Help:Editing

This is a help page designed to offer guidelines and assistance to users unfamiliar with the wiki editing process.

Be relevant

 * All information added to a page on this wiki must be related in some way to The Elder Scrolls; that includes the games, the webstrip, spin-off material and real-life people, places and objects associated with the same. You can always use talk pages to ask questions and check to see if your idea is acceptable.

Start editing

 * To start editing a page, click the Edit link at the top of the article. This brings you to the edit page: a page with a text box containing the wikitext&mdash;the editable code from which the server produces the finished page. If you just want to experiment, please do so in the Elder Scrolls Wiki:sandbox, not here.

Type your changes

 * You can just type your text. However, also using basic wiki markup (examples of which can be found below) adds to the value of your contribution.

Summarize your changes

 * Write a short edit summary in the small field below the edit-box. You may use shorthand to describe your changes, as described in Wikipedia's edit summary legend.

Preview before saving

 * When you have finished, click m:Help:Show preview to see how your changes will look before you make them permanent. Repeat the edit/preview process until you are satisfied, then click  and your changes will be immediately applied to the article.

Dummy edit and null edit

 * If the wikitext is not changed, no edit will be recorded and the edit summary is discarded. A dummy edit is a change in wikitext that has no effect on the rendered page, such as changing the number of newlines at some position from 0 to 1 or from 2 to 3 or conversely (changing from 1 to 2 makes a difference, see below). This allows an edit summary, and is useful for correcting a previous edit summary, or an accidental marking of a previous edit as "minor" (see below).


 * To refresh the cache of some item in the database a lesser kind of dummy edit, called a null edit, may be sufficient: one that does not cause any change in the wikitext, and no entry in the history, in Recent Changes, etc.: this can be done by opening the edit window and saving; a section edit is sufficient.

Minor edits

 * When editing a page, a logged-in user has the option of flagging the edit as a "minor edit". This feature is important, because users can choose to hide minor edits in their view of the Recent Changes page, to keep the volume of edits down to a manageable level.


 * Deciding when to use this feature is a matter of personal preference. The rule of thumb is that an edit of a page that consists of spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearranging of text should be flagged as a "minor edit". A major edit is basically something that makes the entry worth revisiting for somebody who wants to watch the article rather closely. So any "real" change, even if it is a single word, should be flagged as a "major edit".


 * The reason for not allowing a user who is not logged in to mark an edit as minor is that vandalism could then be marked as a minor edit, in which case it would stay unnoticed longer. This limitation is another reason to log in.

Wiki markup
In the left column of the table below, you can find a series of Wiki markup examples. In the right column, you can see the resulting output. In other words, to make text look like it looks in the right column, type it in the format you see in the left column. You may want to keep this page open in a separate browser window for reference. If you want to try out things without danger of doing any harm, you can do so in the Sandbox.

Sections, lists, lines, and footnotes
{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="6" style="width:100%; padding:0; border:2px solid #CEDFF2; background:#F5FAFF;" ! style="border:1px solid #A3B0BF; background:#CEDFF2" | Wiki markup ! style="border:1px solid #A3B0BF; background:#CEDFF2; width:50%;" | Output 
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |

Sub-subsection
New section
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |

Subsection 

 Sub-subsection  
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * 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 manual newline starts a new paragraph.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * 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 manual newline starts a new paragraph.  marks the end of the list. marks the end of the list.  A newline marks the end of the list. A newline marks the end of the list.  or include newlines or include newlines  Here's a definition list:
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * 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
 * Of course you can start again.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * 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
 * Of course you can start again.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * 1) Numbered lists are:
 * 2) Very organized
 * 3) Easy to follow
 * 1) New numbering starts with 1.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * 1) Numbered lists are:
 * 2) Very organized
 * 3) Easy to follow
 * 1) New numbering starts with 1.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * You can even do mixed lists
 * and nest them
 * like this
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * You can even do mixed lists
 * and nest them
 * like this
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * 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:
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * 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.  A horizontal dividing line: above
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |

and below. A horizontal dividing line: above
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |

and below.  You can add footnotes to sentences using the ref tag -- this is especially good for citing a source.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |

Jack Sparrow was captain of the Black Pearl

References:. Put text in a typewriter font. The same font is generally used for.  Strike out or underline text, or write it  in small caps. Strike out or underline text, or write it  in small caps. <pre class="nostyle" style="cursor:text;"> Superscripts and subscripts: X2, H2O Superscripts and subscripts: X2, H2O <pre class="nostyle" style="cursor:text;"> You can use small text for captions. You can use small text for captions. <pre class="nostyle" style="cursor:text;"> Centered text Centered text <pre class="nostyle" style="cursor:text;"> The blockquote command will indent both margins when needed instead of the left margin only as the colon does. The blockquote command will indent both margins when needed instead of the left margin only as the colon does. <pre class="nostyle" style="cursor:text;"> Invisible comments to editors (&lt;!-- --&gt;) only appear while editing the page.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2; background:white;" |

Invisible comments to editors (&lt;!-- --&gt;) only appear while editing the page.
 * style="border:1px solid #CEDFF2;" |


 * }

Preformatted text
A few different kinds of formatting will tell the Wiki software to display your text just as you typed it.

Templates

 * Templates are segments of Wiki markup that are meant to be automatically ("transcluded") into a page. You add them by putting the template's name in . Some templates take parameters, as well, which you separate with the pipe character.


 * For a list of available templates, see: Category:Templates

Page protection

 * In a few cases, where an Administrator has protected a page, the link labeled "" is replaced by the text "". In that case, the page can only be edited by an administrator. Protection of an image page includes protection of the image itself. To ask that a page be either protected or unprotected, please place a request on Wikiscrolls:Requests for protection or the Administrators' noticeboard.

Edit conflicts

 * If someone else makes an edit while you are making yours, the result is an edit conflict. Many conflicts can be automatically resolved by the Wiki. If it can't be resolved, however, you will need to resolve it yourself. The Wiki gives you two text boxes, where the top one is the other person's edit and the bottom one is your edit. Merge your edits into the top edit box, which is the only one that will be saved.

Reverting

 * The edit link of a page showing an old version leads to an edit page with the old wikitext. This is a useful way to restore the old version of a page. However, the edit link of a diff page gives the current wikitext, even if the diff page shows an old version below the table of differences.

Error messages

 * If you get an error message upon saving a page, you can't tell whether the actual save has failed or just the confirmation. You can go back and save again, and the second save will have no effect, or you can check "My contributions" to see whether the edit went through.

Checking spelling and editing in your favorite editor

 * You may find it more convenient to copy and paste the text first into your favorite text editor, edit and spell check it there, and then paste it back into your web browser to preview. This way, you can also keep a local backup copy of the pages you have edited. It also allows you to make changes offline.


 * If you edit this way, it's best to leave the editing page open after you copy from it, using the same edit box to submit your changes, so that the usual edit conflict mechanism can deal with it. If you return to the editing page later, please make sure that nobody else has edited the page in the meantime. If someone has, you'll need to merge their edits into yours by using the diff feature in the page history.

Wikimedia Meta-Wiki

 * Help:Editing
 * Help:Edit toolbar
 * Help:Wikitext examples
 * Help:Editing tips and tricks
 * Help:Starting a new page
 * Help:Link
 * Help:URL
 * Help:Piped link
 * Help:Interwiki linking
 * Help:Footnotes
 * Help:List
 * Help:Table
 * Help:HTML in wikitext
 * Help:Images and other uploaded files
 * Help:Section
 * Help:Category
 * Help:Redirect
 * Help:Moving a page
 * Help:Reverting
 * Help:Displaying a formula
 * Help:Magic words
 * Help:Template

Wikia

 * Help:Introduction
 * Help:Tutorial

Wikipedia

 * Wikipedia:How to edit a page
 * Wikipedia:Editing FAQ
 * Wikipedia:Tutorial
 * Wikipedia:Picture tutorial
 * Wikipedia:Extended image syntax