Help:VisualEditor/FAQ

Questions! That are frequently asked!

General

 * What's VisualEditor?
 * VisualEditor is a software development initiative by the Wikimedia Foundation that will allow people to edit pages in MediaWiki without needing to learn wikitext syntax. With VisualEditor, formatting pages will work very similarly to a word processor, in that the text will look while editing as it will after it is saved.


 * Why is this change being made?
 * The biggest barrier to making the first edit, and therefore the biggest barrier to beginning the path that could lead to someone becoming a valuable, experienced member of the community, is the complex wikimarkup used by the old editing window . To increase the number of successful first attempts at editing, we need a better editing system.


 * When will VisualEditor be enabled on my wiki?
 * This is the current schedule:
 * 23 June: A/B test on enwiki. VisualEditor released by default to 50 percent of newly-registered accounts.
 * 1 July: Deployment of the VisualEditor to enwiki, as the default, for all logged-in users.
 * 8 July: Deployment of the VisualEditor to enwiki, as the default, for anonymous and logged-in users.
 * 18 July: Deployment of the VisualEditor to first-tier, non-enwiki Wikipedia wikis - list still to be determined, but definitely de, fr and itwiki, for all users.
 * 29 July: Deployment of the VisualEditor to all other Wikipedia wikis, as the default, for all users, minus those wikis (such as zhwiki) where the VisualEditor definitively does not work.
 * Currently, the plan is to deploy to Wikipedia sites first, and to deploy it to sister projects by end of December 2013, due to the complexity of some of the changes necessary.


 * I found an issue with the VisualEditor. How can I tell you to fix it?
 * If you're willing and able, please report the issue in bugzilla in the "VisualEditor" product. Many wikis also have a wiki page dedicated to feedback about VisualEditor; see the list on Wikidata. There is also a central feedback page here on mediawiki.org.


 * How do I disable VisualEditor?
 * To continue to edit the wikitext directly, simply click the "edit source" button instead of "edit". If you want section edit links to open the classic wikitext editor as well, open your preferences and enable the option called "Use the wikitext editor for editing sections while VisualEditor is in beta".


 * A feature is missing in VisualEditor. How do I ask you to add it?
 * Some features are currently being developed or planned (like editing around images and templates). The Roadmap and the Wikimedia engineering draft goals for 2013–2014 provide some additional information as well. If you can't find any reference to the new feature you'd like to suggest, you can submit it using the same process used to report an issue.


 * Will it still be possible to edit using wikitext after VisualEditor becomes the primary editing interface?
 * While the VisualEditor will become the default editing environment, a method for editing the underlying “source” text will continue to exist. There are no plans to remove the “edit source” option.


 * Aren’t you worried by the potential for a large increase in vandalism?
 * One of the goals of the randomly-selected testing done in June is to find that out. Realistically speaking, we think that those who come with the intent to vandalize are probably doing it now. It’s just as fast (if not faster) to hit the edit button and blank a page than to do the same thing using VisualEditor.


 * Does VisualEditor work with Wikisource's ProofreadPage, or Wiktionary's templates, and other features that Wikipedia doesn't have?
 * VisualEditor is currently only enabled on Wikipedia sites, but it was designed to be flexible enough to be used on most Wikimedia sites. In the six months between the deployment to Wikipedia and the deployment to its sister sites, developers will work to make sure VisualEditor works well with features specific to sister sites.


 * Can I install VisualEditor on my personal wiki outside Wikimedia?
 * Yes, at your own risk :) The VisualEditor and Parsoid extensions are available for download but they're still experimental. If you do install and use them, please let us know what worked and what didn't in bugzilla.


 * My question isn't here. Where do I ask?
 * You can ask on the VisualEditor feedback page on your wiki (see the list on Wikidata) or on the central feedback page here on mediawiki.org.

Editing

 * What about editing LaTeX for mathematical formulas, image files, and other special environments?
 * Some like images and categories will be supported directly in VisualEditor. There are plans to support mathematical formulas as well. For more exotic features, it will still be possible to edit the source wikitext directly.


 * How do I edit links?
 * Links are added or edited through the "link" button (looks like a couple of links in a chain) at the top of the page or by using the shortcut CTRL+K. If you do not first highlight a word, pressing the "link" button will insert a link where your cursor is on the page at the time you enter the link. If you have first selected a word (or multiple words), Your selection will become the display text for the link.


 * When you press "link" or use the shortcut, you will bring up a small window that includes a box into which you may type the link (internal or external). The VisualEditor will try to assist with internal links by looking for likely matches as you begin to type. Once you have entered or selected the link, you can either click outside of the box or press the close key (<). Your link will appear on the VisualEditor page, but it will not be saved until you press "save page".


 * Removing or changing an existing link requires highlighting the link or display text and pressing "link" or using the shortcut to bring up the window. The link will display, and you have the option to change the link or remove it by pressing the trashcan. In either case, you may close the window and save your edits as above.


 * How do I edit templates?
 * Templates can't yet be edited in VisualEditor, but this feature will be enabled in the coming days.


 * How do I add or remove templates?


 * How do I edit images and other media files?


 * How do I edit categories?
 * Categories can be edited through the "Page settings" menu in the VisualEditor toolbar. The "Page settings" menu will give you a pop-up window in which to modify, remove or add categories.


 * Each category already in use on a page will be listed with a pull-down menu. Pulling down the menu for an individual category allows you to remove it (by pressing the trash can icon) or changing its display by entering a name in the box labeled "Sort this page as".


 * You may add new categories in the box labeled "Add a category." As you enter the category name, it will search for matching categories which you can - if appropriate - select.


 * When you are finished adding, editing or removing categories, press "apply changes" to leave the menu and return to the VisualEditor editing screen. At that time, you can either continue editing with the VisualEditor or press "save page" to complete your change to the category. Please note that if you do not press "save page", your changes will not be saved.


 * How do I edit references?


 * What keyboard shortcuts are supported?
 * See VisualEditor/Features/Keyboard shortcuts. Many of the shortcuts commonly in use ("CTRL+B" for bold, for instance) will still function.


 * What automatic fixes will the VisualEditor make to pages?
 * (See the En Feedback page for background - basically, VE seems to change formatting in articles sometimes as part of its function, rather than as a bug. Knowing what it's supposed to change would be very helpful.)