Help:Wikipedia development environment
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The Wikipedia development environment is a term for the web-based source-editing interface used to create and modify Wikipedia pages using wikitext, templates, citation templates, tables, categories, and other MediaWiki markup. It is part of the MediaWiki software that powers Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
The interface includes the edit toolbar, the main source-editing text area, preview and comparison tools, the edit summary field, and publishing controls. It is most commonly accessed through the Edit, Edit source, or [ edit ] button on an article or section.
Overview
[edit]The Wikipedia development environment is used by editors and Wikipedians who work directly with the underlying wiki markup of a page. Unlike VisualEditor, which provides a more visual editing interface, the source editor displays the page's raw wikitext in an editable text box.
The environment is commonly used for editing:
- Wikitext and formatting
- Internal links and external links
- Infoboxes
- Templates, navigation templates, and navboxes
- References and citations
- Tables
- Files — images, videos, animated GIFs, audio files, file description pages, and 3D models
- Categories
- Redirects
- Disambiguation links
- Hatnotes
- Short descriptions
- Mathematical notation
- Chemistry notation
Interface
[edit]The Wikipedia development environment contains several major parts:
- Source editor – the main editing area where the page's wikitext is displayed.
- Edit toolbar – a toolbar that helps insert files, formatting, links, citations, tables, special characters, and other markup.
- Preview tools – controls such as Show preview and Show changes, which allow editors to review edits before publishing.
- Edit summary – a text field used to describe the change being made.
- Publishing controls – buttons used to publish, preview, or cancel an edit.
The exact interface may vary depending on the editor's preferences, account status, browser, device, enabled gadgets, and whether the user is using the desktop or mobile site.
Source editing
[edit]The main part of the environment is the source editor, which allows editors to directly change a page's wiki markup. Source editing is often used for precise changes to complex page elements, including templates, infoboxes, tables, references, and categories.
Common examples of wikitext include:
| Function | Wikitext | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bold text | '''Bold text'''
|
Bold text |
| Italic text | ''Italic text''
|
Italic text |
| Internal link | [[Wikipedia]]
|
Wikipedia |
| Piped link | [[Wikipedia|online encyclopedia]]
|
online encyclopedia |
| Section heading | == Heading ==
|
A level-two heading |
| Reference | <ref>Reference information</ref>
|
An inline reference[1] |
VisualEditor
[edit]The Wikipedia development environment is closely related to VisualEditor, but the two editing modes are different. VisualEditor provides a more visual, WYSIWYG-style interface, while the source editor exposes the underlying wikitext.
Many experienced editors use the source editor for tasks that require precise control over markup, such as editing citation templates, repairing broken tables, adjusting infoboxes, adding categories, or fixing template syntax.
Previewing and publishing
[edit]Before publishing an edit, editors can use Show preview to view how the page will appear and Show changes to compare the edited version with the previous version. These tools are useful for checking formatting, citations, links, tables, and templates before the edit is saved to the page history.
Editors are encouraged to add an edit summary before publishing. Edit summaries help other Wikipedians and administrators understand the purpose of a change when reviewing the page history, recent changes, or a watchlist.