Help:SourceEditor/User guide

The source editor, unlike the visual editor, allows you to edit the wiki markup directly.

It also includes a  that adds a toolbar to make it easier to format wiki markup.  If you would like to try the source editor without editing an article, [ here is a page] where you can freely test it. You don't need an account to use the source editor on that page.

Getting started: the WikiEditor toolbar
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 * colspan=2 | The WikiEditor toolbar appears in the top of the source editor when you edit page. It allows you to format text, insert special characters, add links, templates and sources.
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 * colspan=2 | The menu contains most of the possible text formatting methods and some additional functions that, for one reason or another, were not included in the main panel. Therefore, initially we will describe both panels at once.
 * colspan=2 |
 * colspan=2 |
 * colspan=2 | border|center|581px
 * colspan=2 | The menu contains most of the possible text formatting methods and some additional functions that, for one reason or another, were not included in the main panel. Therefore, initially we will describe both panels at once.
 * colspan=2 |
 * colspan=2 | The menu contains most of the possible text formatting methods and some additional functions that, for one reason or another, were not included in the main panel. Therefore, initially we will describe both panels at once.
 * colspan=2 |
 * colspan=2 |

Formatting text
Formatting: Pressing the " A " opens a menu.
 * The "" item (B) bolds the selected text.
 * The "" item (I) italicizes the selected text.
 * The "" item (x2) causes the selected text to appear smaller than surrounding text and to be slightly higher than the surrounding text.
 * The "" item (x2) causes the selected text to appear smaller than surrounding text and to be slightly lower than the surrounding text.
 * The "" item ( S ) adds a solid bar through the selected text.
 * The "</>" item (a set of curly brackets: ) changes the font of the selected text to a monospaced font, which sets it apart from surrounding (proportionally spaced) text.
 * The "<tvar|1></>" item ( U ) adds a solid line beneath the selected text.
 * The "<tvar|1></>" item (<tvar|2>文A</>) allows you to label the language (for example, Japanese) and direction (for example, right-to-left) of the selected text.
 * The final item (<tvar|1>[[File:VisualEditor MediaWiki theme clear icon bitmap.png]]</>), called "<tvar|2></>", removes all character formatting from the selected text, including links.

If you have not selected any text, then when you press the " A " to open the menu, and then select an item, that formatting will apply to the text that you start typing, from wherever your cursor is located.
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Formatting headings
Headings pull-down menu: allows you to change how the paragraph is formatted. To change the style of a paragraph, put your cursor in the paragraph and select an item in this menu (you don't have to highlight any text). Section titles are formatted "", and subsections are "", "", and so on. The normal format for text is "".
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