space):
Nupedia
Or leave the title blank:
http://www.nupedia.com
|
You can make an external link just by typing a URL:
http://www.nupedia.com
You can give it a title (note, no pipe is used, just a space):
[http://www.nupedia.com Nupedia]
Or leave the title blank:
[http://www.nupedia.com]
|
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]
|
You can redirect the user to another page.
|
#REDIRECT [[Official position]]
|
Intermediate Editing
Just show what I typed
A few different kinds of formatting will tell the Wiki to display things as you typed them.
What it looks like
| What you type
|
The nowiki tag ignores [[Wiki]] <b>markup</b>.
It reformats text by removing
newlines and multiple spaces.
It still interprets special
characters: →
|
<nowiki>
The nowiki tag ignores [[Wiki]] <b>markup</b>.
It reformats text by removing
newlines and multiple spaces.
It still interprets special
characters: →
</nowiki>
|
The pre tag ignores [[Wiki]] <b>markup</b>.
It also doesn't reformat text.
It still interprets special characters: →
|
<pre>
The pre tag ignores [[Wiki]] <b>markup</b>.
It also doesn't reformat text.
It still interprets special characters: →
</pre>
|
Images and tables
All images must be uploaded to dakka's article system using the 'Upload a File' on the left hand side. This is to prevent images from being broken or switched around in the future. It would not be much fun for people reading from work to have a popular article suddenly get one of the images replaced with adult content. Storing images with the articles system also allows us to automatically make different size thumbnails as required.
Make sure you use a unique, descriptive filename for your image. Dont use Necron, use something like Legoburner's Necron Lord
After uploading and back on the edit page, just enter the filename, highlight it and press the image-button on the edit page.
This will produce the syntax for uploading a file [[Image:filename.png]]
What it looks like
| What you type
|
A picture, including alternate text:
The logo for dakkadakka
You can put the image in a frame with a caption:
The logo for dakkadakka
You can make a thumbnail with a caption too:
The logo for dakkadakka
|
A picture, including alternate text:
[[Image:dakkadakka|The logo for dakkadakka]]
You can put the image in a frame with a caption:
[[Image:dakkadakka|frame|The logo for dakkadakka]]
You can make a thumbnail with a caption too:
[[Image:dakkadakka|thumb|The logo for dakkadakka]]
|
A link to the page for the image (where the image can be
discussed or have additional explanatory content):
Image:dakkadakka
|
A link to the page for the image (where the image can be
discussed or have additional explanatory content):
[[:Image:dakkadakka]]
|
|
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
| <b>This</b>
| <b>is</b>
|-
| a
| table
|-
|}
|
Templates
Templates are segments of Wiki markup that are meant to be copied automatically ("transcluded") into a page.
You add them by putting the template's name in {{double braces}}.
Some templates take parameters, as well, which you separate with the pipe character.
What it looks like
| What you type
|
Template:alert
|
{{alert|content=test content}}
|
Categories
Categories allow you to sort your new article by putting it into a category index page. You can use as many categories as you want, and you can create your own categories if you feel it is needed. To add a category, just put:
[[Category:blah]]
at the end of your article.
Help!
If you need any more help, then please feel free to ask in the Nuts and Bolts forum (dakka user registration is required to post there).