User:TheAstorPastor/ Basic Guide to Editing

MediaWiki is wiki software, released under the GPL, that is used by Wikimedia projects as well as other websites. It is an implementation of a wiki, a content pool that anyone can freely edit. Test Wiki runs on the very same software, MediaWiki 1.41.1 which is the latest stable version.

Basic Guide to Editing

This guide will walk you through the basics of editing a page

1. Creating an Account

Step 1: Navigate to the Main Page of Test Wiki.

Step 2: Click on the "Create account" link found at the top right of the page.

Step 3: Fill out the required fields, such as username, password, and email.

Step 4: Complete any additional verification steps, such as CAPTCHA, if required, and submit your information.

2. Logging In

Step 1: Click the "Log in" link at the top right of the page.

Step 2: Enter your username and password.

Step 3: Click "Log in."

3. Navigating to a Page

Step 1: Use the search bar at the top right to find the page you want to edit. Here we will edit the page "Test page"

Step 2: Click on the page title from the search results to open it.

4. Editing a Page

Step 1: Click the "Edit" tab at the top of the page.

Step 2: You will enter the edit mode, where you can modify the content of the page.

• Visual Editor: A WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that resembles a word processor.
• Source Editor: Allows you to edit the raw wikitext.

5. Basic Editing in Visual Editor

Editing Text: Click on the text you want to edit and start typing.

Formatting Text:

• Bold: Select the text and click the "B" icon.
• Italic: Select the text and click the "I" icon.
• Headings: Use the "Paragraph" dropdown to select different heading levels.

• Adding Links:
  1. Internal Links: Highlight the text, click the link icon, and type the page name.
  2. External Links: Highlight the text, click the link icon, select "External site," and enter the URL.
• Inserting Images: Click the "Insert" dropdown, choose "Media," and select or upload an image.

6. Basic Editing in Source Editor

Editing Text: Directly modify the wikitext by typing in the source editor.

Formatting Text:

• Bold: Enclose text in triple apostrophes ('''bold''').
• Italic: Enclose text in double apostrophes (''italic'').
• Headings: Use equals signs (=) around the text (== Heading 2 ==).

• Adding Links:
  1. Internal Links: Use double square brackets ([[PageName]]).
  2. External Links: Use single square brackets with the URL and text ([http://example.com link text]).
• Inserting Images: Use the [[File:Filename.jpg|thumb|alt=Alt text|Caption]] syntax.

7. Saving Your Changes

Step 1: Once you are done with your edits, click the "Save changes" button.

Step 2: Add a brief summary of your changes in the "Edit summary" box.

Step 3: If it's a minor edit, you can check the "This is a minor edit" box.

Step 4: Click "Save changes" to submit your edit.

8. Previewing Your Changes

Step 1: Before saving, click the "Show preview" button to see how your changes will look.

Step 2: Review the preview and make any necessary adjustments.

Step 3: Once satisfied, save your changes.

9. Discussion and Collaboration

Step 1: To discuss a page, go to its "Talk" page by clicking the "Discussion" tab.

Step 2: Add your comments or questions and sign your post by typing ~~~~ (four tildes).

10. Tracking Changes

Recent Changes: Use the "Recent changes" link in the sidebar to monitor edits across the wiki.

Watchlist: Add pages to your watchlist by clicking the star icon at the top of the page to receive notifications of changes.