This help page is ahow-to guide. It explains concepts or processes used by the Wikipedia community. It is not one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines,and may reflect varying levels ofconsensus. |
The markup language calledwikitext,also known aswiki markuporwikicode,consists of the syntax and keywords used by theMediaWikisoftware to format a page. (Note the lowercase spelling of these terms.[a]) To learn how to see thishypertext markup,and to save an edit, seeHelp:Editing.Generally, coding can be copied and pasted, without writing new code. There is a short list of markup and tips atHelp:Cheatsheet.
In addition to wikitext, someHTML elementsare also allowed for presentation formatting. SeeHelp:HTML in wikitextfor information on this.
Layout
Sections
Article sections in a page will follow that page'sleador introduction and, if there are four or more, thetable of contents.
Section headings
The=
through======
markup are headings for the sections with which they are associated.
- A single = is styled as the article title and should not be used within an article.
- Headings are styled throughCSSand add an
[edit]
link.See this sectionfor the relevant CSS. - Four or more headings cause a table of contents to be generated automatically.
- Do not useanymarkup after the final heading markup – this will either break the heading, or will cause the heading to not be included in an edit summary.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
= Heading 1 = == Heading 2 == === Heading 3 === ==== Heading 4 ==== ===== Heading 5 ===== ====== Heading 6 ====== |
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 6
|
Templates:{{fake heading}}for use in documentation.
Horizontal rule
The horizontal rule represents a paragraph-level thematic break. Do not use in article content, as rules are used only after main sections, and this is automatic.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
---- |
|
HTML equivalent:<hr />
(which can be indented, whereas----
always starts at the left margin.)
Table of contents
When a page has at least four headings, a table of contents (TOC) will automatically appear after the lead and before the first heading. The TOC can be controlled by magic words or templates:
__FORCETOC__
forces the TOC to appear at the normal location regardless of the number of headings.__TOC__
forces the TOC to appear at the point where the magic word is inserted instead of the normal location.__NOTOC__
disables the TOC entirely.- {{TOC limit}}template can be used to control the depth of subsections included in the TOC. This is useful where the TOC is long and unwieldy.
- Category:Wikipedia table of contents templatescontains a number of specialized TOC templates.
Line breaks
Line breaks or newlines are used to add whitespace between lines, such as separating paragraphs.
- A line break that is visible in the content is inserted by pressing↵ Entertwice.
- Pressing↵ Enteronce will place a line break in the markup, but it will not show in the rendered content, except when using list markup.
- Markup such as bold or italics will be terminated at a line break.
- Blank lines within indented wikitext should not be added due to accessibility issues.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
A single newline here has no effect on the layout. But an empty line starts a new paragraph, or ends a list or an indented part. |
A single newline here has no effect on the layout. But an empty line starts a new paragraph, or ends a list or an indented part. |
HTML equivalent:<br>
or<br />
can be used to break line layout.
Templates for line breaks:
- {{break}}can add multiple line breaks.
- {{-}}and{{clear}}adds a break with styling, to clear floating elements. Often used to prevent text from flowing next to unrelated tables or images.
Unbulleted list:
- {{plainlist}}and{{unbulleted list}}both create an unbulleted list.
Indent text
Indentation is most commonly used on talk pages.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
Indentation as used on talk pages:
so long as no carriage return or line break is used.)
The outdent template can give a visual indicator that we're deliberately cancelling the indent (6 levels here)
|
Templates:{{outdent}},{{outdent2}}
Blockquote
When there is a need for separating a block of text. This is useful for (as the name says) inserting blocks of quoted (and cited) text.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
Normal text
Normal text |
This uses an HTML tag; template{{quote}}results in the same render.
Center text
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
Centered text
|
Template{{center}}uses the same markup. To center a table, seeHelp:Table#Centering tables.
Please do not use<center>...</center>
tags, as it is obsolete.
Align text to right
You can align content in a separate container:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Text on the right Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
|
Or; make the text float around it:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Text on the right Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
|
{{stack|Text on the right}} |
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Text on the right |
Lists
Do not leave blank lines between items in a list unless there is a reason to do so, since this causes the MediaWiki software to interpret each item as beginning a new list.
Unordered lists
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
Ordered lists
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
Description lists
To list terms and definitions, start a new line with a semicolon (;) followed by the term. Then, type a colon (:) followed by a definition. The format can also be used for other purposes, such as make and models of vehicles, etc.
Description lists(formerlydefinition lists,and a.k.a.association lists) consist of group names corresponding to values. Group names (terms) are in bold. Values (definitions) are indented. Each groupmustinclude one or more definitions. For a single or first value, the:
can be placed on the same line after;
– but subsequent values must be placed on separate lines.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
|
|
HTML equivalent:<dl>
<dt>...</dt>
,<dd>...</dd>
</dl>
Templates:{{defn}}
Retaining newlines and spaces
The MediaWiki software suppresses single newlines and converts lines starting with a space to preformatted text in a dashed box. HTML suppresses multiple spaces. It is often desirable to retain these elements for poems, lyrics, mottoes, oaths and the like. ThePoemextension adds HTML-like<poem>...</poem>
tags to maintain newlines and spaces. These tags may be used inside other tags such as<blockquote>...</blockquote>
;the template{{poemquote}}
provides a convenient shorthand.CSS stylesmay be applied to this tag, e.g.:<poemstyle="margin-left: 2em;">
.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan |
Poems and their translation can be presented side by side, and the language can be indicated withlang= "xx"
.Following the last side-by-side block,{{Clear|left}}
must be used to cancel"float:left;"
and to re-establish normal flow. Note that this method does not requirea tableand its columns to achieve the side-by-side presentation.
Markup
<poemlang="fr"style="float:left;">Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.</poem>
<poemstyle="margin-left:2em; float:left;">Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.</poem>{{Clear|left}}
Renders as
Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.
Format
Text formatting
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
italics,bold,small capital letters |
To''italicize text'',put two consecutive apostrophes on each side of it.
Three apostrophes each side will'''bold the text'''.
Five consecutive apostrophes on each side (two for italics plus three for bold) produces'''''bold italics'''''.
'''''Italic and bold formatting'''''works correctly only within a single line.
For text as{{smallcaps|small caps}},use the template{{tl|smallcaps}}.
|
Toitalicize text,put two consecutive apostrophes on each side of it. Three apostrophes each side willbold the text. Five consecutive apostrophes on each side (two for italics plus three for bold) producesbold italics. Italic and bold formattingworks correctly only within a single line. To reverse this effect where it has been automatically applied, use{{nobold}}and{{noitalic}}. For text assmall caps,use the template{{smallcaps}}. |
Small chunks ofsource codewithin a line of normal text. Code is displayed in amonospace font. |
function<code>int m2()</code>is nice.
|
function |
Syntax highlightingfor source code. Computer code has colored text and more stringent formatting. For example, to define a function: Seeherefor a full list of supported languages that can be put in |
<syntaxhighlight lang= "cpp" > #include <iostream> int m2 (int ax, char *p_ax) { std::cout << "Hello World!"; return 0; }</syntaxhighlight> |
#include<iostream>
intm2(intax,char*p_ax){
std::cout<<"Hello World!";
return0;
}
|
Small text |
Use<small>small text</small>only
when necessary.
|
Usesmall textonly when necessary. |
a <small> span |
To match, for example, the font-size used in an[[Help:Visual file markup#Caption|image caption]],the "small" tag can also be used to
<smallstyle="font-size:87%;">reduce a text's font-size to 87%</small>.
|
To match, for example, the font-size used in animage caption,the "small" tag can also be used toreduce a text's font-size to 87%. |
Big text |
Better not use<big>big text</big>,unless<small>it's<big>within</big>small</small>text.
|
Better not usebig text,unlessit'swithinsmalltext. |
To prevent two words from becoming separated by alinewrap(e.g.Mr. Smithor400 km/h) anon-breaking space,sometimes also called a "non-printing character", may be used between them. (For three or more words, the template{{nowrap}}is probably more suitable.) |
Mr.&nbsp;Smith or 400&nbsp;km/h
|
Mr. Smith or 400 km/h |
Extra spacingwithin text is usually best achieved using the{{pad}}template. |
Mary{{pad|4.0em}}had a little lamb.
|
Maryhad a little lamb. |
Special characters
Special characters can often be displayed usingnumeric character referencesorcharacter entity references.SeeCharacter encodings in HTMLfor more information. For example,À
andÀ
both renderÀ(A-grave).Percent-encodingcan't be used, as it works only inURLs.
Diacritical marks
Diacriticmarks, using character entity references.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Œ Ù Ú Û Ü Ÿ ß à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø œ ù ú û ü ÿ |
À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Œ Ù Ú Û Ü Ÿ ß à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø œ ù ú û ü ÿ |
Punctuation special characters
Using character entity references.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
¿ ¡ § ¶
|
¿ ¡ § ¶ |
† ‡ • – —
|
† ‡ • – — |
‹ › « »
|
‹ › « » |
‘ ’ “ ”
|
‘ ’ “” |
' "
|
' " |
Escaping punctuation characters
The<pre>
,<nowiki>
,and<code>
markup tags are also available, for writing "[", "{", "&", "}", "]" for example. These tags prevent these characters from being recognised as wiki markup, which is a possibility in some circumstances.
Commercial symbols
Using character entity references.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
™ © ®
|
™ © ® |
¢ € ¥ £ ¤
|
¢ € ¥ £ ¤ |
Greek characters
Using character entity references.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
α β γ δ ε ζ
|
α β γ δ ε ζ |
Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ
|
Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ |
η θ ι κ λ μ ν
|
η θ ι κ λ μ ν |
Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν
|
Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν |
ξ ο π ρ σ ς
|
ξ ο π ρ σ ς |
Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ
|
Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ |
τ υ φ χ ψ ω
|
τ υ φ χ ψ ω |
Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω
|
Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω |
Egyptian hieroglyphs
WikiHiero is a software extension that rendersEgyptian hieroglyphsas PNG images using<hiero>
HTML-like tags.
Example:
Markup | Renders as | ||
---|---|---|---|
<hiero>P2</hiero> |
|||
Subscripts and superscripts
- TheManual of Styleprefers the
<sub>
and<sup>
formats, for examplex
.So this should be used under most circumstances.<sub>1</sub>
- The latter methods of sub/superscripting cannot be used in the most general context, as they rely onUnicodesupport that may not be present on all users' machines.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Subscripts |
x<sub>1</sub>x<sub>2</sub>x<sub>3</sub>or
x₀x₁x₂x₃x₄
x₅x₆x₇x₈x₉
|
x1x2x3or x₀ x₁ x₂ x₃ x₄ x₅ x₆ x₇ x₈ x₉ |
Superscripts |
x<sup>1</sup>x<sup>2</sup>x<sup>3</sup>or
x⁰x¹x²x³x⁴
x⁵x⁶x⁷x⁸x⁹
|
x1x2x3or x⁰ x¹ x² x³ x⁴ x⁵ x⁶ x⁷ x⁸ x⁹ |
Combined |
ε<sub>0</sub>= 8.85×10<sup>−12</sup>C²/ J m
1[[hectare]]= 1 E+4 m²
|
ε0= 8.85 × 10−12C² / J m 1hectare= 1 E+4 m² |
Characters in the Private Use Area, and invisible formatting characters
Invisible andPUA (Private Use Areas)characters should be avoided where possible. When needed, they should both be replaced with their (hexa)decimal code values (as "&#(x)...;" ). This renders invisible characters visible, for manual editing, and allowsAWBto process pages with PUA characters. The latter should also be tagged with the{{PUA}}template for tracking and future maintenance.
Mathematical characters and formulae
Mathematical characters
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
∫ ∑ ∏ √ | ∫ ∑ ∏ √ |
− ± ∞ | − ± ∞ |
≈ ∝ ≡ ≠ | ≈ ∝ ≡ ≠ |
≤ ≥ | ≤ ≥ |
× · ÷ ∂ | × · ÷ ∂ |
′ ″ | ′ ″ |
∇ ‰ ° ∴ ℵ | ∇ ‰ ° ∴ ℵ |
ø | ø |
∈ ∉ ∩ ∪ | ∈ ∉ ∩ ∪ |
⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇ | ⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇ |
¬ ∧ ∨ ∃ ∀ | ¬ ∧ ∨ ∃ ∀ |
⇒ ⇐ ⇓ ⇑ ⇔ | ⇒ ⇐ ⇓ ⇑ ⇔ |
→ ← ↓ ↑ ↔ | → ← ↓ ↑ ↔ |
Mathematical formulae
- Formulae that include mathematical letters, likex,and operators like
×
should not use the plain letterx
.Seemath font formatting.For a comprehensive set of symbols, and comparison between<math>
tags and the{{math}}template see sectionTeX vs HTML.
- The
<math>
tag typesets usingLaTeX markup,[b]which may render as an image or as HTML, depending on environmental settings. The<math>
tag is best for the complex formula on its own line in an image format. If you use this tag to put a formula in the line with text, put it in the{{nowrap}}template.
- The{{math}}templateuses HTML,and will size-match a serif font, and will also prevent line-wrap. All templates are sensitive to the
=
sign, so remember to replace=
with{{=}}
in template input, or start the input with1=
.Use wiki markup''
and'''
inside the{{math}}template, as well as otherHTML entities.The{{math}}template is best for typeset formulas in line with the text.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
2x× 4y÷ 6z+ 8 −y/z2= 0
|
Spacing in simple math formulae
- Using
to prevent line break is not needed; the{{math}}template will prevent line breaks anyway; you can use<br />
if you need an explicit line break inside a formula.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
It follows thatx2≥ 0for realx. |
Complicated formulae
- SeeHelp:Displaying a formulafor how to use
<math>
. - A formula displayed on a line by itself should be indented using
<math display=block>...</math>
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
Indenting by using the colon (:) character (i.e. using:<math></math>
instead of<mathdisplay=block></math>
) is discouraged foraccessibility reasons.
Links and URLs
Wikilinks
Wikilinksare used in wikitext markup to produceinternal linksbetween pages. You create wikilinks by putting double square brackets around text designating the title of the page you want to link to. Thus,[[Texas]]
will be rendered asTexas.Optionally, you can use avertical bar(|) to customize the link title. For example, typing[[Texas|Lone Star State]]
will produceLone Star State,a link that is displayed as "Lone Star State"but in fact links toTexas.
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 hereafter is to the Web address
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport
,which is the Wikipedia article with the name "Public transport". See alsoCanonicalization. - A red linkis a page that doesn't exist yet; it can be created by clicking on the link.
- A link to its own pagewill appear only as bold text.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
London haspublic transport. |
|
Link to this page: "Help:Wikitext"will appear only as bold text. |
Renamed link
- Same target, different name.
- The target ( "piped" ) text must be placedfirst,then the text to be displayedsecond.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
New York also haspublic transportation. |
Automatically rename links
- Simply typing the pipe character | after a link will automatically rename the link in certain circumstances. The next time you open the edit box you will see the expanded piped link. Whenpreviewingyour edits, you will not see the expanded form until you pressSaveandEditagain. The same applies tolinks to sections within the same page.
- SeePipe trickfor details.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Automatically hide stuff in parentheses |
|
|
Automatically hide the comma and following text | [[Seattle, Washington|]]
|
Seattle |
Automatically hide namespace |
|
|
Or both |
|
|
But this doesn't work for section links |
|
[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Links|]] |
Blend link
- Endings are blended into the link.
- Exception:a trailingapostrophe(') and any characters following the apostrophe arenotblended.
- Preferred style is to use this instead of a piped link, if possible.
- Blending can be suppressed by using the
<nowiki />
tag, which may be desirable in some instances.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Blending active |
|
San Francisco also haspublic transportation.Examples includebuses,taxicabs,andtrams. |
A[[micro-]]second
|
Amicro-second | |
Blending suppressed |
|
Amicro-second |
Link to a section of a page
- The part after the hash sign (#) must match asection headingon 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 beginning of the page.
- Include "| link title" to create a stylish (piped) link title.
- If sections have the same title, add a number to link to any but the first.#Example section 3goes to the third section named "Example section". You can use the pipe and retype the section title to display the text without the # symbol.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Italicsis a link to a section within another page. |
|
#Links and URLsis a link to another section on the current page.Links and URLsis a link to the same section without showing the # symbol. |
|
Italicsis a piped link to a section within another page. |
Create a page 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, seestarting an articleand check out Wikipedia'snaming conventions.
- Please do not create a new article without linking to it from at least one other article.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Links to pages that don't exist yet look red. |
|
The article aboutcardboard sandwichesdoesn't exist yet. |
Redirects
- Redirectone article title to another by placing a directive like the one shown to the right on thefirstline of the article (such as at a page titled "US").
- It is possible to redirect to a section. For example, a redirect toUnited States#Historywill redirect to the History section of theUnited Statespage, if it exists.
Description | What you type |
---|---|
Redirect to an article |
|
Redirect to a section |
|
Link to anothernamespace
- The full page name should be included in double square brackets.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
See theWikipedia:Manual of Style. |
Link to the same article in another language (interlanguage links)
After the launch ofWikidata,interlanguage links are now added through it. Links in articles should exist only in special cases, for example when an article in one language has two articles in another language. |
- To link to a corresponding page in another language, use the form:
[[language code:Foreign title]]
. - It is recommended interlanguage links be placed at the very end of the article.
- Interlanguage links areNOT visiblewithin the formatted article, but instead appear as language links on the sidebar (to the left) under the menu section "languages".
- NOTE:To create aninline link(a clickable link within the text) toanyforeign language article, seeHelp:Interlanguage links#Inline interlanguage linksand consider the usage notes.
Description | What you type |
---|---|
Link from English article "Plankton" to the Spanish article"Plancton". "es" is the language code for "español"(theSpanish language). |
[[es:Plancton]]
|
Other examples: French ( |
[[fr:Plancton]]
[[de:Plankton]]
[[ru:Планктон]]
[[simple:Plankton]]
|
Interwiki link
- Interwiki linkslink to any page on other wikis.Interwikimedia linkslink to other Wikimedia wikis.
- Note that interwikimedia links use the internal link style, with double square brackets.
- SeeMeta-Wiki:Interwiki mapfor the list of shortcuts; if the site you want to link to is not on the list, use anexternal link.
- See alsoWikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Linking to a page on another wiki in English. All of these forms lead to the URLhttps://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hello. | ||
Simple link. Without prefix. Named link. |
|
|
Linking to a page on another wiki in another language. All of these forms lead to the URLhttps://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/bonjour. | ||
Simple link. Without prefix. Named link. |
|
Categories
- To put an article in acategory,place a link like
[[Category:Example]]
into the article. As with interlanguage links, placing these links atthe end of the articleis recommended. - To link to a category page without putting the article into the category, use a colon prefix ( ":Category" ) in the link.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Categorize an article. |
|
|
Link to a category. |
|
|
Without prefix. |
|
External links
- Single-square brackets indicate an external link. Note the use of aspace(not a pipe |) to separate the URL from the link text in a named link. Square brackets may be used as normal punctuation when not linking to anything – [like this].
- AURLmust begin with a supportedURI scheme:
https://
(preferably) andhttp://
will be supported by all browsers;irc://
,ircs://
,ftp://
,news://
,mailto:
,andgopher://
will require a plugin or an external application. IPv6 addresses in URLs are currently not supported. - A URL containing certain characters will display and link incorrectly unless those characters arepercent encoded.For example, a space must be replaced by
%20
.Encoding can be achieved by:
space | " | ' | , | ; | < | > | ? | [ | ] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
%20 | %22 | %27 | %2c | %3b | %3c | %3e | %3f | %5b | %5d |
- Or use the
{{urlencode:}}
magic word. SeeHelp:Magic wordsin the MediaWiki documentation for more details.
- Or use the
- SeeWikipedia:External linksfor style issues, andCategory:External link file type templatesfor indicating the file type of an external link with an icon.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Named linkwith anexternal link icon |
|
|
Unnamed link This shouldnot be used in articlesexcept incertain lists. |
|
|
Bare URL (Bad style) use <nowiki></nowiki> to keep this bad style from showing |
|
|
Link without arrow (Not often used) |
|
Miscellaneous
Media link
- To include links to non-image uploads such as sounds, use a "media" link. For images,see next section.
- Some uploaded sounds are listed atCommons:Sound.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
Links directly into edit mode
- These create links that directly go to the edit or view source tab. For example, to create links to the edit tab for this page, either of the following works:
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Using the{{fullurl}}template |
|
|
Using the{{Edit}}template |
|
|
Links partially italicized
- Linking to a page with a title containing words that are usually italicized, such as theHindenburgdisasterarticle.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
Musical notation
Musical notation is added by using the<score>...</score>
extensionHTML-like tag. For example:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
Images
Only images that have been uploaded to Wikipedia orWikimedia Commonscan be used. To upload images, use theCommons upload wizardfor photos you have taken, and theWikipedia upload pageif there may be copyright issues. You can find the uploaded image on theimage list.
See the Wikipedia'simage use policyfor the policy used on Wikipedia.
For further help on images, including some more versatile abilities, see thepicture tutorialandextended image syntax.
What you type | What it looks like | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The image name, the word thumb then the caption:
[[File:wiki.png|thumb|Wikipedia logo]]
|
The image name, the word thumb then the caption: |
| |||
A picture:[[File:wiki.png]]
|
A picture: |
| |||
With alternative text:
[[File:wiki.png|alt=Puzzle globe logo]]
|
With alternative text: |
| |||
With link:
[[File:wiki.png|link=Wikipedia]]
|
With link: |
| |||
Forced to the centre of the page
using the''frame''tag (attribute), a''centre''tag and a caption:
[[File:wiki.png|frame|centre|alt=Puzzle globe|Wikipedia logo]]
|
Forced to the centre of the page using theframetag (attribute), acentretag and a caption: |
| |||
Forced to the left side of the page
using the''thumb''attribute, the''left''attribute and a caption:
[[File:wiki.png|thumb|left|alt=Puzzle globe|Wikipedia logo]]
|
Forced to the left side of the page using thethumbattribute, theleftattribute and a caption: |
| |||
Forced to the right side of the page
''without''a caption:
[[File:wiki.png|right|Wikipedia encyclopedia]]
|
Forced to the right side of the pagewithouta caption: |
| |||
A picture resized to 50 pixels...
[[File:wiki.png|50 px|Wikipedia encyclopedia]]
|
A picture resized to 50 pixels width... |
| |||
Linking directly to the description page of an image:
[[:File:wiki.png]]
|
Linking directly to the description page of an image: |
| |||
Linking directly to an image without displaying it:
[[Media:wiki.png|Image of jigsaw globe]]
|
Linking directly to an image without displaying it: |
| |||
Example:
<divstyle="display: inline; width: 220px; float: right;">
[[File:wiki.png|50 px|Wikipedia encyclopedia]][[File:wiki.png|50 px]]</div>
|
Example: |
| |||
Example:
{|style="text-align: right;"
|-
|
[[File:wiki.png|50 px]]
|-
|
[[File:wiki.png|50 px]]
|-
|
[[File:wiki.png|50 px]]
|}
|
Example: |
|
Tables
There are two ways to build tables:
- Using specific wiki markup: (seeHelp:Table).
- Using HTML elements:
<table>
,<tr>
,<td>
or<th>
.
Columns
References and citing sources
Making a reference citing a printed or online source can be accomplished by using the<ref>
wiki markup tags. Inside these tags details about the reference are added.
Details about the citation can be provided using a structure provided by various templates; the table below lists some typical citation components.
What it's for | What you type |
---|---|
To create the reference | <refname= "reference name" >add_template_name_here</ref>
|
To cite a book | {{cite book}}
|
To cite a web source | {{cite web}}
|
Book ISBN | |isbn=0-4397-0818-4 (ISBN of the book)
|
Web URL | |url=https://www.wikipedia.org
|
Title | |title=title of source
|
Author | |author=authors, use commas for multiple
|
First name | |first=first name
|
Last name | |last=last name
|
Location | |location=location of publisher
|
Publisher | |publisher=who published the source
|
Date | |date=2007-09-21 (date of source)
|
Year | |year=year of source
|
Accessed date | |access-date=2008-12-25 (only if url= is included)
|
A complete reference tag | <refname= "Wiki markup" > {{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Wiki_markup|title=Help:Wiki markup|publisher=Wikimedia Foundation}} </ref>
|
Referencing this again | <refname= "Wiki markup" />
|
Citation needed | {{Citation needed|{{subst:DATE}}}}
|
Templates and transcluding pages
Examples for templates: {{pad|...}}, {{math|...}}, {{as of|...}}, {{edit}}
Templatesare segments of wiki markup that are meant to be copied automatically ( "transcluded" ) into a page. They are specified by putting the template's name in {{double braces}}. Most templates are pages in theTemplate namespace,but it is possible to transclude mainspace pages (articles) by using {{:colon and double braces}}.
There are three pairs oftagsthat can be used inwikitextto control how transclusion affects parts of a template or article. They determine whether or not wikitext renders, either in its own article, which we will call "here",or in another article where it is transcluded, which we will call"there".
- <noinclude>:the contentwill not be renderedthere.These tags have no effecthere.
- <includeonly>:the contentwill render onlythere,andwill not renderhere(likeinvisible inkmade visible by means of transclusion).
- <onlyinclude>:the contentwill renderhereandwill renderthere,but it will only rendertherewhat is between these tags.
There can be several such section "elements".Also, they can be nested. All possible renderings are achievable. For example, to renderthereone or more sections of the pagehereuse<onlyinclude>tags. To append textthere,wrap the addition in<includeonly>tags before, within, or after the section. To omit portions of the section, nest<noinclude>tags within it.
If a page is transcluded without transclusion markup, it may cause an unintentionalcategorization.Any page transcluding it will contain the same category as the original page. Wrap the category markup with<noinclude>tags to prevent incorrect categorization.
Some templates takeparameters,as well, which you separate with the pipe character|
.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
{{Transclusion demo}}
|
This text comes from the page namedTemplate:Transclusion demo. It has been transcluded into this page. |
{{Help:Transclusion demo}}
|
This transclusion demo is a little bit of text from the pageHelp:Transclusion demoto be included into any file. |
This template takes two parameters,
and creates underlined text with a
hover box for many modern browsers
supporting CSS:
{{Tooltip|Hover your mouse over this text
|This is the hover text}}
Go to this page to see the Tooltip
template itself:{{tl|Tooltip}}
|
This template takes two parameters, and creates underlined text with a hover box for many modern browsers supporting CSS: Hover your mouse over this text Go to this page to see the Tooltip template itself:{{Tooltip}} |
Talk and project pages
These are likely to be helpful ontalkandproject pages.
Signing comments
- Thetildecharacter (~) is used when signing a comment on a talk page. Your username provides a link to youruser page.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
You should sign your comments by appending four tildes to the comment, which adds your user name plus date/time. |
|
|
Adding three tildes will add just your user name. |
|
|
Adding five tildes gives the date/time alone. |
|
05:44, 6 December 2024 (UTC) |
Linking to old revisions of pages, diffs, and specific history pages
- The external link function is mainly used for these. Open an old revision or diff, and copy theURLfrom the address bar, pasting it where you want it.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
- You can also use aninternal diff link.Unlike the template{{diff}},this kind of link can even be used in edit summaries.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
- If the diff intended to be shown is between an immediately previous revision, the first parameter can be dropped.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
- For an old revision, you can also use apermalink.Though here only the main text is guaranteed to be retained (images and templates will be shown as they are today, not as they were at the time).
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
What links here, and recent changes linked
- The following markup can be used. For example, for the articleBeetroot:
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
|
|
User edits
- Link to a user'scontributions page.
Description | What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|---|
Username (registered users). | [[Special:Contributions/UserName]]
|
Special:Contributions/UserName |
IPv4address (unregistered users). | [[Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0]]
|
Special:Contributions/192.0.2.0 |
IPv6address (unregistered users). | [[Special:Contributions/2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:ff00:0042:8329]]
|
Special:Contributions/2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:ff00:0042:8329 |
Coloring and highlighting text
- Using the{{Color}}and{{Font color}}templates:
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
I will change the color inthe middle part ofthis sentence. |
|
This is how tohighlight part of a sentence. |
Example text
The{{xt}}
family of templates can be used to highlight example text.These templates do not work in mainspace—that is, in regular articles—they are intended for use on project pages (such asWikipedia:Manual of Style), help pages, and user pages.
What you type | What you get |
---|---|
This is{{xt|a correct example}}for comparison{{tick}}
|
This isa correct examplefor comparison |
This is{{!xt|an incorrect example}}for contrast{{cross}}
|
This isan incorrect examplefor contrast |
This is{{mxt|in monospace}}for comparison
|
This isin monospacefor comparison |
This is{{!mxt|in monospace}}for contrast
|
This isin monospacefor contrast |
This is{{bxt|in bold}}for comparison
|
This isin boldfor comparison |
This is{{!bxt|in bold}}for contrast
|
This isin boldfor contrast |
Show deleted or inserted text
- When editing regular Wikipedia articles, just make your changes, and do not mark them up in any special way, except when the article itself discusses deleted or inserted content, such as an amendment to a statute:
- to indicate deleted content, use
<del>...</del>
- to indicate inserted content, use
<ins>...</ins>
- to indicate deleted content, use
- This also applies to changing one's own talk page comments.
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
|
You can |
Strikethrough
The{{Strikethrough}}template marks up a span of text with the<s>...</s>
tag. This is usually rendered visually by drawing a horizontal line through it. Outside of articles, it can be used to mark something as no longer accurate or relevant without removing it from view. Do not use it, however, to indicate document edits. For that, use the<del>...</del>
tag instead. See§ Show deleted or inserted textfor details.
What you type | What you get |
---|---|
This is {{Strikethrough|an obsolete stretch of text}} for comparison | This is |
Limiting formatting / escaping wiki markup
A few different kinds of formatting will tell the wiki to display things as you typed them – what you see is what you get!
What you type | What it looks like |
---|---|
'''<nowiki>tag:'''
<nowiki>
The <nowiki> tag ignores [[wiki]]
''markup''. It reformats text by
removing newlines and multiple
spaces. It still interprets
characters specified by
&name;:→
</nowiki>
|
<nowiki> tag: The <nowiki> tag ignores [[wiki]] ''markup''. It reformats text by removing newlines and multiple spaces. It still interprets characters specified by &name;: → |
'''<pre>tag:'''
<pre>The<pre>tag ignores [[wiki]]
''markup'' as does the<nowiki>
tag. Additionally,<pre>displays
in a mono-spaced font, and does
not reformat text spaces.
It still interprets special
characters:→</pre>
|
<pre> tag: The <pre> tag ignores [[wiki]] ''markup'' as does the <nowiki> tag. Additionally, <pre> displays in a mono-spaced font, and does not reformat text spaces. It still interprets special characters: → |
'''[Text without a URL]:''' Single square brackets holding [text without a HTTP URL] are preserved, but single square brackets containing a URL are treated as being an external [https://example.com/ Web link]. |
[Text without a URL]: Single square brackets holding [text without a HTTP URL] are preserved, but single square brackets containing a URL are treated as being an external Web link. |
'''Leading space:'''
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:&
|
Leading space: 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 interpretswiki markupand special characters: → |
Nowiki
<nowiki>...</nowiki>
(wiki markup contained between these two tags is displayed as normal text)<nowiki />
(wiki markup that is interrupted by this tag is displayed as normal text, as detailed in examples below)
These two kinds of nowiki operate in different ways, but both neutralize the rendering of wiki markup as shown in the examples below. For example, the characters that have wiki markup meaning at the beginning of a line (*
,#
,;
and:
) can be rendered in normal text. Editors can normalize the font of characters trailing a wikilink, which would otherwise appear in the wikilink font. And newlines added to wikitext for readability can be ignored.
Note to template editors: tag<nowiki>
works only on its source page, not the target.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
|
# Ordered list |
|
|
|
Amicro-second. |
|
a b |
|
''Italics' markup'' |
|
[[Example]] |
|
<!-- revealed --> |
The rest of the section consists of simple, live examples showing how a single nowiki tag escapes entire linkage structures, beyond[[wikilink]]
and{{template}}
:
- [[fullpagename|label]]
- {{pagename|parameter}}
- [[fullpagename| {{pagename}} ]]
- {{pagename| [[fullpagename]] }}
- {{pagename| {{pagename}} }}
Unless you use the two "balanced" nowiki tags, troubleshootingstrip markererrors and template parameter-handling inconsistencies is a risk. Also, a rendering error may arise when two[[...]]square brackets are on the same line, or two{{...}}curly brackets are in the same section, but only when the two have the nowiki markup placed inconsistently.
Displaying wikilinks
(These are all live examples.)
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
page name |
Fornested structures,escaping an inner structure escapes its outer structure too.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
wp: pagename |
Fortwo, first pipes,two nowiki tags are required:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
label |
Displaying template calls
For templates, put nowiki before the first pipe. If a parameter has a wikilink, put it in that, an inmost position.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
Displaying magic words
For inputparameters,{{{1}}}, {{{2}}}, just write them out, unless they have a default (which goes behind their pipe): {{<nowiki />{1|default}}} → {{{1|default}}}
For aparser functionnowiki goes between bracketing-pair characters, or anywhere before the: colon.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
outYes |
Behavioral switchesexpect the tag anywhere:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
Displaying tags
Tags do not display; they are just markup. If you want them to, insert<nowiki />
after an<
opening angle bracket; it goes only in the very front. Opening tags and closing tags must be treated separately.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
Blue |
Use template{{tag}}instead of nowiki tags to display parser tags:
Character entities,nowiki cannot escape.
To escape HTML or special character entities, replace&
with&
.
For example,&lt;
→<
Todisplay a nowiki tag,you can (1) use{{tag}},(2) replace the < left angle bracket with its HTML character entity, or (3) nest nowiki tags in each other:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
|
|
|
Nowiki tags do not otherwise nest, so it is the second and fourth that displays:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
12<nowiki>34</nowiki>second and fourth |
These simply scan from left to right. The paired tags cannot overlap, because the very first pair-match nullifies any intervening tags inside. Unbalanced tags always display.
Nowiki tags do not display table markup, use<pre>...</pre>
.
Pre
<pre>
is a parser tag that emulates the HTML<pre>
tag. It defines preformatted text that is displayed in a fixed-width font and is enclosed in a dashed box. HTML-like and wiki markup tags are escaped, spaces and line breaks are preserved, but HTML elements are parsed.
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
<!--Comment-->
[[wiki]] markup &
|
As<pre>
is a parser tag, it escapes wikitext and HTML tags. This can be prevented with the use of <includeonly></includeonly> within the<pre>
,making it act more like its HTML equivalent:
Markup | Renders as |
---|---|
|
wikimarkup & |
Invisible HTML<pre>
tags can also be inserted by preceding text with a space character, like:
wikimarkup &
Alternatively, consider using{{pre}}template or<syntaxhighlightlang= "text" >...</syntaxhighlight>
.
Invisible text (comments)
It's uncommon – but on occasion acceptable for notes to other editors – to add a hidden comment within the text of an article. These comments are visible only when editing or viewing the source of a page. Most comments should go on the appropriateTalk page.The format is to surround the hidden text with "<!--
"and"-->
"and may cover several lines, e.g.:
<!-- An example of hidden comments This won't be visible except in "edit" mode. -->
Another way to include a comment in the wiki markup uses the{{Void}}template, which can be abbreviated as{{^}}.This template "expands" to the empty string, generating no HTML output; it is visible only to people editing the wiki source. Thus{{^|A lengthy comment here}}
operates similarly to the comment<!-- A lengthy comment here -->
.The main difference is that the template version can be nested, while attempting to nest HTML comments produces odd results.
Variables
Code | Effect | Notes |
---|---|---|
{{CURRENTWEEK}} | 49 | |
{{CURRENTDOW}} | 5 |
Monday = 1, Tuesday = 2, etc., but Sunday = 0 |
{{CURRENTMONTH}} | 12 | |
{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} | December | |
{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}} | December | |
{{CURRENTDAY}} | 6 | |
{{CURRENTDAYNAME}} | Friday | |
{{CURRENTYEAR}} | 2024 | |
{{CURRENTTIME}} | 05:44 | |
{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} | 6,920,316 | |
{{NUMBEROFPAGES}} | 61,973,589 | |
{{NUMBEROFUSERS}} | 48,370,064 | |
{{PAGENAME}} | Wikitext | |
{{NAMESPACE}} | Help | |
{{REVISIONID}} | - | |
{{REVISIONUSER}} | Daask | |
{{localurl:pagename}} | /wiki/Pagename | |
{{localurl:Wikipedia:Sandbox|action=edit}} | /w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Sandbox&action=edit | |
{{fullurl:pagename}} | //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagename | |
{{fullurl:pagename|query_string}} | //en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pagename&query_string | |
{{SERVER}} | //en.wikipedia.org | |
{{ns:1}} | Talk |
{{ns:index}} e.g. {{ns:1}} → full name of namespace |
{{SITENAME}} | Wikipedia |
{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}is the number of pages in the main namespace that contain a link and are not a redirect. This includes full articles, stubs containing a link, and disambiguation pages.
{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}is the genitive (possessive) grammatical form of the month name, as used in some languages but not in English;{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}is the nominative (subject) form, as usually seen in English.
In languages where it makes a difference, you can use constructs like{{grammar:case|word}}
to convert a word from the nominative case to some other case. For example,{{grammar:genitive|{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}}}
means the same as{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}
.
HTML
ManyHTMLtags can be used in wiki markup. You can check your HTML by usingmarkup validation.
Common templates
|
Notes
- ^Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that uses wikitext—wikitext is not named after Wikipedia.
- ^The version of LaTeX used is a subset of AMS-LaTeX markup; seeHelp:Displaying a formulafor details.
See also
See the 'Coding wiki markup' section of the Help navigation navbox below for additional links.
- Wikipedia:User page design guide/Style
- Wikipedia:Extended image syntax:advancedvisual file markup.
- Help:A quick guide to templates:an introduction totemplates.
- Help:Substitution:substitution is an alternative way of including templates thantransclusion.
- Help:Score:how to render musical scores.
- Help:Displaying a formula:displaying mathematical formulae.
- Editing Wikitextat Wikibooks.
- Parsoid:MediaWiki application that allows for converting back and forth between wikitext and HTML.
- {{Syntaxhighlight}}:template to show wrapped syntax-highlighted text.