Editing Wiki (section)

=== Editing ===

{{redirect|Wikitext|the Wikipedia help page|Help:Wikitext|selfref=yes}}

==== Source editing ====

Some wikis will present users with an edit button or link directly on the page being viewed. This will open an [[user interface|interface]] for writing, formatting, and structuring page content. The interface may be a source editor, which is text-based and employs a lightweight markup language (also known as ''wikitext'', ''wiki markup'', or ''wikicode''), or a [[#Visual editing|visual editor]]. For example, in a source editor, starting lines of text with [[asterisk]]s could create a [[Bullet (typography)|bulleted list]].

The [[syntax (programming languages)|syntax]] and features of wiki markup languages for denoting style and structure can vary greatly among [[List of wiki software|implementations]]. Some allow the use of {{abbrlink|HTML|Hypertext Markup Language}} and {{abbrlink|CSS|Cascading Style Sheets}},<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dohrn |first1=Hannes |last2=Riehle |first2=Dirk |chapter=Design and implementation of the Sweble Wikitext parser: Unlocking the structured data of Wikipedia |date=2011 |title=Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Wikis and Open Collaboration |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2038558.2038571 |language=en |publisher=ACM |pages=72–81 |doi=10.1145/2038558.2038571 |isbn=978-1-4503-0909-7}}</ref> while others prevent the use of these to foster uniformity in appearance.

==== Example of syntax ====

A short section of ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' rendered in wiki markup:

<!-- Note: As of HTML5 (W3C Recommendation status in 2014), <p> does not require a closing tag. -->
{| class="wikitable noprint"
|-
! style="width:33.3%;"|Wiki markup
! style="width:33.3%;"|Equivalent in HTML
! style="width:33.3%;"|Output shown to readers
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">"Take some more [[tea]]," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

"I've had '''nothing''' yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."

"You mean you can't take ''less''," said the Hatter. "It's very easy to take ''more'' than nothing."</syntaxhighlight>
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html">"Take some more <a href="/wiki/Tea" title="Tea">tea</a>," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

<p>"I've had <strong>nothing</strong> yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."

<p>"You mean you can't take <em>less</em>," said the Hatter. "It's very easy to take <em>more</em> than nothing."</syntaxhighlight>
|<br>"Take some more [[tea]]," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

"I've had '''nothing''' yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."

"You mean you can't take ''less''," said the Hatter. "It's very easy to take ''more'' than nothing."
|}
{{anchor|visual|wysiwyg|WYSIWYG}}

==== Visual editing ====

While wiki engines have traditionally offered source editing to users, in recent years some implementations have added a rich text editing mode. This is usually implemented, using [[JavaScript]], as an interface which translates formatting instructions chosen from a [[toolbar]] into the corresponding wiki markup or HTML. This is generated and submitted to the server [[Transparency (human–computer interaction)|transparently]], shielding users from the technical detail of markup editing and making it easier for them to change the content of pages. An example of such an interface is the [[VisualEditor]] in [[MediaWiki]], the wiki engine used by Wikipedia. [[WYSIWYG]] editors may not provide all the features available in wiki markup, and some users prefer not to use them, so a source editor will often be available simultaneously.

==== Version history ====

Some wiki implementations keep a record of changes made to wiki pages, and may store every version of the page permanently. This allows authors to revert a page to an older version to rectify a mistake, or counteract a malicious or inappropriate edit to its content.<ref name="auto">{{harvnb|Ebersbach|2008|p=178}}</ref>

These stores are typically presented for each page in a list, called a "log" or "edit history", available from the page via a link in the interface. The list displays [[metadata]] for each revision to the page, such as the time and date of when it was stored, and the name of the person who created it, alongside a link to view that specific revision. A [[diff]] (short for "difference") feature may be available, which highlights the changes between any two revisions.

==== Edit summaries ====

{{redirect|Edit summary|the Wikipedia help page|Help:Edit summary|selfref=y}}
The edit history view in many wiki implementations will include ''edit summaries'' written by users when submitting changes to a page. Similar to the function of a [[Logging (computing)|log message]] in a [[revision control]] system, an edit summary is a short piece of text which summarizes and perhaps explains the change, for example "Corrected grammar" or "Fixed table formatting to not extend past page width". It is not inserted into the article's main text.