Help:Beyond the basics

Welcome to the advanced wiki editing FAQ, which goes behind the scenes on some of the cooler stuff you can do with wikis.


 * New to this party?
 * Please visit our online demos page for videos demonstrating all of the Wikia basics and much much more - Help:Video demos!

Linking to a page on another Wikia wiki
If the page is on another wiki, you need to use an "interwiki link". For Wikia wikis, this means putting "w:c:wikiname:" before the name of the page. "wikiname" is the name from the URL of the Wikia wiki. So to link to a page on the Dofus Wikia (dofus.wikia.com), you would type.


 * More... learning links

Linking to pages in other languages
If there are two wikis on the same subject, but in different languages, it's good to make links between equivalent articles. These are "interlanguage links", and show in the sidebar or on a dropdown list on the top right of the page.

Where interlanguage links are enabled, you can use the normal square brackets to link. Just start with the language code, followed by the page name. For example  would link to the Polish page about "Przykład" (Example).


 * More... Interlanguage links

Redirecting visitors from one place to another?
Redirects are a useful way of organising pages on a wiki. They allow you to point many topics at the same page. Typing:  on a blank page will mean that anyone visiting that page will be automatically taken to the page "Example".


 * More... How to use redirects

Wiki tables
You can use HTML tables on wikis, but it is highly recommended to use wikimarkup, as it is easier to read and use.

So

will give you

Tables can be formatted, and can get complicated. However, they are very useful.


 * More... Tables and how to format them

Wikia and HTML formatting
Most HTML can be used on wiki pages, although it's often better to use wiki markup. HTML can be very confusing for those unfamiliar with it, therefore, it's best to keep pages as simple as possible for future editors.


 * More... Hints on HTML

Templates: going beyond the basics
Templates are one of the most versatile features of wikis. Some of the things you can do with them include:
 * Using templates to paste repetitive text into articles,
 * Adding parameters or variables, so that the same template can be used to give different results,
 * Using "parserfunctions" to set conditions for the template's use.


 * More... Template tricks

Automatic Edit Summaries
In some situations, if you do not enter a edit summary, then this will be done for you automatically. This helps people reviewing the edits to see what has been done, and what edits need checking first. Admins can customize these summaries using the MediaWiki messages.


 * More... Automatic edit summaries

What are those little boxes on user pages? And how can I add one?
"Userboxes" are a neat way of giving information about yourself on you user pages. They are small templates, that can be added to any page, and that say something about you. A simple example userbox can be added to your page by typing in:. It's also possible to add specialised userboxes that show what languages you speak.


 * More... Using userboxes

Undoing an edit
Every edit made is stored on a Wiki, that means it's easy to go back to an old version if an edit is a mistake or vandalism. To change an edit for an article, go to the article's "history" page. Each date/time listed on the history page is a link to a different version of that article. Just click the version you want, then click edit, followed by the save button. Wiki admins have a shortcut link for this, and can "rollback" the most recent edits with one click.


 * More... Revert and Rollback

Wiki, bots & you: working together to improve Wikia
Bots are welcome on Wikia! They can be useful for many repetitive tasks around the wiki. You can use a bot as long as:
 * 1) You are confident that the bot is harmless,
 * 2) The bot is respectful of server resources,
 * 3) You have community agreement to use the bot.
 * 4) You ask staff for a bot flag if you are likely to overwhelm recent changes with edits.


 * More... Using bots on Wikia

What is an administrator? And what's with all these titles?
Wikia uses various titles to show what extra features users are able to access. For example, "admins" (sometimes called sysops) are people able to do maintenance on a wiki, such as page deletions, and to ban problem users. "Staff" are people employed by Wikia to help our contributors.


 * More... User access levels

Managing talk pages
Talk pages don't have a size limit, but they do get very difficult to read if they get too long. Some older browsers also have problems with long pages, losing some of the page on saving. So it's best to clear off talk pages when they get long, and either summarise the conversation or move the older part to an 'archive' page. The simplest way to do this is copy the text to a new page, and remove it from the old page.


 * More... Archiving

Using content from other wikis
Generally, you can use text from another wiki as long as both are under the same license. Most wikis on Wikia use the GNU Free Documentation Licence. So you can use content from other wikis using this license, including Wikipedia. However, you must be careful to keep to the licence conditions, including the condition that you credit the source.

What is a namespace?
"Namespaces" are sections of a wiki. The main namespace is the area the articles are in, and is the only namespace without an identifying prefix. Some namespaces have special properties, for example the Image namespace holds images and other uploaded files. Other namespaces are just used to separate different types of content.


 * More... Namespaces

What are MediaWiki messages?
MediaWiki messages are pages that hold the text of the wiki interface. It's possible for admins to edit these pages to customize much of the wiki's standard text. But if you find an error, it's best to report it so that it can be fixed on all Wikia wikis.


 * More... Customizing the interface

How do I select or change the license of a document I have uploaded?
All text on Wikia is under the GNU Free Documentation Licence (or a similar licence in the case of a few specific wikis) but images and other uploaded media may be licenced in a different way. It's always important that anything uploaded is free to use, used with permission, or is allowable for another reason. The drop-down selector on the upload page gives some examples of reasons and licences that might apply.

Can I use JavaScript on Wikia?
JavaScript (or JS) is a useful way of adding small tools and features, although trying to do too much with it can slow down your browser. To add JavaScript for your own use, edit the page at  where skin_name is the name of your current skin. The skin that Wikipedia uses is called "Monobook" and thus you'd edit the page User:Username/monobook.js to add JavaScript for your use when Monobook is your selected skin. Do note the capitalization - the skin name must be lowercase or otherwise your JavaScript just won't work!

Can I change Wikia's appearance / skin?
The easiest way to change the look of Wikia, is to select a different "skin" from the list in your preferences. Admins can select the default skin for the wiki, this is the skin that everyone will see unless they have chosen a different skin for themselves. If you choose Custom, then you can also change the look with CSS.


 * More... The skinny on skins

Customizing Wikia: making it your own
Wikia is very customisable, you can select the overall look of the wiki (the "skin") from a list of default settings or even use advanced code to make your own look. With the "Monaco" skins, you can also choose the positions of the sidebar boxes and add "widgets", extra boxes with many different features.


 * More... User style

I want to learn more!
We have many other useful pages. You can see all of them at Help:Index!

Another great way to learn is to get involved! Join us on the Central Wikia forums or on Help:Wikia IRC channels.