Help:VisualEditor/User guide

Getting started: the visual editor's toolbar
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Editing references
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Determining which system is in place

 * Your wiki may use one of three footnote systems. The one shown on the right is the simplest system, where the "  " menu does not include any citation templates.  If your wiki uses this system, then everything you need to know about footnotes is on this page.
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 * The second system has the same type of " " menu, but with several popular citation templates set up for quick access.  If your wiki uses this system, then you will find more details at
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 * In the third system, you again start by pressing the Cite button. Then a dialog box opens, which includes an automatic citation process using the citoid service.  If your wiki uses this system, you will find more details at
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 * In the third system, you again start by pressing the Cite button. Then a dialog box opens, which includes an automatic citation process using the citoid service.  If your wiki uses this system, you will find more details at
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 * In the third system, you again start by pressing the Cite button. Then a dialog box opens, which includes an automatic citation process using the citoid service.  If your wiki uses this system, you will find more details at
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Editing an existing reference

 * To edit an existing reference, press on it where it appears in the text (usually as a bracketed number). You will see either a " " icon (bookmark) or an icon (and name) for the template that was used to create this reference. In either case, pressing on the "Edit" button will open a dialog where you can edit the reference.
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 * For the " " icon, pressing "Edit" opens the Reference dialog. To start changing the reference information, press on it.
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 * For the " " icon, pressing "Edit" opens the Reference dialog. To start changing the reference information, press on it.
 * For the " " icon, pressing "Edit" opens the Reference dialog. To start changing the reference information, press on it.

Many wikis use templates to format references. If a template is used in your reference, then when you move your pointer over the reference information, all the information in that field will be highlighted.

If a template was used and you press on the reference information, then the icon (puzzle piece) will appear with some information. Press on the "edit" button to edit the content of the template in the template mini-editor dialog.
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 * If what appears when you press on a reference is an icon for a standard template for citations (an example is at right), then pressing "Edit" will open the template mini-editor dialog.
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 * Inside the template mini-editor, you can add or remove types of information or change current content. Only fields (template parameters) that have content will show, initially. To add fields, press on " " at the bottom of the mini-editor.
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 * Press on " " when you are done.
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 * Press on " " when you are done.
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Re-using an existing reference

 * If the page already contains a citation that applies to the text you want to source, then you can choose to re-use that existing citation.
 * If the page already contains a citation that applies to the text you want to source, then you can choose to re-use that existing citation.

To re-use an existing reference, place your cursor in the body of the text where you want to add a new reference (number) for that citation. Then press on the "Re-use reference" item from the " " menu.

(Note: If your wiki has the third footnote system described above, you'll see a "Re-use" tab, in a dialog, instead of a "Re-use" item on the " " menu.)
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 * In the dialog, look at the list for the reference you want to reuse, and select it. If there are many references, you can use the search box (labeled "  ") to list only those references that include certain text.
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Adding a new reference

 * To add a citation using the " " menu, place your cursor where you want to add it in the text. Then select the appropriate citation type in the menu.
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Using the "Basic" citation

 * Shown here is what you will see if you select the basic references item. In the Reference editor, you can add your citation, including formatting.
 * Shown here is what you will see if you select the basic references item. In the Reference editor, you can add your citation, including formatting.

You can make the reference belong to a given group, although normally this is left blank. (This option is used to display groups of references with the " " tool.)
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 * In the Reference dialog, if you want to include a citation template, or any other template, in your new reference, press the icon (puzzle piece) in the "  " toolbar menu within the Reference editor.
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 * Then, look for the template you want to use, add it and edit it as you would any other template. (See the Editing templates section, below, if you need more information about templates.)
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 * Then, look for the template you want to use, add it and edit it as you would any other template. (See the Editing templates section, below, if you need more information about templates.)
 * Then, look for the template you want to use, add it and edit it as you would any other template. (See the Editing templates section, below, if you need more information about templates.)
 * Then, look for the template you want to use, add it and edit it as you would any other template. (See the Editing templates section, below, if you need more information about templates.)

After you are done editing your new template, press on " " to return to the Reference editor, and "  " again to return to the page you are editing.
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 * If there isn't already a list of references on the page (for example, if you are adding the first reference for the page), you need to specify where the list of references, and their text, will be displayed to the reader.
 * If there isn't already a list of references on the page (for example, if you are adding the first reference for the page), you need to specify where the list of references, and their text, will be displayed to the reader.
 * If there isn't already a list of references on the page (for example, if you are adding the first reference for the page), you need to specify where the list of references, and their text, will be displayed to the reader.

Place the cursor where you want to display the references list (usually at the bottom of the page), open the " " menu and press the "  " icon (three books).
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 * If you are using several groups of references, which is relatively rare, you can specify the group in this dialog. Only the references that belong to that group will be displayed on the page at the location where you are placing the group.
 * If you are using several groups of references, which is relatively rare, you can specify the group in this dialog. Only the references that belong to that group will be displayed on the page at the location where you are placing the group.
 * If you are using several groups of references, which is relatively rare, you can specify the group in this dialog. Only the references that belong to that group will be displayed on the page at the location where you are placing the group.

The final step in the References list dialog is to press " ".
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Using standard cite templates

 * Your local wiki may have added extra citation templates to the " " menu. If so, you have quick access to the most-used citation templates for your wiki.  (Instructions for adding extra citation templates to your local wiki are available at  .)
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 * Pressing on a template icon such as "Cite book" will take you into the template mini-editor for that template. Important information fields may be marked with an asterisk. While the most common fields will be shown, not all of them are required.
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 * To add more parameters, scroll down in the template mini-editor and press on the " " option.
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 * To add more parameters, scroll down in the template mini-editor and press on the " " option.
 * To add more parameters, scroll down in the template mini-editor and press on the " " option.
 * To add more parameters, scroll down in the template mini-editor and press on the " " option.

Press on " " when you are done.
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Editing images and other media files
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Editing images

 * To add a new image (or another type of media file) to the page, press the " " icon (a picture of mountains) in the "  " menu. The image will be added wherever your cursor is.
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 * Pressing the " " icon opens a dialog that automatically searches Wikimedia Commons and your local wiki for media files related to the title of the page you are editing.
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 * Pressing the " " icon opens a dialog that automatically searches Wikimedia Commons and your local wiki for media files related to the title of the page you are editing.
 * Pressing the " " icon opens a dialog that automatically searches Wikimedia Commons and your local wiki for media files related to the title of the page you are editing.

You can change the search by changing the text in the dialog's search box.

To choose a file, press on its thumbnail image.

This places the image onto the page you are editing.
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 * After the image you selected is inserted into the page, another dialog will open. This dialog allows you to add and edit the caption of the image. The caption can contain formatting and links.
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 * The media dialog also allows you to add alternative text captions, to help users who use screen readers, or who have disabled image display.
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 * You can also set various parameters for the image in the " " window. These include the alignment, the type, and size of the image.
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 * When you are done, press " " to close the dialog and return to editing the page.
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 * For an existing image, you can add or edit a caption or other settings by pressing on the image, then pressing on the " " icon that appears below the picture.
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 * When you are done, press " " to close the dialog and return to editing the page.
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 * For an existing image, you can add or edit a caption or other settings by pressing on the image, then pressing on the " " icon that appears below the picture.
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 * For an existing image, you can add or edit a caption or other settings by pressing on the image, then pressing on the " " icon that appears below the picture.
 * For an existing image, you can add or edit a caption or other settings by pressing on the image, then pressing on the " " icon that appears below the picture.
 * For an existing image, you can add or edit a caption or other settings by pressing on the image, then pressing on the " " icon that appears below the picture.

You can resize an existing image by pressing on it, then moving the resize icon (the two-headed arrow on one or both bottom corners).

You can also drag and drop an image to a place higher or lower on the page.
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Editing templates
The powerful MediaWiki template system lets you insert dynamic content, text from other pages, and much more. For a detailed explanation and examples, see the Templates help page.

In the VisualEditor you can search for a relevant template, add an invocation or transclusion on the page you’re editing and, if needed, add custom content using parameters.

Insert new template
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 * To add a template to a page, place your cursor at the position on the page where you want the template to be inserted. Then open the  menu and select " [[File:OOjs_UI_icon_puzzle-ltr.svg]]  ".  Alternatively, type two curly brackets {{ to open the same dialog.
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 * Find the template you want to insert by typing either its name or a relevant keyword. Results containing the search term in either the name or description will display in a dropdown. This should help you find a relevant template, even if you don’t know its exact name.
 * Find the template you want to insert by typing either its name or a relevant keyword. Results containing the search term in either the name or description will display in a dropdown. This should help you find a relevant template, even if you don’t know its exact name.
 * Find the template you want to insert by typing either its name or a relevant keyword. Results containing the search term in either the name or description will display in a dropdown. This should help you find a relevant template, even if you don’t know its exact name.

If you’re having trouble finding the kind of template you want by using keywords, you can look on other wiki pages with similar content and view or edit the page source to see which templates are in use. When you find the desired template’s name, you can type it into this field to insert it here.
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 * You can also edit a template that’s already on a page. When you select the template you want to edit, it turns blue, and a box appears displaying " [[File:OOjs_UI_icon_puzzle-ltr.svg]]  ".  Then select the "  " link  or double click on the template itself to open the template.
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 * Some templates are not visible to someone reading a page. In the visual editor, such hidden templates are still shown so that you can click and edit or delete them.  The name of the template will be shown next to the puzzle icon and both will be grayed out.
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 * Some templates are not visible to someone reading a page. In the visual editor, such hidden templates are still shown so that you can click and edit or delete them.  The name of the template will be shown next to the puzzle icon and both will be grayed out.
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Template parameters

 * You’ll see this dialog box when you’re adding a new template or editing one already in place. What you see in the box depends on whether the template in question contains , helpful metadata added by other editors to make it easier to edit templates in the Visual Editor.
 * You’ll see this dialog box when you’re adding a new template or editing one already in place. What you see in the box depends on whether the template in question contains , helpful metadata added by other editors to make it easier to edit templates in the Visual Editor.

When a template contains TemplateData, the VisualEditor can use it to present annotated fields for you to fill in.

For templates that have some community-provided TemplateData, the VisualEditor displays a list of the named parameters and, often, descriptions and instructions explaining the meaning and required format for each parameter’s values.
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 * You can disable any optional parameter (which have blue checkboxes on the left side). If a parameter’s checkbox is grayed out and not clickable, the template requires that parameter, so it can’t be disabled.
 * You can disable any optional parameter (which have blue checkboxes on the left side). If a parameter’s checkbox is grayed out and not clickable, the template requires that parameter, so it can’t be disabled.
 * You can disable any optional parameter (which have blue checkboxes on the left side). If a parameter’s checkbox is grayed out and not clickable, the template requires that parameter, so it can’t be disabled.

When you insert a new template, you may find that some optional parameters are pre-selected. That means the author(s) of the template recommends the use of those parameters. It’s best to review all parameters that will be used in a template to ensure you understand their use.

Clicking an unchecked parameter adds it to the template. Clicking a parameter that’s already been added takes you to the parameter’s input field.

Some template parameters will show as “deprecated”. Don’t use deprecated parameters when inserting a template; they’re only visible to you because those parameters are in use on older pages where this template was included.
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Adding undocumented parameters

 * If you’re inserting or editing a template whose author hasn’t laid out its parameters in TemplateData, it has what we call “undocumented” or “unnamed parameters”. In these cases, you should consult the page for the template itself.  There you can learn how to correctly employ and work with all of the template’s parameters.  This includes learning the exact names of the parameters as written by the template author.
 * If you’re inserting or editing a template whose author hasn’t laid out its parameters in TemplateData, it has what we call “undocumented” or “unnamed parameters”. In these cases, you should consult the page for the template itself.  There you can learn how to correctly employ and work with all of the template’s parameters.  This includes learning the exact names of the parameters as written by the template author.

If you find in the documentation that the template expects parameters without have names, fill in numbers as placeholders for the parameter names using the undocumented parameter input, then add next to the values you want to provide as you normally would.

Example:


 * first unnamed parameter: “1”


 * first unnamed parameter’s value: “en_US”


 * second unnamed parameter: “2”


 * second unnamed parameter’s value: “yes”

If you accidentally include nonexistent, misspelled or erroneous parameters, the values you enter for those parameters won’t show up on the page you’re editing.
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Autogenerated parameters

 * In this example, the template in question lacks TemplateData but it was possible to autogenerate the parameters. This means that the undocumented parameters have already been added for you, but the names may not be easily understandable and the dialog cannot display any directions or descriptions. As a result the dialog box provides a link to the template’s documentation, which should help you deduce and fill in the template’s various parameters.
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Editing multi-part template content

 * During editing, you may open template content consisting of multiple templates or a single template linked to some wikitext. This differs from the nested templates described below.  In this case, the templates are better visualized as being stacked or connected.
 * During editing, you may open template content consisting of multiple templates or a single template linked to some wikitext. This differs from the nested templates described below.  In this case, the templates are better visualized as being stacked or connected.

This content often contains “unbalanced templates,” templates which are incomplete on their own and need to be paired with some wikitext or another template in order to function.

These related pieces of template content must be created in wikitext, but can be edited in the VisualEditor. In these cases you will see a notice at the top of the dialog to signal the situation and a specialized toolbar will be visible at the bottom of the sidebar. There you can use the icon buttons to add additional templates, additional wikitext, delete elements or change their order.


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Nested templates

 * Templates can include other templates as the value for parameters. You’ll recognize it when you see a parameter whose value contains the double curly braces denoting a template.
 * Templates can include other templates as the value for parameters. You’ll recognize it when you see a parameter whose value contains the double curly braces denoting a template.

The VisualEditor can’t present this template within a template (a nested template) using the editor’s easy-to-use interface, so if you want to nest a template yourself, you’ll need to understand how to add the template by hand in wikitext into the appropriate parameter field.
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Completing your edit

 * When you have finished editing a template, you can click " ".  Then you can preview your edit and make sure it looks the way you want and expect.
 * When you have finished editing a template, you can click " ".  Then you can preview your edit and make sure it looks the way you want and expect.

You may also see an error message, which (like the other TemplateData mentioned above) is community-provided content and may vary in usefulness. You may need to consult the template’s own documentation to get to the bottom of some errors. If you’re still having trouble, consider posting about your problem on the template’s talk page.
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Removing a template

 * To remove a template in the VisualEditor, click the template box. Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" key on your keyboard.  The template will disappear from the page.
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Editing on mobile

 * When editing a template on a page using the VisualEditor on a mobile device, you’ll see that the sidebar starts out hidden. You can make it visible by pressing the “Show/hide options” button.
 * When editing a template on a page using the VisualEditor on a mobile device, you’ll see that the sidebar starts out hidden. You can make it visible by pressing the “Show/hide options” button.


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Substituting templates

 * When you insert a template in a wiki page, its content and appearance are reevaluated every time the page loads, based on the template code and the values of its parameters. This means if someone updates the code of a template, then every page which uses that template will also get updated when they publish.
 * When you insert a template in a wiki page, its content and appearance are reevaluated every time the page loads, based on the template code and the values of its parameters. This means if someone updates the code of a template, then every page which uses that template will also get updated when they publish.

There’s another, much less common way to use templates, though, and that’s to substitute a template. Doing this permanently includes the template content just as it appears at the moment you insert it. It will not update if the template code is later changed.

Most users won’t ever need to resort to substitution. Substitution is typically only useful when you need to capture the exact appearance of one version of a template, such as when content is under development and needs evaluation.

To substitute a template in the VisualEditor, insert a template using the name syntax. (Autocomplete doesn’t work in this case.) Then press the blue “Add template” button.

When you’re finished, press “Insert”, which will insert the template content as you see it.
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Keyboard shortcuts
Many editors are used to entering wikitext directly, especially bold, italics and wikilinks. Keyboard shortcuts allow to quickly insert similar formatting without having to use toolbar items. Here are the common general shortcuts in the visual editor: