Help:Editing

Guide to editing in MediaWiki. Recently asked questions

How do I link to pages in other wikis?

You can use shorcuts instead of full URLs. The following shortcuts are in operation: [[:en:To English Wikipedia|]] (goes to a page named "To English Wikipedia" in English Wikipedia) [[:fi:To Finnish Wikipedia|]] [[:op_en:To English Opasnet|]] [[:op_fi:To Finnish Opasnet|]] [[:heande:To protected Heande wiki|]]. Also other shortcut links work to project wikis of Intarese, Beneris etc., but those wikis are being merged with Heande soon, so the usage of these shortcut links is not recommended although they should work even after the merge. The bar (|) at the end of the link hides the first part of the link (e.g. :op_en:), showing only the page name.

How to make nice-looking tables?

The easiest way is to use {{prettytable}} template in the first row of table definition.

Should Rich editor be used?

Rich editor makes many features look more user-friendly during editin. However, it has two major drawbacks, and therefore we discourage its use:

• Many buttons designed for Opasnet (e.g. about discussions) don't show up.
• Rich editor adds some code into the text although the user does not want it, e.g. <br> tags.

Introduction

Below, please find further information on using the local MediaWiki pages.

Please feel free to test your skills in the Sandbox page!

Remember! You need not be afraid of causing any permanent damage to wikipages - because the previous versions of any page can always be restored.

So have fun editing and creating!

Creating an account and logging in

It is recommended that you create an account (for logging in with your username) before editing any MediaWiki-pages. This enables others to identify who have created or edited a particular page. However, please note that you can create, edit, and read wikipages also without having an account or logging in.

To create an account, click login or create an account in the upper right corner. From there you can choose your User name and password. It is recommended to use your full name in the username.

For more information about logging in and user accounts, please see [1].

Editing

Starting a new page

There are three alternative ways to create new articles (wikipages) in MediaWiki. (The result will be the same regardless of the method.)

Creating a new article through the address-bar method

Type the name of the article to the browser's address bar after index.php?title=
For example, index.php?title=Name of your new article

Creating a new article through the search-box method

Type the name of the article to the search box on the left and click the Go button. From there you can simply click the text which says this exact title, and the editing window opens.

Creating a new article through the link method

Make a link from an existing page to a new article. For example, to create a new page called Name of the new article, type [[Name of the new article]] in the existing page and save it. When you click on this link, an edit window will automatically open for the article named Name of the new article.

For more information on linking, see the "linking" section below.

For further information about starting a new page, please see [2].

Naming a new article - basic guidelines

You can name your articles quite freely. However, it is a good practice to keep in mind the following guidelines:

• Use descriptive names
• Names can consist of several words
• Numbers and spaces are allowed
• However, do not use special characters such as # < > [ ] | { }
• Capitalization matters, except for the first letter
  • for example, "mediaWiki" and "MediaWiki" point to the same page, while "mediawiki" points to a different page

For more information about naming, please see [3].

Editing basics

Start editing

To start editing, simply click the edit link at the top of the page. This opens the edit page.

Type your text

In the "edit" page, simply type in your text. Alternatively, copy and paste text from another source (for example Word).

Save your text

Click Save page to save your text. You may, however, wish to click Show preview before saving your work.

For more information about editing basics, please see [4]

Text formatting

New line

To start a new line, you need to press enter twice. It is also possible to use the HTML command <BR> (break) to start a new line.

Italic text

What you type: You can ''italicize text'' by putting 2 apostrophes on each side.

What you get: You can italicize text by putting 2 apostrophes on each side.

Bold text

What you type: 3 apostrophes will '''bold the text'''.

What you get: 3 apostrophes will bold the text.

Bold & italic text

What you type: 5 apostrophes will '''''bold & italicize the text'''''

What you get: 5 apostrophes will bold & italicize the text

Centered text

You can center text by placing it between <center> and </center>.

This is centered text

Example code:

<center> This is centered text </center>

Superscripts and subscripts

Superscripts are typed by placing text between ^and.

Subscripts are done placing text between _and.

X² and H₂O

Example code:

X<sup>2</sup> and H<sub>2</sub>O

Indentation

You can indent lines with : (colon). More colons mean deeper indentation.

first-level indentation

second-level indentation

...and so on.

Example code:

: first-level indentation
:: second-level indentation
::: ...and so on.

Special characters

For a list of special characters (math, Greek etc.), see here.

Lists

Basic lists

Lists are done with * (star) signs in MediaWiki. Just put * at the beginning of the new line. More stars mean deeper levels.

• 1 star
  • 2 stars
    • 3 stars

Example code:

* 1 star
** 2 stars
*** 3 stars

Numbered lists

Numbered lists are done with # signs. Just put one # sign at the beginning of the everyline you want to be included in your numbered list. Numbers are generated automatically.

1. This is list item number 1
2. This is obviously list item number 2

Example code:

# This is list item number 1
# This is obviously list item number 2

You can also use different depths of numbered lines. For example:

1. First level
   1. Second level
   2. Second level
      1. Third level
2. Quite easy?

Example code:

# First level
## Second level
## Second level
### Third level
# Quite easy?

Definition lists

Definition lists can be used for defining a word or a phrase for example. Colons (:) and semicolons (;) are used to create a definition list. See example:

Word or a phrase

and the definition

you can also add more than one definitions

Example code:

;Word or a phrase: and the definition
: you can also add more than one definitions

Mixed lists

It is possible to combine different lists (numbered and basic lists for example):

1. Numbered list
   • option 1
   • option 2
2. Second item in numbered list

   • Word

     and its definition

Example code:

# Numbered list
#* option 1
#* option 2
# Second item in numbered list
#*;Word: and its definition

Sections

Creating sections is done with = (equal) signs in MediaWiki.

Example code:

== 1 Section ==
=== 1.1 Subsection ===
==== 1.1.1 Sub-subsection ====

So you just type your section name between the = signs. The number of = signs defines the level of the section. Please note that the section numbers are normally not shown in the section headings, except for the table of context. If you would like to see sections numbers in the text, you'll need to change your user preferences.

For more information about creating sections, please see [5].

Tables

Standard wiki tables

You can create tables in MediaWiki with standard HTML code, or you can use special wikicode. The latter method is described here. If you are interested in HTML table syntax, you can learn it from here.

Below is an example of a basic WikiTable:

The table's caption

Column heading 1	Column heading 2	Column heading 3
Row heading 1	Cell 2	Cell 3
Row heading A	Cell B	Cell C

Example code:

{| border="1"
|+ The table's caption
! Column heading 1 !! Column heading 2 !! Column heading 3
|-
! Row heading 1
| Cell 2 || Cell 3
|-
! Row heading A
|Cell B
|Cell C
|}

• Table code is encased with curly brackets and a pipe {| table code here |}.
• The border is optional (the bigger the number, the thicker the border)
• The table caption is optional
• The first column heading is marked with a single !, and next column headings are separated with double !!
• Rows are separated with |-
• A single ! marks row headings
• Cells within the same row are separated with || or with a new line and a single bar |

For more information about creating tables, please see [6].

Converting tables from Excel or Word

The easiest way to convert tables from Excel or Word is to use the Excel to WIKI converter found from the list of tools on the left.

Instructions:

1. select the (part of the) table you want to import to MediaWiki
2. copy it (CTRL+c)
3. paste it to converter (CTRL+v)
4. press the "Convert to MediaWiki" button
5. select the output text (CTRL+a)
6. copy it
7. paste it into your article!

Table of contents

MediaWiki creates automatically a table of contents, if there are more than 3 headings (sections) in the article.

For more information about tables of contents, please see [7]

Linking

What to do	What to write	How it looks
Links to articles in the same MediaWiki project	[[Sandbox]]	Sandbox
Links to articles in different MediaWiki projects It is also possible to link articles between different MediaWiki projects easily without typing in the whole URL. Opasnet in English, Etusivu and Heande (password-protected) are the three most common projects, but you can also link to e.g. Wikipedia. For a full list, see Opasnet structure#Opasnet wiki. Note! If you add a bar | in the link, the project name will not be shown.	[[:op_fi:Etusivu|]]	Etusivu
Links to sections on a page. For more information about links, please see [8].	[[Opasnet structure#Opasnet wiki]]	Opasnet structure#Opasnet wiki
(pipe) sign is used for separating the name of the target page from the label shown in the text. For more information about piped links, please see [9].	[[Main Page|Main Page of Opasnet]]	Main Page of Opasnet
External links are used to point to any internet pages beyond the local MediaWiki projects. You can show the URL on the page by simply typing the address.	http://www.thl.fi	http://www.thl.fi
If you only type the URL between brackets, the link address will not be shown, only a number.	[http://www.thl.fi]	[10]
You can name the link by typing both the URL and the name between the brackets, separated by a space. Note that you need not use the pipe sign to separate a URL-formed link from the name. For more information about external links, please see [11].	[http://www.thl.fi THL homepage]	THL homepage

Mathematical formulas

You can create mathematical formulas using the <math></math> tags. Within the tags, you can use LaTeX formatting. For a summary of instructions, see the Wikibook LaTeX.

Using Images and Files

Before images and other files can be used, they need to be uploaded into the MediaWiki system.

Uploading

You need to be logged in before you can upload files. Uploading is done through the Upload file link found in the toolbox menu.

In the Upload file page, you will see a browse button. You can use this button to select a file from your computer. You can name your file in the Destination filename box (which by default suggests the original name). It is recommended to use fairly short yet descriptive file names to facilitate their use. You can also add descriptive information about the uploaded file into the Summary box.

For more information about uploading, please see [12].

Supported file types

So far, our MediaWiki projects support the following file types:

• ana (Analytica)
• ppt (Microsoft PowerPoint)
• pps (PowerPoint show)
• xls (Microsoft Excel)
• pdf (Adobe)
• doc (Microsoft Word)
• bmp (bitmap pictures)
• tif (Tagged Image File pictures)
• png (Portable Network Graphics pictures)
• gif (Graphics Interchange Format pictures)
• jpg & jpeg (stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group pictures)
• ogg (audio files)

You cannot upload files with a format different from those mentioned above.

Adding images to articles

Images are added to articles using the [[Image:name of your picture]] code. Remember that pictures have to be uploaded before they can be used.

In the example below, the name of the picture is picture.GIF:

Example code:

[[Image:picture.GIF]]

Adding other types of files into articles

Files other than images can also be attached to articles, using the [[Media:filename]] code.

Example:

This is a link to Media:Ytos28_6.pdf. It is also possible to use piped links such as this. You can add xls files or any other supported file types as well Media:Testixls.xls.

Example code:

This is a link to [[Media:Ytos28_6.pdf]]. It is also possible use piped links such as [[Media:Ytos28_6.pdf|this]]. 
You can add xls files or any other supported file types as well [[Media:Testixls.xls]].

Simple reference list

In case you should want to add references to your pages, you need a little bit of code to help you along. Basically you can cite your reference in whichever way you want, but the most straightforward way is probably by using superscript numbers that refer to a set of footnotes.

You go about this by adding your reference in the text, between the markers <ref> and </ref>. The text in between these "ref" markers can take any form you like, including hyperlinks to external web sources, or just plain text etc.

At the very bottom of the document, you then add in the title ==References== and the marker <references />. When you save the page, you will see your reference in the text appear only as a superscript number, and your reference list is automatically populated with the text added between the "ref" markers. This all sounds much worse than it is in practice!

Example

Enter the references between the <ref></ref> markers at the appropriate point in your text:

     The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.<ref>Smith, J. 1998. Foxes are faster than dogs. Journal of 

     animal research. 30:19-20</ref> The lazy brown fox jumped over the quick dog.<ref>Jones, S. 1999. 

     Dogs are faster than foxes. Journal of advanced animal research. 31:20-21</ref>

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The lazy brown fox jumped over the quick dog.

References

Adding the <references/> marker then generates the following list automatically from all the references inserted in this document up to that point:

Adding hyperlinks to your references

Often when citing a journal it may be desirable to include a hyperlink to a specific article online. This is easy in Mediawiki referencing, since all the usual Mediawiki markup codes apply within the <ref></ref> markers. If you wanted to link to a specific article online, simply insert the web address as the first item in square brackets, in between the reference markers as follows:

     The INTARESE Consortium comprises of 33 partners from many of the leading research

     and user organisations in Europe.<ref>[http://www.intarese.org/ INTARESE website, accessed 27/09/2007]</ref>

Note the space between the website address and the text you would like to be displayed in the references list.

In context, the footnote appears thus:

The INTARESE Consortium comprises of 33 partners from many of the leading research and user organisations in Europe.

More complicated reference lists

More extensive options relating to reference lists can be found at this link in Wikipedia help

Some parser functions

#if:

{{#if: test string | value if true | value if false }}

This function tests whether the first parameter is 'non-empty'. It evaluates to false if the test string is empty or contains only whitespace characters (space, newline, etc).

{{#if: | yes | no}} → no

{{#if: string | yes | no}} → yes

{{#if:      | yes | no}} → no

{{#if:

| yes | no}} → no

The test string is always interpreted as pure text, so mathematical expressions are not evaluated:

{{#if: 1==2 | yes | no}} → yes

Either or both the return values may be omitted:

{{#if: foo | yes }} → yes

{{#if: | yes }} →

{{#if: foo | | no}} →

See [13] for more examples of this parser function.

Useful links to other help pages for Wikipedia

• Quick guide to editing
• How to use refactoring
• How to archive argumentation. In pyrkilo, permanent link method should be used; not the subpage method, although is more common in Wikipedia.
• How to resolve disputes
• Magic words in Mediawiki