Editing Guidelines

NOTE: This page is partially drawn from the Meta-Wiki

When creating a new page, in general, bold the first reference for the page subject in the article, which should also be used in the first sentence. This is basic Wikipedia style.

Basic Text Formatting
You can format the page using Wikitext special characters.

HTML Tags
You can use some HTML tags too. For a list of HTML tags that are allowed, see HTML in wikitext. However, you should try to master wikitext and avoid HTML if possible.

Organizing Your Writing
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" Section headings
 * class="tableHighlightYellow" width="1000"|What it looks like
 * class="tableHighlightYellow" width="500"|What you type

Headings organize your writing into sections. The Wiki software can automatically generate a table of contents from them.

Subsection Using more "equals" (=) signs creates a subsection.

A smaller subsection

Don't skip levels, like from two to four equals signs.

Start with 2 equals signs not 1 because 1 creates H1 tags which should be reserved for page title.

Section headings
Headings organize your writing into sections. The Wiki software can automatically generate a table of contents from them.

Subsection
Using more "equals" (=) signs creates a subsection.

A smaller subsection
Don't skip levels, like from two to four equals signs.

Start with 2 equals signs not 1 because 1 creates H1 tags which should be reserved for page title. marks the end of the list. marks the end of the list. A newline marks the end of the list.
 * - id="lists"
 * Unordered lists are easy to do:
 * Start every line with a star.
 * More stars indicate a deeper level.
 * Previous item continues.
 * A newline
 * in a list
 * in a list
 * Of course you can start again.
 * Unordered lists are easy to do:
 * Start every line with a star.
 * More stars indicate a deeper level.
 * Previous item continues.
 * A newline
 * in a list
 * in a list
 * Of course you can start again.
 * 1) Numbered lists are:
 * 2) Very organized
 * 3) Easy to follow
 * 1) Very organized
 * 2) Easy to follow
 * 1) New numbering starts with 1.

A newline marks the end of the list. Here's a definition list:
 * 1) Numbered lists are:
 * 2) Very organized
 * 3) Easy to follow
 * 1) Easy to follow
 * 1) New numbering starts with 1.
 * Word : Definition of the word
 * A longer phrase needing definition
 * Phrase defined


 * A word : Which has a definition
 * Also a second one
 * And even a third

Begin with a semicolon. One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing. Here's a definition list:
 * Word : Definition of the word
 * A longer phrase needing definition
 * Phrase defined


 * A word : Which has a definition
 * Also a second one
 * And even a third

Begin with a semicolon. One item per line; a newline can appear before the colon, but using a space before the colon improves parsing.
 * You can even do mixed lists
 * and nest them
 * inside each other
 * or break lines in lists.
 * definition lists
 * can be
 * nested : too
 * You can even do mixed lists
 * and nest them
 * inside each other
 * or break lines in lists.
 * definition lists
 * can be
 * nested : too
 * definition lists
 * can be
 * nested : too
 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.
 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.
 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.

A newline starts a new paragraph. Often used for discussion on talk pages.
 * We use 1 colon to indent once.
 * We use 2 colons to indent twice.
 * 3 colons to indent 3 times, and so on.


 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.
 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.

A newline starts a new paragraph. Often used for discussion on talk pages.
 * We use 1 colon to indent once.
 * We use 2 colons to indent twice.
 * 3 colons to indent 3 times, and so on.

You can make horizontal dividing lines to separate text.

But you should usually use sections instead, so that they go in the table of contents. You can make horizontal dividing lines to separate text.

But you should usually use sections instead, so that they go in the table of contents. You can add footnotes to sentences using the ref tag -- this is especially good for citing a source.


 * There are over six billion people in the world.

References:  or   prior to the header label in the table. The two examples of this are shown in the following tables

Available Formatting Tags
You can use these standard tags within your edits:

Here is the unformatted "example of using the tags around content." Here is the formatted "rendering of using the tags around content."

Here is the unformatted Here is the formatted

Here is the unformatted example of using the tags around content. Here is the formatted rendering of using the  tags around content.

Here is the unformatted example of using the tags around content. Here is the formatted rendering of using the tags around content.

Available Formatting Classes
In addition, there are some styles already in the default CSS style sheet that you can apply to portions of your text for various highlighting and emphasis. To do so, do the following:

This is the text or content you want to highlight or emphasize. If you add such classes, you can also add further styles to the  tags, as well (see next section).

Some of the classes require you to "clear" the  tags, as follows:

If required, this addition should be placed immediately after the closing  tag for your highlights. The listed classes below that require this addition are noted with the CLEAR indicator.

So, here are the available classes, free for your using!:

Class: 'autocomment' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'blockquote' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxGrayDotted' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxGraySolid' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxBlueDotted' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxBlueSolid' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxGreenDotted' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxGreenSolid' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxRedDotted' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxRedSolid' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxYellowDotted' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'boxYellowSolid' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'center' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'code' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'documentDescription' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'documentByLine' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'error' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'errorbox' ; this is the example of using that class. CLEAR

Class: 'floatleft' ; this is the example of using that class. CLEAR is optional.

Class: 'floatright' ; this is the example of using that class. CLEAR is optional.

Class: 'pBody' ; this is the example of using that class.

Class: 'portlet' ; this is the example of using that class; note restricted width.

Class: 'successbox' ; this is the example of using that class. CLEAR

Class: 'townBox' ; this is the example of using that class. CLEAR

Class: 'usermessage' ; this is the example of using that class. CLEAR

Use of DIVs
If you are fairly comfortable with standard CSS, you can use  tags and styles fairly liberally in your edits. This is s great way to just do it!

Mathematical formulas
You can format mathematical formulas with TeX markup. See Help:Displaying a formula.

Templates
Templates are segments of Wiki markup that are meant to be copied automatically ("transcluded") into a page. You add them by putting the template's name in. It is also possible to transclude other pages by using.

Some templates take parameters, as well, which you separate with the pipe character.

Magic Words
Mediawiki accepts some "magic" words that report statistics, show titles, reformat URLs, etc. etc. See http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Magic_words.

Syntax Highlighting
The embedding of code examples uses the  div class. Also, if highlighting is used, the instruction for source needs to include. Also see further the Syntax Highlighting article.

Here is an example; view source to see the actual markup:

Also, text references to code or code variables should be styled as.