If you have never edited a wiki before it can seem daunting at first; however everybody had to start somewhere, and hopefully this guide will give you a helping hand. Once you get the hang of it, wiki code is fairly simple and very versatile. Wiki code (I don’t know if that is its proper name, but that’s what we’ll call it) is similar to HTML, the code that makes up the vast majority of the World Wide Web. However, while some knowledge of HTML would be useful, it is not at all necessary. The author of this guide didn’t (and still doesn’t) know any HTML when he started.
If you want to practice editing but are worried about wrecking an article, then you can use the Sandbox. You can try out whatever you want in the sandbox, and you won’t break anything!
This guide was written by User:EightyOne. If you have any questions feel free to ask and leave a message on his talk page
The Editing Window[]
When you first click edit, the editing window will appear. However, Gears of War Fanon uses two different kinds of window; the “normal” one and the rich text editor. The rich text editor is a bit like Microsoft Word, and is designed so that you don’t need to use any wiki code. However, it is a much less efficient way to edit; it takes longer and does not have as much functionality as the normal editor. There isn’t a problem with you using it, but it is worth it to try and learn to use the normal window. For more info on the rich text editor, including how to turn it off permanently, have a look at Help:New editor.
If you would like to take the plunge and have a go at using wiki code, brilliant! To turn off the rich text editor press the source button in the top right corner of the editing window. You will now be left with a blank window with a few buttons at the top. It’s in this window that you enter the wiki code. Just start typing whatever you want!
A side note from User:Screennameless: The RTE is now permanently disabled for the entire Gears of War Fanon Wikia. Sorry if this inconveniences you; on the plus side, EightyOne has written this nifty guide to help you out!
Headings[]
Adding headings to your articles makes them look better and easier to read. The heading codes are very simple. A primary header, like the one above, is created by placing equals signs around the heading text. For example ==Headings== is used to create the heading for this section. To make a sub-heading add an extra equals sign to each end of the text.
Links[]
Internal Links[]
Adding links to other articles very simple. Just enclose the name of the article in square brackets ([[...]]). For example; [[Gears of War Fanon: About]] will create a link to Gears of War Fanon: About. Links are case sensitive, so typing [[Gears of war fanon: about]] will not link to the article.
Sometimes you might want to link to something but not use the article name. To do this, you need to type out a normal link, and then put a pipe ( |, next to the left shift key or above the enter key) followed by the text you want after the article name. For example; [[Gears of War Fanon: About|click here to find out more about Gears of War Fanon]] will produce click here to find out more about Gears of War Fanon.
External links[]
The previous two kinds of links are internal; they link to articles in this wiki. If you want to link to a different site the principle is the same, but you need to use a slightly different code. Instead of two square brackets you only type one on each side. For example; [http://www.gearsofwar.com] will produce a number with the external link symbol after it, like this: [1]. If you want the web address to be visible, then leave a space after the ULR. If you want different text in the link, type what you want after the address (remember to leave a space). You don’t need a pipe.
Linking to other wikis can be done this like this; however there is a better way. Any wiki that is hosted by Wikia (such as this wiki and Gearspedia) can be linked too using an internal link. To do this type [[w:c: followed by the name of the wiki that appears in the web address, followed by a colon, followed by the name of the article and end brackets. For example; [[w:c:gearsofwar:Marcus Fenix]] produces w:c:gearsofwar:Marcus Fenix. You can use different text in the link just like you can in the internal links, using exactly the same methods.
If you want to link to Gearspedia, there is an even easier way; by using the Gearspedia template. To use this, type {{Gearspedia|article name|}}. The pipe after "article name" is very important, and must be there for the template to work properly. Notice that curly brackets need to be used instead of square brackets. To use alternative text, type {{Gearspedia|article name|alternative text}}. A pipe is not needed after "alternative text". For more on templates, see the templates section below.
Highlighting text[]
Putting three apostrophes (''') before and after a section of text will make the words in the middle bold. For example; '''This text will be bold''' produces This text will be bold.
Putting two apostrophes ('') before and after a section of text will put the words in the middle in italics. For example; ''This text will be in italics'' produces This text will be in italics.
Putting five apostrophes (''''') around text will make it bold and in italics.
Text can also be underlined by putting <u>...</u> around it. For example; <u>This text will be underlined</u> produces This text will be in underlined. A strikethrough (a line) can be put though text by using <s>...</s>, like this.
Making lists[]
You can make lists by adding asterisks ( * ) or hashes ( # ) before the text that you want to be in a list. Asterisks make a bulleted list, and hashes make a numbered list.
- This is an example of a bulleted list.
- Use a new asterisk or hash for each line
- Putting two asterisks creates a sub list (putting three, four, etc. Creates further sub lists).
- Numbered lists look like this.
- And you can make sub lists in exactly the same way.
- The numbers generate automatically, so you do not need to change them if you change the order.
Indenting text[]
Text can be indented by putting a colon ( : ) in front of it. This works just like the two example above, but it does not create numbers or bullets.
- One colon indents text this much.
- Two this much.
- Three this much, and so.
- Two this much.
Templates[]
Templates are very useful ways to add information to lots of pages on a wiki. Templates are linked to just like internal links, except that you use curly brackets ( {{...}} ) instead of square brackets.
Infoboxes[]
The most useful templates for most users of a wiki are infoboxes. These are used to summarise vital information for the articles in an easy to read box. Here are some useful infoboxes:
- Template:Gear Character
- Template:Locust Character
- Template:Stranded Character
- Template:Vehicle infobox
- Template:Weapon Infobox
- Template:Battle Infobox
- Template:Affiliation infobox (used for countries).
See the respective template for instructions on how to use them.
Conclusion[]
Congratulations! You have finished this guide! Hopefully it has helped you to gasp the basics of wiki code. You should now be able to edit on not just this wiki, but any wiki!
The best way to become familiar with the code is to use it. The author of this guide has never had any kind of training in wiki code (and, he is ashamed to admit, never read any beginners guides!), but picked it up after trying things out and experimenting. After editing for a while, it will become second nature to you.
So go and edit something! Good luck!!